Why Interfaith?

Many people have asked me "Why did you decide to become an interfaith minister? I mean, when there are so many faiths available, why interfaith?"

It's a sort of "Wazzup with that?" question.

For me, the process of coming to an interfaith decision was a little like "The Long and Winding Road" song from the Beatles.

The long and winding road
That leads to your door,
Will never disappear,
I've seen that road before.
It always leads me here
Leads me to your door.

As a child, I was exposed to the Seventh-Day Adventist faith. Many of my family were very active in that religion, and I even attended private SDA schools, including four years of boarding school in my high school years.

Yet, for me, something was missing. What was it?

Oh, I know: freedom. Freedom to think for myself, freedom to ask questions, freedom to discover for myself my own truth.

Interestingly, I realized that many others didn't share this intense feeling, which was fine for them, but for me, I ached to discover my own truth.

So, once out of high school, I found myself feeling lost. I knew what I didn't want (religious structure), but I had no clue as to what I did want.

I tried lots of different things, and finally realized after about ten years that I was seeking spirituality, not religosity. I learned meditation and loved it. Finally, I was connecting to my deeper truth.

However, I still didn't trust my own intuition, because at that point in time, I had no clue as to how to distinguish intuition from ego or personality.

Then my daughter was born. My inner urge to find a spiritual fit became stronger. I attended a Methodist church for a while. It was nice, but still not "it." Then a friend introduced me to Unity Church.

I loved it! I resonated with the New Thought message of the Unity Church, with the concept of focusing on the positive, as well as the idea that we create our lives through our very thoughts and through our connection to Divinity. Our minister also introduced me to the Course in Miracles, an amazing and powerful teaching.

You would think I'd become a Unity minister, rather than an interfaith minister, wouldn't you?

Well, not so fast.

I then discovered (through a variety of moves to new locations) that I didn't resonate with all Unity churches. This was a bit of a shocker!

I then delved into Landmark Education (the Forum, for those of you who aren't familiar with LE), which is a sort of a religion (although many would argue that point). Meanwhile, I was still meditating (both Buddhist and Hindu influences). I was exposed to Sufiism (the mystical branch of Islam), and liked it, and was exposed to Judiaism, and also liked it very much.

In addition, friends of mine were Pagan and I discovered I resonated with their Goddess-oriented, earth-based faith.

Now in Richmond, VA, I tried out Presbyterianism. I liked it.

Another move to Charlottesville, VA, had me seeking a new church. This time Unity was a fit again - for a while.

Then I met and married my husband, who is Presbyterian. Again, I was attending Presbyterian churches - all of which I truly enjoyed.

Another move (whew!) - this time to Florida -and I realized I was ready to attend Seminary. I had been pondering this particular Seminary (The New Seminary, in New York City) for several years and now I felt I had the time and the energy I to devote to the studies and teachings.

I discovered I loved Interfaith. Rather than segmenting the Divine into separate religions, it honored the Divine in all faiths. Rather than focusing on what is different, it focused on what is similar. Rather than excluding, it included.

Even the teachings of Unity felt too constricting for me. I felt that the New Thought concepts were a religion. And they still weren't broad enough (although they are very broad).

For me, God or Allah or Jehovah or Universal Energy or Krishna or whatever you desire to call that incredible Divine creative power is greater than any religion we as humans can create. Interfaith simply holds the belief that each person decides for him or herself what their right connection to that Divine creative power is and it honors that decision. Interfaith honors that path.

Interfaith holds the space for all truths, all paths, all beliefs. It welcomes all and it honors all.

That is why interfaith is a fit for me.

The "Ain't It Awful!" Habit

Yesterday, I was out at a store and I heard one of the clerks talking with a customer.

Clerk: "People just don't care. They come in here and they leave stuff all over the place and then I have to go in and pick up after them."

Customer: "I know it! I can see that. They just don't care."

Clerk: "And I have to be here till closing at 8. Picking up stuff and picking up more stuff."

I drifted away from the conversation about that time, but not before I realized that this was another version of what I call the "Ain't It Awful!" conversation.

The "Ain't It Awful!" conversation usually goes something like this:

"Can you believe the economy? It's so awful. Everywhere I look I see troubles."

or

"Those kids! They are just so disrespectful. I don't know what's happening to society these days."

I used to be a member of the "Ain't It Awful!" club. Full-time and card-carrying, I'd join in when I heard those conversations, believing what they were saying. I thought that if I joined in the conversation, I'd be connected to the people - we'd share something in common.

Well, we did. But I discovered that I then had friends that I really didn't want to hang out with, because they loved talking about what was wrong with life.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered Unity church. Now there was a bunch of positive people! I realized that I didn't want to be a card-carrying member of the "Ain't It Awful!" club anymore. So, for the next 15 years, I worked on being more conscious of my thoughts and my conversations.

Then about three years ago, I discovered Abraham-Hicks's work, and decided I'd really up the ante. I'd seriously pay attention to what I was thinking because as I knew that as I paid attention to my thoughts and my vibration, my life would really change and become more and, better. I knew that I would seriously begin to consciously co-create my dreams and desires into being at an even greater level than I already had been doing.

And it happened. In the beginning, I realized how very, very much I liked to complain. About anything. That shocked me, because I thought I was already a pretty positive person. But the truth was, I had a major complaining habit. (This was a step up from the "Ain't It Awful!" habit I had had earlier in my life, but it was still not working for me.)

Slowly, I began to change. At first, I didn't want to hang out with people who complained. Then I realized that I would not be hanging out with anybody if I did that (not even myself!). So, I let that ideal go and just focused on my own responses and thoughts to a person or a situation.

It worked. I offered compassion instead of judgment (when I can) to those complaining around me. And when I'm complaining, I say to myself "Now, Anne, it's ok. You are just fine. Everything is just fine. Let it go." Usually, that works. Sometimes, however ... well, let's just say, I've either been triggered and I'm in an emotional reaction or I'm just not interested in changing my judgment in that moment.

This is a process. Let me repeat that. It is a P-R-O-C-E-S-S. This means that it takes time. It is a re-training of how to think, how to be.

And that's ok. You're just fine. Everything is fine. See if you can let go of any presumption that it has to be done right here, right now, in this red-hot minute. For indeed, all is well.

Loving Your Inner Diva...

Today, I read a lovely blog by a woman named Judy. It's entitled Your Inner Diva is a Law of Attraction Magnet! and can be found at http://dreamandflourish.com/2008/12/30/your-inner-diva-is-a-law-of-attraction-magnet/. I am also cutting and pasting it here, for ease in reading. I absolutely love her style and her philosophy! I think you will, too.


I’ve recently come to realize that accepting your inner Diva is a powerful tool in creating your life. Ha! I imagine that those of you who are tapped into your “outer” Diva understand this already. Thanks ahead of time for your patience! Still, there is so much misinformation about Divas, that I imagine that most of us can expand our love for our Diva.

A friend of mine describes a Diva as someone who:“Knows what they want, and has the sense of self worth to receive it.”

Nothing too complicated about that, is it? This definition certainly lines up with the Law of Attraction. Knowing what you want helps attract it into your life, yes? And, of course, each of us is also super worthy of a fabulously abundant life.

I also love that Divas understand that being “worth it” also requires some extra attention. Divas know that investing in their self, whether in hygiene, dress, eating well, or going to the spa, keeps them feeling good, present, and capable. Putting belief into feel good action is a mighty powerful way to create your world!!

Divas will also tell you what they want. Hello! Communicating your desires is still one of the easiest ways of getting your needs met. Clarity, is simply, a direct channel to the Universe!

Finally, I enjoy how completely different each of our Divas must be. Even in a room of thousands who are following these same principles, each will present a unique Diva. I LOVE this!

Are you with me? Can you see how your Diva-ness is a fun way to tap into the Law of Attraction? I hope so!

Ok, true confession time. My Diva definitely knows what she wants, and is claiming how much she deserves it!

For starters, my Diva loves:

Fun, mischief, and laughing loudly
Fine feeling fabrics, like silk, velvet, and cashmere in bright, lively colors
A really good pedicure
Spa days, and bubble baths with LOTS of bubbles
Fabulous food that was thoughtfully and creatively prepared with fresh, quality ingredients
Dancing in a crowd of sexy women
Surprises
Hosting friends , in my home for dinners, parties, and games
Inspiring others to enjoy their fabulous life!
Treating everyone as being central to things running smoothly.
Sharing the love with others like Ellie & everyone that contributes to the Law of Attraction Carnival!
How about you? What does YOUR inner Diva love?


(Anne again) Can we say AMEN! to that? Thank you, Judy, for giving such beautiful words to what's inside each woman.

Hugs. Now go give YOUR inner Diva some love!

What are You Dreaming About?

When I was younger, I thought that all my dreams would come true. (Well, mostly anyway.) Once upon a time, I had a dream of being a veterinarian, and that dream was the impetus for me to go back to school. After several years of attending community college at night and working full-time during the day, that dream began to fade into the background as I replaced it with another: being a mom.

My mommy hunger grew in my late 20s and I began to read books about being pregnant and having children, and I began to talk with other women about their experiences with their babies. I even attended the national La Leche League conference in Washington, DC. I was never so alive with the beauty of my dream as I was there! Nursing babies were everywhere, and the hotel was alive with moms, babies and toddlers. There were books on parenting the La Leche League way: natural births (even home births), nursing and baby-led weaning, staying home with your baby, the family bed, homeschooling, and so much more.

I then became even clearer about what my new dream was. (You could say that gaining this new information gave me even more clarity.) I wanted a baby and I wanted to stay home with her.

Ultimately I did, but not before some serious soul searching and some letting go of other ideas. I now tell my daughter and her father that some of the greatest gifts I received in my life were 1) her being born and 2) my staying home with her.

A year or so after Christina was born, I decided I wanted to learn photography. So I enrolled in the Corcoran School of Art in DC. I discovered I loved it and was pretty good. This new awareness gave me new clarity about how to resolve another issue I was having: money (or the lack thereof).

So, I created a new dream of having a photography business. I put a darkroom in our home and opened up my business photographing children and their families. Some of my photos actually made it into Mothering Magazine (a national magazine) and some even won awards!

Through the course of my life I have created new dreams, achieved some of them and let go of others. And I have had some yanked from me as I held on as tightly as I could. (Those ended up being some very painful losses.)

As I have grown in maturity and consciousness, I realize that dreams have an energy which must be fed if they are to come into fruition. They need our attention, our love, our hope, our joy. They need our vision, and our action. And often, we must let go of something if we are to truly have our dream.

As we achieve a dream, we enjoy it for a while, but then we begin to gain new awareness, new ideas, new visions, new dreams or new variations on the current dream.

It's rather like the process of finding your mate. Through the process of sifting through the people you date, have a significant relationship with, or even marry, you gain clarity about what it is you truly want. But whether or not you manifest it depends upon you.

Can you hold the vision, or do you give up?

Do you believe you can have what you want, or do you settle?

Usually, it's a little of both, I think.

So, how hard is it to achieve your dream? I believe that depends upon how much "stuff" you have about whether or not you can achieve it. (The "stuff" is your beliefs, your thoughts, your attitude - and how strong those believes and thoughts and attitude are.)

Your dreams are given to you by Spirit and they are calling you to them. When you feel light and happy about your dreams, you are in alignment with them and you have little resistance to the dreams. However, when you are feeling frustrated, or hopeless, or weary about your dreams, you are out of alignment with them and turned away from Spirit.

For me, this is where tools come in. Tools like EFT (the Emotional Freedom Technique), or learning how to work with your beliefs, how to shift and reframe those thoughts and attitudes. The more you apply those tools to your everyday life, to your conscious thoughts and beliefs, the more you will move forward in achieving your dreams.

Your dreams are waiting for you. Now (right here, right now, not tomorrow, not later today ... now) is the time to clear away your stuff so that you can have what you dream about.

You can have it. Really.

Don't Worry ... Be Happy!

I worry. It's true. I do. I learned this useless skill as a child, and I have practiced it until it has become a way of being at times. I'm rather good at it. And I recognize that it is not only not useful, but that it is a detriment to creating what I want to create in my life.

Sometimes, when I go to bed at night and I have a hard time falling asleep, I find my mind thinking thoughts that it has no logical reason to think. When I catch myself doing it, I can usually say "Stop it, Anne! Look at what you're doing. Think something happier!" But sometimes it takes me a while to realize that I'm doing it. I'm having conversations in my head with someone I am upset with, or I am creating scenarios I really don't want to experience!

It's not pretty, and it's not much fun.

In "The Secret," we are reminded that everything we think has energy or vibration, and when we add feelings to what we think, we give those thoughts power. Both fear and joy have power. Now fortunately, we live in a physical world where we do not experience instant manifestation - where if we were to think of an elephant then suddenly the elephant stands before us. Rather, we have time between the thought and the manifestation of that thought - for the most part.

For me, I am really grateful for that, because I really don't want everything I think to be manifested immediately.

Although there are times...

So, what is worry?

Well, like I said, for me, it is a practiced way of being - at times. And I am grateful for the "at times" part of that sentence. I used to worry far more than I do now. This is a good thing. It is a good thing that I used to worry about a lot more things, with more intensity, and with far more frequency than I do now.

Since studying the Law of Attraction, I now realize that the reason my life is so much better than it used to be is that I have really worked hard on nipping the worry habit in the bud. You see, when I used to worry more (and let's add complain more into that mix, shall we?), I used to be creating with the very energy I am now using to create joy and abundance and love with.

Peter Williams wrote a book entitled "You Can't Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought." He was right! We can't. Because those thoughts have power. They have energy, and they have their very own life force, which, if practiced frequently and often enough and with enough intensity, can wreak some real havoc in our lives.

Ok, so while I get that in my head, the issue I have is how to apply that in my life?

Abraham of Abraham-Hicks fame says we are "sloppy thinkers." I think they are right. I know I am. And while I have really worked on cleaning up my way of thinking, I still get seduced by worry and fear.

I remember Wayne Dyer using this example in one of his talks. He said "Think of something that upsets you, like a beautiful animal that has just been hit by the side of the road. It is laying there, bleeding and dying, in pain."

And then he said "Now think of something that brings you joy and delight, like the smile of your child when they were a baby, or a beautiful garden, or your beloved pet doing something funny."

See how easy it is to think of upsetting - and happy - thoughts? Just choose.

Jesus said "Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve: love or fear." It's the same thing. And this wisdom and advice has been handed down for centuries for a very good reason. It works! Just choose.

So the more I choose joyful, happy thoughts, the more I feel joyful and happy. And the more I feel joyful and happy, the more joyful and happy experiences show up in my life.

It really is that simple.

I didn't say it was easy.

Regardless of its ease or simplicity, I am a living example of the power of choice in choosing happy over sad, of choosing love over fear, of choosing joy over worry.

Well, usually.

I still have some work to do. But what else am I here for except to learn this and to be it (which, by the way, equals sharing it)?

Don't worry ... Be happy!

To buy or not to buy ... that is the question.

Francisco (my husband) and I have nursed our ailing cars long enough. Last fall, we decided that we would donate our cars to the Salvation Army as they were ready to go. First, his Taurus went. We decided to buy another car, American-made, a Ford Fusion. It's a lovely car and we like it very much.

Then, in January, we donated my Lincoln Town Car.

When the driver came to pick up both the cars, I felt sad at letting them go. They had become a part of my life and had been good cars. As I said good-bye to my car, I knew that it was going to a better place: the Salvation Army fixes them up before auctioning them off. And we had reached a point where we were just not willing to invest any more $$ into making my car run.

So this left us with one car.

Since I work from home, this really isn't a problem for me. We have created our lives to be able to manage living as a one-car family. This means that one day a week, I drive Francisco to work and then use the car for running whatever errands I want to run, and we do grocery shopping together on weekends, and do any other errands, as well. It works pretty well.

Still, it does cramp my style, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Since last fall, we have been asking the question "Should we buy another car or wait?" So far, we have decided to wait and manage with one car. Nonetheless, during this time, Francisco asked me what kind of car I would want if I were to get another one. I told him a Mercedes. He said the repair on them is too much. I agree - at least for right now. Then he asked me what kind of AMERICAN car I would want. I knew immediately: a Chrysler Seabring convertible (we do live in Southern Florida, after all).

No hurries.

Until today.

There is a Chrysler Seabring convertible (with leather seats, thank you very much) at the same dealer we bought our Fusion from. We like this dealer, and feel good about our experience with them. And the Seabring has just been reduced a couple thousand dollars to a price point that we are very tempted (less than $8K). It's a 2006, and has 32K miles. We can get a CarFax report on its history, and probably a very low interest rate.

This means I will have freedom again.

Well, at least in one way. It also means I will have a commitment to a car payment, which would likely be relatively low. It also means I will be able to go to make presentations about my work which I need to do in order to be able to bring more money in.

Jeez ... which came first: the chicken or the egg?

So, here's my plan. I'm going to go see the car today (today is the day I have our car so I can do this!), and maybe test drive it. If I like it, I will then call Francisco and we'll very seriously talk about getting it. (Hmmm ... I'm not crazy about the color (totally a woman thing - lol): it looks like a navy blue, at least from the picture on the website. (Why couldn't it be a lovely ocean blue?))

Well, I'll go see it in person and see if I like it. Then I think I'll know the answer to the question: to buy or not to buy?

Coming out of the closet...so to speak

I channel. Ok, I've said it. Openly and publicly. I channel. I have been channeling for about six years, ever since I took Doreen Virtue's Angel Therapy Practitioner course and learned how incredible this is. And I studied Sanaya Roman's book, Opening to Channel, around that time, too.

Now I realize that some of you who have landed on this page will now navigate away from it because this is just too far out there for you. I get that. But let me just say in my defense, that there have been many, many, many very famous channels throughout our history, and some of them have churches built in their names.

Think of Mark for example. Yes, Mark from the greatest selling book of all time, The Holy Bible. Mark has one of the most famous churches in the world: St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, Italy. I actually was there last fall, and lit a candle to Mary and Jesus in the sacred sanctuary.

From Mark, let's go to Revelations (also from The Holy Bible), written by St. John the Divine (in whose church I was ordained last year in New York City) ... and let's just add that many, if not all, of the books of the Bible were channeled.

So was The Course in Miracles.

So was The Qur'an (by the prophet Mohammed, father of the Islam faith).

So were all of Ellen G. White's writings (the Seventh-Day Adventists' most famous author).

So was the entire Conversations with God series, by Neale Donald Walsh.

So are the Teachings of Abraham, by Esther Hicks (the Abraham-Hicks work).

And so on.

Many, many works are channeled. And I didn't even go into the musical world, or the art world, or, or, or...

So what is channeling anyway? Basically, it is a trance state (it could be any level - light-deep), wherein one opens oneself to higher consciousness, and then brings forth that wisdom or vision or insight to this waking consciousness.

So, when I first started channeling, I found it to be difficult. It took a while to learn to trust my intuitive hits, to hold the energies of higher-level teachers, and to be comfortable with this.

Then two years ago, my life changed. During a meditation, I received a new group of guides called Karleon. At the time I did not realize that when one channels, it is common for certain guides come to you at different times. I was startled to hear from Karleon, and it took another year for me to be willing to share them with others. (Mostly because of my own fear of how people would view me.)

I began to channel for others in a bi-weekly group. And I came out more openly with it in safe settings like metaphysical bookstores, and friends of friends.

Now, I've been guided to share this with everyone else. So, I've begun a new blog called "Ask Karleon" where people can ask Karleon questions. If you're interested, you can find it at: http://askkarleon.blogspot.com/. Feel free to utilize this very beautiful, very important guidance in your own life.

Blessings to you all.

Thank You, God, for friends!

Last night, friends of ours, Dawn & Julio, came over for dinner and to play games. We decided around Thanksgiving of last year that we'd give game night a try and see how we liked it. We discovered we loved it!

Since then, when all four of us are available, we get together for dinner and games on a Saturday night. Dawn and I decide on the menu ahead of time, and then on Saturday, Francisco and I clean our house and I work on the appetizers and whatever our contributions are for dinner. Dawn and Julio come with their contributions and we have a lovely dinner.

Then we break out the games. After playing a number of different games, we've decided the Rummy Game is our favorite. It works like the card game, Rummy, but it's with tiles, and you can manipulate the runs (my favorite thing to lay down) and the 3-of-a-kinds (my husband's favorite thing to lay down) to create new runs or 3-of-a-kinds. It's a lot of fun, and uses left-brain thinking in order to play. Sometimes when someone goes out, they have just one tile left and they have to manipulate six or eight or even ten different groups in order to get rid of that one tile.

Last night, I won for the first time. In all the weeks we've been playing, I had not won. Not once! But last night, I had that one tile left and I had to manipulate a whole lot of things on the board to get rid of my tile. Even I was surprised! Actually, last night, everyone won. Francisco also won for the first time, and he won three times in a row! You can see that Dawn & Julio have been wiping up the floor with us, but we haven't cared. It's pretty terrific, and we all have a blast.

We met Dawn and Julio at Unity church about a year and a half ago. We instantly clicked. One reason is that both Dawn and Julio were raised in the Seventh-Day Adventist religion, as I was. We all went through the private schooling - including boarding schools (in high school), which is a pretty unique experience. There are things we share that is hard for others to understand unless they've experienced it, as well. Things like campmeeting. And vespers. And ingathering. Things like the Sabbath being Saturday, like the Jewish faith. See what I mean?

In addition, to find someone who had experienced the SDA world and was now at Unity was even more unusual. Because, like Seventh-Day Adventism, Unity is a unique faith. They're almost like the two opposite ends of the spectrum in the faith world. SDA on the right and Unity on the left. (Think conservative and liberal, and you've got it.)

As we got to know Dawn & Julio, we liked them more and more. Then Dawn asked me to officiate their wedding. I was honored. I wrote the service and they loved it. It was a beautiful service and I received some compliments on what I wrote. Dawn was a beautiful bride and Julio a handsome groom.

Dawn was working in New York at the time I was ordained, and she came to my ordination. She met my family and came to dinner with us afterward. I was incredibly grateful for her light-hearted, humorous stories after such an intense, powerful experience, and she made us all laugh.

I have been blessed with some wonderful friends throughout my life. People who have made a difference to me, who have helped me through some very dark times (thank you, Danielle! thank you, Kathleen! thank you, Betsy!). Friends who have talked with me on the phone for hours, sharing ideas and helping me move to a new place of understanding about a particular issue (again, thank you, all of you, and especially you, Danielle!).

This is the first time I've had a "couple" friend. When I was younger, I was busy raising my daughter, Christina, and so my friendships were friends I met being a parent. We shared ideas, and, since I homeschooled Christina for a number of years, we shared a common value. Then she grew up and my friends changed. Then we moved and again, my friends changed - although some remained very beautifully in place. But it is nice to have the physicality of friends to hang with and do things with.

Having a "couple" friend is different. The energy of all four needs to blend nicely, and everyone like everyone else. This does. The conversation needs to be interesting and fun. This is. The interests must be common. Ours are. Even our spiritual language is similar. This is pretty unusual, and I, for one, am grateful. It's a delightful experience having friends, and a new and fun experience for me having a "couple" friend. Both Francisco and I are pretty much home-bodies, so for the most part, we are very content to be together in our home.

It's nice to share ourselves with others. It's nice to welcome others in. Thank you, Dawn & Julio!