Journeys of the Spirit® Newsletter August 27th, 2014

TAKE ME TO: Events & Workshops | Featured Article
Our Upcoming Trips at a Glance | Post a comment!

WHAT’S NEW? A Special Opportunity Coming this Saturday!

For those of you that have been wanting to create your own transformational destination retreats – I have something very special for you. So keep your eyes open for a special email on Saturday!

If you have felt uncomfortable about putting together your own retreat because you don’t know the in’s and out’s of the business – you are going to be very excited about what I have to share with you. 🙂

I know, I’m being mysterious but…….

Blessings and love, Sheri Rosenthal

Connect with me: Email | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

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EVENTS, JOURNEYS + WEBINARS!

The 3rd Annual Transformational Gift Giveaway!
transformational giveaway

It’s the 3rd Annual Transformational Gift Giveaway and this year it’s bigger than ever with 20+ transformational coaches, authors, speakers, and healers giving away their best tools, tips, and techniques to help you in various areas of your life (Including me of course!).

Whether you’re needing support in transforming your health and wellness, relationships, finances or career, there’s guaranteed to be something for everyone! Click here to check it out!

This is just a SAMPLING of the amazing FREE Gifts being offered:

Meditation Audios
Tips to Stop Stress
Fitness Secrets
Clearing Roadblocks to Success
Creating a Purpose Filled Life
Building Healthy Relationships
And MUCH more!!!

Come on over and get your free gifts now! The “Transformational Gift Giveaway” free gifts will only be available through the end of the month so head on over now so you don’t miss it! Be sure to download as many as you would like – whatever speaks to you. 🙂

PS: Be sure to share this with any of your friends who you think could benefit from some awesome free transformational gifts as well!

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Mastering the Buddha Nature Within, Bhutan
Dec 7-18th, 2014

Bhutan dancers

Not many people have actually heard about Bhutan – Land of the Thunder Dragon, or even know where it is located. For many years this little country about the size of Switzerland has been off limits of foreigners. You must realize that Bhutan is not like any place you are likely to travel to. The people are Tantric Buddhists who have a Shamanistic background called Bon – and a fantastic history filled with legends and mythology.

Everyone who visits is touched in the most astonishing ways, by the landscape, the heart of the people, and their philosophies. By the time we leave, the experience will have opened your heart in a manner that that is totally unexpected. Author Sheri Rosenthal and Lisa Tully invite you to join them on this magical and sacred pilgrimage – through meditation, chanting, prayer and ceremony we will expand our consciousness and cultivate the compassion and loving-kindness of Buddha within.

This trip is designed to strengthen your connection to your inner wisdom, love, and compassion. In this challenging world of ours learning to put the Buddha’s teachings into practice (in the most practical of ways!) is the focus of our group time together.

Thankfully we’ll have the opportunity to spend a day at the Druk Wangyal Festival. Held at the Dochula Pass which is an incredibly scenic location – you’ll have a panoramic view of the Himalayan mountain range – simply stunning! We’ll also spend time visiting the very rare and endangered Black Necked Cranes in Phobjikha. And as a special gift, a Lama will be preparing a prayer and blessing ceremony just for us.

Trip tuition: $5599 USD per person double occupancy, all meals, and your flight from Bangkok to Paro is included (~$850 USD).

Details for Bhutan here!

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OUR FEATURED ARTICLE

The Divine Feminine – Who Is She In Your Life?

Despite our modern shift toward patriarchy, the mother goddess or as she is more widely called nowadays, the divine feminine is everywhere. So much so that we have so many ways of describing this energy that it can get confusing.

Manifestations, embodiments, personifications, deities, energies, goddesses, divine force, one goddess springing from the forehead of another! How are we to keep up?

Believe it or not, it can all be boiled down to something manageable and meaningful. The Feminine Principle, or force, is a set of characteristics used to represent creation, bounty, humanity, and the natural world.

Whatever language we use to describe it, whatever names we give, whatever their origination stories and cultural and religious backgrounds – it all represents feminine source power. Creation. Life. Destruction. Earth. Cycles. Beauty.

The most well known manifestation of the feminine principle within Tibetan Buddhism is Tara. Known by many names in many traditions (Tarani Bosatsu in Japan, Guanyin in east Asia), she is the Divine Mother.

In Buddhist traditions you often see her depicted as youthful and charming but her real power lies in her perfect wisdom and her desire to benefit all sentient beings. She is sometimes thought of as a deity (meaning she has god-like qualities and powers), and sometimes thought of as a bodhisattva or Buddha (meaning she shows us true and perfect compassion).

Either way, Tibetan Buddhists view her as the great mother protector, offering wisdom, purity, compassion, and love to all who call on her. She offers courage to those who need it, strength to surmount any obstacle, and protection from all dangers.

In higher levels of practice, her specific meditation is used to develop inner and outer qualities of compassion and emptiness. But she is available to us in daily life as well. It’s enough to center yourself within the feelings of protection and compassion, then call on Tara, naming your specific concern, genuinely asking for help and guidance. It is believed that her love for all people is stronger than a mothers love for her child and therefore prayers are answered swiftly and definitively.

Like many embodiments of the Feminine Principle, Tara has many origination stories. In Tibetan Buddhism she is the consort of Chenrezig, God of Compassion, and sprung from the tears he shed when he could not bear to look at the immense suffering in the world. Prior to being worshiped by the Tibetans (beginning sometime during the fourth century), she was worshiped by the Hindus as Parvati.

There are many Hindu goddesses representing the Feminine Principle and all are manifestations of that primal energy; Parvati, Lakshmi, Kali, Durga all represent various aspects of the mother and the cycles within creation and destruction.

In fact, in the Hindu tradition, Tara and Kali are often depicted with similar visages – including blue skin and a necklace of skulls! This fierce facade reminds us that death is a part of life and creation and destruction go hand in hand.

There are modern day living breathing Tara’s among us as well. One recognizable woman is Amma, The Hugging Saint. She has been a spiritual leader in India for many decades now and works tirelessly to bring comfort to lives long stressed by extreme poverty.

Amma offers a hug to all who meet her and her deep compassion radiates out and touches people profoundly. Many have been inspired to bring about powerful transformations in their lives after coming into contact with her. As a living emanation of the Divine Mother her gift is to strengthen the characteristics of the Feminine in those she meets.

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama (believed to be a manifestation of Chenrezig, Tara’s consort), also sees evidence of modern day Taras:

“There is a true feminist movement in Buddhism that relates to the goddess Tārā. Following her cultivation of bodhicitta the bodhisattva’s motivation, she looked upon the situation of those striving towards full awakening and she felt that there were too few people who attained Buddhahood as women. So she vowed, “I have developed bodhicitta as a woman. For all my lifetimes along the path I vow to be born as a woman, and in my final lifetime when I attain Buddhahood, then, too, I will be a woman.” (Compassionate Action Conference, Newport Beach, CA, 1989)

This helps to bring the wise ancient energy of Tara into our daily lives – as we look to Tara we can feel empowered by her energy and strength.

Another practice which is easy to implement is to begin to see all women as embodiments of Tara. If it feels forced at first, stick with it. Use each encounter to wonder to yourself what strength, wisdom, and compassion each woman has had to call on in her life. How has she helped others, how can you help her?

Over time this practice will become easier and will help to connect not just with others but with the Feminine Principle within yourself. Tara, and the Divine Mother energy that she represents, is never far from us. We can see her in our leaders, in our friends, in strangers, and within ourselves.

Blessings & love, Lisa Tully

Lisa Tully If you want to further explore the Divine Feminine – join Lisa for a very special journey to the southern tip of India – Kerala India October 9-18th, 2014. By awakening the power of the Divine Feminine that is in each and everyone of us – we invite a source of love & compassion into our daily lives. If you are interested in learning more – email me immediately!

Lisa Tully left the corporate life after a deep calling in her heart pulled her to visit the Dalai Lama in India. It was like he had sent her a t-mail (telepathic mail!). After her visit she was inspired to create her own travel company, deepen her practice of Buddhism, and share her love of Buddhist teachings with others, like yourself!

OUR UPCOMING JOURNEYS

~AUDACIOUS AUGUST ADVENTURES~

Panama

The Heart Wisdom of Whales & Wild Dolphins
Panama
Trip Leader: Anne Gordon de Barrigón
Multiple dates: Aug 31-Sept 5, Sept 14-19, Sept 28-Oct 3, 2014

~SOUL-STIRRING SEPTEMBER SOJOURNS~

Tuscany spiritual retreat

Transcend-Transform-Thrive Women’s Retreat
Tuscany, Italy
Trip Leader: Lauretta Zucchetti
September 20-27, 2014

Sacred Tuscany

The Spirit of the Ancient Etruscans
Tuscany, Italy
Trip Leaders: Cameron + Glenn Broughton
Sept 25-Oct 2, 2014 – Pre & Post trip extensions to Venice + Florence