Seeing the Blessing

By Rev. Diannia Baty

We all have core beliefs and one of mine is I do not believe in fate. I do not think anything is written in stone as far as our lives go. The main reason I think this is because we have free-will. The gift of free-will gives us the opportunity to change and create anything. If my life had been pre-ordained in keeping with my earlier life time line, I would be a grandmother, a widow with no prospects of a wonderful life. I am sure by now I would be taking a lot of medication and be unhappy and taken the path that my mother did.

I made choices to do something different with my life. We come into this life a blank slate full of possibilities. Every choice we make leads to a different path. Every move, every trip, and every one we meet turns a corner and a different expression of our life experience unfolds. We are not pawns on the chessboard of life. We are the ones making the moves. It is our life experience and we are the ones calling out, “check mate.”

All of our life experiences have a hidden blessing for us. Sometimes we see it right away and sometimes it unfolds the blessing slowly over time. Make no mistake it is always there.

I look back at what has happened in my life and all that I perceived as horrible and painful and I am now able to clearly see the blessings and the changes that came about because of what I lived through. When I was deeply entrenched in a victim mentality, all I could see is the pain and the suffering. All I could see is what was done to me or said to me or taken from me.

Everything in our lives happens for us and not to us.

If you can view your life in this way it will change everything .

When I first started down my spiritual path, this was one of the first things I learned and it was a perspective I had never considered. I can now clearly see the application of that in my life and in someone else’s life as well.

Example after example is there for me to clearly see something I did not see before. Years ago I worked for a man that was reputed to be into some shady dealings and I started to feel uncomfortable. There was a lot of rumor going around. I was making some real good money but I finally quit. I saw this as life pushing me around once again. I get a good job and the boss is a bad dude so I have to quit. Oh, what life had done to me once again? I was thinking like a victim. The truth is I didn’t have to quit, I chose to.

Two weeks after I quit he was murdered. Someone came into the office and shot him along with two employees. That would have been one of the days I was scheduled to work. I might have been one of the employees that was shot and killed. That was a clear picture for me to see the blessing that had occurred because of my choice to quit. Another blessing that happened is that I started to trust my intuition that I had questioned before. Trusting my inner voice has served me well ever since as long as I am listening.

Because of this experience I became very hyper-alert to details and facial expressions. I started studying people and my surroundings. This led me to apply for a job as an operative for a detective agency at a friend’s urging. This type of position requires that you pay attention to detail. I got the job and did a lot of surveillance work. Nothing escaped my keen eyes and ears. I also trusted my intuition in this job and it served me well.

Every single choice has led me to where I am and who I am now in this moment!

One choice always leads to a multitude of other choices. Using my free-will, I went forward with a different choice and another door of experience was opened up. But in every case it was my choices and my decisions that opened the doors.

Now, when I go through a tough time in any way I am looking for the blessing. I know that sooner or later it will be revealed to me. Instead of seeing myself with a broken heart or broken trust I am now calling it broken open to love and trust because of my experience I have seen both the dark and the light of any given situation. Now I can make different choice through that experience.

It is my choice to leave or not to leave, to move or not to move, to buy or sell something, to be angry or peaceful, to love or hate, to forgive or not. The list would be endless. I think you get the point.

Every moment of my life and yours is filled with blessings even if we are not aware of it at the time. My cousin, who died of breast cancer over a year ago, blessed the world and women who were suffering like her whenever I share her story of refusing treatment out of fear and her subsequent death. I know sharing that story saved a life somewhere. The ripple effect of that cannot be measured.

God gave me free will to live my life. Free means free. There are no conditions attached to this gift. Taking responsibility for my life and the choices thereof has been very liberating for me. I don’t play the blame game any longer. There is simply no point to it. Thinking like a victim only holds you back and prevents you from spreading your beautiful wings. This is just something to think about.

Visit Diannia site at www.myspiritletters.com

October 07 2009 | Power Boost: October 2009 and Your Spiritual Self | No Comments »

Let’s Talk About Abundance

By Diannia Baty

I grew up with scarcity. My family struggled to get by and many times I was unaware of it until I wanted something and my parents could not afford it. My father gave us a real sense of the value of money when he told us if we wanted the extras we had to find a way to earn it. Babysitting, housecleaning, mowing yards and doing any and all odd jobs was the only way to do it if you are a kid. Whatever we bought with our hard earned money was cherished and taken care of because we knew the value of a dollar. Mom used to refer to us as the poor relations as if we had some kind of disease that was contagious. I do know that when we were with families that were better off they treated us differently. It made me feel as if my very presence was tainted somehow. I always felt shame and was not certain why. Was God punishing us for something? I wanted to know God so much but felt like a sinner because we were poor.

What does it mean to be a Spiritual Achiever? Is it truly possible to be both spiritual and be a high achiever? So many of the teachings many of us have learned growing up (and continue to learn today) are that to be spiritual, you need to put God above all else. In fact, many suggest that you should forsake all other pursuits and focus only on your relationship with God. I was taught, that "you can’t serve two masters," and that "money is the root of all evil." I learned that it was "easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." If taken literally, it would seem that pursuing a life of financial abundance would prevent you from being spiritual. And to be spiritual, you need to be, at most, in the financial middle class.

But is it possible that despite these teachings that almost every one has heard, that it is not only possible to be rich and spiritual, but that being wealthy is an avenue towards even greater spirituality? Despite my many years of hearing about the dangers and evils of money, I firmly believe that the road to true spirituality is the same road to financial abundance.

Let me begin with my Six Tenants of my belief before going into details about why I am certain that money is not the root of any evil, let alone being the root of all evil.

1. God Exists
2. We have access to God, for we were made in the image of God. Meaning, our true source, is God.
3. Our thoughts are sources of energy and have extraordinary creative powers when in alignment with our Core Beliefs.
4. All change occurs outside of our comfort zone. To grow, we must expand our knowledge and our lives.
5. The Law of Attraction does not just bring you what you think about, but it brings to you what you think you are.
6. We can all accomplish anything, for we are connected to God. And with God, all things are possible.

Holding these beliefs is critical for succeeding spiritually. Without adhering to any one of these will create conflicts of belief and derail your progress. I feel it is also important to list the commonly held beliefs that are taught to many of us and explain briefly why they only serve to hold us back.

God exists and is the judge of our lives - If we accept this belief, then God is someone to be feared and cautious of, instead of a powerful loving force to whom we should strive to have a relationship with. God loves all, and wants all to fully experience their lives to the fullest. With the gift of life does come responsibility, but living in fear and in guilt is not a responsible way to appreciate the gift.

Money, and the quest for worldly success, will steal away your soul and will lead to evil- I have spent time in a third world country and have seen first hand what poverty looks like. The crime, the violence, and desperation and the absence of hope are everywhere. Though I never advocate making the accumulation of wealth the only or even the top priority in anyone’s life, I know that money is not the root of anything evil, but that poverty is! I have seen poverty and I have been there. It is a lonely sad place to be. Survival is the only thing you think about.

We are limited, human, mortal beings and deserve nothing because we are sinners. It is only through God that we can receive and only receive those things that He/She feels we are worthy of - We are not just physical beings but are spiritual beings having a physical experience. We are sinners only if we label ourselves as such, and do so out of guilt and past conditioning. You and I deserve a fully abundant life; filled with empowering relationships, excellent health, abundant financial resources, and a truly fulfilled life. Anything less than a magnificent life is a waste of the precious gift of life. If there is sin (and I am certain that there is) it is in not fully enjoying life and living it, instead, chained by guilt and not developing your highest and best potential. When you are the highest and best you that you can be you are adding to and not subtracting from the world.

Our lives are predestined- Though God lives only in the now, without a past or present, we experience the passage of time. And through this experience, we make choices and decisions. Our free will to design our lives allows us to decide our own destiny. God created us out of love and through His/Her unlimited and perfect intelligence. Why would a creator create life whose only intention was to play out a scripted series of events? This would mean you have no choice and therefore no free will! That would mean that we are just pieces on a chess board waiting for destiny to move us around and we have no say in the matter at all.

I do not to pretend to understand God, for God is so far beyond my limited ability to think. What I do know, however, is that the humanized God of most religions places limitations of that which cannot be limited or contained. It is only by making direct contact with God that we can begin to grasp what God is in our lives. And it is by having a direct relationship with God that our lives can truly be fulfilled through guidance and in the co-creation process that we are a part of. God delights in us when we are pro-active in our life.

All things are made up of energy. The energy that is the base of a piece of ice in one of Saturn’s rings is the same energy that makes our bodies, minds, and thoughts. We are all connected by this energy of intelligence and intention, and, when our thoughts vibrate at the same energy level as this energy, we are one with God. I am one with God and I know this but I do slip into a negative thinking mode every now and then. When this happens everything around me seems to fall apart until I remember that all I have to do is change my thoughts to change my world. After all it is me that created the negative thoughts and emotions and it is me that can change it in an instant.

All things being equal…abundance and prosperity is different for everyone. I don’t have to be wealthy in terms of millions of dollars in the bank.

What I consider wealth is true friends, bills paid, good food on the table that I can share with others and health. You might ask yourself what you consider wealth and if what you have chosen to believe is making you happy, fulfilled and closer with God.

This is just something to think about!

Website: www.makeachoicenow.com

Email: ladydiannia@carolina.rr.com

September 02 2009 | Power Boost: September 2009 and Spiritual / Metaphysical and Your Spiritual Self | No Comments »

Letting Go of Control

By Diannia Baty

Lately, one of the things that keeps coming up to me is controls issues I observe in people. It seems to be more prevalent now than ever before. As our world swirls with changes in our economy, our climate and talk about the year 2012, control over everything else is the talk of the day. Control is a funny thing. The more you try and control things the less control you have. Control is a heavy hard hand.

Are you a controlling person? Most people who are would say that they aren’t. A common answer would be that they just like things to run smoothly. What they mean is that they want the people in their life to be or act a certain way. If you want a clue if you are this type of person take a look at your life and you will get your biggest tip-off. Stress will rule your days with a capitol S. You will stress if your lunch is not served quickly enough. You will stress if your daughter is not acting a certain way and stress if she is because you always think something is awry. You will stress if someone frowns or laughs too much. You will stress if you have heartburn, thinking you are having a heart problem.

Relaxing and slowing down is not an option for you. You think lightheartedness is a waste of time. You don’t sleep well. You may startle easily. Someone comes around the corner and you jump out of your skin. Basically what I am saying to you is the tighter you hold on, the more of a pressure vise you put yourself in? It is way beyond time to chill out a little as the saying goes.

You can control a car or control a dog’s behavior with training but you cannot, and I mean cannot, control other people. You just think you can! While you think you are controlling that man of yours, he is doing a lot to get back at you with passive aggressive behavior. The more you try and control people, the more ways they will find to resist that control.

There is another funny fact about control. You would think you would feel better when you are controlling your environment and all the people in it. But, you don’t feel any better and it doesn’t improve your life. It also makes everyone around you miserable because they know they don’t measure up in your eyes. They feel criticized and put down. They resent it! Your relationships are in trouble. When was the last time you felt true compassion and understanding instead of irritation, anger, aggravation and worry?

When you expect the best from someone and applaud every success, you will create a situation of shared energy vibration that says you love and approve of them. It is important to look at all the good. If you are trying to control everything around you, you are anticipating and seeing only the negatives. You then start to attract more events into your life that will push your controlling hot buttons.

Pry your grip worn fingers slowly off the control switch and just let go. Your world will not fall apart. In fact, everything will slowly start to improve. Love will be easier to express both from you and to you. Allow the people in your life to be who they are. Accept them and all their imperfections and faults. News Flash! You have them too! Acceptance is a practice that will take you spiritually further than just about anything I can suggest.

Take a look at your life and all that you are trying to control. Is it working? If you are honest you will say absolutely not. If that is the case then maybe a different approach to life would be called for. Allow life to flow like water and find its own level. The good news is that you can control your communion and connection to God, instantly. There is no waiting. Ask God to show you how to let go of all the control issues so you can come spiritually alive. God is the answer and always will be. So the next time someone doesn’t take out the trash in a timely manner or traffic gets a little hairy…just let go!

Let Go And Let God!

Now for a little story. There was a man who fell off a cliff and as he slipped and fell he caught onto some roots of a tree that were sticking out of the cliff. He was hanging on for dear life a thousand feet up. He started to pray for God to save him. He was not ready to die in this horrible way. He saw a bright white light and heard God’s voice tell him to let go and that He would catch him. The man thought for a few seconds and said, “Is there anyone else up there?” My point is to just let go. This is just something to think about.

July 23 2009 | P3 Circles of Life and Power Boost: August 2009 and Your Spiritual Self | No Comments »

Don’t Go Into That House!

by Diannia Baty

When I was a young girl there was a house down the street from us that was supposedly haunted. It was empty and overgrown with vegetation. It had a fence and a rusty gate that wasn’t locked but closed. It would not take much to push it open. This house fascinated me. It both thrilled and frightened me at the same time. I lived in an older neighborhood right outside New Orleans.

There were many times I would stand at the gate and stare at the house. I asked my mother about the house and she didn’t know much and all she would say is something bad happened there and it was haunted scolded me with the words, “don’t ever go in the house.”

She would not tell me what had happened even though I begged her to. She would just say that I didn’t need to know.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am very curious and will track down a mystery and fill in all the details on a subject I can.

I was drawn to that house. It was built in the late 1800’s and all the paint was peeling off. This two story rambling was complete with columns on the porch and cracked windows. It was a decaying southern beauty that once was something to behold when it was lived in. Even in its present sad state it was something to behold. There was an overturned rocking chair on the porch that was broken. I often wondered who had rocked in that chair.

Since I was a young girl of four or five, I had experiences and knew things no normal child should know. I believe that God granted me this gift so I could be of service to people as I got older but also so I would have a sense of his presence. I knew I was different but for many years I viewed my psychic abilities as a curse rather than a gift.

Fifty years ago things were far different than they are now. If it wasn’t mainstream then it was viewed as odd, weird and something to steer clear from. It is easy to fear something you don’t understand or have any knowledge of. Also my mother often admonished me to keep quiet about my abilities because people would not understand. For years I tried to ignore or block my gift but was highly unsuccessful. It was a part of me as surely as my arms or legs are attached to my physical body. It was attached to my spirit and my consciousness.

One day I decided that enough was enough and that I was going to explore this house. Even if I got caught and was punished for it, it seemed a small price to pay to satisfy my curiosity. My siblings would often dare each other to go in this house but they were easily frightened and nothing could have convinced them to go past that gate. I waited until after dinner. Everyone was watching television and deeply engrossed in a movie. I knew that my absence would not be noticed for a while.

I stood at the gate of this neglected once beautiful home and pushed it open and just like I was in an old movie. It creaked so loud that it startled me. I could see that it had not been opened in quite some time as there were vines growing on it that broke when I opened it.

It was mid summer and there would be plenty of light for a little while. The mosquitoes were buzzing around like they often do on a hot humid summer day and I walked slowly toward the porch as I swatted at them. I walked up the massive stone steps and stood in front of the door and discovered a padlock on it. There had to be another way in.

I peered into the windows which were covered with some curtains that were ragged and torn and what little I could see was shrouded in shadows. I went around back and there were the remnants of what was once a beautiful garden that someone had put a lot of time and effort into. There were grandfather oaks covered in Spanish moss and a few statues here and there of angels and cherubs.

I could smell honeysuckle very strong and a gardenia bush that was loaded with blossoms was sending out a heady aroma. Some rose bushes, several crepe myrtle trees and a wisteria vine that covered one of the trees completed this wonderful scene. There was a huge old stone bench turned green with algae under one of the trees. I walked around the garden contemplating picking a few of the flowers that were growing there after I explored the house. In the early evening light it was so peaceful and ethereal

on the grounds of this place.

The house was my next stop. I explored a back door and it was locked and then I went to a side door that led to what was once the library. It was unlocked. There were floor to ceiling built in bookshelves with just a few old musty books that were decayed and swollen with moisture. I saw rat droppings and spider webs and it gave me pause but I kept going.

The outside light was dimming but I was too caught up in my adventure to notice. I heard music coming from somewhere and I walked to the other side of the staircase which was in the middle of the grand foyer. I followed the sound of the music and walked into a room that was open. That is when I saw her. There was an old woman sitting in a chair holding a decorative tin box. It was the kind of tin container mom put her delicious fruit cakes in. She was looking right at me and for some reason I felt no fear. I asked her if she was a ghost. She didn’t answer but I knew she was. I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out.

She had white hair to her shoulders and it was straight and curled slightly under. She had thick bangs and was wearing a long skirt that went all the way to the floor and a white long sleeved blouse. I kept hearing the faint strains of piano keys being touched and played with. I couldn’t make out a tune. It was like someone was practicing and was unsure of what they were doing.

She motioned for me to come a little closer. She just kept looking at me waiting for me to comply. I was a little fearful because she didn’t look like what I expected a ghost to look like. She was so real to me. I came closer and she opened the box and it was full of beads and she lifted a handful of them up and told me they were her Mardi Gras beads.

They did not look like the plastic beads they throw today. They appeared to be glass and had so many pretty designs on them. She said she loved them and liked to wear them. She told me her name was Sadie and in a flash she was gone. A normal child would have been out of there in a shot but I was upset that she didn’t stay longer and that is when I noticed that it was very cold in that room. It was a Louisiana summer and hot outside.

I walked around a little longer exploring the rooms a bit that were empty for the most part but soon I had to go because there was very little light left and I didn’t want to be missed at home. Serious physical punishment would be the end result if I got caught. The house was definitely haunted but what had happened there had not been revealed to me.

A few weeks later I decided to go again a bit earlier in the day. This time I looked in cabinets and closets for some childish treasure. There was almost nothing there until I checked a closet in one of the upstairs rooms. There was a shelf way up high and no way to get to it.

I remembered that I had seen a rickety old stool in the garden out back and went to retrieve it. I took a chance when I stood on it but I am glad I did. There in the back of this shelf was the old tin box that Sadie had been holding. I could not believe my eyes. It was covered with dust. I held it in my hands and slowly pried it open and there were the beads. I was amazed, excited and overcome with emotion.

Now, What do I do? Do I take them home and tell my mother where I found them and about Sadie or do I just take the box home and say nothing? As I was pondering my dilemma I felt a presence in the room and it was Sadie standing a few feet away smiling at me. Once again it was cold in the room. She said two words, “take it.” Then she was gone.

The city condemned the property shortly after my last trip there and a story about the house came out in the newspaper. There were some citizens who were trying to save this old historic piece of property. It seems that in its heyday a wealthy family lived there and there were many parties and balls The family fell  to misfortune through a number of tragic deaths. The last one was Sadie.

She was one of the original descendents of the family. She had no heirs and the property passed to the city. It seemed she lived in the house alone for many years, a recluse, and saw very few people. She had lost one son to a fall from a horse and another was killed when his gun went off while cleaning it.

The story goes that her husband left her, they reconciled and on the day he came back he had a fatal heart attack. One day she went out back in the garden and hung herself from a tree. I had that box of beads for many years and told my mother I had found them which was partially true. I just never told her where.

I have often thought of Sadie and wondered if she finally went into the light. The house is no longer there but Sadie’s memory lives on through me. I have often thought about that rickety old stool I used to explore the shelf in the closet and since it was under a tree it might have been used when Sadie hung herself. I had felt her sadness and felt how alone she felt.

As a young girl this experience taught me that there is life after death. Our spirit lives on and never passes away. It is eternal. Since then I have had many experiences like this. One thing I know is, scoff if you will, but we are eternal. For most people I don’t recommend an experience like this to prove it. There is nothing to fear.

If I had been older I would have known what to do to help Sadie go into the light and to this day I think about her. I know she is finally at peace as I asked God if she was and the answer was yes and that she was finally with the family that she grieved so much over when she was alive.

My point to telling you this story is to give you hope regarding the hereafter and a sense of what it can be like for someone who is left all alone in their golden years. It can be a very dark place to be. If you know someone like this offer a blessing and a prayer for them and see if you can somehow reach out to them in any way.

Someone once told me that they would rather be broke than lonely. I think that sums it up. We are supposed to be here for each other. Find someone to lift up today and honor the divinity that created you. After all, God is always there for you!

This is a true story and happened to me when I was about ten years old. Since then I have experienced a lot of different things but nothing compares to Sadie. I was asked what happened to the beads and through the years I have given a strand or two away. I passed on Sadie’s legacy to others and I still have the box and one strand of beads.

It took many years for me to fully come out of the closet with my gift. My experience with Sadie was a catalyst that pushed me forward. Now, I embrace it. I know that it was something I am supposed to share.

Whatever your gifts or talents are know that they should be shared. Pick up that sketch pad. Plant that garden. Sing that song. Tell your story. Play that piano! Write that novel! You never know what doors will open for you until you try. God has been with me every step of the way guiding me and I fully trust that guidance.

www.makeachoicenow.com website

ladydiannia@carolina.rr.com e-mail

May 18 2009 | Other Useful Articles and Power Boost: June 2009 and Your Spiritual Self | No Comments »

The Badger in the Cage

by Diannia Baty

There is no doubt that there are many of you hurting in some way out there. Your pain is real and your fears are amplified due to the current economic crisis. There is a way to peace if you really want it. To identify with your pain will only bring more to you.

In my morning prayers and meditations I am sometimes given a vision that reveals its meaning to me later as I contemplate it. Many times these visions lead to the articles I write to you. I never question what God gives me in these times. The guidance and the messages from the creator are always profound and powerful.

Yesterday while talking to God, I was given a vision of a badger that had become trapped in a cage. It was wild with fear, jumping and thrashing and biting the bars of the cage. It was panting and it looked like it would die of fright. It also appeared to be very angry at its fate. The badger slowed down and appeared to be rigid and statue like. It closed its eyes and its breathing slowed to a point where it appeared that the badger had died. A man approached the cage thinking it was dead. When he opened the door the badger flew out like a bolt of light and in a flash it was gone.

Then I was shown another badger in a cage. In this part of the vision the door of the cage was open and it was being set free but it would not leave the confines of the prison it was in. This man was poking it with a stick and it still would not move. It was fearful and felt safe in the cage. It would not take the freedom it was being offered. It had adapted to its fate. This badger did not trust what was being given to him. I could readily see what was being shown to me. We are like the badges in the vision. Which badger are you?

Confusing and conflicting times occur so that the soul will search for a different path to pursue and walk upon. When there is a better way for the soul to travel, it must begin to feel the struggle and the conflict; otherwise, our souls would stay where they are and miss the growth of a new path and the peace and resolution that is on this new path.

As often happens in life, when we fail to make tough decisions by our own choices that need to be made, life makes them for us by default.

Turning points seem to break us at first so we can be remade. Challenges are spiritual gifts in disguise. Look for the gift in everything that seems unfavorable in your life. It is always there. When you see the gift, the pain disappears.

Once you see the gift that you can always dig out of the suffering, decide how you will use it to influence other areas of your life experience. How can you use it to make your life better?

Walking through fear brings out our power and reveals our real self to ourselves. This brings you closer to the answers to the questions,

"Who am I?"

"And why am I here?"

The badger who stopped fighting against his entrapment won the moment the cage door was open. The other badger had adapted to his fate and did not seek freedom even when it was offered. He was fearful and did not make a decision except to stay where he was even though it was not the best place for him. This badger had chosen to remain a victim of his circumstances.

The only other thing that God shared with me was one word.

"Choose"

With the gift of our free-will it is clear to me what God means.

I get it.

Do You?

This is just something for you to think about.

If you wish to be added to my mailing list…go to www.makeachoicenow.com and click on the link for that or e-mail me at ladydiannia@carolina.rr.com

May 11 2009 | Other Useful Articles and Power Boost: May 2009 and Your Spiritual Self | No Comments »