Our planet is constantly being affected by weather conditions. Tranquil skies, breezy deserts, golden sun, windswept rain, snowy blizzards, etc., all having the potential of affecting us greatly. Consistently we check the weather forecast before planning our days…could it possibly be that around us is a condition called “Human Weather?” Do we too get influenced by the emotional conditions that surround us….maybe so? Human Weather can have just as much, if not more, of an affect over our lives. As a smile can bring sunshine, a frown can deliver a cloud. Awareness of our emotional climate may help us weather oncoming storms.

The next few days, in my neck of the woods, snow is being forecasted. Today, at the grocery store, I noticed many stocking up on food and preparing to hunker down, rarely realizing emotional weather reports. Could it be that that which affects us the most goes by unnoticed? Would a sailor sail out to sea without first checking which way the wind is blowing? Why then do we find it so hard to see the Human Weather around us?

We all know “Good Weather” people…we interact with them and always feel better about ourselves and them afterwards. “Bad Weather” people, on the other hand, can leave us feeling battered and cold. Weather reports have to be updated daily…but after a while one gets an inkling of a sun on the horizon, or storm clouds forming. Awareness is the total key. Wouldn’t it be strange if not only each morning we checked the weather in the newspaper or on television, but also our schedules to see what emotional weather awaits us. To be human is to live, to live is to grow, to grow is to evolve, to evolve is to become enlightened. Along the journey, one learns to face the weather, and overcome.

As a human community, we can be the sunshine on the shoulders, or the rain on the parade. The choice is ours….but let’s not ever be mistaken….each and every one of us not only affects our own weather, but also the atmosphere of everyone we meet.

Let the sun shine in,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2003 Jennifer Avalon

Each day our voices and actions glide along, parallel lines of communication. On the surface, we use our vocal language of birth or choice, while subliminally our souls interact. Some of the words we use speak to the mind….while others, touch the heart. Physical and spiritual communication have a profound affect on us as human beings. While we may all speak different physical languages, our souls communicate as one.
Place a group of individuals in a room who speak an assortment of languages, be it English, Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, etc., and after a while they will find a way to communicate. We may say that their bodies and actions represent their thoughts, but sometimes unknowingly, could it possibly be that their souls started communicating before they made one physical gesture? If we realize that we transfer information through our souls, and accept it as a forgone conclusion, we may have a better understanding of the relationships in our lives.

Many around the world visit their House of Worship weekly….some daily. Wouldn’t it be wondrous if all that do, take that Holiness out into their daily interactions. Prayer and Belief are not meant to stop at the exit of a House of Worship. What is learned and felt inside is meant to bloom and grow in the sun. We are all children of God….though we may speak different languages and dialects, we all have within us the language of God. The soul understands the language of the Heavens….it is the body that loses the translation. If the world is to continue to prosper and grow, the leaders and authorities of mankind must embrace our common language.

In the physical world, words can be misunderstood….in the spiritual realm, no words need be said. Truth is Truth. Not someone’s interpretation of it. These are troubling times…once again, for the children of God. But if we just open our hearts, we just may be able to hear each other. The sound of Heaven is Peace and Love…until we hear that sound on Earth, there is work to be done.

Hear the choir,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2003 Jennifer Avalon

Isn’t it interesting that sometimes someone who is in debt for, let’s say, forty-thousand dollars, can end up being happier than someone who has one million dollars? Crazy as it may seem, we would not believe how many people who we would consider “well off,” are quite unhappy individuals. How could this be possible? How on earth could somebody with substantial wealth end up feeling miserable? It’s quite easy…..I call it, “Chasing the Dragon.” To these individuals, once they acquire one million, the goal becomes two million, then three million, etc. They totally lose track of the value of what they’ve accumulated. Now I am not suggesting that all people who are in debt are always happier…..but it is possible for some of those to be able to see the glass half full, not half empty.

Howard Hughes, the multimillionaire who was once envied in Hollywood, dating many a starlet in his heyday, ended up a suspicious, paranoid old man. He believed that everyone was out to “get him,” while he walked around with white gloves on, watching every crumb he consumed, fearing poison. Photographs and sketches of his last days showed a man who was dying of malnutrition, while his bank accounts were stuffed. How often do we read in our daily newspapers, a homeless person being found dead, and under further evaluation it is discovered they were millionaires? Money, wealth, and fame can be double-edged swords.

I know two people….one, who works for a leading American company, the other, works for little over minimum wage at the local hardware store. I can honestly tell you, the man at the hardware store is happier and more content. You see, my more lucrative friend, as he has climbed the corporate ladder, has also elevated his expenses…bigger home, better car, more costly clothes…frequents the “best” restaurants in town. All of this needs a constant inflow of fresh funds. If one is not careful, these habits can start to become a noose around one’s neck. All the while, my hardware friend has installed in his home a little entertainment center, with an enlarged television screen and “surround sound” stereo. He, his wife, and kids spend many an evening sitting back in their chairs, laughing. He said to me, “Jennifer, after the initial outlay for my entertainment thing, it only costs me the price of a rented DVD to have an evening of enjoyment.” He can’t afford to throw money at the wall, like my other friend. But I have seen both faces….and I can assure you, one man’s ceiling, is another man’s floor.

In these strange and troubled times, it’s always important to realize that we cannot buy our way to happiness. Yes, indeed, it is quite important to be financially responsible….but the soul doesn’t really need much for contentment. It is nice to have the latest and best gadgets, with all the bells and whistles….but it’s important to always weigh the options. It’s great to chase our dreams….and to set out to accomplish our missions. But if all we do is put a dollar amount on their destinations, we may find at the end of the road, a sense of emptiness, for all our hard work. Balance is key to prolonged happiness. It’s okay to stop along the road once in a while for a cup of coffee, a chat, and a smile. Hey, you never know….at that streetlight ahead, you may decide to turn right, instead of left.

May your glass be always full,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2004 Jennifer Avalon

As we head towards the end of a year, and the beginning of a new one, this is the time when the Dreamweavers come out of hibernation and plot their course for new directions. Each year around December, the Dreamweavers evaluate the present and past year and prepare to embark upon new dreams from seeds that they plant in January. Dreamweavers are bold, fearless, faithful people who believe anything can be accomplished with the right amount of faith, hard work, knowledge, and ability. The Dreamweaver lives in all of us…..all that is needed is for it to be awakened.

Every year we make our New Year resolutions, hoping to improve our quality of life. For the Dreamweavers, complacency is unacceptable. Each year springs forth new ideas, new hopes, new successes. They see their lives like a ladder….where each step is embraced and tackled. True Dreamweavers do not step upon the graves of others….they chart their own trails, where the air is clear and the space is wide. Dreamweavers are humble people who are fully aware that the blessings they receive are given to them so they can give something back to others.

Dreamweavers do not sacrifice their morals for material success….they try in their own small way to make the world a better place. Dreamweavers are people who realize that when the heart is not considered, the destination becomes pointless. Their minds may seek ideas, but their hearts make the choices. Thought and emotion hold equal weight. Dreamweavers believe that only positive motion can move one forward.
In these trying times, we need the Dreamweavers more than ever. They are the ones who can reinvent, seek the balance, and expose the wounds so that healing can begin. Dreamweavers come in all walks of life….firemen, police officers, craftsmen, doctors, artists, writers, etc….the common thread is that they are all able to dream the dream. Everything comes from thought….the Dreamweavers weave the thought into reality. The Dreamweaver is conscience with purpose….no dream is too small….nor too big.

Dream on….
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

Across the human spectrum, we all live. At one end is God….at the other, is the Ego. The fanatics who are at the extreme level of the God corner are willing to do anything…lie, cheat, steal, maim and kill, in what they consider to be “In the name of God.” It comes down to their way, or the highway, while portraying themselves as Messengers of the Almighty. To these people, anything goes, because in their minds, they are not only doing “God’s Work,” but ridding the world of those who believe differently. On the other side are the Egomaniacs…..just as deadly, just as threatening. They believe that there is no God…..they alone have the intellect and intelligence to solve mankind’s problems for us all. Egomaniacs cannot stay in a room for very long without creating a stage for themselves and denouncing all other points of view. This is the core problem of civilization.

We mere mortals have to choose where on the spectrum we live. For me, I totally believe in the existence of God, and as a Christian, Jesus Christ, while at the same time I recognize that my Ego must be kept in check as much as possible. Yes, I guess you could say that I try my best to find the middle ground….not being fanatical either way…..trying to be a fair individual in a world that sometimes seems quite chaotic. As I believe that it is important to not get obsessive about my beliefs, it is also critical to not forget that there is something greater than myself. Most of the problems of our world are caused by religious fanatics, and God-less individuals who see and believe in nothing more then themselves and the power they can attain. These two opposite types will do anything and everything to pull in as many people as they can to jump onto their bandwagon. History has shown this time and time again.

There are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc…..many good people who want to make the world a better place. It becomes a responsibility to each individual to keep themselves in check to not go too far to the extreme on either side. Man is not an island unto himself….neither is he a world. We are all part of the Heavens.

I would like to share with you a personal observation of God Versus the Ego, and all that is in-between:

My father was a man of much knowledge…very well-read…a skilled navigator, and yachtsman. My Dad was the skipper on Humphrey Bogart’s schooner the Santana. Each weekend they would go out and wine and dine with Hollywood’s elite. As you can imagine, going back to work on Monday sometimes could be difficult. Over time, my Dad’s ego grew in stature. For a child, he easily resembled a towering figure. My father’s stories of his days with Bogie and friends were always the highlight of conversation at family parties. Believe me, his Ego was fully exposed. This went on for the better part of my life. Eventually we reached a meeting of the ways and developed a mutual respect. In his final year of life I saw something extraordinary….during his last summer on earth I visited him and upon entering his home I saw a look in his eyes that brought tears to mine. With one look, my father showed that the Ego had been stripped away, and the beautiful child that he once was could clearly be seen. My father, who wasn’t very religious, or spiritual during his life, faced death with dignity and humility. I spent an afternoon alone with him where we reminisced about the past and discussed the future. I thought to myself, wouldn’t it have been wonderful if he could have been like this all the time? The truth is, deep inside he was always that wonderful child….it was the Ego that kept it from coming through. The greatest gift a person can give is their heart without their Ego. Perhaps that’s what God expects of us all the while….to be faithful, confident, and humble. Faithful for belief, confident for the strength to achieve and prosper, and humble to appreciate.

The compass of life is there for all of us…we decide which direction we go. There will always be smooth sailing, or stormy weather…. he or she, with the right charts, will find their way home. God lives in all of us, and so too does the Ego. The challenge is to find the balance.

smooth sailing,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

Beware of rumors, opinions and stories…… I would like to share with you an incident that happened to me recently. I was visiting my local coffee shop, when Bob, the storeowner, was being told a local newsflash that had just happened. What was mentioned to Bob was that a body had been found in the garden of a neighbor near the highway. Jane told Bob that behind the bushes was a dead man who appeared to have been killed overnight. In the course of the next hour, three or four other people came in and told Bob the same story. This is where it all starts to get interesting.

As the hours began to click on by, the story started to change….what was once a dead body, found in a garden, had now turned into a dead man with no arms or legs. By late afternoon, the dead body had become a woman with just a head!! Obviously, as the story made its rounds throughout the neighborhood and passed from person to person, it took on a life of its own…..this often happens to many aspects of our own lives.

How many of us out there have heard something that after a while takes a one hundred and eighty degree turn and becomes something totally different? Storytelling itself is an art…..and like all good stories over time it’s very easy for some to include their own two cents, or their own interpretation. It’s not so hard to imagine why in court cases two witnesses can observe the same crime and come away with drastically different opinions. Within each occurrence is the event…..and the interpretation.

So can the past be fully trusted? Information passing over time through human beings, can get distorted. The history books seem to get revised every decade, for that very reason. When we pull back from events, and let the dust settle, we are sometimes confused and alarmed at how different things may look. History means his/story, or her/story…..an evolving story that has the potential to take on a life of its own. Could it be that there are chapters of our history that are laced with opinion, with absence of fact? If a story in one tiny neighborhood can change so drastically in a matter of hours, what can be said of an entire world over the span of a century? When we read on the front page of our papers the latest happenings, one has to question how much we are not being told. We assume that what we are being told in the present is the truth, but how can we assume that, if we know in the past some details of events have been proven to be false?

So, is it so wrong to question each story we hear…..until we know the facts? Perhaps not……when life itself is a never-ending story?

read between the lines,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

This past year has been a prime example for the history books…each time we feel that we are getting our feet on solid ground, and things are stabilizing, something or someone seems to pull the rug out from underneath us, which sends us back to the drawing boards. With all the tragedies that go on in the world, with 9/11, there was not any rulebook, signpost, or tools to go to, to understand how we were to react, and go on….but go on we must.

So what is an optimistic pessimist? For me, it is someone who is aware of the dangers that the future can bring, but hopeful that they can be avoided. Many, I believe, over the past year, have fallen under this term. We want to believe that the worst is behind us, yet, we fear the unknown. What I’ve discovered is that buried deep in the debris is a learning process that must take hold, so that the actions of 9/11 are not to be repeated. If the process is ignored, the outcome is inevitable.

In World War 1 and 11, opposing armies faced each other and hurled multiple weapons back and forth. Sadly, now all it takes is one bomb launched from some terrain in the mist to start a chain reaction where intelligence flys out the window. The optimistic pessimist says, “Hopefully, this process can be avoided, if the vision of the future has clarity.” Somewhere inside I can’t help but shake the feeling that there is something very very important that we are to learn from these times. Could it be that through all of our inventions, we have reached the point of understanding that some creations produce miracles, while others can destroy life as we know it. Technology that is held in the hands of the open heart, will understand the responsibility. The same tools held in the hands of the closed fist, will feel no remorse. The same rules cannot be applied to both, because each pursues a different outcome.

So the optimistic pessimist journeys on….not in denial, and remaining hopeful. Seeing what can be….and praying that it is avoided. This world can become Heaven, or it could become Hell…..we all have a say in which way the wind blows…..

may wise winds prevail,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

As much as there are parts of the past we choose to forget, some of it we still cherish. The collection of memories that we carry with us to this day make up who we are. Things may not go always according to plan, but hopefully over time we live and learn. The “good old days” may be gone, but perhaps there are still many good times yet to come. The past creeps up behind us, and taps us on the shoulder once in a while…..still, heading towards us, is the breeze of the future. All the while, past and future encircles us in the present.

Pain and joy, the main two experiences, we handle throughout our lives. We savor the comfort of some memories of our yesterdays….fearful at times of what tomorrow may bring. What lies ahead, who knows? But hopefully, we can learn to change the things that bring us pain and enhance those that bring us joy. All of us are Time Travelers….darting back and forth through our memories and our dreams. Time Travelers, searching for a place where everything makes sense, never giving up hope that one day we will find the promised land.
The more we live, the more we discover the riddle of life….traveling through time, stopping at ports before heading back out to sea. Time can be our friend, or our enemy…..wisdom helps us make the choice. As the years may change the way we look, we are never too far removed from the child we once were, while coming towards us, not too far in the distance, is what we are to become.

So, Fellow Time Traveler, how is your journey going? I myself wish I could have made less mistakes, gained more wisdom earlier, but, hopefully, there are still more tomorrow’s to make the changes when need be. Sitting on the table before us each day are three piles of sand, the past, the present, the future. As we live on, the quantity of each pile changes, but the amount stays the same. So much for the mystery of life….there it is, right before us, if we choose to see it. The sands of time, that swirl around us.

Yes, indeed…..Human Time Travelers, pressing on through time and space, picking up souvenirs along the way, realizing that one day, we come Home. When we unload our cargo we reveal where we have been, what we have changed, who we have helped, and what we have learned. The journey through life, where perhaps Heaven and Earth got a little closer.

Enjoy the flight,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon

Since 9/11, it’s been real hard to take a real pulse on what’s been happening. Enron, Anthrax, the Middle East Conflict, and Wall Street’s Woes, have left many of us baffled and confused. Most of the e-mails I receive regarding these times are broken down into two camps…..Camp One looks at all that’s going on now as the beginning of the End Times, like a plane in a nosedive, where the pilot is trying to pull up with little success. Camp Two says “Enough already! Everything will work itself out, let’s not get too pessimistic, and before you know it, we’ll all be off and running again.” You can see the dilemma that I face each week, trying to decide what to address as the topic of the newsletter. Of course, both sides are right, and both sides are wrong. All of the things that have happened since 9/11 have embarked us on a journey, where we’re not quite sure of the destination. But we have to be hopeful and positive that we will prevail, and life does go on.

So I’ve decided from here on to offer up as much positive force and thoughts as possible, while being realistic regarding the hurdles we face. Denial has never been one of my traits. But one does have to have hope. These past 3 weeks I’ve sat back, taken a little rest, and reflected on the past year and the next 12 months ahead. I’m sure we’ll all be faced with obstacles and struggles…..but we will learn and go on. I do believe, with the potential that we know can happen to this world, we are starting an inward look at ourselves, as people, as families, and as countries. Each century the world has to reinvent itself, otherwise it cannot go on. I do believe we are at that time again.

So as some of our problems may remain the same, when we walk out each morning we realize there is a new breeze in the air, that tells us things have changed. We can no longer take loved ones for granted, our gifts have taken on a new meaning, and our goals have been realigned to fit the new world. We all know what we face, but we also know these are the times when great things and great people step forward. If our intellect truly exists, we will find the answers. There’s a great episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk says to a member of a lesser evolved species, “We realized one day that in order to go on, we had to accept each other’s differences and learn to live together peacefully.” If logic prevails, like Mr. Spock, we too will live on and prosper.

It’s logical:)
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2002 Jennifer Avalon