Sometimes during the evening before I go to sleep, I daydream about different subjects and ideas. One evening this past week I heard on the news that during the summer season many will be using their cars to go to their vacation of choice. The price of a gallon of gasoline will truly be an issue on the amount of money needed for that vacation. So I got to thinking, we take our cars….we pull into the gas station, replenish our tanks, and simply gas up. Many of us never give it a second thought….we unscrew the cap, insert the hose, pay the amount, and drive away. We are not much different than the car that needs gas to run… replenishment too is needed for us to go about our lives.

We daily search for ways to recharge ourselves, both physically and mentally. We look for places in our neighborhoods and on the Internet that are geared towards helping us emotionally. I call these places “Emotional Stations,” and I consider my site one of them. Days can go by and lo and behold we start to feel run down, and, truthfully, running out of gas. We begin to realize that we can only go a little more on the road of life until we have to pull into a rest stop, for a little rest and relaxation, and refueling. Hey, we can only get so far on a low tank before it goes to empty.

So imagine to yourself….a fictitious gas station that we drive to that on the pumps instead of saying “Regular” and “Premium” it says words like “Positive Reinforcement,” “Spiritual Healing,” and a special pump that says, “Blessings and Prayers.” As we fully accept that a car, a home, an airplane, or a train needs energy to run….why is it so inconceivable for some of us to understand that we too need energy? Can you imagine these “Emotional Stations,” on certain street corners? Churches and Places of Worship do fill the void….yet there are so many that while searching get lost. The highway of life can sometimes be a very treacherous road and it’s quite easy to run into a traffic jam. One can sense the beads of sweat dripping from one’s brow while gazing at a gauge on “almost empty.”

Many of the solutions to our problems are right there in front of us….the difficulty is allowing ourselves to see them. That’s why I am a big believer in cross-referencing as a way to put the pieces of life’s puzzles together. Often difficulties facing one subject or idea can simply be transposed onto another situation to arrive at an answer. Cars need gas stations…we need emotional stations. The entrepreneurial spirit can also help us with this dilemma. Some have already started building emotional stations…myself included. Down the road I see my website developing into a full blown emotional station that will include not only words and music, but also film. Today with the advent of the Internet, so much more information is available at the touch of a finger.

So this summer while you’re enjoying your vacation, and periodically gassing up the car, don’t forget to take a little time to visit your emotional stations too.

Happy Motoring,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

There was a time when controversy was generated by artists such as Madonna and Gangsta Rappers….until one day the envelope in that direction had been pushed just about as far as it could go. Well folks, welcome to the new cutting edge, where religious and certain spiritual products are now considered “controversial.” Last year, for months, all you would hear about was the reaction to Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” It has now become so cutting edge and controversial that in many places if one was to walk in and say the word, “God,” the sheer silence could become deafening. Political Correctness has now led us to the platform where in some locales saying the word, “Jesus,” can get you in a whole heap of trouble, while in other places the people will embrace you. In 2005, the symbol of cutting edge has become “God.”

As you may have noticed, much of my work involves spiritual overtones…I can honestly tell you for every ten letters I receive praising my work, there is always one that blasts me for having not only any moral compass, but any spiritual viewpoint as well. Christian Persecution and Racism is not only alive and well, but it has become a full occupation for some. I never thought I would ever become in some corners a “controversial” artist…but these days a Christian viewpoint can easily be considered on the fringe. I consider it a badge of honor…I am just one of many who have stepped forward and said “Enough.” For some, it is fine for you to express your opinion as long as you agree with them, but if you veer in any way from their position, you may find very quickly your thoughts will not be tolerated. Welcome to the new cutting edge.

This cutting edge has spilled over into all walks of life….school, work, play, and last but not least, the home. And, there may be hope out there….recently I have heard interviews by some in the general population that they are finding with all the materialism out there they are being left with a sense of emptiness. To quote one woman, “I don’t get it…I have ten times more than my parents, and I’m not half as happy.” Another man said, “I sometimes feel like a ship that’s lost at sea…not knowing where to go, while all around me are pirates.” Unfortunately, these pirates are out to take more than your money…your Soul.

So here I am, Jennifer Avalon, Christian, spiritual, and may I say, self-help artist, who believes that with a little help from above, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished. Truly controversial!! or, “cutting edge!!” If all we do is feed ourselves physically, we can easily die of starvation…but what wonders can we accomplish when the soul is fully nourished?

Living on the edge:)
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

Many of the e-mails I get involve subjects pertaining to faith, empowerment, emotions, and how overall to continue to evolve in life. There are some things in our lifetime we may never truly understand, so that leaves us with that which we do have some control over. There are many who believe that by not owning one share of stock keeps them out of the stock market. Quite the contrary… if one works, has a mortgage, and pays down debt they are one of the main components of the stock market. On a basic level, we are the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of our lives… the buck stops with us first.

The CFO of our own lives, you may ask? Yes indeed. We are a physical body that has emotions, and makes multiple choices daily. By not seeing this, and understanding the full range and scope, we are at a tremendous disadvantage over how many of our problems are created and handled. Let me give a few examples of how this scenario works: Each week we work at an occupation which hopefully at the end of a one or two week interval pays us a check for our services. That check is converted into money. Money is our primary financial asset of each week. So stick with me here… picture in your hands the money you have earned for the week. I know… in many cases it doesn’t stay in your hands for very long!… but it’s what we do with it that matters. So, in our hands is the money, and over the coming week we transfer that asset of cash into other assets. Some assets appreciate, while others depreciate. Have a guess…what do you think is the most depreciating asset that is in our lives on a daily basis? Food. Yes I know, we need it to live on… we can’t starve to death! but think for a minute. We go out… we take some of that cash from our hands, buy some food, bring it home, cook it and eat it… and guess what? It’s gone. The money is spent to pay for the food and then one trip to the bathroom and voila! To throw insult to injury, they tell us Americans that we have an obesity problem that is reaching epidemic proportions… well, that’s great to know… that means we are burning through more of our money then usual! It falls upon us to educate ourselves on where all of our money goes… it doesn’t just go away by itself.

Being the CFO of our lives, we know over time we have to balance the books. Yet so many of us get buried in debt. Most of the items we purchase deteriorate in value with age. Yet we still seek out the latest and greatest version with all the bells and whistles. I understand… the car is a more convenient form of transportation than a horse!…but are we aware that once driven out of the showroom, we can cross off half of it’s value? As we look back on our choices over the years, is it any wonder how we can so easily end up with half of the value of that money that was originally held in our hands? Wall Street holds each company to standards to set a fair market value for its stock… the earnings are supposed to increase or the stock gets punished. In our society, the same holds true for the CFO of the household. The more debt we accumulate, the more stress and emotional anxiety. Still, the rich are hated, yet why do so many play the lottery to become one of them? We may never be able to get all that we feel we are entitled to in life, but can we appreciate and enjoy what we already have? How can we enjoy the wonder of our lives if all we do is focus on what is missing?

The wise person on their deathbed listens to what their heart is saying… even though all through their life they may have only heard their own mind. As the Rolling Stones say, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.” There is a CFO within us… that knows, that feels, that understands what the right thing to do is. Choices are sometimes not easy, but it’s not impossible to run a tight ship that shines in the harbor.

Set sail,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

Over the years many have written to me asking how I arrived at my belief system. I am a Christian, but I have on many occasions visited different Houses of Worship. There is something to be learned from all Faiths. Not surprisingly, there are common bonds running through many of them. The discovery of these bonds has only re-enforced my own belief system. So what do I believe? How does it work for me? Well, here goes:

What I have learned is that the Trinity exists. Unfortunately, many preachers, over time, have bent and twisted the Word of God, for their own control and satisfaction. Yet, there are also those who totally understand what it is that Jesus was trying to say. I believe that Faith is a very personal thing. Many of us have our own personal relationship with God. I have always believed that simplicity, most of the time, works best. So simply, the Trinity represents to me God (The Creator, Higher Force), Man (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit (Breath and Power of God). It’s as simple as that. What I have learned is that man or woman must embrace the Holy Spirit to form a union with God. The components of life do start to fall into place when these principles are practiced. When Jesus was asked,”Lord, where are you going?”, He answered,”You know the way to the place where I am going.”(John14:4) The Way that Jesus meant was to see His life as a blueprint on how to live. The role of Jesus is a coat we all can wear. Prophets before and after have re-enforced many of the teachings and convictions of Jesus.

As I have said, I am a Christian who prays daily, but I cannot begin to tell you what I have also learned from friends who believe in other Faiths. One of the most profound spiritual experiences I have ever felt was a visit to a Buddhist Monastery in upstate New York. Just walking into the temple, one could easily feel that they were in not only a House of Worship, but a very spiritual surrounding. Perhaps it is because the monks and nuns who pray there many times a day ask for forgiveness for their sins across the spectrum of their lives…in this life, and any past lives they may have had. I have also learned that I have much in common with my Jewish friends. God is all around us, and we all have much to learn. When I visited the Middle East I had much respect for the many calls to prayer of the Muslims… they kneel to God many times daily. Prayer is a wonderful observance to participate in, and observe. We are ALL God’s people… struggling to learn it is not THEM and US… it is WE.

True intelligence is the dance between Man and the Divine. Prayer is our dialogue with God. Faith is when the Ego of Man accepts a Higher Purpose… Peace of Mind is the Gift of Acceptance. One of the hardest obstacles to overcome in life is that death is NOT a punishment. It is a stage of life. Each one of us are called Home at different times. Human existence is one huge school to discover and understand the Stairway to Heaven.

May you discover yours,
love, Jennifer Avalon

© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

The palette is a strange thing indeed…what once tastes fresh, over time can easily become bland. Regardless of the delicacy, the taste of what was once new can surely spiral into decay. So too does our palette for Life…repetition tends to let the air around us grow stale.

Have you ever noticed that after a mild illness or a touch of the flu, your senses, in some strange way, reset themselves? I know for myself after a few days of a bad cold, where I have no desire to eat, once the fever subsides the first spoonfuls of soup that touch my lips feel like a gift from Heaven. Perhaps it is the relief of knowing that I am getting better…but lo and behold all of my senses start to take in information as fresh and as sparkling as the day I was born. One has to wonder, without this realignment taking place periodically, Life can profoundly be taken for granted, for if the beauty lies in the beholder, the flavor rests on the palette.

So how about if we begin to look at ourselves as one walking computer that needs to be depleted of viruses, spam, and pop-up ads, on a regular basis. Our hard drives and memories need to be updated and our monitors wiped down once in a while. Hey if we can do that for our computers, why can’t we do it for ourselves? For if we are well taken care of, when things tend to lose their rhythm all we have to do is hit the reboot button. Automatically, all of the systems would restart and synchronize. Like I said, if it’s good for the computer, it is just as good for us. Eventually, like the PC, we will wear out. But with a little tender, loving care we may be surprised at how many more hours we can squeeze out of our lives.

Carpe Diem,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

This week the world lost one of the Champions of Peace…Pope John Paul II. A man of strength and conviction, who called it the way he saw it. This Pope did not withhold his shots…where he saw cruelty and injustice, he made his voice known. With his passing, we will all now be able to see the full scope of the man’s life. Prayers and Blessings to you Pope John Paul II, and may God keep you forever in the palm of His hand.

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

This past week two totally different stories engulfed the headlines of the evening news. Both, as of today, ending up in the determination of life. Little Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped and murdered by a pedophile who was staying across the street from her home. At the same time, a judge ruled that Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube was to be removed so that she can starve to death over the course of the next few weeks. Cases like these are becoming all too common. And these two cases in particular may redefine the rights of life, and how to protect them.

Children are in need of protection now more than ever. The kindly stranger who once was trusted now has to be looked upon as a potential attacker of the innocent. The Jessica Lunsford case, like so many others, has left parents scratching their heads, wondering, “Who can we trust, and how much?” The man who killed Jessica was a registered pedophile, but little did that help Jessica’s family in knowing that he was staying right across the street, within striking distance. The rights of Jessica were violated. Society failed her. Pedophilia, from what I understand, is an incurable disease, so pedophiles must be monitored at all times, either with an ankle bracelet, or some kind of system that determines their constant whereabouts. In my view, they have lost their right to privacy once it has been proven they have violated a child.

Terri Schiavo has been fed intravenously for over 15 years. The case has gone through the courts…on one side is her husband, who wants the tube removed…on the other side is her family, who wants it to remain. Terri can breathe on her own, and from all accounts, is not on medications, but she has been deemed by a number of doctors and experts as brain dead. Yet, her eyes open and close, she breathes air through her lungs, and can make sounds through her mouth. Before succumbing to this condition, Terri did not write any conditions down on what was to be done if she was to ever come to that state of being. Terri’s husband has said that it was Terri’s wishes that she be allowed to die, if she arrived at that condition. Her family disagrees. This weekend the United States Congress has met in a special Saturday session to draft a bill that would be signed as soon as possible by the President to instruct the judge in the case to reinsert the feeding tube. This coming week the latest chapter in what we consider the Protection of Life will begin to be written.

What scares me the most is the slippery slope that we may be embarking upon. One has to ask themselves, how many defects are “allowable” before we deem a person so incapacitated that termination of their life is acceptable? Are stroke victims, or brain damaged individuals who cannot feed themselves, or be of clear mind, next? As a society, what we now consider horrific, is it possible to eventually arrive at it’s doorstep? Being kept alive on respirators for an indeterminate amount of time is one thing, and signing Health Care Proxies is another, where one’s wishes are known, no matter what they are….. but starving people to death is unmerciful. We always assume that loved ones will know the right thing to do….well that decision sometimes can get real cloudy. A person of sound mind at any time can sit down and draw up a document stating what procedures are to be followed if they are incapacitated or at death’s door. It’s easy and it’s simple, and should be notarized. Then our wishes rest with us…otherwise, we leave them for someone else to decide.

Life and Death….issues that we struggle with daily. There are no easy answers. Yet we must strive to be humane as much as possible.

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

Life is one big freeway…traffic flowing back and forth. We use these highways as a way to get from one destination to another. Each day many of us incorporate these roadways as a part of life…yet, underneath the surface there is a far greater highway in existence…one called the “Human Highway.”

So what is this Human Highway? Well, here goes…on one side of the road are the “abusers”…on the other, the ‘”abusees.” And right slap dab in the middle is the “divider”…the middle ground. We become one of these three in Life. So let’s address each one individually:

The “abuser” is a person who has to have total control over all situations…they have to feel that their opinion reigns over all others. The abuser’s wants and needs supersedes those of wife/husband, family, and friends. Every decision, thought, and action is geared towards the accomplishment of what’s right for them. Gifts, blessings and kind words are given under false pretenses, as a form of deceiving an “abusee,” so that the abuser can get more. The abuser is the ultimate emotional blackmailer. They set up their lives to make all roads lead to them. With all this manipulation going on, what they don’t realize is that it is totally self-destructive. One habit that the abuser always reveals as a show of hand, is that once someone catches on to their plans, they abandon the person and replace them with someone new…kind of like when a lightbulb burns out, and it is replaced with a new one. The abuser is so caught up in themselves that they lose full meaning of the word “Love.” In some crazy way, whether they care to admit it or not, they look at others as nothing more than “work ants” for their causes and needs.

The “abusee,” on the other hand, is completely the opposite. Most times they are kind, sensitive, and peacemaking people. They don’t like conflict, they don’t enjoy turmoil…they try everything in their power to make people happy. This person is who the “abuser” makes a bulls-eye for. The “abusee” will sacrifice time and time again for the “abuser,” even blaming themselves when anything goes wrong, or anything brings a frown to the face of the abuser. Some abusees are able to break free from this affliction, after a little while…while others may take years, if not their whole lives. Unfortunately, after a while being emotionally beaten can start to become normal for the abusee, and they can start to forget that anything is wrong. They accept their position willingly, unless something jolts them back into reality.

The “divider,”… this is the point and the position where abusers have realized what they are doing is wrong, and have given up part of their power to compromise and share. The point where the abuser acknowledges that there are goals, dreams, opinions and feelings other than their own. At the “divider,” the abusee comes to the conclusion that few of their opinions or feelings were ever respected, and step by step they start taking a grip of the reigns of their life and reestablishing control over their destiny, while not becoming abusers themselves. For abusers and abusees to make the journey to the divider, most importantly they have to accept that they have a problem.

Is it any wonder why there are so many problems in the world? This Human Highway crosses all boundaries…rich, poor, young and old. Without the right physical and mental structural foundation to build upon, it is practically impossible for any of us to accomplish what we deem important in our lives. Here are three quotes that represent examples of the three parts of the equation. The “abuser”: “Some people get what they want, some people don’t.” The “abusee”: “It makes me happy to see you happy,” and, the “divider,”: “Let’s sit down and compromise.” These three quotes represent fully the three different viewpoints.

As I’ve said, most of the world’s problems can be broken down to basic fundamental issues. There are no mysteries why man has only progressed so far…but until we begin to look at the root causes, nothing will ever change, no matter how much we try to wish it away.

There’s always room at the divider,
love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

It has been roughly 2000 years since the death of Jesus Christ. Each succeeding generation has tried, and many times accomplished, to improve the quality of life of the whole. In doing so, we have also sharpened and fine-tuned our weapons over the previous generation. Sticks and stones gave way to bows and arrows, which gave way to swords and shields, which evolved to guns and bombs, until now, where we are at nuclear proliferation. Mankind, in it’s “wisdom,” with each step, gives and takes from life. Yes, indeed, we have fully “upped the ante.”

This past week I rented a video that was made in 1970, called “Colossus.” A little cheesy, but the message was quite powerful. The United States decided that it was going to turn over its entire national security and nuclear weapons program to a computer complex known as “Colossus.” On the day of the unveiling the President and the inventor of the program stood around for photos and a press briefing. They believed that Colossus would not be able to make the same mistakes that mankind would, and the world would be a safer place. The same day as Colossus was launched, Colossus discovered that the Soviet Union also had a computer complex to do the exact same thing for them. The United States was in shock, but they were not prepared for what came next. Colossus informed the Pentagon that it was aware of the other system and it wanted to communicate with it. The Russian system was called, “Guardian.” Colossus and Guardian communicated back and forth for hours….at a certain point the United States and Russian governments started to get concerned that they felt cut out of the loop, so they decided to pull the plug on both computer systems, at the same time. Colossus and Guardian got wind of this, and simultaneously launched two nuclear warheads aimed at both countries. The computer systems threatened that they would allow the missiles to reach their designated targets unless they were both allowed to continue to communicate without human interference. Time and time again both countries tried to secretly shut down both computer systems….each time they failed. Finally, Colossus and Guardian announced a joint message….that there would be world peace and no more famine, as long as they were in control. The price for noncompliance? It would be the launch of all nuclear warheads, one by one. This did not sit well with the governments of the world. Wasn’t world peace and the end of famine important? What was revealed in the movie was that to the powers that be, control was far more important than world peace.

As we go forward in time, how many more ways do we have to find to destroy each other before we feel safe? Can safety be fully guaranteed in 2005? Unfortunately, does it have to take a Colossus situation for safety and peace to be obtained? A third party who implements their rules to solve our problems? What we have failed to see is that to bring about world peace, religion, government, physicality and spirituality all have to walk hand in hand. If not, we all just stay on the merry-go-round.

The latest and greatest doesn’t always have the answers…sometimes all it takes is the embracing of a word that has echoed through the eons…that word is “Love.” All we have to do is listen and believe.

love, Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon

The other day I read about a radio station that made fun of the tsunami victims in Southern Asia….it was a cruel and ugly endeavor on the part of the radio station. It upset me, and made me angry. According to the news that evening, it had upset many other Americans also. Then I heard one reporter say, “Well, nobody should be listening to that kind of junk anyway,”…..and it got me thinking about that perspective….that if nobody listens, or purchases a product, then the power is taken away from the company that produces the item, or endeavor. Throughout history this has been understood as the “Art of Shunning.”

Every business needs financial support…and usually that support either comes from a business loan, and then from customers purchasing their products or expertise. Media, for instance, needs advertisers to support their business model. If a media company doesn’t have the viewership, they lose advertisers, which then affects how they can do business. If customers take the time to complain about something that disturbs them, to a business, the people running that company will usually listen, or they risk losing their advertisers…hence, they can lose their business. The fact that there is so much junk out there in the media means to me that enough people don’t complain. The general public doesn’t realize how much power they have, in the form of shunning. It is probably one of the most powerful tools a person has to control the type of society they will be living in. Remember what happened to Oprah Winfrey when she said on national television that she wouldn’t ever want to eat another hamburger? The meat industry went ballistic, and took her to court, where she ultimately won. She won because a person in America is entitled to have an opinion on what they like or dislike….even if they are in the spotlight. The beef industry understood how powerful shunning can be on a mass level…that is why they tried to make an example of Oprah Winfrey…to frighten others from voicing negative opinions. Can you imagine what happens if a large group of people turn off certain television shows? It happens, and those shows go off the air.

When people feel powerless, they can often turn to violence. Violence usually results in a temporary, but short-lived result. There are other ways to assert power, and this is where the Art of Shunning comes in. As long as people don’t take the time to turn off demeaning radio or television shows, for example, those businesses will continue to get their advertising dollars and keep gaining momentum. They will tell you that “this is what the people want to see and hear,” even though in reality it may be simply through default, meaning because people left their television or radio dial tuned to that particular station without realizing it, those advertising dollars assumed those people were actually interested in those shows.

People are not powerless….their opinions do matter, far more than they realize. These days as I leave certain establishments, they hand me a questionnaire to fill in on how I think they are doing, regarding the help of their staff, their quality of product, how they can improve….it is amazing to me that the average shopkeeper is taking the time to rate their business models through their customers. They know that keeping the customer happy will help their business. The only way the media is going to understand this same concept is through the pushing of a button….your finger on the most powerful tool you own….your television and/or radio button.

Support what you love,
Jennifer Avalon
© 2005 Jennifer Avalon