The rest of the story goes: “This photo is a very rare one, taken by NASA. This kind of event occurs once in 3000 years. This photo has done miracles in many lives. Make a wish…  you have looked at the eye of God. Surely you will see the changes in your life within a day! Whether you believe it or not, don’t keep this mail with you. This is a picture NASA took with the Hubbell telescope. Called ‘The Eye of God.’  “

Now I know what programs like Photoshop can do so being the skeptic – I looked this up. Here is the coolest thing – it IS a real picture. Granted it is a composit since it is about 700 light-years away and spans about 2.5 light-years across. It isn’t a once in every 3000 years kind of thing – it’s age is @10,600 (+2,300 or −1,200) years so it’s been around a while. In addition, it DOES make one think of the “Eye of God”. For more about the background on the image I’ve included two links – one is is the press release about the Helix Nebula and the other is details found on Wikipedia. Press Release and Wikipedia

In the end I wonder why people feel the need to make up “stories” to be amazed at the miracles around us every day.

I would love to hear what you think?

Let us start with the first concept that language is needed for communicating ideas. In The Inner Game, the concept of Self 1 and Self 2 are introduced as two different parts of our psyche. The first one is the “self” that has the ability to perform a given task at our peak potential.

The other is the “self” that keeps telling us, why we can’t, what we should have done, what we should be doing, what we did “wrong” – and the list goes on. Moreover, it is talking to us DURING the performance.

I was relieved when I read The Inner Game of Music because I have had that secondary dialogue running in my head for so many years that I thought it was normal! As I looked back I wondered how I could perform ANYTHING with that other voice telling me how I should have released that last phrase…sung that note…added more character…and so on.

After I read the book, I began to connect with my “best performances” and see how that “other voice” never came into the equation. The goal is to be so “in the moment” that nothing else exists but the NOW. As a performer, if I am totally in the present, the things that matter are the energy/message in the music and the interaction between the audience and me.

Barry Green also introduces the trio concept of Awareness, Will and Trust. This trio is like playing pixie sticks. The sum of the parts is greater than any individual element.

Awareness is being in touch with everything around me. This includes how I am feeling, what is happening in the “house” (which is what allows me to open up and interact with my audience), and what the music is saying. Awareness even allows me to improvise and deliver a message that someone may have needed to hear – that I did not know of ahead of time. 

Trust, also known as removing all reason for doubt, comes in the form of trusting my own skills and preparation. I will perform better if I am able to trust the rest of the ensemble (if this is a group), the adequacy of the venue, and even the sound system, This list of “trust” is as long as the different elements that you have in your performance…even dress or costuming can be a factor.

Will provides the focus or clarity. Do I know what my goals and objectives are for any given performance? My goal may be as simple as everyone having a good time…or it may be eliciting a certain response. The clarity alone may be enough that I will hit my mark simply by being present or it may require some additional preparation. However, unless I have thought through what my desire is – I will have chosen to open myself up to the possibility of missing my mark.

With the combination of Awareness, Will and Trust, I also put myself in a position to know when to ask for feedback or help. Without this combination, I may find myself having the “if only” dialogue, 5 minutes before curtain. This self-talk diminishes any performance…from theater to business. I can change the order if needed, because they work best simultaneously, but I would not experience the same success should I remove an element.

Until next time – remember, you have the choice to make it a GREAT DAY! The gratitude with which you greet the day may make all the difference so enjoy some laughter and have a wonderful one!

In Harmony,
Kira

On September 21, 1981, the United Nations declared an International Day of Peace. In 2002, the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for this momentous occasion.

As a habit then, I believe that peace starts within, within our own hearts and souls. World peace will only be a reality when we find ourselves at peace individually. We can make this happen one moment at a time. I don’t know anyone that rides the Love Train 24/7 – 365 days a year, but we can begin the journey together and find ways to embrace the peace and love. 

One morning a few days ago, I woke with two tunes going through my head. One was a line from the song by John Lennon – “all we are saying is give peace a chance”. It repeated incessantly. It was overlaid by another tune and the following poem, which I wrote and share with you today –

I feel love in every day; I feel love in every way

I feel love deep in my heart, in every day there’s a brand new start.

I feel the peace flowing through my soul I feel the love that makes me whole

I feel peace I know I’m free I feel that peace deep inside of me

I feel peace of ages past; I feel that peace – I’m home at last

I feel the peace flowing through my soul I feel the love that makes me whole

I feel peace I know I’m free I feel that peace deep inside of me

I feel peace of ages past I feel that peace – I’m home at last 

I won’t kid you and say that I always feel this way. In fact, I’ve really begun to understand that the more I think I know, the further there is to go.

Nevertheless, it is a start and it is part of what allows me to know moments of total freedom. Something so ingrained that I know no one can take it from me. That if I “lose” it – it’s because I’ve chosen to give it up.

Thank you all for being part of my journey to freedom!

Love,

Kira

Just like in Freedom’s Formula  when we talk about finding our own freedom it’s the ability to get to the root of the issue – shine some light on it – and move forward.

With purpose and an inner freedom in our lives we have energy, we’re filled with sunshine and a spirit of love. It’s easier to be “present” for those around us. We can recognize the miracles that are around us every moment of every day.

Your purpose may be seen in your activities with your family, your church, your community…or even the world. By focusing on what you want in life you will help to create more of it. Mother Theresa would attend a Peace Ralley but never an Anti-War Ralley – she focused on what she believed in.

One of the other points that Mr. Ennever points out in the second Pelmanism book is that having a purpose helps develop your recollective ability and we will look more at this one in the next post.

In the mean time – make it a great weekend and for those of you in the US – have a great Labor Day holiday.

In Harmony,
Kira Wagner

Thank you God for the miracle – for the
miracle I see
Thank you God for the miracle that’s looking
back at me

At the break of dawn I see miracles in the
mornings early light

I see miracles in the mirror when my heart
sees with your sight

I see miracles in the sunshine and the faces
on the street

I see miracles in the heavens and the children at my feet

For all the gifts of miracles let my heart
here overflow

Let my love for all these miracles continue
now to grow

May each blessing of these miracles never
cease to fill my days

For the wonder of these miracles deserve
laughter, love and praise

by Kira Wagner

Thank you Kira for today’s WORDS of wisdom about FEAR.

Most of the time I always knew how to overcome fear in many situations of
my life, but right now it is very hard for me – I feel stuck.

I am in a very difficult situation financially and one can not help it to
worry what will happen I am trying very hard to stay focused and upbeat,but
it is easier said then done.I am waiting for the phone call about the
perfect JOB I applied for so please pray for me.

I count my blessings every day Kira.

But – you can judge for yourself

Enjoy.

Flight To Freedom

A short story by Kira Wagner

It was late in the evening and, as the sun was setting, a few golden rays lingered on the distant mountainside. Skylar found her thoughts filled with the desire to feel the warmth of the sun and she began to move.

She was flying again. It was different this time. This evening she didn’t “think” about how to start or how it would look, nothing about how different she wanted it to be. Skylar just started moving toward the light.

Moving through the trees and the branches she kept going up when she noticed a few power lines. Compared to the myriad of branches in the trees, these were nothing

As she flew through the trees gravitating toward the fading sunlight Skylar found herself confronted with an intense maze of power lines, so thick she had to pull them apart. Using her hands to get through them she thought of the possibility of electrocution. But, nothing happened and she found herself surprised at that instant.

It was then that she noticed the power lines were all connected by very thin, sheer gauze. It was quite strong, so much so that she couldn’t tear it to get beyond it

Skylar could see the sunlight still brilliant in the distance.

She needed to get through this maze to get to the light. Wanting an opening it appeared before her. A huge gap suddenly existed between two of the heavy power lines so she simply flew through. Who was she to question the opportunity right in front of her?

As she continued upward, attempting to stay clear of any further obstacles, it grew very dark.

She was looking for the sun and couldn’t find it. She’d lost sight of it.

Suddenly Skylar was confronted with a ceiling – slatted boards and quite well made – but a ceiling all the same.

She had made it through obstacles before on other journeys but this – this one was different. She didn’t feel that she could get through this. She could feel her heart start to pound in her chest and even in the absence of the sun’s warming glow she began to sweat. It was as if her body began to thrum with the beat of a bass drum.

Skylar was afraid. She wasn’t going to make it through.

Then she heard a still small voice reminding her that she had made it before. Ever so gently it was reminding her to remain calm.

She knew there was a way if she just looked so she stopped flying around like a darting humming bird. Taking in a breath she saw it. In that instant, as she looked where she had last noticed the sun, there were three doors contained within a glass wall.

The sunlight was on the other side.

Her eyes were drawn to a massive, aged padlock lock on one of the doors. Momentarily she felt the fear that she would have to return…to go back.

In that instance she noticed the lock was on the door marked “in”.

There were two doors that led “out”. Both had a wide lever to open them that simply said “push”.

Noticing that the sunlight was stronger on the door on the left she moved forward toward that one, pushed on the lever and went through.

Once on the other side Skylar drank in the sun as it shone brilliantly against a bright blue sky. She basked in the air as it had that fresh spring morning smell of green grass, sweet spring flowers and that damp fragrance of sun evaporating the early morning dew.

Looking around she had the feeling that this was an anachronistic experience. As Dorothy said to Toto in the Wizard of Oz, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more.”

Somehow tonight’s flight took her “through” to a different place and time altogether.

It wasn’t that things really looked any different. In fact, in the distance she could see a sprawling city with cars filling the streets and lights promoting the myriad of businesses for the millions of people bustling about.

Now Skylar never went flying with anyone. She never talked about it. Her nocturnal flights had been just that—contained within that evening and all undercover of the starry night sky. So in that sense this whole experience was out of the norm but she wasn’t prepared for what she saw next.

She gazed up. Looking higher into the sky and she saw a hole. Skylar didn’t know what she expected after the ceiling she had just left behind but it wasn’t this. Here was a vast unfinished air duct. A hole was one thing. It could have been an anomaly like a black hole—she was well aware of the myriad of things she didn’t know but this? An air duct? In the sky?

She could see everything—the wood frame partially hidden behind white clouds, yellow insulation encased in brown paper on either side, the round silver tubing of the duct itself…and…an airplane that was flying into the tubing. A plane that appeared microscopic against the enormity of the air duct.

As she stared she found herself wondering what this was all about.

It was as if this were a part of life that challenged her saying, “Come, leave your journey and spend a lifetime figuring out why I’m here.”

It was then that she knew this was a mystery for another day, another time. It wasn’t important to know why the air duct appeared in this hole in the say. Nor was it wasn’t important, right now, to understand why that plane chose to take that route.

This was a mystery to explore another day.

Nothing mattered in that moment except the feeling of the warmth of the sun and the freedom in this moment to “be”.

Skylar wanted to share this feeling, this event with someone. She found herself thinking how wonderful it would feel to have someone join her in this experience. As she turned to fly home she noticed that the return trip seemed instantaneous compared to the journey toward the sunlight.

She had been thinking about Peter and the next thing she knew—she could see him standing there—off in the distance, playing with his granddaughter Susan.

Settling down on the sidewalk Skylar walked up to Peter telling him that there was something she wanted to share with him. She asked him if he would join her for “just a few minutes”.

Sending Emily up to the house they walked off across the street to a park surrounded by trees. It was quiet and no one in sight.

Reaching a grassy knoll Peter asked what this was all about and for a minute Skylar was afraid that it wouldn’t work with someone with her. Every previous flight had been when she was alone, at nighttime, everyone was around her was asleep.

Again a kind of peace that came over her, that calm sense of just “being” and she looked at the top of the trees seeing the stars in the distance and she was moving…up.

Level with the top of the trees Skylar stopped and hovered. Looking down at Peter she smiled asking him to join her.

At first a wistful smile played across his face. She knew that look – how often had she had it when there was something she wanted and yet didn’t believe she had the right to possess it.

Then she noticed a worried look in his eyes. She could hear his voice cut clearly though the silence as he said, “That’s not right, you shouldn’t do that”. He turned away to go home. He didn’t tell her to stop. He didn’t say to come back. He only told her she shouldn’t be doing what she was already doing.

She knew that he could do it. Skylar knew that he could fly too, and somehow she knew that he knew it.

She also knew that he didn’t want to. He never would fly because of his choice. His family couldn’t fly because they didn’t believe that they could. He wouldn’t leave them behind so he would never even try.

Skylar felt herself starting to drift back toward the ground

For a third time that evening she was afraid. Afraid this time that, she couldn’t fly, that if she continued to fly she would be leaving her family behind.

She realized she didn’t want to hurt anyone and she wanted the approval. In that instant, she knew that the desire for approval was the greatest obstacle she was facing. She knew that she didn’t need his approval to fly, she loved the feeling. She loved the freedom. She loved the warmth of the sun and always being able to feel it fill her with energy and life.

The sun warmed her skin and she felt secure in its “touch”. She loved the feel of the tree tops and running her hands through the leaves and branches. She loved the crystal clear view of the stars with nothing between us.

If she always had to have his or others approval she would never be free.

Skylar smiled then noticing she was till in the air. She had stopped descending.

As she watched Peter walk towards home he turned once and smiled. No words but a look that said everything and then she turned and flew away.

Skylar could fly and people could see her—or not—it didn’t matter any more. She knew it was about letting others choose their path, about being able to be one with the universe, to experience in a grand way, all of the joys that life has to offer.

She had allowed herself to accept her freedom.

USE OF THIS STORY IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE. You can use it as long as you agree to leave the story intact with no changes, omissions and to include the following blurb at the end of it: Kira Wagner is one of America’s "most persuasive and entertaining speakers!" She is the creator of Freedom’s Formula and author of the book Handbook for Freedom. To contact Kira for a speaking engagement: visit: www.yourfreedomguide.com.

When you’re in the middle of doing something you really love, I mean your really passionate about it, do you think "whew, this is really hard work"?

Among other possibilities the word "hard" is often defined as "difficult", "not easy" or "dispassionate".

I’ve noticed over time that the concept of what is hard is passed on from generation to generation.

• Work hard in school to get good grades (scholarship).
• Work hard to get ahead (succeed).
• Work hard now, play later.

Working hard involved some kind of frustration or desire for a different set of circumstances.

When we’re in the middle of an activity that we’re passionate about, or doing our heart work, time stands still, we take no heed of the energy we’re investing, we’re on a roll. Regardless of our circumstances we are free.

Pursuing our heart work allows us to experience the Divine. It allows us to be present, in the moment. I’m coming to realize that life, or more appropriately living, is about doing our heart work at all times. It’s about have a team doing their heart work.

When I’m sharing Freedom’s Formula, Global Connections Networking or Harmony Showcase, as a speaker or singer, from my heart, and letting others do their purpose – or job – we always have an incredible experience.

When I try to do someone else’s job (and I have) OR I am doing a job that someone else suggested I should do, at that time I find that;

• I am out of alignment with trusting that it will all turn out perfectly as in – I am afraid of the results
• I don’t believe that God will keep His Word
• And ultimately I am afraid that I haven’t kept my end of the bargain…maybe I believe I should have done more or done it better or faster or whatever may come to mind

We all pay the price. And whatever is going on is truly HARD WORK!

Allow yourself to do your heart work first and it will never become hard work later.