Spiritual awakening is a transformational moment or process much desired by spiritual seekers. People may undergo rigorous training towards that goal or travel to ashrams in India in search for an enlightened teacher. But spiritual awakening can also happen in completely unpredictable ways, when we least expect it. Even seemingly trivial circumstances may give rise to a time of profound change, where all our cherished concepts of reality are shattered in one moment of clarity. A sense of truth emerges that wipes out all beliefs and concepts, giving way to a profound sense of connection and all-encompassing love. Time seems to stand still.

This state can last just a few moments, or weeks and months. Few are able to maintain what is also called a state of grace, or enlightenment, even ascension. The rhythms and ordinariness of life can take over again. But one is never the same after a spiritual awakening. Something inside has undergone a profound and irreversible change, and our attitude about ourselves and all of life has shifted into a different level of awareness.

Featured in Vision Magazine, Jan 2012

(Reproduced with permission.)

A Conversation with Rev. Uki MacIsaac

by Sydney L. Murray

I first met Reverend Uki MacIsaac at the Whole Being Weekend over 12 years ago. I was with my good friend, ‘Dave,’ who had a session with MacIsaac and exclaimed she was superbly correct with the reading for him and his life. I have to admit all of these years later she definitely still has the ability to hone in on the issues at hand. Just listening to our reading, I am once again reminded of how her readings offer so much, on both an energetic level as well as a spiritual teaching.

She talks about the willingness to be available, which is what I think of when I consider alchemy in my life. Her reading was alchemical both spiritually and physically.

Recently I had a client who just would not be pleased with anything the intuitive reading had to offer. It is rare for me to encounter such a person, but it does happen, I admit. Some people have such a negative outlook on life that nothing, even the most positive perspective offered, will change their views of life. These people seem to be addicted to their negativity. There was so much in this person's life to be grateful for; but she simply could not see the good things, or rather refused to acknowledge what was working in her life. She derived pleasure from stating what all was bad and how she had been wronged by life.

What do some of us derive from being mired in negativity? Maybe it's a need to be *right*, to have life validate our innermost beliefs. We may verbalize that we want life to turn out differently, but our innermost self resists any positive turn of events, since that might prove the ego self wrong.

Ah, the tricky aspect of setting goals for 2014! Haven't we all gone through some aspect or other of committing to new year's resolutions, only to find the momentum fade away even before the end of February? I certainly know I have. Sometimes it seems as if only a miracle could take us through the doorway of good intentions to  our wildest dreams fulfilled, highest vision manifesting, the 'impossible' coming true.

Here is a suggestion that might help. What if instead of trying to force the manifestation of our goals, which often creates a lot of pressure and stress, and maybe even unwanted outcomes, we simply aligned with our highest and best good? Prayer and meditation are proven pathways towards that destination.