Dreaming of Apples

The other night I had a dream: 

I dreamt of these different apples sitting in a basket on a picnic table.

 There were a few types - like Gala, Red Delicious and Fuji. 

The one I normally prefer is the Fuji, for the sweetness and tartness. 

However, in my dream the one called Fuji was the Red Delicious. 

I remember struggling to try the Red Delicious because it looked like a normal Red Delicious.

But when I woke up, I remember that apple tasting so amazing, 

and juicy and tart that I am still craving one to this day!

I took my dream to mean this:

Sometimes we think we know what we want, 

but the taste left in our mouths is not what we thought we would receive. 

Then, the ones we least expected to taste great are actually what we preferred!

Be open minded. 

xOx,

Ms. Panda

I am a Blessed and Charged Little Panda Bear

So I had this dream a couple of nights ago that I was in the shallow water of a lake, or maybe it was the bank side of a river...

But I had a fishing pole in my hand and remember specifically that I was not trying to catch anything, in fact, I was just reeling in the line to pack up and get ready to go.   However, my line had a tug on it and convinced it was just caught up on some moss or a stone, I walked toward it to help reel it in without breaking the line. It was then that I realized that I actually had something on the line, for it began to pull away.  So I walked to shore, dragging the pole and towing the line behind me.  When I got in shallow enough water, I freaked out for I had an extremely large fish on my line!!!  I mean, like HUGE!  My dad was on the bank, so I said, "Dad!  Help me!"

He ran out into the shallow waters and scooped the heavy fish up with both arms and carried it onto the shore.  We stared in amazement at the BIG FISH and he even said, "It must be at least a 50 pounder!" We unhooked it and stood in awe around the anomaly, trying to guess it's species, but couldn't nail it down to any category.  And as we discussed it, the big guy wiggled his way back into the water to swim away free. 

I remember in my dream feeling upset for letting him get away, but I have thought a LOT about the dream since then and have come to the conclusion that it was a necessary part of my dream.  You see, fish have many meanings according to my "Hidden Meaning of Dreams" book.

One of them is that "Fish are a product of the emotions and intuition, as opposed to the materialistic, earthbound approach to life."  This is very important to me as no matter how many material possessions we have, nor how big and status worthy they may be, nothing compares to the power of the spirit within us.  Our ability to let go of the things we are attached to is our ultimate freedom.  It is only then, I believe, that we may truly live.  To me, in this regard, the fish represents my understanding of this concept, and according to the book, I am experiencing a period of personal growth.  It's the truth. I am very much so...

On my birthday, March 18th, I re-devoted my heart to Christ.  Since then SO much has changed for the better in my life.  In fact, my dream book also considers the fish to be "A symbol of Christ," and even more, "a mystical insight into my divine potential."  

Since I've been back to church and seeking His knowledge and wisdom, I have felt called to do great things to not only deepen my relationship with Him, but also to set an example for others.  Similarly, as the fish in my dream came unexpectedly and got away just as easily, it is important to mirror that example in my faith.  I feel that the fish's freedom represents me sacrificing my selfish needs and surrendering it all back to Him.  By doing so, I will be much more greatly rewarded and so will those whose lives I brush along my path.  You see, I don't intend to be preachy, but I want my light to shine, my love to spill over, and my new found successes to speak for themselves!  I want others to see His work through me and become seekers themselves. In this way I am letting that BIG fish go - freely - and happily - and HOPEFULLY into the hearts of those seeking something better and greater who I am able to touch with my life example.

In my past, I have continuously struggled to publish my Children's literature, mainly because I am the only one holding myself accountable.  Until now.  Now I have a greater spirit inside me, encouraging me to do great things and share His spirit with others.  Now if I fail to do so, I will not only be failing myself, but Him also.  It sounds scary and heavy, but it is nothing even close to that.  As I grow and expand my relationship with Christ, I am only fueling the strength inside of me and I feel so much more alive and full of purpose than ever before.

So I felt it important to share here, with you all, whoever reads this message, to feel the love and watch my growth over the next few months, years, forever.  I know it won't be easy, for it hasn't been easy so far, but with Him - I am filled with love and strength - within.  I need not look anywhere else.  His spirit is in me - in my heart - and in my words.  Bless you all!

Here's some poetry that's been coming to me in the quietness of my prayers.  Hope you can truly HEAR it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Panda's Powerful Prayer Poetry

4/9/12

A wellspring of love

     Inside of me

To conquer the pain

     That tries me.

4/10/12

The word is just the beginning

His love is the middle

True Christian work is a means to the end.

4/11/12

I am with you - 

In you and around you.

I am the light

That you ask for

Shine me bright

So darkness can see.

4/12/12

Clean the roadblocks from your life

Ask Jesus to shine His light

Wash the dirty doubt away

Let God's glory reign today!

Don't fear the unwilling ears

Go, seek the unclean and weak.

They need His love just as you

Go spread light, Get to it, too!!

4/13/12

The day you wake up and are ready to die

Is the day you will be the most alive.

4/14/12

He sacrificed His son for me

The battle's still not won, I see

My sacrifice for Him must come

I must lead the lost to the One.

No one said it would be that fun

And I'll be judged by everyone.

But if I let the love flow free

And surrender what he gave me

Then worry, fear, frustration and more

Will fade away - out the back door

And I will give my heart to Him

And be free from the world of sin.

Will you do it, too? Let Him in?

His word is power - read it then!

His word is power - read it then!

And sacrifice your life for Him!

4/15/12

Today I pray 

That He bless me

With all I need

To make my dreams

His reality --

It's ALL for Him

ALL ways - All days.

Amen.

4/16/12

ON EARTH AS ONE.

4/17/12

Today I pray for my calling

Today I pray He called me

For His purpose is great and good

And I have said all that I could

Now I just believe and sing

These verses that He gave to me

Out there, for the whole world to see

Yet only He may bless their reach.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a SUPER DUPER, BLESSED and SPIRITUALLY CHARGED day!!!

Thanks for being here :)

xOx,
Ms. Panda

Surf Your Dreams!

Continuing my Children's writing hustle ...

I was at the Chiropractor's office yesterday discussing life and my dreams with the massage therapist on duty, when she told me about a published Children's author she knew of in La Jolla, CA.  She raved about the book; its illustrations, the story and more.  SO...being the person I am, I considered the situation as "not a coincidence" and drove down to the beach to find this author.

When I first arrived to Ocean Girl surf shop, Terry Kraszewski, co-author of Surf Angel was on the phone.  I immediately saw the book on display and thumbed through the story, admiring the wonderful illustrations and rhyming story, which felt similar to my writing style.  About half way through my read, Terry ended her call and welcomed me.  I introduced myself to her as an aspiring Children's author and asked her if it would be alright to ask a few questions.  She, of course, said yes.

As I read in the copyright info in the book, Terry self-published her book, so I asked her if she was happy with her decision.  She said yes, but however it was not her first choice.  Terry had a deal with a publisher and after a year, they retracted the offer based on the economy.  Luckily, Terry had the capital to self-publish, which she estimates was around $20,000 for her first printing.  She did her own marketing, which is challenging, but managed to get into Barnes and Noble, and now Apple has made her book available in an interactive iPad app. Bonus points!!!

Terry also chose a brilliant illustrator, Bonnie Bright, who now works for Disney's Pixar.  This is the first image that Bonnie finished for the book:

Terry knew immediately upon viewing this image that Bonnie Bright was the perfect illustrator for Surf Angel .  When I asked if she paid Bonnie to do the illustrations, she answered, "Oh my, yes!" which helped me to understand the importance of finding a great illustrator and negotiating a fair compensation for the project. Terry suggested that I scout out art departments at local schools for talented and motivated illustrators.  She even threw out the idea of a Craigslist.com posting.  I do believe these ideas will be my next step, as she is not the first person to suggest such a thing.

Terry also shared author Jeffrey Garcia's success in finding illustrator, Jamie Meckel, who was an art student at the time he was working on Santa Claus and the Molokai Mules.

His book won the San Diego Book Awards Association's best Picture Book award in 2010, which gives me great hope!

As we wrapped up, Terry signed two copies of Surf Angel for me and flipped through its pages pointing out all of the hidden sentiments it contains.  Many of the illustrations are based on her real life: her house, dog, daughter, and of course, a number of "surf angels" who have been lost along the way.  Some of their names appear in the clouds, others' initials are inscribed on flip flops, and even children appearing throughout the book are actual people Terry wished to pay homage to.  Her book is more to her than just a magical bedtime story.  It contains pieces from her life, that she can always look back on with great joy.

I also discovered that much of her success came from knowing the right people.  Terry is friends with the original Gidget, who read Terry's book and passed it along to her (now retired) Literary Agent husband, and that's how Terry got her first deal.  This information made me consider approaching a few of my friends who do animation work in LA.  You never know who will be the perfect match, but one thing is for sure - when it is right, you will feel it.  And to find it, you must seek it first.

That's what I am looking forward to now!  One lead from the Chiropractor's office brought me so much inspiration and drive.  This is the kind of thing I want to continue in 2012 - staying on top of my dreams and jumping on opportunities that arise from hustling my writing!!!

Thanks for being a part of my journey! :)

xOx,
Ms. Panda


  

Visualizing Dreams the Rosicrucian Way

I've been educating myself on the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious a lot lately.

My curiosity stemmed from vivid dreams packed with psychic symbols that I began decoding with my dream journal, like this one that I wrote about back in April.  A lot of the time, my dreams feel like a message - a contact from a deeper, universal subconscious - and usually, in a dejavu sort of way, that message reappears to my conscious at some point in the future.  Its a total AH-HA moment and I always meditate on its meaning.

Well...an old friend contacted me after reading my blog and felt compelled to share a link to a podcast with me.  He urged me to "listen to it with the ears of a child" and has even listened to it over 200 times himself!

I finally listened tonight and to put it lightly, I AM SO FLIPPIN' INSPIRED!!!

Rosicrucian speaker, Frater Erwin Watermeyer speaks in depth about the subconscious in this podcast and his theories are extraordinarily eye-opening and definitely worth having a listen - if you can get passed his thick accent.

As I listened, I typed, paused, typed, played again, typed, thought and so on..

Here is what I wrote during the recording:

• Does God (a.k.a. cosmic unconscious) speak English when He speaks to us?  Nope.  He speaks in the language of the symbol and before any psychic symbol may be objectively realized, it must first transform itself into our own material language.   

(This is where a dream book/journal comes in handy.)

• Man's subconscious speaks the language of the symbol.  If one desires to communicate to the subconscious, it must first be visualized with an emotional charge to stimulate the imagination.

(I'm just beginning to work on this part...get back to ya)

• Visualization - forming a mental picture with a powerful feeling - but only when the conscious and subconscious have trust and faith in each other.  

(I think this one takes some time to master.  The subconscious sends quite a few messages (dreams,           intuitions, etc.) to the conscious, but let's really think about how the conscious communicates with the subconscious.  The closest thing that I have experienced to describe this line of communication came from a Kundalini yoga class.  The teacher was very adamant about consciously releasing poses slowly and with a long exhale BECAUSE the body remembers if you let out a huge sigh of relief and shrug off the pose quickly, in turn noting the subconscious with apprehension to do that practice again.)

• This principle applies to every message to the cosmic subconscious.  Just as a scale must have an equal amount of weight on each side to be balanced, it is the same what Watermeyer calls the borderline state - when the conscious is only partially subdued, so that it may act as a director or receiver of the subconscious.  

(I experience this a lot when I wake up and go back to sleep for a couple more hours.  Actually, this is the time that I receive most of my psychic symbols and messages.)

• To apply the law of suggestion -- a subtle command, request, or wish of the subconscious mind -- symbolized in a positive and constructive way (since the inner self only acts positively and constructively) must be transformed into emotionally charged images and symbols to stimulate the imagination.

(I had a migraine today and when I focused on it, it only felt worse.  However, when I closed my eyes and pictured a rainbow in the space where my third eye is, I felt relief.  Maybe this is what he is saying?Hmm... I'm not an expert by any means, but I do know that it made me feel better.)

• Man's subconscious is ALWAYS open to suggestion - 24/7 - and most of us forget this principle.  In order to receive affirmations, we must always be aware of ALL of the elements around us that effect our dreams, goals, etc.  Watch yourself.  Watch your actions in your worlds. If you have a dream, direct your whole life toward it - not just a half hour of the day.

(Like Watermeyer says in the podcast, if you want to be healthy, you must incorporate health into all areas of your life, including diet, exercise, etc., not just a simple 30 minute meditation session.)

• Do not underestimate suggestions, for they are not MERELY suggestions, but a phenomenon - with immense abilities to raise man to sublime heights.  Suggestion is God's greatest gift to man.  Like all great gifts, it may be used or abused.  Suggestions have the power to construct or destroy, according to man's state of development.  

(A perfect example of this one is moving in with your domestic partner.  If you worry that the new situation will carry all of the issues of an old one, then it is bound to pan out that way because your fears sabotage it.  However, if you overcome your fears and give the situation a positive and constructive outlook, then the power of suggestion can actually help you grow, which is the idea here. We should all strive to be a master of our own incarnations.)  


So.......if you are like me and wish to become a master of your conscious and subconscious, then try the power of suggestion - in a positive way - and see where it leads you.  :)  It is a powerful instrument to be used in our personal evolution.

To hear the entire podcast, go here.

One Final Thought:  I consulted "The Messiah's Handbook," about two questions today and here were the answers it offered...

"How do you want to come out of this experience--

How do you want to be changed because of it?"

... and ...

"You have the power to do anything you wish, except these two:   

You cannot create reality.   

You cannot destroy it."

At first, it sounded contradictory to what I've been studying above, but when I look at reality as a collection of circumstances, I can only control what I think, say and do. What truly matters is how I choose maneuver around the reality I live in that will make me stronger as an individual.

Peace.

LTD or DTL?

Living the dream?

or 

Dreaming about living?

(a thoughtful blog by Amanda Steinhaus)

I was thinking today about the conscious vs the unconscious.

Our conscious is our awareness, our rational processes, and our ability to retrieve memories easily. It is our waking life, our choices and our sense of self.

Our unconscious is the collective of past conflicts, anxiety and pain.  The unconscious influences us with urges, unpleasant feelings and unacceptable thoughts.  It also appears as our intuition and communicates directly with us through our dreams.

This is a very important process, for in my experience, when I compare the symbols and interpretations from my dreams, I am able to see my intuition at work.  Sometimes in my waking life, outside influences will drown out my intuitive voice, and decisions seem harder to make, especially when I am being a people pleaser.  

I have folded for others and my dreams have suffered from doing so.

So here's my thought on the matter:  

We are uniquely ourselves, thick with layers of experiences and lessons learned, filled in with genetic traits, and topped with dreams and aspirations.

It is up to us to make things happen in this life.  

We are humans - the species with the most capable minds - and it is only up to us individually to decide to start living our dreams. 

Our analytic conscious will come up with all of the excuses we could ever need to stay down and just float through life the way it is now, but our vast unconscious knows our capablities and somehow already knows what we truly want to become anyway.

  

Don't let the noise of your fears or other's opinions drown out this inner voice.  

Recognize it.  Listen to it.  Decode it with dream symbols.  

Take the reigns on your dreams and bring them to life!

If you aren't a big dreamer, or don't feel an intuitive connection with your dreams, then try meditation.  There has been some research, in terms of EEG,  into physiological changes in yogis and people who practice  meditation. Brain waves during meditation show a distinct difference between those corresponding to ordinary relaxation.

Many report that by silencing the mind, the answers will appear.  Maybe this is what is coming up on those EEG reports?  When our unconscious and conscious harmonize, we can see the light - literally - and so can the EEG reader ;)

So here's to realizing the dream and LIVING IT!  

Best of luck to you however you get there.

LTD!

"Dreams come true! It can happen to you...if you're young at heart."

Today I awoke from a vivid dream, which was reassuring to me as I haven't written an interpretation in my dream journal in two weeks! Dreams are messages from my unconscious to my conscious and bring about greater self awareness. I feel more connected to my unconscious, more balanced, like I am a complete functioning being -- rather than living separate waking and sleeping lives. It's a positive union; one that gives me great confidence throughout my day.

When interpreting my dreams, I first write a complete description of the images and events, then decifer the spiritual messages on a basic level, trying not to read too deeply into the book's meanings, but more into the context of the dream and my own personal emotions toward the events. I then sit back and relish in my psychic abilities as I watch my random dream images appear in the day's events. It is really quite fascinating to hear someone ask me a question about potty training a puppy, when in my dream last night, I had to discipline a puppy for having an accident in the house. These types of occurances help me build trust with myself and develop faith in my abilities. I highly recommend trying dream interpreting. It is life changing.

So, today I awoke from an episode in which a very ego driven man came to my house and somehow destroyed all of the branches of a tree in my front yard. At first I was bummed because I've dreamt about trees before and I know how they are directly related to the soul and the life principle. To have my "spiritual" symbol decapitated like that -- I was worried. As the roots represent the past and the foundations of my personality and unconscious, I could rest easy knowing that as least THEY were still in tact. With most of the trunk remaining, which relates directly to my present situation and social role, I was feeling less and less intimidated. You see, the branches symbolize the future and my higher functions, and well, to be completely honest -- I havent' felt as creative and inspired as I was when I began this mission.

...until today.

I met that ego driven man on the big screen in a movie called, "Limitless." Bradley Cooper plays an amazing role of a writer who finally taps into the other 80% of the brain that is not typically used and creates the life that he has only dreamed of. It's genius! Even if I don't have an endless supply of NZT, the brain enabling pill he takes, I can draw from his example and apply it to the growing branches of my new and improved future. By eating healthier, walking taller, staying alert and on point, outlining my dreams in steps and boosting my brain power -- I can make anything happen!

"He that have patience can have what he will." --Ben Franklin

"Persistance and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." --Calvin Coolidge

It's easy to see now that the guy who destroyed my tree was really my unconsciousness clueing me into the possibilities of a new, better future than I even imagined. And that is why. I must imagine it first, piece by piece, step by step, with a quiet integrity and saavy persistance. I feel like I can now forge ahead with new energy and fervor -- almost as if I had my own dose of NZT and have tapped into my full brain potential with every synapse crackling. I have connected my conscious to the power of my unconscious dreams and can now comprehend the complex equations that will unlock the door to my waking dreams.

"Dreams can come true! It can happen to you...if you're young at heart." --Frank Sinatra

Don't let the old, skeptical person inside hold your inner child hostage! Get inside your mind and PLAY!