The Empowered Lifestyle

Crazy busy day today. Have been on the phone from about 8 in the morning right up to this very late afternoon moment. Haven't even had a chance to mull over Adam ending up in the bottom two on 'Idol' last night. As long as my little Kris Allen keeps moving forward though I'm happy. I'd guess Gokie or little Janis Joplin goes next and then it comes down to Adam and Kris. We'll see.

Have been renegotiating or, in a particular case, negotiating for the first time, deals and deals and deals all day. See, I planned alot of these meetings to take place today because there is a good communications vibe floating in the ethers. Not that you'd know it around here but that's an entirely other story for an entirely different post. One that I'll write once I get my wit about me again. But, for today, I was a little nervous going in this morning and so checked to make sure the Shui was all alight, aligned and proper. Front lights lit and windows cleaned and crystal clear. Fountain flowing in the Wealth area with the dragon tortoise keeping a close eye on the water fall. Red light in Fame area charged and charging and even remembered to offer a little incense and some sweet treats on the old altar.

And just as I was lighting the incense an older 'teaching', one that I'd received more than fifteen years ago just sort of "popped" into my mind. I had a teacher once upon much younger days named Hilda Charlton. Hilda wrote the most incredible books about her most incredible life. One of them called SAINTS ALIVE was about, well, saints who had come to life. In that book Hilda told all these stories about her own encounters with the supportive spirits of saints and also shared stories from others who could attest to same. From the girl disparaged and in despair from not being able to find a job who prayed to one of my all time fav saints, Therese of Liseaux, day in and day out asking,no begging for Therese to help her find a job. Then, one day, she went to a shop that she had been in so many times before because it really was where she wanted to work. She went back to check yet again if there were any openings or possibility that they would reconsider and hire her if one became available. The decision maker in the room SHOCKED her when he told her that the woman who had been in earlier that day had convinced them to hire her and so they were going to do just that. On the spot. She couldn't dream or imagine who had stepped in though to advocate for her? She asked the owners of the shop what the woman looked like and as they began to describe her she showed them a picture prayer card of Therese and they said that was the same woman. Of course Therese had been dead for decades and decades, but, she interceded on this devout girl's behalf.

So, today, I serendipitously remembered Hilda's sharing a story about a Hindu Holy Woman named Ammal. I don't remember all the details completely but the story went something like this:

Ammal lived in a remote part of India and was a devoted wife and loving mother. One day her family, her whole entire beloved family and the reason for her being, died in a fire. And she survived. I'll cut to the chase here, apparently, not only did Ammal survive but she retained her faith in a perfect, loving and just God. At a crisis period in her life, when it seemed that anything and everything she loved to her bones, was taken from her she refused to believe that this was anything but a blessing given her by a beautiful and benevolent God. She began to build a reputation as a holy woman (I'm sure something happened to make that happen but I just can't remember. It actually might have been that she shouldn't have but survived that fire making her a walking miracle. Let's go with that shall we?)

Anyway, it turns out that business people traveled far and long to get shakti or blessings from Ammal. And, then, when Hilda heard this story she found out about one businessman in particular whose whole business was hinging on some deal or other happening for him. He sat at Ammal's feet and begged her intercession and against the most tremendous of odds AND with a miracle effecting the outcome, this deal actually came through for that guy.

Of course, that's the drive-by version but that's what I remembered. So, before I got on the phone this morning I remembered some of Hilda's instructions to petition a saint for their assistance:

You need to recite their name aloud three times:

HOLY LADY AMMAL
HOLY LADY AMMAL
HOLY LADY AMMAL

Then you MUST use ONLY the words invoke and intercede in your petition:

I INVOKE YOUR INTERCESSION

Then you state your request:

That my blankety blank blank deal with blankety bland and my negotiations with blankety blank both are super successful. Then you add specifics here. I am sure my super successful and yours are different, so, fill in your blanks here.

Then you close by offering gratitude AS IF the Ammal had already intervened and orchestrated the perfect scenario:

THANK YOU SO MUCH AMMAL FOR INTERCEDING AND ORCHESTRATING THIS MOST PERFECT OUTCOME. I AM SO GRATEFUL.

And then you share that gratitude with the world but saying a prayer or doing a good deed. Whatevs.

So, I did all of that and, well, we'll see. But, no matter what, I know she's got my back now and that makes me feel so really and truly special. And loved. By her.

THANK YOU AMMAL.

THANK YOU AMMAL.

THANK YOU AMMAL.

AMEN.