Blog - Vanessa Long

Otter Thompson: Meeting My Mirrors

Having finished with Bartholomew, Walking Through Illusion has now explored the lessons that Peter and Paul learned through living an examined life.

What does it mean to meet your mirror? According to Otter Thompson's dialogue with Jesus, for Paul it meant experiencing material lack when he tried to hoard his financial resources, or being taking advantage of by others when he lived in greed.

Otter Thompson: First Impressions

Betsy Otter Thompson contacted me in September and graciously offered to send me a copy of her new book, Walking Through Illusion, to review and promised that it would be in the mail the next day. Yesterday, she sent me an email to see how the review was coming along and I realized I hadn't checked my PO Box for a couple of weeks. Holy Oops! I asked my fiancé to check for it on his way home yesterday, and sure enough, there it was, patiently waiting for me. Mental note: I must check the box every week and, sometimes, the mail takes a long time.

OSHO: Breaking down and breaking through

Two days of meditation in a row… I'd better be careful or it'll start to become a habit.

My two card meditation spread from Osho Osho today flowed very nicely from yesterday's reminder to keep the mind a servant. Today's right-hand card was XX – Beyond Illusion while the left was XI – Breakthrough (reversed).

On Death and Dying… and Living Authentically

This article is a fabulous reminder that when we are on our death beds we will regret the dreams we did not pursue and the love we did not share (especially with ourselves!).

Pert: The Molecules of Emotion

Whew! I've been taking a bit of a breather from non-fiction this past week to fly through The Cider House Rules The Cider House Rules by John Irving. And then, needing something much fluffier, I read The Wheel of Darkness The Wheel of Darkness by Preston and Childs while I was at the cottage this weekend. Great fiction reading, and I was very pleased to make the acquaintance of Agent Pendergast and his super-human know-everything and everyone-ness. He reminded me of Ozymandias from the Watchmen Watchmen.

Wise Words from the Tao Oracle

From Ma Deva Padma, the woman who created the Osho Zen Tarot Osho Zen Tarot, the Tao Oracle Tao Oracle is an equally beautiful and powerful oracle deck that I've owned for ages but have only recently begun to work with.

OSHO & Smith: Connecting to Nature and Creativity

Today's Osho Zen Tarot Osho Zen Tarot spread connects in a wonderful way with the reading I did yesterday on David Smith's new book, Honoring the Sacred Earth Honoring the Sacred Earth – at least the left-hand cards do.

Asking for Forgiveness

God/ Divine/ Spirit • Mind-Body Wellness • Review as I Read • Tools for Life Change

I'm reading David Smith's section on Forgiveness in Honoring the Sacred Earth Honoring the Sacred Earth (I know! I can't believe I haven't finished it yet, but that's another story…) and something about this prayer really got to me: "Almighty God who created everything grant us your forgiveness for the wrongs we have done in our lives and help us to forgive those who have done wrong to us…"

Smith: Returning to Nature

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you." – Frank Lloyd Wright

With these words, Smith takes us into Part 1 of 7 in his book, Honoring the Sacred Earth Honoring the Sacred Earth

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