Does Jim still...?

[fluffy]

what little voices?..........it should be your inner voice, your own soul talking to you...........

but that's my non-denominational /spiritual view.....i'm sure other people do believe it's the voice of an external god.......

fluffy

[quirky]

I feel angels around me almost all the time. Right now. They are telling me I need a nap.

[searching_for_sunshine]

i was just reaching for some levity with "the little voices" (angel, external god reference)...sorry

i know what you mean though, i see where you're going. that makes sense too.

[fluffy]

and yet, i too, am so very very lost...............lol

fluffy

[searching_for_sunshine]

wouldn't life suck if we weren't able to question and learn...i find the journey far more appealing than the destination

[quirky]

Oh, I dunno...the answer must be bliss.

[fluffy]

wouldn't life suck if we weren't able to question and learn...i find the journey far more appealing than the destination

by jove, i think you've got it.!!........

i think the whole searching angst ridden thing is a bit like a driving force.......making me feel........making me face the pain and the questions which i need to thrive on.........

fluffy

[searching_for_sunshine]

i'm reading an interesting book (going back to a conversation earlier about the da vinci code) it's called the templar revelation. it's one of the books dan brown used as a "study guide" while writing his best seller.

anyway, it has some interesting points and some far-reaching points they are trying to make. whether i believe it all, the jury is still out but what i really like about this book is the driving force behind it. some people see it as an attack on the christian faith, i see it as man's (the author) journey of exploration. just being on this forum, i've seen and learned so many mind-opening points-of-view and even if we all don't agree about faith, god etc - we treat each other with respect - that's nice.

carpe diem!

[fluffy]

yeah........respect is the key.......

what does carpe diem mean?

fluffy

[searching_for_sunshine]

oh, sorry, it means seize the day (latin)

respect = good

love all
(some more than most )

[Filomena]

searching_for_sunshine, you asked me:

but how do you know it is not your own psyche that is answering.

Your own psyche is God. Your angst is God. Even your sense of humour is God. That's how God communicates to you when you don't articulate your thoughts to him.

But all it takes is the desire to change your life. To want to be in a different place. Where clarity makes confusion take a hike. You can't talk about wanting something different in your life, but not be willing to take a risk, or try something different.

The bottom line is, if you don't speak clearly to God, He can't speak clearly to you.

This is so simple that you will stare at your piece of paper in disbelief. But rest assured, you're not going to communicate to him or the angels in any way that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Everyone who believes, has the power to do this. I know I sound like I've gone over the hill and faraway (any Led Zepplin fans out there?) but I'm as sane as anyone else on JCO (my God, what am I saying??!!)

Anyways, it only happens when you're ready. You choose your own destiny in life, God will only take your hand and lead you to it.

You know how people talk about God's plan? God's plan is your plan. If you're too confused to know what your plan is, how can God help you? He's not going to tell you what to do no matter how many times you ask him (God knows, i've tried!) But he will ask you to think about what you want, until clarity hits you smack in the face. And you will only be happy when you're doing things for the right reason. That's something I learned from my angels.

Here are a few others:

"You don’t ask God what you can do yourself."

"If you do not know where to go for help, you ask your Guardian Angel who will help you get there. Be prepared to work for it, do not assume you will get the answer right the first time. This means you are in control of your life, not God, but God knows what will happen bc that is why he is God. "

"Keep yourself occupied in times of pain for it will help you feel better and make it easier for you to cope."

You're probably thinking, right on, Filomena! God told you that? How fortunate for you, but why doesn't he talk to me like that?!!

Well, He can.

But first you have to say, Hello! I need you now more than ever!

[quirky]

To want to be in a different place.

I think you've only got this half right Filomena. Say that I really wanted to pack everything and go to LA and do what Juliette is doing?

I could be completely certifiably insane for wanting to do that. I could put myself in harm's way.

Right now, I live with my 97 year-old-grandma who frankly needs and deserves the company because she has lost 2 of her three sons and she is totally with it. She has dedicated her life to taking care of people and she deserves to be in a place where SHE is happy, even if I'm not totally happy and driving myself slightly over the brink due to these thoughts that I'm losing this elusive chance for a real life of my own.

So, did *I* stick me here or did God? Because I can bounce off the walls sometimes because of something I cannot attain, but at the same time I am safe and I am helping her.

Before this happened I used to have pluck. I'd answer the phone "Trixie" at work. I'd crack jokes and have great conversations with people, but now I lack pluck. Anyone can tell me to feel free to go pluck myself.

[Filomena]

You're stuck, like me.

Thats why, at a certain level, I can relate to what you're going through.

Talking to angels won't give you the answers you want to hear at first. In fact, it sounds like you already know in your heart what you want to do, but you're torn. So now, like me, you're coasting. You basically put yourself in neutral, and that's your life. On hold.

I'm still waiting for clarity to hit me in the face with the one area of my life that I need help with the most. My marriage. In the meantime, i've got a whole new life planned out, a new career, I'm planning on going back to school, I just don't know when it's going to start. And these plans were not even in the radar two years ago.

So, how is God helping me right now? Sounds like He's a great Guidance Counsellor. I don't know the answer to that one. I just know I've been helped in every area of my life except my marriage. That means health, too, along with a new vocation.

Oh well. I probably shouldn't say how wonderful it is to communicate with God in this way until my number one problem is resolved.

You're right, though. It sucks when you're living a life that is no longer your own. But I have to keep trying. I can't give up. If I give up now, the only new vocation I'll be starting is BasketWeaving101.

But Quirky, you have to start the dialogue, or you'll never know.

You have nothing to lose.

Filomena

[searching_for_sunshine]

filomena and quirky,
i have to thank you both for keeping this thread going - great discussions. most helpful today.

quirky, i am on the verge of packing it up and moving to CA to be closer to my favorite brother and his family. i'm going out there next week for a long weekend trip and discussing my future. it's weird though, i've been so distraught (especially after my post a couple days ago when i poured out more than i should have - sorry ) but now that i'm getting closer to a final decision, i'm surprisingly calm. that frightens me a little since i'm talking about finding a new job, a place to live, new friends, hopefully a new man that will fulfill the part of my life the old one couldn't and having to realize i may go out there and lose everything i have had up to now AND be ok with all of it.

i've been thinking more and more about listening to the voice inside me. the voice has been telling me to leave for quite a few years but i never listened because i thought it was "just my selfish wants" talking. i too have been coasting. filomena, i feel for you, i have it all planned out, except for how to exactly leave my significant other. i love him but i'm not in love anymore - there are just too many things that are not going to change that i need him to change. i've gone more than 1/2 way and haven't been met.

i hope we all start getting more clarity on our personal journeys but then again it all is a part of life - confusion, frustration, happiness, contentment, etc.

thanks again for your encouraging words

[quirky]

I had always envisioned my life being different than it has turned out. Of course Rick Warren and the Bible would have me believing that my life has turned out exactly the way God intended. I keep reminding myself that I'm only 35 and it's not over yet. But when you're battling what people have classified as mental illness, it's hard.