What a week! Spring Equinox, Easter, and a full moon. Spring is generally an exciting time for many people, and for good reason! Although I’m a Christian, a nature lover and enthusiast of astronomy, I’m more inclined this week to talk about my new bangs. Hair bangs. Bangs that hang in front of your eyes. Bangs, and how I translate this (topic), with regards to hope, inspiration and spirituality. Gentlemen, you may want to switch to a sports column at this point, but before you do, let me celebrate with you the hope and newness that is inspired by simple acts of change, and may you find inspiration this spring in your own, macho sort of way. For the women, please continue and indulge this seemingly superficial topic of hairstyles.

I’ve had more hairstyles than shoes, more colors than a 16-pack of Crayolas. (BTW, you can find great natural hair colors that are much safer at you health food store.) But for the past 3 years, as I’ve been growing out the “pixie”-do of ‘04, I’ve been a bit lazy about my hair, with the very occasional trim at the most just to clip those dead-ends. I wanted it long and that’s it. Now it’s long. Last week, however, as the sun began to shine a bit stronger and the days a little longer, the yearly feeling of “spring fever” took over. That, coupled with the onset of PMS and a desire to look my Easter best, prompted my decision for something different. In years past, this time of year meant cross-country road trips, but with a tv show that I’m developing which requires lots of work, the urge to let my hair blow in the winds of New Mexico is superseded with an urge to fulfill my dreams. So, I decided to get bangs.

Who knew a little thing like bangs can make such a difference?  All of a sudden, I look like a different person. I feel like I can see much clearer. My head feels lighter and my outlook is somehow brighter.  I am inspired to shower more frequently (to make sure my bangs look their best) and like wearing an expensive dress I found for a bargain, I have a new confidence in my walk. People look at me and say, “You look great…did you get bangs?” Yes, I did.

You may be questioning the power of the bangs, and that’s good. We all know that bangs have no true meaning or influence over our state of mind or our spirit. But what is of influence is the power of change…of doing something just a little different and using that momentum to restore positive feelings in your being. Bangs, polishing an old piece of jewelry back to brilliance, changing banks and getting a $300 sign-up bonus, waxing your car with your own hands or maybe planting a seed of your favorite flower. These pro-active choices can create a sense of empowerment. There is hope, gentle inspiration and a confidence that takes place when we not only anticipate change, but help create it with our own creativity. Seeing the world from a different perspective can change your outlook on a whole day, a week or a lifetime!

It may be a superficial act such as a haircut, or an internal shift from a communal walk in nature, but I encourage you to take action, open your eyes to the new beginnings of this most exciting time of year. Do something new and fresh for yourself and allow the affects of whatever it is you do absorb into the deeper part your spirit. Change things up and walk confidently in hope. The most Divine has created a canvas for your pleasure!

After having studied the law of attraction for many years, I was glad “The Secret” did so well with sales, but I wasn’t the first in line to buy a copy. Recently, however, I starting reading the book and it perked my interest again in this curious subject. By the second chapter, I’m asking myself what I really believe about this type of prophesy, and how it ties into the self-diagnosis of our self-help times. What is the “Law” in my life, and where in the world do the mundane happenings of every day life fit into this secret? In essence, I want to know why my dog urinated on my new rug at 4 a.m. I want to know why my computer’s USB ports fizzled on Thursday, but worked fine on Weds. And just for s**** & giggles, I’d like to know what state of mind I must have been in to attract 2 days of diarrhea with a temp of 103. Don’t get my wrong, I believe in positive thinking and attracting what we focus on…you should see the dynamite couch I just scored this weekend for free! But I also give credit to powers much bigger than my own brain for various happenings. God and life. You may choose to call God whatever you’d like, but God will be the only word I capitalize from here on, which means the creator of this world and provider of universal energy. New age authors will forgive me, but the capitalization of every “spiritually-inclined” key word is not needed in order for me to conjure up a sense of something greater than myself.

What we think about does create our reality. This is true. If you think dreadful things, you will most likely have a dreadful experience no matter what is going on around you. If you think positive things and have a great attitude, you will most likely experience positivity, at least a better perspective about what life does throw at you. But what about things that “just happen”? I don’t believe I had any conscious (or unconscious) thought about my USB port crashing. That was a pain in the butt that cost over $100 to fix. I chose not to get upset, which was positive, but the experience is not one that I called into my life. There seems to be a great debate about goal-oriented use of the law of attraction as a means to an end - in that by doing so, we create our total life experience. OK. So we are responsible for how we experience life. We can manifest our reality, partly. The thought I’d like to illicit is that beyond our thinking, there are other realms of power at work, and to honor those powers instills in us a sense of faith and surrender. Our energy isn’t the only player. This world and reality was created before your thoughts came into being. With a mind frame that encapsulates both thoughts, God and self-will, we open up a door to a much larger world than that of any secret. It’s a world of pro-active surrender.

When we pro-actively surrender to our faith, we are aligning our energies with a power that is bigger than us, God. This is a good thing which will create a positive vibration in us. To stay in this vibration will continually affect our state of being, state of mind and experience in this world. All of this is creating a law of attraction that is of the highest order. The surrender part is a bit trickier. Surrender isn’t a negative thing…it’s a humble process that recognizes our human limitations. Surrender doesn’t mean giving up, it means acknowledging that we can let go of some of the control in our life so that we notice God’s magic in the world around us. If this hits a nerve, good. You think you have all of the control? You don’t. Although man has figured out how to genetically modify foods, clone animals and drop-ship pre-approved babies, man will never be able to control forces of nature from authentic creation. And for that simple reason, you cannot create 100% of your life.

What am I saying here? 1)Think positive, affirming thoughts. Focus on what you want and not on what you don’t want. Do all you can to live a life that is rich, fulfilling and right. By doing so, you will experience a mood and centeredness that is good. Take responsibility for your happiness and your actions. Be conscientious of your mental activities and desires of the heart. These are all actions that lead to manifesting what you want in your life. 2) Pro-actively Surrender. You can’t control all of your life by yourself. If you try, you will be a self-centered, self-righteous, God wanna-be. Let go of some reigns in your mind and heart and have faith that the God that brought you into this world has a pretty good idea of how to take care of you, if you have faith. By giving over all of the control, you will have plenty of help and positive energy to deal with things that otherwise, you may not want present in your life.

Here comes a rant. It’s a rant about judgmental, self-righteous eco-egos. Read only if you are in the “rant-receiver” mind-frame. Otherwise, please enjoy the quite wonderful & fun “Deeper Shade of Green” episode airing now! Ok – it all started with lamination…We all know the most important part of a successful business is promotion. Well, at the start of the TV show, AGNG did various promotional things…DVD’s, bookmarks, postcards, posters, events, etc. We simply don’t have the budget to advertise on major city billboards, but doing the best we can with our resources. To protect and promote the longevity of some posters that went to media outlets, we laminated the 8×10’s and mailed them to our sources for display. A few days later, I received the following email: (excluding the name, because I’m nice)

“I have just received your press material for your TV show. I would consider reviewing it
in the media column in _______ magazine, but the totally unnecessary
plastic-laminated promo piece is a huge turn-off.For something purports to be aimed at offering tools for positive living to conscious
consumers, I have to tell you this material is neither “cute, funny” nor “environmentally friendly”. ________ magazine is not your market.”

You’re damn straight that’s not my market. And I’m glad I’m not her husband.

I know that plastic is not a good thing. But unfortunately, I do not know of a way to preserve paper for outdoor use or longevity without it. Our world has come a long way, but there are some things one just can’t get around without a gazillion dollars. What I do know is that her viewers/readers were not given the opportunity to enjoy good quality TV about things that matter because of her anger at my lamination. That is sad.

This type of pompous attitude is what STOPS people from educating themselves, from trying to live green or thinking the slightest thing they do can make a positive difference. It’s the same with certain religions. They get a bad rap because of judgmental fanatics that pressure others with their obsessive, self-righteous attitudes. Who wants to “convert” when a holier-than-thou is shoving fear down their throat?

Funny thing is, the comment on my poor behavior came from a magazine editor/book author. Now, I’m sure she prints on recycled paper, has every corner tucked in just right, and probably only advertises to the specialty groups of on-line greenies. We call this preaching to the choir. Well, I want to reach the curious, not the choir. And, in my attempt, I’ll print on recycled paper, but then I’m going to laminate the thing so it can hang on a door or be exposed to sun-light for a period of time. I’m not going to replace my very durable 2-year-old jeans with an organic pair, until mine become thread-bare. I’ll eat organic whenever possible, but will venture to a fine diner from time-to-time and expose myself to their offerings in order to enjoy dinner with a friend. I’ll recycle, buy the right light-bulbs and conserve water, but I’m still going to use my stapler, tune-up my non-hybrid car until it breaks down and write checks on the cheap ones my bank provides. In other words, I’m going to live conscious, but I’m not going to be an eco-Nazi. And you don’t have to either.

I hope she found use for my laminated poster. I’m sure it would look very cute as a placemat on her dinner table.

Let your inner treehugger shine in whatever way possible, and don’t worry about criticism from the eco-egos. You don’t have to drink carrot juice, wear sandals or have B.O. to live eco-friendly. Just be conscious of your footprint in this world and it will make a difference. By expanding your thoughts, it will expand our world!

Love,

Leah

P.S. My “Letter From the Editor” column appears on the homepage of ModernSage.com… a fresh one publishes every two weeks. We are publishing the letters on the Modern Sage Blog so you, our readers, can blog with us! So… please share your comments!

A Girl Named Guy Television, Leah Guy, Letter From the Editor

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