11 Years Later.....Reflections on 9/11

Ahh.... The weather today made it so easy to remember and reflect on all the emotions of that day in September of 2001. Beginning with confusion, then the reality that we were in fact being attacked. Feeling the horror of what it must have been like for those at the twin towers. Wondering what was happening to people we knew when we learned they were there, and then the relief in finding out they had escaped with their lives while so many perished. I remember being riveted to the news on the television, while completely unable to absorb the enormity of such a loss of life. How could anyone hate so much that they would carry out such a plot, knowing they were sacrificing their own lives, and not live to have the satisfaction of watching the world react. Wow... Just have never been able to get a handle on the mindset it takes to pull that off!

All of that aside, it was the most powerful experience of Oneness I've ever experienced besides my "experience" of Oneness. I remember dreaming that night of all the souls slowly drifting together in a steady and silent procession through the boundaries of Space, away from this beautiful planet, into the arms of God. It was a heart within a heart dream. There was no separation between the innocently sacrificed souls and my soul. I experienced how special a life that is sacrificed is, and how much power it has to affect the world it leaves. Oddly, the act of grieving has the ability to emanate outwards and attract compassion and love towards itself, bringing people together in a moment of unity consciousness. Out of the horror of that day emerged a country which stood together as one.... truly a "United States". Today, I'm left wondering why it takes such violence to bring us into a state of unity. More to reflect on I suppose, but for now I am grateful that I am here, and if I can make a difference in just one person's life, I know life has tremendous value.

A joyous pick......

Had so much fun picking a book to read for the Hay House Book Nook review for July. As always, I got a chance to see a few things about myself that have been coming up to be looked at recently. I will elaborate more on this discovery in my upcoming Father's Day blog.
For now, here are the details of my first Hay House book pick ,in case you'd like to join themysticnextdoor on a journey to "Juicy Joy" by Lisa McCourt

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this 
review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment 
of the product.

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

And So, I Waved Goodbye........

Have you ever had the realization that things can't stay the way they are, but the act of changing the situation is unbearably painful? Now what does this have to do with being themysticnextdoor, you may ask? Love is a mystery, and the love between an animal and it's owner, even more mysterious. Animals are such perfect mirrors and teachers through their sacrifices because they do not hold judgement, only unconditional love.

I believe and now know that my one year old Dachshund, Mr Squiggles' presence in my life at this time is here to show me something deep within me that is searingly painful. So painful, to the point of putting up with a situation that doesn't serve any one of us, most especially him. The emotion is one of ABANDONMENT, and my judgement of it. It has touched the wound of losing (being abandoned by) my mother at 17, but also how awful it must have been for her to know that she would leave the earth not knowing how or where her child's journey through life would unfold or end up. I believe this is at the core of my unspoken vow with my pets to never give them up for adoption into another family. A family which may be better equipped to serve them. My stance has been to declare, " I will be the mom that never leaves, that never abandons them!" I don't have a fear of loss, rather I have suffered a loss so deep and unprepared for, that the issue of abandonment has unknowingly had many lingering effects upon my life. This experience of letting Mr Squiggles go shows me how far this wound has impelled me to suffer to the point of taking on my mother's pain, in addition to my own. I have also transferred this pain onto my pets, regardless of what's in their best interests, up until today.

I have 3 dogs, 3 cats and currently live in a small home where the art of organization is a daily challenge. Mr Squiggles was bought by my daughter, and lived with them until my 3.5 yr old granddaughter almost made him fall down the spiral staircase! Needless to say for his own safety, it was decided that Mr Squiggles would be best served by being rehomed. Luckily, by a passionate animal lover client of mine, who is an angel to pets deserving of a new environment. At the last moment, just as I also sit here today, I decided to take him into my home, as I watched my daughter (having gone through a major unexpected death herself) mirror the pain of letting him go.

I took on the extra responsibility of taking Mr Squiggles, despite knowing full well how difficult this would be, and how it would have a negative impact on my already full house. He is the sweetest boy, but his very active and piercing vocalizations aka barking, have proven to be the straw that broke this camels back, the deal breaker!! I tried bark collars, giving him more attention and outdoor time, but nothing worked. So, much to my distress, I now sit here saying my goodbye to a little animal that was put on this earth to be loved unconditionally....not rehomed (judgement). Like I said before, a long time ago I made a vow to never give up a pet that I took responsibility for. I've had 6 dogs and 2 cats from the beginning to the last goodbye, and however painful those goodbyes have been, I knew they'd had the best life I could give them.

THIS IS SO DIFFERENT. This time I am saying a premature goodbye into an unknown future for my little guy. I never recognized how I was taking on and acting out my own, as well as my mother's deathbed feelings, and superimposing them onto my pets lives until this moment as I write. When I got up this morning I felt I couldn't go through with turning him over. Now, through the allowing of my tears to wash away my pain into these words, I've received the gift of seeing what caused this all to unfold this way.

Mr Squiggles hates being crated, and is crated at night as well as at varying times during the day when I work. His crate time gives my other dogs some free time to have the run of the house, but he deserves to be in an environment where he'll be the star, where he is top dog... Spoiled rotten even. Writing this makes me smile for the first time today. This is the point that I want to engrave in my heart and soul. He deserves a better life and I now willingly accept the responsibility of making sure he gets one. I place full faith and trust in God and my friend to provide him with his best home, with his best family. I do it for him, as well as myself. I know our connection is complete and forever, because love never dies and I know that! The biggest love for him is to let him move on to a new life, and the biggest love I can give to my two older dogs is to rehome Mr Squiggles so they can claim the attention and affection that's been lacking for them since he came to live with us. It's about loving them ALL enough to let him go. It's also about loving myself and my mother, being able to forgive her for "abandoning me". It's still sad though I have peace in knowing this was a reflection for me to heal and move through. Did you know that the definition of suffer means to "go through?" Well I believe we have all suffered through this and had a major breakthrough through the love of a little Dachshund named Mr Squiggles. Squiggy, Mommy (or Nana, to respect the original relationship) will always love you, and keep you in her heart forever. Until we meet again my boy.....

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

Sitting in Dad's club chair.......

There's something wonderful that happens when we have a day set aside to thank and remember our loved ones. We give ourselves the opportunity to see into our past and come out of those memories with a deeper understanding of why we are the way we are. Gratitude arises out of understanding, and that's a gift from God within.
My dad, Luis Francisco Dumois Calderon, born in 1914 has been gone now since 1999, and I miss his way of living....simply. My memories of him while growing up is an image of him sitting in his club chair, listening to his beloved classical music and reading one of his many books. He was a true intellectual and a sensitive soul. It was his escape from this world. I was intrigued by his intellect as well as intimidated by it. Luckily, I was a decent student and could hold my own in a conversation with him, but somehow felt a slight bit deficient throughout my life.
During the mid 1980's I suffered a few episodes of mild seizures which left me with a challenged memory. I always explain my sudden loss of train of thought as a result from too much 1970-1980 MaryJane indulgence! I am after all, a renegade flower child! But in truth, having had to live with this has affected my self esteem when it comes to my relationship with my intellect, which in turn summons up my memories with dad and his family.

I love to write, and the reason I love to write and even need to write, is that I want to leave my daughter and granddaughter with a true sense of who I am, and what I believe about being here and living my best life possible. I never want them to think or feel the "I never knew's" about my life. I went through that with both my parents, most especially my father. I now know that their lives were their best lives according to the times they lived in. My dad got to travel inside the heart of inspiration within all the great artists, poets, composers and authors. Living out most of his time there, whenever he wasn't working providing for us, must have left him feeling dry about the reality of his day to day life, and so he was also an alcoholic. It took many years before I could accept him just as he was, and stop judging his lack of "achievement"in this world. Throughout my life as a child, and as a young teen he would take me to the Columbia University Club in NYC a couple of times a month. He loved to go there, have lunch and engage in discussions with whoever he happened to meet there that day. In turn I got to meet some famous authors, artists, and businessmen of the times. I remember that as soon as you entered the salon you could feel the hushed energy of knowledge and privilege and yes, class consciousness. Back then not everyone got to go to Columbia University, or college for that matter. It affected me deeply, although not quite knowing why, for the following reason. I loved all people equally, never understanding how one could feel better than or lower than another human being. I just ignored that part of his upbringing, because I loved him and was able to see how the pressure of having to live up to that view of life had rendered him unable to find happiness and contentment outside of his books, art and music.

What we need to leave behind is the history of class consciousness and it's corresponding sense of "I'm not good enough/worthy, or I'm better than/entitled." This is another form of separation from the resplendent spirit we all possess. I've often wondered how many forms of separation there are? As many as there are humans living on this planet, would seem to be a fair assessment! Intelligence is one of them.
We have judgements about every single thing under the sun, including ourselves in relation to others. Yes, the concept of there being an "other" out there to compare and judge ourselves against runs rampant. I use the word "against" with intention, because the only "one" that we are against is our Self, the "One in all".

This Father's Day I want to love my Father's memory with compassion and forgiveness. I want to forgive his parents and their parents, all the way back as many generations as it takes to eliminate the unintended effects of the inability to see God in each other.

Thank you Daddy for giving me the love of all the Inspired Arts..... Poetry.... Literature..... and Music. Your love for these jewels of consciousness just oozed from you, and my spirit accepted your gift. Blessings to you on this Father's Day!
Love,
Mercedes

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

Expansion Through Reading!

    http://www.hayhousebooknook.com/PBook/Blogger/Themysticnextdoor

  

Coming in July

The Mystic Next Door will be posting monthly book reviews from Hay House Books!

I'll post which book will be reviewed in July next week, so that you may have the opportunity to read it along with themysticnextdoor.

A Different Kind of Love Story....

During the course of my lifetime, I've had the privilege to take care of quite a few fur babies. I've had 8 dogs plus their babies and 6 cats plus their babies too! A bunny, a guinea pig, hamsters, gerbils, 3 turtles, 1 Frog, and more birdies than I can count. Throughout it all, I have received such a vast amount of love and pure adoration from each and every one of them, that today I wanted to mention the most valuable teaching I have received from loving and grieving them. This is a different kind of Mother's Day tribute, dedicated to all of God's Creature people out there. And we'll include the Fur baby Dad's too, because knowingly or not, through loving their pets, they also have invoked the Great Nurturing Spirit within themselves, the awesome feminine power!
This past Friday, my daughter made the somber decision of putting her (our) precious dog Kahluah to sleep, after a long illness. The aftermath for me was one of contemplating the various pets that have called me mom ( yes I talk to them)! With each one I have had the opportunity to have our last "talk" where I've given them my blessing and permission to leave me, even though it always broke my heart. There's always so much quiet joy and peace afterwards when I feel their loving presence all around me. It's truly been a comfort during trying times.
Many years ago, around 1990 or so, I lost my Xena, a beautiful Doberman that we had for 9 years. She was regal in her stance, so much so that I sometimes would call her Horsie, Horsie, and she would come prancing over to me. I have beautiful memories of her still.
Well, after her death I felt a loss so deep that one night I dreamt that I was back in time. Somewhere around the Civil War era or at least in the 1800's. I was attending a huge gathering with thousands of people. The place was packed, and there were just as many horses attached to hitching posts as there were people. Imagine the scene with me here. I am walking to where I believe I hitched my horse, with the dust from people on their horses kicking up a storm as they leave and obliterating my view. I continue walking up and down each aisle if you will, and I can feel the panic begin to build up in me, fearing that someone has taken my horse! I move from walking to running, aisle after aisle.....no horse! Now I'm frantic and crying out to her..... When suddenly a horse turns her head around to look at me, and when our eyes meet (I can see them still) I instantly recognize the soul in those eyes as my Xena! With no words spoken, a message comes into my Heart of Holies saying to me, "LOVE NEVER DIES!!!! And with that, reunion takes place. Dearest Lord, thank you for loving me enough to show me the way out of my ignorance. With and through you , I am made whole and anew!
This has stayed with me from that day and will forever be seared into the temple of my heart. Sweet rest dearest Kahluah, play with you brother's and sister's in Rainbow Bridge, until we meet again! Love Mom

 Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

Why wait? Meditate!

Today presented me with a delicious opportunity, a reward for my spirit you might say. I had no appointments set up at work.....I didn't have to babysit my granddaughter until 5:00pm, and I had an irresistible urge to try a new 3 part meditation, which I hadn't had time for this past week.

I remember being initiated into TM or Transcendental Meditation in the 1970's, and appreciate how much it did for me back then. In 1986, I switched to Siddha Yoga Meditation, and somewhere along the years
leading up until now, I just made it my practice to "go within" by diving into the cave of the heart.

Inasmuch as Yoga and Meditation have gotten more press and are popular these days, I still get people who are desperate for peace and contentment, and don't experience the sublime state of quiet joy. All I hear myself saying to them is, "meditate". It's one of those suggestions that's usually met with a respectful silence; as if the most impossible task, a chore to be avoided at all costs has been presented. Truly, I can count the times on one hand that I've been asked, "show me how", or "do you know where I can learn?" Interesting, isn't it?

Why is it that we avoid going within with such intensity? Some people would rather do dishes than sit for just a little while. This is so true!
It may be because we are unfamiliar with the pure aspect of our Higher Self which goes ignored, while spending untold hours and dollars entertaining our Ego mind. I say, "who's better than the Ego?" What a setup it's created for itself, through us. If it sounds like I'm separating the two it's because one of them thinks it is separate. Can you guess which one? When we meditate, we practice the voluntary disengagement from the Ego, in order to experience the larger "I ". If we release the sense of "I" and "mine" and allow it to loosen its' grip, just for a split second, our "I" or awareness will drop into the heart center, and once there, be free to roam in the vast space of perfect holiness. Surfacing from the deep well of the heart, is where perfect peace and the contentment that we long for exists. It's within us, nowhere else! Look within! Make a pledge to begin a meditation practice, and peace will be yours, every day of your life, no matter what the circumstances of that life are. So powerful, yet so sublime that it can bring you to your knees with Gratitude.

My meditation was profound. I placed my awareness in the heart center, while evoking the FEELING of gratitude for the earth. Once the energy was felt in the heart, I moved my awareness to the 3rd Eye or the Pineal gland (basically behind the space between the eyes, in the middle of the head). Now with the energies joined and moving upward, to about one foot above the head, imagining and holding the energies rising up to meet the energy being poured in from up above. Did that for 20 minutes while listening to a master of vibrational sound healing. Emerging from that was such a wow experience that I savored the meditation longer than the 20 minutes I had meditated for!

Have you ever tried to meditate? If not, what's stopping you from becoming friends with the "I" that lies within? The Internet is filled with information on meditation for any and every belief system and path. Start today and live in Peace. Namaste!

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

A call to "A gathering of Tribes".

Inside each one of us lies a dream, unfulfilled.

The image that comes to mind is a day I spent in Central Park at a "Be-In" in 1967. Does anyone remember Be-In's?
The counterculture that was born around the time of the San Francisco "Human Be-In" in 1967, spawned Be-In's all over the country that spring, and into "The Summer of Love", encouraging people to "question authority". Remember or heard that phrase before? This questioning of authority, or as we also like to say, "Who's they?", brought about various underground media outlets that showcased the voices of the new women's, civil and consumer right's movements, as well as music specific to those events.
This is the time of my life when I first became aware of my dreams. I was 15, my mother was still alive, and I was lying on the grass in Central Park, smelling the grass (I'll leave you to figure out which one), and FEELING the POWER of LOVE! The power of humanity, a resonating sea of consciousness, all dreaming the same dream. At the age of 15, I was in awe of the possibility of invoking a massive change to the "powers that be" simply by the sheer number of spirits gathered in one place for a cause(s).
The "Human Be-In" was produced and organized by artist Michael Bowen as a "gathering of tribes". The event was announced by the Haight-Ashbury's own psychedelic newspaper, the San Francisco Oracle in this way:

"A new concept of celebrations beneath the human underground must emerge, become conscious, and be shared, so a revolution can be formed with a renaissance of compassion, awareness, and love, and the revelation of unity for all mankind."

What an intention that was, and now we have come full circle as evidenced by the "Gathering of Tribes", in the overthrowing of their corrupt governments. But most importantly, we are now reaching a critical mass of people for whom compassion, awareness, love and the dream of unity consciousness has become a dream fulfilled; encouraged and supported by the Cyberspace community at large. My simple dream back in 1967, looking up at the sky was this.... "May I always remember to feel the immense love I feel at this moment". My dream has come to fruition on many levels. My quest inspires me to keep going and to not stop until I reach the consistent state of Love.

What dream do you have, and has it been fulfilled? If not, what will you do to promote your dream on earth?

Laying low within Gratutude...

There is so much going on inside, that when I AM in this space, words don't convey the experience, so I lay low. But if I had to express it, I would say that I'm integrating the harmonics of the feeling state of gratitude, and how that attracts a higher vibrational place from which to live my daily life.

Does that make sense, and if it does, how will you apply it into your daily life, as you see it?
Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

Thirsting for the waters of the soul...

It's after 9pm on a rainy and somewhat cold Sunday in April 2012. I sit here picturing the dry, dusty soil ecstatically accepting the nourishment the rain provides; it's energy spreading like wildfire. "April showers, bring May flowers", as the saying goes. May is my birth month, and always reminds me that after the rain, all is made beautiful again.

In 1969 at age 17, with my mother recently passed, I was left to wander. To seek for myself the very reason for moving forward with a life I no longer had a direction for. I was just like the thirsty soil. I needed spiritual nourishment in order for my root systems to awaken to the energy of a new life. My soul searched through many Religious and spiritual paths, looking for it's resting place. There was none that rang the bell in my unawakened heart until 1985 when I met the living Master that I had prayed for nightly since 1971.

For one week I went with a friend to the Manhattan Center on 34th St in NYC for the "One Look, One Touch" nightly programs. Listening with my dry, parched soul to these nightly talks, I began to dread the ending of the visit. More and more time and energy was spent thinking about the last event and saying goodbye. What a predicament!

One day, the program was opened up for questions and answers. What luck! I would ask my question and have a real plan as to how to change my woes. It went something like this...

Question: I'm already dreading when the programs will be over. I'm going to miss coming here every night and how much I am going to miss you! What should I do, can you help me?

Response -paraphrased: (Looking out to the entire audience, as if looking for one person, but eyeing many) "Why do you brood? (long pause) Picture that you are at a large feast. The table is filled with delicious food. Many, beautiful delicacies are being offered. Are you going to stand there whining and crying out, "Oh, I'm so sad, there
is all this food and soon it will all be gone!!!! What should I do? Boo hoo...
(pauses)....No, you are going to look at the table and the delicious food, and you will pick out what you want to eat,, and when you are finished, you will walk away, satisfied and full."

Yes, her response brought my thirsty, wandering soul to a halt, and there it rests today. I now know how and when to provide nourishment when I'm feeling "dry", and I tend to my garden daily in one form or another. Of course, there have been many, many trying times during these years, but I can always tell when my soul thirsts for the water of life. I eat and drink from the feast table until I am full and beautiful once again, just like the grounds of my house will be in the morning after tonight's rain. I AM BLESSED!

"What do you do to tend to your soul's garden in times of drought?"

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

People change because life changes...

I read a post on Facebook this morning about how "It's sad when people you know become people you knew" (author unknown).
The truth is that in the scheme of an entire lifetime, we all live a few lives, and each one has a different set of people in it. As we outgrow one part of our lives, we also move toward the new experience and with that, a new set of people. Shakespeare said, "life is a stage and we are but players in it."

It's a comforting way to look at the comings and goings of the people in our lives. At different points in time, I've had clear indications of who would be coming into my life, while they were still on the periphery. It's an exciting moment when you can have that intuitive pull about someone, be able to acknowledge the pull, yet hang back and not act on it. Watching the play of your life proceed as the Witness of the mind allows the timing of the comings and goings to just "be" is a great attainment. I do acknowledge that the "goings" of certain people in our lives can be bittersweet and at times, filled with regret. Remember that for every ending there is a new beginning. Life does contain it's share of pathos and happily, joy!

Can you identify people and times in your life when you could see and feel this play while it was happening?

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

~We are all painters~

Once, in a meditation during an Intensive, I found myself walking to a great outdoor space. There, I could see the back of a gigantic canvas, the size of a wall in a Manhattan loft. Sensing that some type of activity was going on, I turned the corner out of great curiosity.
There, I found my meditation Master painting on the canvas in the most exquisite colors not seen here on earth. As I looked closer, I saw that it was my life she was painting! I got excited......
Suddenly the thought came to me that I would ask her how the painting would turn out . I asked without words, and the answer I received was also without words.

"These are the colors of your life. By your choices the painting is complete. Not even God knows what colors to choose."

God, in the form of my teacher kept on painting......

"What colors are you painting your life today?"

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

Blessings are always coming our way...

I love Native American wisdom because it always teaches us new perspectives on things we'd never think of questioning. Knowing that all sorts of blessings, not known nor anticipated, are always coming our way is so comforting! Being asked to give thanks in anticipation of these blessings is an interesting position to be in, since we are used to giving thanks for what we have already received.

Have you thanked your future Blessings today?

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

Gratitude = Blessings

" Giving thanks for Blessings increases Blessings". - Rumi  (The Masnavi)

This morning, on my way to work I was listening to an excerpt from a talk on Blessings.
My mind came to rest on how the practice of gratitude ignites powerful blessings in our day to day experience of life. I have a daily ritual that I do in my car, which helps me align with feelings of gratitude, leaving me with the powerful experience of being blessed. My responsibility then is one of practicing holding onto the Blessed feeling throughout the day. That's not to say I always do, but it's my offering to my higher Self, the One in All.

My ritual is simply... a prayer. It goes like this. "Good morning Lord, (followed by any and all the dieties I relate and pray to). Thank you for this day and everything in it, the good, the bad, the highs, the lows. Thank you for my daughter, granddaughter (names of all those I want blessings for that particular day), and I ask for your Grace for (anyone who is in special need of intercession). Bless my work, my clients and everyone with whom I may come in contact with throughout my day today. May my words be your words, spoken through me to those who have a need to hear a message from you. You are my love, my life and for that I am grateful and I love you Lord of all."

What is your practice for invoking Gratitude and Blessings?

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

What's in a name anyway?

Anyone who has ever undertaken creating a blog will understand my journey of the past month or so. From my perspective, a name for a blog is an organic creation. I thought I could somehow grow into one....wrong! You must decide that first. I did, and ended up changing it within the first 2 weeks. I then realized that The Mystic Next Door was how I would describe myself, and that others could  relate to being The Mystic Next Door in their own lives. For now, this is what the blog is called. Having noticed that the mystic next door seems to be a much used phrase, I will offer it up to the universe and let it go. What's in a name anyway? Which leads me to a small piece of an experience I had many years ago.....
.
After meeting my Spiritual Meditation teacher or Guru, I asked for a spiritual name and Blessing. Well, everyone else seemed to have one, so why shouldn't I? I asked, she looked at my name tag and responded,
"Mercedes........ and what makes you think that you don't have a spiritual name already"? In that moment, she had exposed the lack of purity of  intention, in my asking for a spiritual name for myself. It hadn't come from my heart. It had come from my list of "should haves". This experience made me look at my name in a whole new way. A name is attached to our "personality", but it is not who we are. A Spiritual name isn't any more or less spiritual than the one our parents give us. I don't profess to know why a Spiritual name is given to any given person, but I believe that the meaning of the name contains qualities to be imbibed by the mere repetition of the name over time. My name means merciful, and that has been a quality that I have been in the position to need and to give many, many times during my life so far.

What's the meaning of your name, and what are the qualities or virtues that you are being asked to learn?

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

From the time I was a child.....

One of the earliest memories I have of myself pondering things mystical, is as a child of about 5 years old, living on Avenue B in the East Village in New York City. I would be lying in my bed, supposedly tucked in for the night, peering into the darkness, repeating these words. "God always was, Is, and always will be". Man, that kept me busy night after night. My mind would become the starry night sky, and over it I would begin with, "God always was" and circle back...back...back into the past, going back in time, and not finding the end. I would then Stop, and be in the "Is" part of the saying. I would stay there a little while because that one I understood; God Is, yes! Then I would enter into "God always will be", and stay there tumbling with God into the never ending future. I couldn't reach into the ultimate end point. Needless to say, to a 5 year old mind this was quite a challenge. It wasn't until roughly 35 - 40 years later that this little exercise of my child self would come to mind with love and compassion, as I discovered the universe within myself.

Do you remember the first time you entertained the thought of God in your life? How old we're you, and how did that express for you? Please share your memories with us.

Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com




 

I know what I know......

This was my second post back in April, but I thought it would be beneficial to repost on this network. The Mystic Next Door has moved in. Now it's time to unpack and display what I own.
About me. I do think of myself as a "Mystic" in the sense that the more something contains mystery, the more I want to reveal and KNOW it's core. This trait is what's opened the door to some of the more transcendent experiences I've had. My faith is built on them.
I guess you could say, "I know what I know, because I KNOW." Share what you know through your own personal mystical experience by finishing the sentence, "I know what I know................." (If you share your experience, and would like to give me permission to have your story considered to be put into a book that I am writing,please let me know. Try to keep it simple and to the learning/lesson point of the share. Also please sign it the way you would want it to appear in the book if your share were chosen).
Happy sharing!
Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.com

The Mystic Next Door moves in!

A  few months ago I decided to create The Mentoring Spirit on Facebook so I could connect with a community of  seekers with whom I could mutually share and discuss the day to day mystical life. 

What I learned from Facebook is that the experience I am looking for is more blog oriented, so that's how The Mystic Next Door came to be. I am also writing a book, which as of today contains one section of a chapter. I have given myself a deadline of one year from April 1st 2012 to have a completed manuscript. I expect to solicit personal experiences from people of all paths that relates to the mystical journey, and how these experiences build faith and provide encouragement on our journey through life.

I invite you to enter into a conversation meant to inspire and enhance our enthusiasm for the paths we've chosen for ourselves. As I say in my about me; I have no intention of arguing positions on belief systems. I believe all paths lead us to our highest destination, and if you resonate with this......I welcome you with Love.
Copyright 2012 by Mercedes Calderon. All rights reserved. This material may be copied and distributed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice and my blog themysticnextdoor.blogspot.come.  

Visit my facebook page and feel free to LIKE it.

www.facebook.com/The.Mentoring.Spirit.