When our upper and lower chakras are connected by the loving energy of the heart, we are freed from the divisive power of labels. There is no more us and them, good and bad, right and wrong; there is only the oneness of our connection to our source and everything else in the cosmos.

In Eastern Philosophy, primarily Hindu, it's believed that we have seven energy systems in our bodies called chakras. More and more people, however, are being awakened to these energy centers like I have been, so it isn't just associated with Hindus any longer. The first chakra is at the base of our tail bone, the 2nd is right below our belly button, 3rd solar plexus, 4th the heart, 5th the throat, 6th the center of the forehead and 7th at the crown of the head. Each have a different color and vibration associated with them. They are the colors of the rainbow starting with red at #1. The bottom 3 give us grounding and the ability to live as mortals on the planet. They connect us to the earth, give us the desire to have power, create and procreate, earn a living, and mingle with man. They also cause the baser instincts like pride, greed, jealousy, hatred and fear. The center chakra at the heart connects the lower and upper chakras. The upper chakras give us the ability to connect with our inner soul, which is pure and perfect, and ultimately our source, our creator, God. The Hindu belief is that when we come to earth our lower chakras are activated to help us adjust to mortal life. But as our search for meaning develops, and if we become engaged in a search for God we begin, mainly through prayer and meditation, to activate the upper chakras, which helps us commune directly with our source. This is what the great sages and mystics have been doing for thousands of years.

When our heart chakra becomes engaged a transformation occurs like no other. We feel the connection that exists between us and all living things on the planet and we realize our unity and wholeness. We feel the unwavering emotion of love and it transcends all of the negative emotions that exist. That in turn helps us do the inner work which activates the top 2 chakras, and when that occurs we have moments of complete divine connection to God.

Most people on the planet are ruled by the bottom 3 chakras. Although many are engaged in religious actions, they still remain grounded to the earth plane by way of need for power, greed and pride. The more we let go of the need to control, to gain power or attain wealth, the more our direct connection to our creator opens up. Once we really feel His unconditional love for us, the need or desire for sin slips away and our love for all of humanity takes over and becomes our guiding force.

When I say unconditional love, I'm referring to it as a verb. However, the action comes from within each of us and doesn't even need to be visible to the outside world. We don't need to change the punitive actions set up to punish those who break the law, or are a danger to themselves or society, it's simply a change within us which radiates love and joy to all, free of judgment and fear. When we make that change within ourselves we transform the world around us, literally. The same is true when we feel anger, hostility, fear, jealousy, hatred. Those emotions transform our world to reflect those very emotions back to us. Life is a mirror of our inner world.

When Christ said "The Kingdom of Heaven is Within you" he meant it literally. When enough people are able to make this one simple change within themselves of extending pure unconditional love directly from their hearts with no thought of judgment attached to it, the world will be transformed and become heaven. Some who have achieved enlightenment already see the world as heaven, their outer world reflects their inner peace based in God's love. But most are still projecting a world based on their own inner fears. When we make the journey from our 1st chakra to the 7th we will have communion directly with God, and the planet will find peace.The Hindus call this the marriage between Shakti and Shiva.

The art of communication is best understood through trial and error over time. If we're lucky, eventually we understand how our words, both written and spoken, have the power to inspire or destroy. After making one of the worst communication blunders of my life, a very wise man explained to me how the basic principles of effective communication should always incorporate the concept of packaging. Case in point:

In January 2007 my then 24 year old daughter was diagnosed with cancer. A huge lymphoma mass had taken up residency in her chest, invading her heart and collapsing her right lung. After 8 rounds of high dose chemotherapy and 17 days of radiation, her doctor did another body scan and told her it looked good so she could now get on with her life and forget about cancer for awhile. Two weeks later, after experiencing headaches and vomiting, she had a brain scan. To our horror a 6 cm tumor was found in her right frontal lobe causing half of her brain to swell. Two days later she underwent brain surgery, and through the skilled hands of a great surgeon, the mass was removed. Eight rounds of high dose chemo were to follow, with a 5 day hospital stay required for each. After only 6 rounds, however, we were devastated to learn that another tumor had developed in her brain. Within a few days she, her husband, her dad and I met with 3 world class doctors to learn of the treatment plan that they hoped would save her life. We were told that without treatment she would die and with treatment there were no guarantees, but it was the best chance she has.

A few days later I awoke to the excitement of an idea that filled me with the welcome relief of joy. I couldn't wait to put the wheels in motion to breath life into my plan. I wanted to send her and her husband to Hawaii for a week before treatment, which involves whole brain radiation, extremely high doses of chemotherapy to wipe out her immune system, (which would also wipe her out), in preparation for a stem cell transplant. I quickly drafted an email for close family and friends to generate support for my secret plan.

Unfortunately, the communication I presented was packaged in my fear that I wanted her to experience her dream of seeing Hawaii before it was too late. Within one day of my email all the pieces had fallen into place and we were ready to book their reservations. We were surprised to learn, however, that neither of them wanted to go. They planned on saving Hawaii for her cancer-free celebration, when she didn't have months of grueling treatment to face upon her return home.

My boss graciously pointed out my communication error. Although it probably wouldn't have changed their minds, had I shared my idea, wrapped in the package that this was so they could get a little R&R, laced with a little fun, to gain strength for the battle ahead, it may have been perceived differently. Instead, what I had communicated to them was my fear that she might not make it. They lovingly declined telling me how much they appreciated all my efforts, but that it was too much too soon for them right now.

Eventually hope and understanding sprang from a place deep within me. They had proved that they do have the faith and strength to battle this demon all the way to health.

Artful communication can draw people together or tear them apart like my one little blundering email almost did. I learned a cherished lesson this time - the hard way.

Nothing can assuage the collective disappointment felt by so many gay couples and their allies around the nation, as once again the meaning of equality has escaped the mental arsenal of the ill-informed. I’m talking about the ballot initiative, Question 1, in Maine, designed to overturn the law which was recently signed by Governor Baldacci there, granting same-sex couples the right to marry.

Governor Baldacci had an epiphany; one of those “aha” moments when he realized how cruel and discriminatory it is to deny gay couples the right to marry. After once opposing same-sex marriage, he finally realized the error of his ways. He made his epiphany a matter of public record in a press conference. The GLBT community and their allies owe him our gratitude, even though this time, his, and our efforts, weren’t quite enough to solidify marriage equality in Maine.

But on the other end of the spectrum there’s still this argument: Of course, gays have equality; all they need to do to fully realize that equality is live inauthentic lives as heterosexuals, be willing to marry someone for whom they have no sexual attraction, and agree to forego any real joy in this life, with the promise of a reward in heaven for their sacrifice. Is that too much to ask? Maggie Gallagher, the leader of The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and her brood don't seem to think so. And neither do so many others on the right. “Every person has an equal right to marry someone of the opposite sex” they keep telling me. And nothing I say seems to crack that idiotic misconception.

What are basic human rights? A few are: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness – Equal protection under the law - Freedom from the whims of the majority being imposed on any minority - The right to religious liberty. Some religious leaders are outraged that they can’t legally perform a marriage between same sex couple because that right has been stripped from them. These are the most basic rights promised to all tax paying and law abiding citizens by our Country’s Constitution.

Humanity is a collection of survivors riding on this planet called earth in the Milky Way galaxy trying to find meaning in it all. That’s no easy feat, so I concede that those who use religion as their justification for discrimination often do so with the best of intentions. They believe our sole purpose is to serve an invisible god, who ironically in their mind requires us to judge and reprimand those who don’t fall into lock-step with right-wing ideology. They’ve been taught that homosexuality is a sin, and thus, gays must be punished if they don’t become straight, and they should never be granted equal status if they live a “gay” lifestyle.

Or there are those guys who bombed the Twin Towers screaming their religious verbiage while murdering thousands of people, all while envisioning the seven virgins they would soon be joining in heaven. But this isn’t about them. This is about the terrorists in our own country masquerading as God’s soldiers, doing His work by making the polling place a place where each person can become judge, jury and, in some cases, executioner. Ballot measures that promote homophobia have been responsible for not only suicides, but also murders. Two cases in point – Stuart Matis and Matthew Shepherd.

I wonder if the day after the election, those who voted to deprive gay couples of equality, felt joy equal in intensity to the pain they have caused. As they went through their day, did they ever stop to reflect on this victory, and did they feel more secure in their own marriages now that gay couples in Maine cannot share that title with them? Will their families be safer now, protected from the ills of society like they were back in 2000/2001 when we elected a fundamentalist Christian President, and voted to prohibit gay couples in CA the right to legally marry? Oh, I forgot. God didn’t rain his blessings down on us as a nation when we took those steps back then did he? In fact, the worst terrorist attack to ever hit American soil occurred shortly after the religious right made their intentions known at the ballot box. Wasn’t that God’s queue to shower his blessing down upon the holy ones? Weren’t their actions in alignment with His will?

Their efforts to save humanity from what they perceived as the evil liberal and gay agenda didn’t work then, did it? And it certainly isn’t working now. But some continue doing the same thing over and over hoping to achieve a different result - without ever contemplating the possibility that maybe, just maybe, they are wrong.
When will we stop being afraid of those who we think are not like us and join together as one people and one planet to address the bigger issues; homelessness, health-care-for-all, global warming, poverty, inequity, injustice, hatred, bigotry, and intolerance.

The hundreds of millions of dollars that have fed this campaign of intolerance toward our GLBT community over the years could have helped so many suffering humans. Children with few options could have slept in a comfortable bed, had a warm meal, a mentor to teach them to read. A woman afraid to go home to an abusive husband could have had more empowering alternatives. And the homeless GLBT youth who have been kicked to the curb by parents who find them an abomination could have had instead, loving arms to embrace them and accept them for exactly the beautiful human beings they really are.