Where Is Your Passion?

Here it is! January 2007. Where I live Nature is in her dreaming state. Some will call it dormancy - however that is only another name for the dream state. It is a time for us to follow Nature's example and dream of what we want to experience during this New Year. There is an old saying: to "ring out the old and ring in the new." This means we can do it at any time and at any moment. We are all different from Nature because we can change our minds at any moment. WHERE IS YOUR PASSION? Passion. What is your passion? I just completed reading a profound book titled Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox. As a little girl Cox developed a passion for swimming. One of her dreams was to swim the English Channel. She accomplished this while in her teens and went on to break many swimming records and to do what no other woman had done before. Her passion drove her to swim the 2.7 miles between the U.S. Little Diomede Island and the Russian big Diomede Island and her intent was to perhaps bring the governments of Russia and the U.S. to friendlier terms. For over ten years she wrote, called and tried everything to get permission from Russia to swim to the Big Diomede. The U.S. was cool to the idea and the Russians had given her no response. She trained to swim in frigid water - 30 degrees temperature. She had a passion to do this and with the encouragement of family, friends and admirers set off to Nome, Alaska to do this even though she did not have permission from Russia. At the last minute Russia came through and she swam the 2.7 miles and received a tumultuous reception from the Russians. To learn how she accomplished this feat against all odds and a lack of funding to bring together a closer and friendlier relationship between two major governments in the world is truly a story to inspire anyone. She made a difference. She was instrumental in speeding up glasnost between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Passion does not have to be as all consuming as the passion of Lynne Cox, but I think there is a passion within each of us to accomplish something in this life. Mine came in the form of writing and it did not emerge until I was in my seventies. It is never too late! Perhaps there is a passion to help others - to be a light unto the world. Our abilities come in many disguises and it is up to the individual to discover what it is. There is always a way. If you are unsure of what your passion is, I suggest reading Janet Attwood's book "The Passion Text." It is a simple process of writing down 15 things you like to do. The next step is to list the top 5 interests and to then list them in the order of priority. It is a simple process of elimination. Many people think that by going to workshops and get-rich seminars that they will find their passion. For some this may be true. Usually it comes in those still quiet moments. I have been a student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment for almost twenty years and what I have learned and experienced inspired me to recognize my passion for writing. Each of us is on a journey of discovery and no two people will experience the same journey. Do what you love to do- meaning find your passion and the money will follow. JZ Knight appeared on the Larry King Live Show last year and was asked what she thought of positive thinking. Her reply was that she did not subscribe to positive thinking because she uses affirmative thinking. We live on a plane of opposites and one of the ancient laws is called the Law of Attraction. If we think about thinking positive, then we also attract the opposite - negative thinking. There is also another subconscious aspect to positive thinking. For eons women have been considered to be negative energy and men the positive energy. What message does this send to women? Affirmative thinking is being the center of the magnet and it has no positive or negative. It just is. One of the greatest writers of Affirmative Thinking is contained in the book The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn. Shinn was born in 1871 and died in 1940. Her affirmations are each a jewel and one can purchase this collection of her four books from Amazon.com. Within her writings are clues as to where she received her wisdom and knowledge. She mentions The Kybalion by Three Initiates, which includes the Law of Attraction. In addition she mentions Hermes Trismegistis indicating she had studied ancient wisdom called the occult. For those who think they are burdened with debt, she has a wonderful affirmation, which is as valid today as it was during the first half of the last century. I deny debt. There is no debt in Divine Mind. I owe no person or corporation anything. All obligations are now wiped out under the grace of God in a miraculous way. I have learned over the past twenty years to re-wire my brain for affirmative thinking. I must give up the past of old unproductive thinking. Affirmations must be utilized and spoken out loud over and over until it becomes natural and productive. The killer of dreams and passion is fear, doubt or skepticism. Manifestations come to me in beautiful ways and below I share a few with you. The German language version of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls is doing well in Europe. It was released in December 2006. My publisher Helga Krachler tells me that my book is now in the archives of the Austrian National Libray and the German National Library. (It is also in the Australian library system.) Here is a note from my publisher of the German edition: I also would like to let you know that the people who have read the book and contacted me give a fabulous feedback. Beside that they like the story, have to force themselves to put the book down and thoroughly enjoy reading it, the questions most frequently asked are: Is this all true? Are the scrolls real? How does she know all this? Today a bookseller who had ordered about 25 books had called and said: "Magdalena seems to so real when she tells her story." By now you have readers of the German version in Germany, Austria and Switzerland who knows where else. I send you blessings for a fantastic year of 2007. May each of you find your passion and pursue it. Bettye Johnson

Life is like a tapestry. A chance meeting can lead to a beautiful new thread. We are weaving our individual tapestry with each choice we make. - Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls