Conscious Footsteps
Finding Spirit in Everyday Matters
by
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Befriending Our Problems
Crisis is the dangerous breaking of glass that opens locked windows of opportunity that require perceptiveness and courage to move through, with care.
~ Tom Atlee, Co-Intelligence Institute
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For many of us, worries about the economic and political scene (e.g., the stock market, healthcare and the federal deficit) and fear of an unknown future have our blood pressure rising along with our credit card debt. Fear has become a powerful tool for all sides to wield in the public debate, while entrenched polarization ensures that nothing moves forward.
At the same time, more and more people are seeking to use pharmaceuticals to treat their depression, thinking that drugs are the answer to maintaining functionality, while avoiding the cause and ignoring the signal that something is wrong.
Clearly, when we look out at the world, what appears to be broken and needs to be fixed is everywhere. There is an intersection between our own psychological and spiritual health and the actual landscape of our lives.
Tom Atlee of the Co-Intelligence Institute has observed that “... evolution, like water behind a dam, knows where all the cracks are, and is working on them right now with increasing intensity.”
Could it be that something new is trying to happen, seeking the transformation of the Whole? Might our out-of-balance world be due to increased spiritual energy seeking to awaken the values of the heart—compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and a desire to live in harmony with others?
I propose that the only way forward through this minefield is to befriend our problems as the messengers that they are, highlighting the empty, loveless, or meaningless places in our lives that thirst for something meaningful and real.
When we anxiously hold onto the way things were—and want no disruptions in our lives—we avoid finding answers since the current status quo is closely tied to the malaise on the planet.
I remember being surprised years ago when I read Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore. He titled one of the chapters “The Gift of Depression.” I had to think about that.
What if we learned to suffer more effectively? Rather than failing to notice the opportunities and lessons our challenges offer, we could see the problem and the solution as two sides of the same coin.
In fact, today’s suffering could become tomorrow’s happiness. Who would you be today if it weren’t for your suffering? Think back. Wasn’t there a jewel of awareness and growth offered in almost every tribulation?
Regardless of whether society is ready to transform, individuals who bring their lives into
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About the Book
An “idea generator” for finding Spirit in ordinary life experiences, Conscious Footsteps is inspired by the author’s deep, heartfelt search for life’s greater meaning. Read it to awaken personal happiness and notice the interdependence and sacredness of everything. Discover how Spirit manifests in your daily affairs, bringing greater joy and fulfillment.
This is not a “how-to” book, teaching procedures to arrive at a desired destination. It is a “what if?” book meant to trigger your own awareness and inner guidance. By considering questions, you may find answers – your own answers - that can lead to personal fulfillment – a more harmonious and love-filled life.
Underlying the premise of the book is the assumption that you won’t find Spirit by moving away from the world; you find it by going more open-heartedly into ordinary life. Though written by an astrologer, you do not need to understand or believe in astrology to gain from the book. Those who want to know more will find answers to many common questions about astrology in the appendix.
Open this book to any page at any time. Use it to inspire your day in the morning or at any time. May this book offer you hope in the midst of turmoil and become a tool to awaken your own inner wisdom—the best and truest guidance you will ever find.
About the Author
Dianne Eppler Adams is a practical mystic and advocate for living your bliss right now by recognizing life’s higher purpose and creating heaven on earth. Her personal insights are gleaned from decades of her own compelling life experiences and search for life’s greater meaning. Her strong intuitive awareness of Spirit’s guidance has taught her to be an astute observer of the evolutionary thread woven into the everyday life.
For more than fifteen years as a psychological-spiritual astrologer, she has translated cosmic timing and meaning for consciously striving people seeking to find meaning and purpose by living in alignment with their authentic self. Many of Dianne’s clients have found support for stepping into a Spirit-filled life of joy and fulfillment through her presentations, interactive workshops, and private sessions.
In addition, Dianne is the author of the e-book, Flip Negatives to Positives: Tips for Thriving in Change and Uncertainty, and writes a popular New Moon e-newsletter, Spirit in Matters. She is a Certified Astrological Professional through the International Society for Astrological Research and holds membership in the National Committee for Geocosmic Research, the Organization for Professional Astrology, and the Association for Astrological Networking.
In 2006, Dianne founded the Holistic Entrepreneurs Alliance, a business networking and support group in northern Virginia. She worked 35 years in the corporate world, including several years in executive positions within nonprofit organizations, before establishing her full-time astrological consulting practice.