Radiant Transformation

In Astrology, the Zodiac represents a Zone in the heavens that contains the paths of the Sun, Moon, and planets. Within this pathway, this zone is divided into 12 signs, namely Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Each of the 12 Signs represents a period of time during the year. Because of the relationship between our universe and our own lives, there are certain characteristics that can be attributed to you, in general, based on your own date of birth.

The Characteristic of Zodiac Sign can give us great insights into our day to day living as well as the many talents, characteristics and weaknesses we possess. You can discover much relevant information about yourself by learning about your Zodiac sign.

For centuries, humans have looked to the heavens for guidance. Astrology is, put simply, the study of the correlation between the astronomical positions of the planets and events on earth. Astrologers believe that the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets at the time of a person's birth have a direct influence on that person's character. These positions are thought to affect a person's destiny, although many Astrologers feel that free will plays a large role in any individual's life.

We,  can be used as a powerful and fun tool for understanding ourselves, others, and the world around us. We use many different tools, or languages, to define and understand our world. For example, we  can use psychological tools and terminology to explore human behavior. Similarly, Astrology gives us rich tools for understanding human character, and offers us a language for communicating our observations with others.

While we can use the natal chart (also called a birth chart or horoscope) as a "window" into any individual or event, we should never use it to pass judgment or to label people. Neither should we use it as an excuse for our behavior! We can never purport to know absolutely everything about someone just because we have their natal chart before us. It is a good idea to approach Astrology as an imperfect language. Even if it were perfect, we are not, so our interpretations can never be considered anywhere close to perfect. It follows to be wary of anyone claiming to be an Astrologer who also alleges to "know all", or makes dire predictions. This kind of practice is not only irresponsible and misleading, it can affect the lives of those who believe them in adverse ways.

In ancient Egypt, there is a saying that goes, "Nothing to Excess". Have you ever felt like there are things in your life there are out of balance? 

I have had many amazing dreams in my life, but one that kind of stands out is one I had back in 2003 where my wife and I had adopted a little Hispanic boy, named Jose, who was 2 or 3 years old at the time of adoption. That was pretty much all of the details I remembered from the dream. It was actually kind of strange because not once had we ever considered adoption, nor talked about it. We didn't need to. Our kids seemed to come pretty regularly. First Rachel, then Jane, then Allison and then Wendy. But it was one of those kinds of dreams that left a strong impression, however, at the time, there was no way we could have considered it, so we dismissed the thought from our minds.

A year later, our situation had changed and I was working for another company and I heard that the company had an adoption program. When I found out, I remembered the dream and started thinking more about it. I told my sister and she said that I should check out Adoption.com. So, I did a search at this website looking for a "Jose" who was 2 or 3 years old. Surprisingly enough, there was one. I looked at the picture and showed my wife and asked her what she thought and if adopting this little boy was something that she would even consider. Well, she was open to the idea, so we started moving forward in that direction and figuring out what needed to be done. We found out that Jose was located in Guatemala and that the average cost would be around $24,000. We didn't have that amount of money in the bank, so in reality, we just started down the path of adoption without really knowing how we were going to do it.

We had to get an assessment from a family counselor to show that we would be good parents for an adoptive child. Then, there were numerous forms and tests that needed to be done, which had to be submitted to the U.S. government. We had to have 3 different types of background checks, including ones on a local, state and federal levels. After we finally received the approval from the U.S. side, then we had to do more things to get the approval from the Guatemalan side. I think the total time was approximately 18 months, from start to finish, although we probably could have done things quicker.

In the beginning, I thought I would try and go directly to the orphanage. I figured I'd probably be able to shave off several thousand that way. The crazy thing is that I did manage to find the exact orphanage in Guatemala where Jose was at and the director was willing to deal directly with me. The problem, though, was that he wasn't willing to assign the boy to us, until we had the approval from the U.S., which we were still working on. So, that "Jose" was reassigned to another family. We were really disappointed, but we proceeded forward and found out that there was another Jose in that same orphanage. It turns out, he was also 2 at the time. My wife and I looked at the picture and felt like we could adopt this other Jose. Well, time ticked on and we still didn't have the U.S. approval. We did eventually get it, but, unfortunately, the other Jose had been reassigned as well. We didn't know what to do. We asked about other children at the orphanage, but all of them were pretty much less than 1 year old. We wanted one that was a little older because we were expecting a baby (Wendy) at the time and we didn't want 2 babies at the same time. So, we told the orphanage director that we would go with a one-year old named Edgar. We figured that maybe the "dream" was just to get us to adopt and perhaps the name and age didn't really matter. We also figured that if this wasn't the right boy, then something would happen to prevent that. Well, the next morning, we received an email from the director stating that "Edgar" was no longer available. He had some heart conditions and was going to need surgery.

At this point, we were dumbfounded and didn't know what to do. However, the following morning, I received an email from a lady in Florida that I had contacted previously. She recommended that I check out a different website that had pictures of lots of Guatemalan children. I had not seen that website before, so I checked it out and immediately found 3 different boys that I felt like could be possibilities. The problem was that they were all with an adoption agency, Commonwealth Adoptions. The reason it was a problem was because it was going to cost $7000 more than going directly to the orphanage. But after getting the runaround with the orphanage director in Guatemala and also due to making a decision on one of the boys (whose name was Jose and was 2 1/2, we finally decided that we should do it anyway).

Going with the Adoption Agency was a smart move. They showed us everything we needed to do in the order it needed to be done. I couldn't have asked for a better agency and Susana, the lady who helped us, was simply a pleasure to work with.

We know we were led to this particular boy. When his foster mother brought him to the hotel in Guatemala City, he came right to me and gave me a big hug. It was such a special moment. That night, in the hotel, I let him sleep in bed with me and he was so happy and kept giving me hugs. Tears streamed as I realized that God was using me to bless this little boy's life with something that he didn't have, a family. Every child deserves a family and the feeling I experienced in that moment was simply wonderful.

On Thanksgiving Day of 2005, I flew home with my newly adopted Jose. It seemed kind of symbolic that it was at Thanksgiving time. Jose was such a hug giver. He would literally hug every person he saw who was within reaching distance. So, everyone at the restaurants and airport all got hugs... It was pretty cute, but at the same time, it was kind of sad. He didn't know who he belonged to. His birth mother had dropped him off at an orphanage at 9 months, then he was in at least 3 different sets of foster homes, including one where he really got very little to eat, mostly just formula. His teeth were in bad shape and we ended up having 6 of them pulled. We were waiting outside at the airport as my wife pulled up and Jose reached up for her while she was still driving. My 4 little girls were all very interested in their new little brother and were practicing "hola" over and over. Within 1/2 hour of Jose arriving at home, my girls had him all dressed up with purses, bracelets and necklaces. I had to explain that boys were a little different, but Jose didn't seem to mind, he loved the attention.

In terms of Spiritual Growth, surrendering our will to God can be challenging at times. As imperfect beings, not all of our desires are in alignment with God's plan. Sometimes we wish for things that are not in the Highest Good for ourselves nor others who may be affected by our desire. Even Jesus Christ, himself, once asked the Father, "If it be thy Will, please let this cup pass from me." But yet, He gave up his will, for something that was better for all involved. Abraham, also, was willing to sacrifice his son, the love and joy of his life, to follow God's will.

How many times do we have situations where we want something so much and something different happens. We have certain expectations and when those expectations are not fulfilled, we feel let down, discouraged, unhappy, angry, frustrated, etc. But then time passes and somehow we get through the situation and as we look back at it months or even years down the road, it becomes very clear that the things that DID happen were part of the plan that you were meant to go through. For example, you realize that the "other" job you took rather than the one you really wanted was, in fact, the best way for you to go. Or you realize that the suffering you experienced from the death of a loved one really taught you things you couldn't have learned any other way. Or perhaps, the person that offended you and hurt you so badly was really the catalyst for you to develop more forgiveness in your life.

In each of these challenges, God provides a way for something better to come of it as long as we turn to Him. But how many times do we allow ourselves to wallow in the mire of self-pity and despair? We blame God or even deny His existence as we say, "Surely, if there was a God, He wouldn't have allowed for this thing to happen". Well, that's frankly not true because God has given each of us the gift of free agency, the freedom to make choices and sometimes the bad choices we make have negative consequences. The other important point here is that not all bad things that happen are a result of making bad choices. There are many innocent people who are affected by circumstances beyond their earthly control. For example, the child who was born with a disability, people who die from famines or earthly catastrophes. When we came to this life, there was a plan in place for us to go through certain experiences. I personally believe that we actually took part in creating our own unique plan for this life that is based on the kinds of things we wanted to experience. And perhaps you are thinking "Well, yes, but I never would have wanted to experience that." What we need to understand is that our perspective often changes and perhaps we did realize it would be difficult, but we saw the greater good that would come out of it. For example, in order to appreciate happiness, we must experience unhappiness. In order to fully appreciate the light, we must experience the darkness and so it goes, "There must needs be opposition in all things". Another example are the times we struggle and struggle for the things we desire and then finally, we accomplish it. If you were to compare your feelings of how you felt after the intense struggle with having that thing given to you with no effort on your part, in which situation would you feel greater bliss and happiness? Obviously, the one where you had previously experienced the struggle. God knows this and as we helped to plan our Earth lives, I believe that we understood this as well.

Once we understand that everything happens for a reason, that there are no coincidences in life and that there is always a silver lining in all experiences IF we turn back to God, then we can handle the challenging experiences a lot easier because we see things from a Higher perspective. Surrendering our will to God doesn't mean we give up our goals and desires. In contrast, we need to have a clear picture of what we truly want. That's how we are guided in our life. We follow our true desires and what resonates with us deep down. But how do we know when to go for it and when we need to surrender? Thats a question I have often pondered. For me, I think about in this way. We are the creators of our reality. We decide the ultimate goal of what we want and then we take that and give it to God. We say, "This is our desire" and then we let God handle "the how". Sometimes we have expectations as to how it is supposed to happen. But when we understand that is our job to form the vision and it is God's job to figure out the details so to speak. Sometimes we get so caught up in "how" it is supposed to happen that we end up worrying and then we are defeating the purpose of even having the goal. We need to completely release the expectations of "how" and realize that God knows the best way to handle it in a way that is for the Highest Good of all involved.

The idea of surrender also applies to the ultimate goal or vision that we have because there are many times that we don't get that ultimate goal even though we have done everything we can think of. But again, we must remember that God's perspective is different. For example, perhaps we desire a particular job because we think that job will give us a feeling of empowerment and bring greater happiness. But God sees it a bit differently. He sees that we desire a feeling of greater empowerment and happiness in our work and He knows that that the specific job we think we want actually would not provide the deeper feeling that we desire. So, something completely different and unexpected happens. Perhaps you get laid off or you have to move suddenly. Then, something else comes up that is so much better for you in the long run. And then we realize that God really did know what He was doing.

The key here is how we approach these challenging situations. Instead of asking the question, "Why Me?", perhaps we can ask a better question, such as "What would Thou have me learn from this experience?" or What is the best thing for me to do about this?" The latter will always lead to greater growth whereas the former will only attract more of the same negative experiences.

Becoming all that we can be is a subject I have thought a lot about throughout my life. How many times do we limit ourselves by telling ourselves that we can't do something because we don't have the talent, money, time or whatever? Yet, deep inside us, there is this feeling that we can't let go of. It tugs at our heart strings saying, "You know you want it... wouldn't it be nice to experience that? It could be a major undertaking such as trying out for the Olympics or  it could be something as simple as learning a new skill. Why do people limit themselves and tell themselves that they can't do something? I've heard the quote, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right"... It's like we have the little devil and the little angel on each of our shoulders battling it out and we have to choose which one we are going to follow.

Our society is very left brained (or logically) oriented. The left brain is important, however, it can be detrimental if we only rely on that part of us to make decisions. Decisions need to also include our heart... or gut feeling... and perhaps to your logical mind, it doesn't make sense. Perhaps you don't have the money right now to do that thing. Perhaps there is no possible way (to your logical mind), but you know... there is always a way, if your desire is strong enough and you believe. Yes, it is true that you might have to take a few steps in the dark, but that is what faith is all about. How can we really grow unless we have those experiences and opportunities that teach us how to trust completely in God that he will show us the way.

I have had one of those feelings for a long time to sing with an A Cappella Group. But I kept putting it off year after year because I was too busy with work and everything else going on in my life. Then finally in Feb 2006, I had enough and I told that little devil where to go :) ... and I started my own group. Its been a lot of work and there have been a lot of changes, but I'm still doing the group today and it has brought me so much joy in my life. This picture was taken of me right at the BYU A Cappella Jam in April.

I love this poem. The author is unknown, but it has a wonderful message. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could be the kind of person at all times that we would be if Jesus was with us?

If Jesus came to your home
to spend a day or two --
If He came unexpectedly,
I wonder what you'd do.

Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room
to such an honored Guest,
And all the food you'd serve Him
would be the very best,
And you would keep assuring Him
you're glad to have Him there --
That serving Him in your home
is joy beyond compare.

But when you see Him coming
would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome
to your Heavenly Visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes
before you let Him in,
Or hide some magazines,
and put the Bible where they'd been?

Would you turn off the radio
and hope He hadn't heard,
And wish you hadn't uttered
that last, loud, hasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music
and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in,
or would you rush about?

And I wonder -- if the Savior
spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing
the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying
the things you always say?
Would life for you continue
as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation
keep its usual pace,
And would you find it hard each meal
to say table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing,
and read the books you read,
And let Him know the things
on which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you
everywhere you planned to go,
Or would you, maybe, change your plans
for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him
meet your very closest friends,
Or would you hope they stay away
until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him
stay forever on and on,
Or would you sigh with great relief
when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things
that you would do,
If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you.

~Author Unknown~

During the evening of August 27, I had a very special dream. Both of my parents had passed away previously within the past couple years. My dad passed away in August of '05. He had Alzheimers and was in a rest home for about 5 years prior to that. His death was hard on my mom and about 6 months later, my mom got pneumonia, then got better, then got a stomach infection and passed away as well.

While I was sleeping my parents came to me in my dream. I need to clarify here that it was not a dream about my parents, it was a dream with my parents. For me, it was so real and first my dad appeared and if you were to know my dad, you'd know that he liked to joke around a lot. I had heard at one time that when people die, their hair and nails continue to grow. I don't know how true this is, I had just heard it. Anyway, when I saw my Dad, he had really long hair, probably down to his waist. This was the craziest thing I had seen, especially since he was still mostly bald on top. He looked like he had just stepped off the set of Pirates of the Caribbean... so the first words out of my mouth were "Dad, you need to get a haircut"... I still don't know for sure whether it was just my imagination or whether my Dad thought he'd play a joke on me... I kind of suspect the latter.

So, I was able to visit with him and then my mother came and I visited with both of them together. We just talked. We hugged and although I don't remember all that was said, I do specifically remember them telling me how much they loved me and how proud they were of me. They commented on aspects of my life and how I had been progressing. But more than anything they said to me, was the love that I felt when I was them in that dream. I woke up crying. I knew that they had been watching over me and I know that they still are... The feelings that I had were so real that it wouldn't have been any more real if they had been there in person. I was emotional that whole day. It was simply amazing because afterwards, I kept telling myself "I didn't know that Love could feel so wonderful" Of course I knew I loved my parents, but the feeling I felt was so overwhelmingly powerful that it made me wonder if this is how it feels when we return home to our Heavenly Father. I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father that I was given this gift and it will always be something special I remember the rest of my life. I feel like it helped me to understand what love is all about.... and I know it was real. I know my parents visited me that night!

While everyone dreams at night, some dreams are definitely more meaningful than others. I have had a number of dreams that were significant in some way, whether as dreams of comfort or even glimpses into future events. While everyone's dreams are different, I do believe that they are real in a way that perhaps we do not understand in our current reality. Sometimes dreams represent potential possibilities and sometimes they represent our fears and desires. Dreams are wonderful. They can reveal things about ourselves that perhaps we do not know. I'll be sharing some dreams here in this blog and feel free to post your comments about what you think!