PERSON OF INTEREST:
Andrew Cohen was born in 1955 in New York City. He is an American spiritual teacher of "Evolutionary Enlightenment".
BACKGROUND:
At the young age of 16, Cohen states that his life changed by an unexpected experience of "cosmic consciousness".
Originally on a path to be a jazz musician, Cohen began a spiritual quest to recover his experience when he was 22.
INFLUENCE:
Eventually Andrew met with self styled teacher, H. W. L. Poonja, in '86. Poonja taught that "no effort is needed to attain enlightenment." His reasoning behind this belief was "because it is merely the realization of what one already is".
Cohen took this teaching back to his students but the idea was not accepted or honored by most of them. Cohen decided to break away from Poonja.
Andrew Cohen soon discovered his own belief. Instead of the realization of the self, he insisted instead on "flawless behavior" as the manifestation of enlightenment.
In 1991 Cohen founded 'Enlighten Next' Magazine. The Magazine was a success but stopped publishing in 2011. Soon after his teachings were further developed into "Evolutionary Enlightenment".
According to Cohen, "Enlightenment is the realization of the transcendental aspect of God, with the realization that the world is an illusion." He defines the Ego as "the deeply ingrained, compulsive need to remain separate and superior at all times." On the other hand, the Authentic Self is "the urge to be more conscious."
SUCCESS:
Since 1986, Cohen has traveled the world leading teachings and retreats. He became known as one of the defining voices of the new evolutionary spirituality.
ANNIE'S REVIEW:
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Andrew Cohen- #70 of "The 100 Most Spiritual Influential People" list
Friday, July 3, 2015
Bruce Lipton- #51 of "The 100 Most Spiritual Influential People" list
PERSON OF INTEREST:
Bruce Harold Lipton was born on October 21, 1944 in New York.
INFLUENCE:
He is best known for promoting the idea that genes and DNA can be manipulated by a person's beliefs.
BACKGROUND:
Lipton received a B.A in Biology and a PhD in Developmental Biology in 1971.
Later in the 1980's he abandoned his life- long atheism. He came to believe that the way cells functioned demonstrated the existence of God. In 2009 Lipton was featured in the documentary, "Kymatica", discussing the concepts of love and fear in their relation to the body.
BOOKS:
He has sucessfully published 4 phenomenol books. He is the best-selling author of "The Biology of Belief".
SUCCESS:
Known as a "Pioneer in the new Biology", Lipton is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. Wow, what a concept!!
Bruce Harold Lipton performed groundbreaking stem-cell research at Stanford University.
ANNIE'S REVIEW:
Wow, talk about impressive! Besides my passion for writing & spiritual growth, science/medicine are right up there with them equally. This makes my heart happy to see a mix of the 2. I truly believe that is how we will finally find answers to the ultimate unknown. Science + Spirit= WIN!
Thumbs up Mr. Lipton.
Xo,
Annie
Carolyn Myss- #21 of "The 100 Most Spiritually Infuential People" list
PERSON OF INTEREST:
Caroline Myss was born on December 2, 1952, in Chicago.
BACKGROUND:
She is an American author of numerous books and audio tapes, including five New York Times Best Sellers. Carolyn describes herself as a medical intuitive and a mystic.
She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana in 1974, and started her career in journalism in Chicago.
INFLUENCE:
The famous book On Death and Dying, which inspired her to pursue a master's degree in theology from Mundelein College, Chicago, which she completed in 1979. She started giving medical intuitive readings in 1982.
Deriving from her practice as a medical intuitive, she started writing books, in the field of energy medicine, and healing, all of which became New York Times Best Sellers, including Why People Don't Heal and How They Can (1998), which explored the reasons people do not heal through her concept of "woundology."
Her journey continued. Her next book, "Sacred Contracts" dealt with finding "Life Purpose". The book described Sacred Contracts as "a set of assignments that our soul had formed around before incarnation".
Later in 2009, she took the ideas further with mystical laws, the seven shadows and also seven graces inherent in all of us.
BOOKS:
Her first three books have consecutively been on the New York Times Best Seller list
QUOTES:
“Intuition is natural by-product of flowering of a mature self-esteem and a sense of empowerment – not power over, but power to be”
"To love yourself, truly love yourself, is to finally discover the essence of personal courage, self-respect, integrity, and self-esteem. These are the qualities of grace that come directly from a soul with stamina."
"Whenever you become empowered, you will be tested."
"The act of forgiveness is the act of returning to present time. And that's why when one has become a forgiving person, and has managed to let go of the past, what they've really done is they've shifted their relationship with time."
"Keep your honor code between you and God, you don’t break that, no matter who's not looking. God is."
SUCCESS:
Caroline is dedicated to creating educational programs in the field of human consciousness, spiritually and mysticism, health, energy medicine, and advancing the science of medical intuition. She established CMED, her own educational institute, in 2003.
ANNIE'S REVIEW:
I sincerely enjoyed studying this remarkable influencer, Carloyn Myss. I admire and look up to anyone seeking answers, new ideas, thoughts, and most importantly, having the confidence and willpower to push forward to pursue their "purpose". Very inspiring.
I, myself, am on the path of finding my true "purpose" in this life. I am being guided everyday, in so many ways. Enjoying the ride. I feel assured I will end up exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Xo,
Annie
"The 100 Most Spiritually Influential People" INCLUDING an added personal challenge!
3. Wayne Dyer. A self-made success story, Wayne Dyer inspires readers to actualize their potential. He is referred to as a "preacher of self reliance" and is currently focusing on interpreting the Tao Te Ching. He lives in Maui, Hawaii and has eight children.
4. Thich Nhat Hanh. Buddhist monk, teacher, author and peace activist. He founded the Order of Interbeing and the Unified Buddhist Church, along with monasteries and spiritual centres in Vietnam, the USA and France, where he now lives.
6. Louise Hay. Louise Hay is a motivational author, and the founder of Hay House. Her best known work is You Can Heal Your Life; Hay House has published over 300 books, and has made an immense contribution to mind-body-spirit literature and the New Thought Movement. Thinking positively can definitely make a difference!
8. Oprah Winfrey. Oprah might be the most influential person in the world. She has discovered and advocated for so many spiritually influential thinkers—from Obama to Eckhart Tolle. We ranked her at only 8th place, because her influence isn't focused on spirituality, but eighth place may act as a metaphor since 8 means infinity in numerous metaphysical paradigms.
9. Ken Wilber. Wilber has advocated Integral Thought and influenced figures as varied as Bill Clinton, Deepak Chopra, and Billy Corgan. He founded the Integral Institute and has written about adult development, developmental psychology, philosophy, world centrism, ecology, and stages of faith.
1. Eckhart Tolle
|
34. Joseph Alois Ratzinger
|
67. John Bradshaw
|
2. Dalai Lama
|
35. Krishna Das
|
68. Jeff Foster
|
3. Dr Wayne W. Dyer
|
36. Drunvalo Melchizedek
|
69. Patrick Holford
|
4. Thich Nhat Hanh
|
37. Sai Baba
|
70. Andrew Cohen
|
5. Deepak Chopra
|
38. Jack Kornfield
|
71. Vladimir Megre
|
6. Louise L. Hay
|
39. Pema Chödrön
|
72. Thomas Cleary
|
7. Paulo Coelho
|
40. T.K.V. Desikachar
|
73. Daniel Pinchbeck
|
8. Oprah Winfrey
|
41. Esther & Jerry Hicks
|
74. Jonathan Goldman
|
9. Ken Wilber
|
42. Dan Brown
|
75. Sonia Choquette
|
10. Rhonda Byrne
|
43. Z’ev Ben Shimon Halevi
|
76. Seyyed Hossein Nasr
|
11. James Redfield
|
44. Diana Cooper
|
77. Mother Meera
|
12. Neale Donald Walsch
|
45. Ram Dass
|
78. Barefoot Doctor
|
13. Doreen Virtue
|
46. Andrew Weil
|
79. Richard Bandler
|
14. Alejandro Jodorowsky
|
47. Satya Narayan Goenka
|
80. Robert Bly
|
15. Richard Bach
|
48. Jon Kabat-Zinn
|
81. Adyashanti
|
16. Alex Grey
|
49. Alan Moore
|
82. Sogyal Rinpoche
|
17. Byron Katie
|
50. Dan Millman
|
83. Li Hongzhi
|
18. Masaru Emoto
|
51. Bruce Lipton
|
84. Sri Bhagavan
|
19. Nelson Mandela
|
52. Peter Kingsley
|
85. Rupert Sheldrake
|
20. Bernie Siegel
|
53. Karen Armstrong
|
86. John & Caitlín Matthews
|
21. Caroline Myss
|
54. Judy Hall
|
87. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
|
22. Brian Weiss
|
55. Colin Wilson
|
88. Kenneth Grant
|
23. Mantak Chia
|
56. Joscelyn Godwin
|
89. Stanislav Grof
|
24. John Gray
|
57. James Lovelock
|
90. James Hillman
|
25. Gregg Braden
|
58. Satish Kumar
|
91. Clarissa Pinkola Estés
|
26. Stephen R. Covey
|
59. Shakti Gawain
|
92. Stephen Levine
|
27. Marianne Williamson
|
60. Elaine Pagels
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93. Candace Pert
|
28. Desmond Tutu
|
61. Kyozan Joshu Sasaki
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94. Barbara Ann Brennan
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29. Mata Amritanandamayi
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62. Gary Zukav
|
95. Coleman Barks
|
30. Philip Berg
|
63. Erich von Däniken
|
96. Robert Thurman
|
31. Ervin Laszlo
|
64. David Deida
|
97. B.K.S Iyengar
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32. Andrew Harvey
|
65. Oberto Airaudi ‘Falcon’
|
98. William Bloom
|
33. Don Miguel Ruiz
|
66. Stuart Wilde
|
99. Lynne McTaggart
|
100. Marion Woodman
| ||
#21- Carolyn Myss
#51- Bruce Lipton
#70- Andrew Cohen
This excites me! Let the games begin!
Xo,
Annie
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Exploring The 7 Chakras

Anywho...my newest interest is the 7 Chakras. I've always enjoyed #meditation, so this practice caught my interest. I tried out a YouTube meditation on this topic this morning, and felt GREAT. FYI, if you are interested the video is in the previous post of my blog. ;)
The 7 Chakras or "energy sources in our body":
1) ROOT CHAKRA
Location: Tailbone
Focus: survival ($, food, independence)
Symptoms of imbalance: Lower back pain, constipation or diarrhea, knee pain, gout, rage and anger, fear, egocentricity, spinal cord dysfunction, lethargy, exhaustion, addictive personality, not grounded, financial difficulties.
2) SACRAL CHAKRA
Location: 2 in below navel
Focus: abundance, well being
Symptoms of imbalance: Lack of sexual desire or passion, sterility, infertility, jealousy, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, miscarriages, sexual addiction, sexual diseases, creative blocks.
3) SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA
Location: upper abdomen
Focus: self-worth, EGO
Symptoms of imbalance: Need for excessive control and power, fears, stomach ailments, anger, nightmares, aggressive behavior, ulcers, feelings of victimization, lack of self confidence, bulimia, obesity, anorexia, isolationism, indigestion, feeling overwhelmed.
4) HEART CHAKRA
Location: center of chest
Focus: love, joy
Symptoms of imbalance: Heart attacks, poor circulation, angina, high blood pressure, self hatred, asthma, lack of independence, acting naïve, suffocating others in loving and giving, lack of compassion, intolerance, weak immune system, lack of joy,
5) THROAT CHAKRA
Location: throat
Focus: communication, expression
Symptoms of imbalance: Sore throats, laryngitis, fear of public speaking, too talkative or too shy, the need to be an expert, inability to tell the truth, inability to speak one’s opinion, thyroid disease, anxiety, hyperactivity, lack of creativity, nightmares.
6) THIRD EYE CHAKRA
Location: forehead, between the eyes
Focus: intuition, imagination
Symptoms of imbalance: Astronaut personality, spacey, too logical or too abstract, too many thoughts at once, migraines, forgetfulness, inability to remember dreams, inability to meditate, visualize or connect with inner guidance on the higher levels, poor eyesight, tension, inability to concentrate or stay focused.
7) CROWN CHAKRA
Location: top of head
Focus: beauty (in & out), spirituality, bliss
Symptoms of imbalance: Inability to connect to physical world, confusion, headaches, hallucinations, mental illness, worry, dominant ego.
Each of the 7 Chakras has a specific color associated with it:
Above and between the eyebrows- Indigo
Base of Throat- Blue
Centre of Chest-Green
Below the Navel- Yellow
Above the Navel- Orange
Base of the Spine- Red
- Close your eyes and imagine you can see the energy
leaking out of your tailbone.
- Imagine a patch large enough to cover the leak.
- Place the patch over the leak.
- Imagine you can go beneath the energy and reverse the
flow to spiral it up into your body through your tailbone.
- Place the finger tips of each of your hands on the top
of you forehead where your hairline starts. Your fingertips should be
touching.
- Now pull your fingertips away from each other as though
you were opening up your crown.
- Move your fingers 2 inches above the starting point and
repeat the same movement.
- Do this over the entire crown of your head until you reach the nape of your neck. Take 3 deep breaths to anchor in this opening.
- Rub your palms together swiftly creating static
electricity.
- Place the palm of your right hand on your solar plexus,
rotating your palm in a clockwise direction while repeating: “I am
powerful, I am the will of creating what I want.”
- Repeat these steps 2 or 3 more times.
- Your chakra energy is one of your most powerful and important energy systems.
---Don't forget to try out the 7 Chakras Meditation in the post below!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
EGO vs SPIRIT
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Wayne Dyer on the 3 Stages of Spiritual Awakening
Seeing the opportunity in your obstacles
STAGE 1: Our beginning on the path.
During this stage we don't handle a crisis very well. A divorce, financial problem, illness, etc will immobilize us for a long time. We can not see the situation with hindsight. All we can do is focus on the disaster. At this point there just can't possibly be any way out of this misery. Nothing helps. Support from family and friends is discounted and life appears to be over. During this stage we can't possibly see that good could come from such pain or even a possible valuable lesson learned. At this point we are "possessed by our traumas".
STAGE 2: The Middle Ground
As we become more awakened. We are able to now look back and see the benefit to use. That divorce is now the best thing that could have happened. That alcohol addiction has made me stronger than ever. Hindsight now provides new eyes to recognize the opportunity in what was happening in stage 1. Stage 2 is the middle ground of enlightenment because it is the place we no longer need hindsight to see the opportunity. We shift from the "What is missing?" thought to "What is in this for me right now?" "How can I turn this into an opportunity without having to go through years of suffering before I realize the necessity in it? Stage 2 involves being in the present moment with everything we are experiencing. When we can seize that higher 'something' in the moment we are on our way to the final stage.
STAGE 3: Pure synchronicity
This highest stage of enlightenment gives us the choice of thought as its purest. It is the notion that we are thought & that thoughts both reside within and outside of us. In this stage we can see past the obstacle and see the outcome of the learning experience from it. It is not an obstacle so to speak but now an 'event'. And not just an event. An event we have a choice about. We have the choice about experiencing thought in form or in pure thought. We now have an intuitive sense about cause and effect.
Tragedy is unbearable when there is no relationship to Self. This is synchronicity. Tune into and feed your intuition. It is a powerful, wonderful tool and gift to guide your life.

This is a phenomenal message on Tao by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Simply view it on YouTube. I strongly recommend listening to it and soaking in the depth of this beautiful soul. Learn something new today! Never stop seeking to be a 'better you' ;)
Xo,
Annie

























