Start from where you are and work with what you have.
Begin by cleaning the kettle, which is your body, emotions and mind.
Pull out and eliminate all negative traits and habits that have been allowed to grow like crabgrass within you.
Add seeds of enrichments that are light, good and have no boundaries.
Add large amounts of forgiveness and kindness for yourself and others.
Sprinkle in liberal amounts of happiness.
Meditate and concentrate on each ingredient you add.
Use prayer to open the heart.
Add handfuls of love.
Stir frequently, bring to a boil. Let simmer for a lifetime.
Share your Spiritual Soup recipe freely and offer its fragrance and essence to all.

My life took a sudden jump-start a few years ago, quite by accident, when I was attending a holistic health conference with a friend. On a whim, we took a class in introductory Chi Gong. Once a student of Tai Chi, I had always thought Chi Gong a poor relation, more suitable for senior citizens or people with chronic health problems.

At the time of this conference, I visited the gym three times a week and rollerbladed vigorously every weekend. In spite of such a traditional fitness background, within the first few movements of the Chi Gong class it was as though many dangling truths suddenly came together for me in a whole, complete totality.

Energy had always fascinated me. Why do we feel more energized by certain people? Why do other people drain our energy? Why do certain places give off good (or bad) "vibes"? Why do I sometimes feel so hyper and at other times so dull and unmotivated?

Chi Gong holds answers to these questions. Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on energy concepts, many of which, though ancient, are corroborated by modern physics. Each of us is an energy system, taking in energy, transforming it, giving it off. The energy pathways (meridians) through our bodies keep the body systems running smoothly. If a pathway becomes blocked, illness can ensue. Imagine a river suddenly dammed by a landslide; the area below the landslide will be starved for water, while the area above it will overfill and become damaged. Traditional Chinese medical practitioners work to eliminate the energy blockage; they use acupuncture, acupressure, herbs and dietary changes. The truly knowledgeable ones also prescribe Chi Gong.

The movements, many of which are based on ancient traditions, stimulate the meridians to keep the energy pathways running smoothly and efficiently. My sessions at the gym left me feeling exhausted; my Chi Gong sessions leave me feeling refueled and ready to go.

There is a meditative quality to the practice which also gives me a needed boost. Since I became a regular practitioner, I find myself calm and centered even in the midst of a whirlwind of work-related tribulations.

Once I began my daily Chi Gong routine, I gave up the gym and the long skating sessions; to my surprise, I not only lost weight, but I can eat whatever I want and my body (for the first time in my life as an adult) seems to metabolize any excess calories. My posture is straighter and my muscle mass has actually increased in spite of my having given up any sort of weight-bearing exercise.

Even though I turn 50 in January, I feel better and look younger than I have in years. Chi Gong has indeed given me a new beginning!

I wasn't quite prepared for 40. It seemed momentous, the halfway mark, middle age. How could I be middle aged? I was just starting to figure some things out! I built a strong case for not turning 40, but -- on January 8th, 40 happened.

I planned a special day which included an airplane glider ride. The idea of a glider ride initially sounded like fun, but when the moment to fly arrived, I wondered just why I was getting into a small engineless aircraft. I knew another plane was to tow us up to cruising altitude. What I had neglected to find out was how we stayed up and how we got back down. The pilot was quite reassuring yet I held onto my shoulder harness for dear life after the loud metallic "pop" signified the pilot's release of the tow rope. We were on our own.

The sense of freedom and surrender I experienced after the tow rope released invited me to a new approach to my life. I had been "in control" of my life. When that tow rope released, I felt totally out of control. I counted on my pilot, the currents, the small craft and God, to whom I was fervently praying at the time. It all worked beautifully. I wondered what would happen if I didn't have to be in control all the time, if I truly trusted God, my life energy, my inner, intuitive pilot.

In meditation a few months later, when asking for guidance about my job, I saw an image of clenched fists. I knew that after seven years, it was time to let the job go. I gave two months notice, having no idea what I would do next. This decision defied my head but spoke to my heart. When my best friend said, "Rent your house, come to Chicago, live with my family and finish your book," I packed my car and headed for Chicago.

I felt more freedom and joy than when I was working and got a regular paycheck. When I would wonder about the future, the message I received was to be present and appreciate that I had what I needed in that moment.

This story doesn't end with a bang like "and then I got six figures from a publisher for my book." The story continues to unfold. I'm riding the currents of my guidance, co-creating with God.

September, 1995: Veronica has left for college in Anchorage, Alaska. She is the youngest of two girls and has been the typical "clinging vine." Her strength and courage to leave home to go to a place a great distance away has given me the strength and courage to look at my life and determine what I want to be "when I grow up." I, Mom, am also facing a new beginning.

Veronica's search for her own identity in a new location is made somewhat easier due to the fact that no one there has any preconceived notion of who she is. She is able to become whoever she would like to be. My search is somewhat more complicated due to preconceived ideas of marriage, home and job. However, our journeys parallel along many paths.

She has declared her independence and her major, a path that has taken her to Psychology and Art Therapy with a very strong Tao based philosophy. After a year of "empty nest" and searching, I have chosen my own path. As Reiki Master/Teacher, I've entered school to become a Certified Massage Therapist.

The year 2000 is looked at as a new beginning; it will bring new personal achievements (graduation and certification) for both of us along with great personal fulfillment -- because I'm sure that each of us will succeed in any endeavor we choose to pursue.

I look at each day as a new beginning; and I'm thankful for all the blessings in life. Most of all, I'm thankful for the child who has grown into a most wonderful woman, whose strength and courage were an example for me to follow.

For a few years now, my world has been turning in on itself. Long-held beliefs, long-standing practices are becoming useless to me, no longer serving this woman who is experiencing a great passage of the Earthwalk -- the time of womanhood called "The Change of Life."

A simple name for this tumultuous event. One's body changes dramatically as the ancient messages that tell it what to do are reprogramed. No longer does my body shed the very essence of life in a monthly ritual; my emotions fly from one end of the spectrum to the other, seemingly from nowhere or nothing in particular. My perspective changes as the flow of life moves from an outward one, giving, doing, helping -- to an inward one, simply being, being what one could not because of society or family, being what one dared not because of fear.

The years that have come before taught me and changed me and forced me to be in the world. Mistakes have been made; triumphs have been mine. Now there is a sorting out of what serves me best -- of the behaviors I'll leave behind and those I'll carry forward, of the beliefs that have steered my course thus far and those that now dictate a change. By turning my gaze inward, I can better see where I must go.

Discoveries are made almost daily of a forgotten dream or a new desire. It's as though a transfusion of energy is draining away all that I have been so as to infuse me with a new sense of who I can be.

And so, as I live my fiftieth year, the dreams and plans of years gone by shift focus or fall away. The nurturing I gave to others can now be given to my deepest needs. Like polishing the facets of a gem, I can refine the parts of me that have lain dormant while other things were done. Now I can serve the world best by serving myself first.

As I feel more unscrambled from the process that rearranges me, I see it's a wonderfully different view from here! It's time for a new beginning -- A Change of Life -- and a chance to express more of the destiny of my soul.

The March issue will feature A Transformational Moment (deadline February 10, 1998 and in May, we'll consider Listening to the Voice Within (deadline April 10, 1998).

Tell us in about 400 words -- subject to editing for content and length -- what thoughts and feelings the subjects inspire. Each person on the staff will read several entries and forward their favorite(s) to the For You - By You desk.

Please mail your writing to us at P.O. Box 1342, Morton Grove, IL 60053; or fax it to (847) 966-6535; or e-mail foryou@lightworks.com. Be sure to add your name and location to your writing! We won't be able to communicate about your entry, and the decisions of the staff are final. If you want us to return your work, please enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope.

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