Follow Your Bliss Synchronicity

In the Fall of 2005, I quit my job as an Art Director for a Real Estate Brokerage company in Dallas.  I had worked there for over 9 years, the longest position I had ever had in my history of working.  It was killing me creatively, spiritually and on many other levels,  and I was filled with a general feeling of unhappiness.

I had nothing else lined up and really didn't know what I was going to do.  I just knew one thing, whatever it was, I wanted to draw, create and make music.  I had decided to (to quote the Visionary Genius of Joseph Campbell) "Follow My Bliss" and create my own dream instead of helping to facilitate someone else's dream.

That Friday, I went to my favorite music store and told them of my new adventure.  I told them I was "Following My Bliss".

Everyone was really happy for me regardless of where I would end up.  The manager of the music store then asked me if I was interested in creating a band poster for a mutual friend's band.  He loved my pen and ink work and said I could create anything that I wanted.  He trusted that whatever it was, It would be amazing.  He gave me $100!  I was stoked.  My first freelance assignment with total creative control.

I called my friend in Kauai, Hawaii, who had been telling me for quite a while that I needed to get out of that work environment because he sensed my unhappiness and frustration.  I told him I finally was "Following My Bliss".  The next day, I received a voice mail and all he said was: "Follow Your Bliss, Kistler!"  
I laughed.  What a great message - he knew that I had finally made the break into the great unknown.

That Monday morning, I woke up on my first day of freedom, casually walked downstairs and made some coffee.  I flipped on the TV to some public access cable station out of Florida.  The host was announcing that his next guest was going to be Jack Horkheimer, The Star Hustler.  I thought, cool.  I had grown up watching his show on PBS.  He was the guy in the Members Only jacket waking out out on the rings of Saturn and would inform you of what to pay attention in the night's sky for that week.  Well, I thought the interview could be enlightening at the very least.

The host came back after the commercial break and was sitting there with Dr. Jack Horkheimer and he introduced his guest to the TV audience.

Right then, Jack faced the camera (looking out into TV land directly at me) and said the following:  "I have three words for everyone out there...and that is Follow Your Bliss.  You need to find that thing or things in life that you are so passionate about that you can find a way to turn them into a career."

He then turned back to the host and explained how he has always loved science and astronomy ever since he was a child.  He knew that he wanted a career in the field so did everything that he could to make that a reality.

I couldn't believe what had just happened!  The hair was standing up on my arms.  I had realized that it was a message to inform me that I was on the right path.  The timing was too perfect.  Had it been 20 minutes earlier, I would have missed it.  If it was 20 minutes later, I would have missed it to.  I didn't even have to turn the TV on or it could have been on a different station.

I set the intention on Friday, received a freelance project immediately, received a message from my best friend repeating my intention to me and the deal was sealed after watching the interview explaining the intention I had set.  It completely blew me away.

I created my own company called Kistler Creative and started doing Digital Photo Restoration (another Synchronicity) and Band Posters.

In the end, I realized that timing is everything.  The messages are out there, the signposts appear and then guide you on the right path.

But, be aware that the timing isn't necessarily when you want it.  But, in the end, it is perfect timing when it DOES  happen and you are ready to effortlessly move into a new adventure in this strange thing we call "life".


Note - I just read that Jack Horkheimer passed away on August 20, 2010 at the age of 72.  I am so glad that I was able to catch that interview with him.

2012

With all of the hype that has been building over the last decade over the importance of the year 2012, I have reached my own conclusion as to what the significance of the date relates to.

After reading many viewpoints from the ancient Maya to New Age beliefs, science and many hypotheses in between, I believe that we have been experiencing a collective change as a species for a while now.  It has been quickening though, paralleling Terence Mackenna's Time Wave Zero theory, a true galactic alignment of our galaxy and the influx of information today that is literally changing us into something different.

The world is not going to end physically Dec 21, 2012.  It is just changing from what we have known it be.  It has been going on for a while and will not magically change on that date at midnight.
The Maya created their calendars with a precision that truly astounds us for the time period that they existed on the planet.   Being scientists, astronomers and mathematicians, I believe that they were able to perceive the patterns and cycles that everything goes through on our planet and our galaxy.  Their calendar ends as we know it, but everything continues in a higher octave resonance of being.  That is the new beginning.

The old way of thinking and living doesn't fit and we are forced to change.  To some, it will seem like the end of the world and to others it will seem like a new beginning of existence.  It will depend on your point of view and how enlightened you have become in your journey as a spirit in material form.  Energy cannot be destroyed, it just changes form and continues to exist indefinitely.

As an intuitive, I sense that something is about.  I can feel it in the many synchronistic events I have personally experienced that are beyond simple coincidence but are particular and unique to my journey in this lifetime.

Just keep an open mind and trust your intuition, for it is one the most important aspects of your being.  You will know that which resonates with the truth when you see, hear and feel it.  Stay in a heightened alpha state by expanding your mind with Art and Music and express yourself creatively by manifesting thought and imagination in a physical form.  Meditate and embrace quiet solitude with peacefulness  and soul introspection.  And surround yourself with positive energy in your thoughts, actions and words.

This is an exciting time to be alive!

Synchronicity

I have had so many events in my life that were riddled with Synchronicity that a friend once told me in response to the latest happening:  "Of course that happened.  Am I supposed to be surprised?  I have just come to expect that from you."

I can remember back in 1997 when the guitarist in my band blurted out something about Synchronicity and I had know idea what he was talking about.  Actually, I met him based on Synchronicity!  Earlier that week, I had compiled a list of my favorite bands on a piece of paper and put it in my wallet.  That Saturday night, I ended up going to see another friend's band in a club I had never been to before in Deep Ellum in Dallas.

I started talking to a taper at the show and we started talking about music and my keyboard background and he directed me to talk to some guy who was in the crowd taping also.  He was interested in playing music and possibly starting a band.  I walked up to him and he asked what kind of music I liked.  I said "Funny that you ask...".  So I reached into my wallet and handed him the piece of paper that had something like 100 bands written on it. He started examining my list and realized that we both liked a lot of the same bands and music.  I was impressed when he actually knew who Ozric Tentacles was!  Some of the BEST Ethnic Psychedelic Space Rock this side of Pleaides!  Both of us loved Primus, Rush, Zappa, Genesis, Pink Floyd, etc.

Well, we ended forming the Dallas-Based Progressive Trance-Fusion band Magpu in 1998 and the rest is history.

Take Wrong Turns...Talk To Strangers

I have always been a fan of turning left when you would normally turn right.
Intuition guides many of the choices I have made in life.  Synchronicity appears when I have made these choices and life becomes amazing beyond a sheer coincidence.  Only in hindsight do I realize how everything is truly connected and that you need to "keep on keeping on".  Don't let situations in your life paralyze you - believe me, I know how difficult it is to try to keep positive in the midst of darkeness.
And be sure to discover your passions in life.  Follow Your Bliss!

Here are some amazing words of inspiration from Randall Munroe and Rev. Michael Piazza:
Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out. - There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.
~ Randall Munroe

While we seek to discern God's vision for our lives, it is easy to get caught in inertia, to be frozen in place by the sense that we can't move until we know exactly where to go. This is tempting: to take a break from the journey until we have checked all the maps, the GPS, the Internet for directions, and are absolutely certain of our direction and next steps. However, many of us have stories where we did all of those things and ended up at a dead end or, in my personal experience, in the middle of a field.
Even when we feel certain of the future, the future is never set in stone. God does not need us to have it all figured out to call us toward a particular vision. We don't have to stay still to know God. God calls us to live, to love, and to learn as much as we can in the process.
Visioning can take time, if we do it right. In the meantime, we must worship joyfully. We must pray without ceasing. We must build community by laughing and weeping together for days, months, years on end. We must continue our adventures in living and loving that brought us here and will carry us into our future. It is in worship, in prayer, in community, and in life and love that we will most clearly hear God's call, see what God's next steps for us might be, and find sustenance for our journey toward God's vision. This is the way it always has been for God's people, and this is the way it will be for us.

God of action and reflection, keep us unfrozen as we seek your vision for our lives. Dare us to move, challenge us to adventure, urge us to journey on. Be with us on all of our adventures of life, showing us your way whenever we are able to see you in our midst. Amen
~ Rev. Michael Piazza