ANNOUNCING MY NEW BOOK
MIDNIGHT RAINBOWS, A Memoir
With messages from my Spiritual Quest.
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Upon Purchase you will receive an email containing a link to a PDF file, which includes a link to download the book itself.
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IT’S AUDIO AND IT’S READY….at last after many unavoidable delays and detours, including a necessary change in title. I am grateful for the patience of the supporters who have continued to believe in this book.
In it I invite you into my world from, childhood to this moment. My prayer is that it will encourage you to review and deepen awareness of your journey and your rightful identity as a son or daughter of the Mother-Father-God of us all.
My life from childhood to present moment has been inseparable from the quest to grow through all of life’s experiences; to discover and seek practices that reinforce that right identity for myself.
For over forty years I have been privileged to be invited into people’s lives as a spiritual counselor and teacher. I have had the privilege of teaching workshops across America and several European countries. Included in the book are stories and lessons learned from this wide range of experiences.
The more I wrote the more I realized how everything in our lives reflects our deepest Spiritual Intentions, even the things that appear unrelated at the time. Since the quest started for me as a young child, the inspirations, answers and guidance followed my path through the ups and downs of Karma, the detours and conflicts, disappointments and challenges as well as the joys and richness of blessings.
The book is divided into four sections with several chapters in each section:
All The Way to Heaven is Heaven
My Personal Power Trinity
Saying Yes to the Mission and the Moment
Becoming An Ancestor
I am including the table of contents on my website. In the book they are named with each of the four sections. That will make it easy to mark your place in listening.
I think the instructions are clear on purchasing and downloading. In time I will be producing a print version.
There are so many people I wish to thank for their participation. Of necessity I am confined to a few for now:
Gabrielle Beard for setting up funding through Women and Wisdom Foundation that allowed me the time to write.
Leslie Karpinski for her beautiful art work that is the book’s cover.
Laurinel Owen for creating a stunning original cello song for the book.
Ivan PotterSmith for his artistic sensitivity in design and preparation for downloading.
Frank Martin for his skillful recording of the book.
Teresa Webb, Assistant and mistress of detail
An Excerpt from Midnight Rainbows
One of the things I loved about the property I bought in 1990 was a grove of trees in the backyard, many of them quite large. Then in 2005 there was an hugh ice storm that lasted for days. Nine trees fell during that storm. It was a total mess for weeks. I was sad as I watched these beautiful trees lying all over each other. And I noted gratefully that several around the edges had not fallen.
In the spring the stumps were removed, the accompanying mess cleared up, and much to my surprise and delight, the result was a circle of growth that had not been destroyed. A large stand of bamboo shaped one side of the circle. Several dogwoods were alive and well on another side. A very old Azalea bush several feet high had survived, even a Japanese maple still made it through and stood at what quickly became the entrance to a garden.
Out of the ice storm and its destruction emerged a very special place that has become a sacred sanctuary and a refuge for meditation and relaxation.
We all live with unpredictability, sometimes having our dreams or expectations usurped by changing circumstances in our careers, health, relationships or just being part of a world undergoing rapid changes. In counseling I have observed that unpredictability is frequently an underlying fear with a lot of people. It is first cousin to the fear of not being in control.
Sometimes one’s spirit is redirecting plans when existing ones have either been completed or outgrown. I found that my internalized conditioned programs gradually dissolved . The operative word is “gradually.” However the destruction came, it was creating the possibility for larger dreams to emerge from my soul.
An earthquake that seemingly destroys everything often also brings hidden treasures to the surface through the eruptions. The riches that lies deep in the earth under layers of soil and rock is thin compared to the mystery of the human mind and spirit within which lies great treasure, sometimes uncovered through a great personal storm that brings it to the surface after it has ripped up the outer landscape.
In the middle of the destructive dynamics that happen in our lives, at first we can often only see and feel loss, sadness and disappointments, the process seemingly mindless as things fall apart. Actually they are often clearing the way for the next stage in our incarnation. But at the point of destructive moments we don’t have the perspective or awareness of what is possibly being created deep in the garden of our soul that will manifest in ways only time will reveal. And that calls for faith and patience. One thing is sacrificed that another is born.
CHECK OUT THIS UNIQUE GIFT OFFERING
When a visionary and a nature lover meet in the creative imagination of a gifted and experienced artist you have magic. And that is what we find in all the expressions of Leslie Karpinski’s illustrious contributions to our world: canvasses large and small, digital prints, and now her latest offering - unique canvas tote bags, imprinted with stunning images from her art and other branded products. Leslie’s work is not only recognized for her mastery of artistic skills but also for her ability to capture and interpret her love and sensitivity of the essence of all life in all its expressions, from the heavens to the forests and wildflowers while also seeing the ever present sacred geometry.
Below is a sample of the Tote, Healing from the Storm, a unique Christmas gift for your art loving friends and family….and for yourself. To purchase the tote below, click here. Also, be sure to browse all of Leslie’s offerings on her product website.
—— Gloria
Leslie’s Bio:
North Carolina native Leslie Karpinski has spent her lifetime painting, drawing, and creating as an artist. With a formal education from East Carolina University from the Painting and Drawing Department, Leslie’s work is an exploration of her love for the outdoors, geometry, color and surface of the canvas. Her work is in many regional corporations and private collections. She has taught classes for adults and children in painting, drawing, mixed media, surface-design, soft-sculpture, and has conducted workshops on creativity. She is currently painting a body of work which explores hiking trails, mountains and eastern coastal areas. Her love for green spaces inspires the subject matter in her work and the materials used in the creative process add to the style and energy one sees in her paintings.
Leslie & tote with one of her beloved trees.
LISTEN TO GLORIA’S LATEST PODCAST
Gloria was interviewed by actor, inter-spiritual minister and luminary leader, Reverend Sandra Bargman.
Listen to the podcast at TALKRADIO.NYC.
You can also access on YouTube.
AFFIRMING MY INTENTIONS
In December 2020, I was honored and delighted to be ordained as a minister by The Center for Sacred Studies (CSS). The photo below was taken at ordination. I have been privileged to be one of their guest teachers for many years. My second book BAREFOOT ON HOLY GROUND is used as one of the texts for their second year seminary students. Year after year they send forth well-trained ministers into the world to fulfill their roles as teachers, counselors, healers and conscious beings in service through whatever role they have in the world. I am totally in sync with the vision and the pragmatic application of universal principles demonstrated in the CSS philosophy and programs.
I was originally ordained by the International Church of Ageless Wisdom when my healing and counseling first began in 1977. That organization dissolved a few years ago after many decades of successfully supporting ministers to the emerging new paradigm shifts.
Gloria and ordination altar - December 2021
THE PERFECT MINISTRY OF TREES
Between 7 and 14 years old I attended a girl scout camp. Every Sunday we would walk through a corridor of overlapping trees and sing, “I Know a Green Cathedral.” The song and the experience of the trees impacted me deeply. Through the years that song would echo in my mind. Last year I looked up the lyrics. Then a friend who is a singer recorded it for me. Be sure to listen to the audio below.
I know a green cathedral, a shadowed forest shrine.
Where leaves in love join hands above and arch your prayer and mine.
Within its cool depths sacred, the priestly cedar signs.
And the fire and pine life arms divine, into the pure skies.
In my dear green cathedral, there is a sheltered seat.
And choir loft in branched croft, where songs of bird hymns sweet.
And I like to dream of evening, when the stars its arched light, that my Lord and God treads its hallowed sod in the cool calm piece of night.
I celebrate our standing, green relatives. From my first love affair with a tree in my childhood backyard that served as getaway and personal library for reading to the double cherry tree that blesses me every spring with its abundance of pink flowers, special trees have been part of my life. Ask anyone if they have special tree memories and generally a story of a favorite one will follow.
As we honor them on Arbor Day this year let us be grateful for their gift of life on our planet and dedicate ourselves to their preservation. You might plant a tree in memorial, to honor a birth, marriage or significant passage for yourself or one you love. I planted trees for each my grandchildren.
Be sure to read more about “The Perfect Ministry of Trees” on my Shared Thoughts Page.
podcast: The nature of initiation in the west
Recently, Gloria was invited to participate in the podcast series, The Voices of Wisdom Project, hosted by Vicky Aldana. The title of Gloria’s podcast is titled The Nature of Initiation in the West.
In Vicky’s words: In this podcast series, I’ll highlight what I’ve learned from my female elders. Why interview my female elders? I believe that our world badly needs the mentorship, wisdom, truth and support from our elders and that it’s a key piece in a society’s collective healing and reconciliation. I see true elders as the custodians of a society’s wisdom, and when we learn to really listen to their wisdom, we begin to awaken to the answers we’re looking for. Enjoy these interviews, as we restore divine order together.
The podcast is available on Spotify and iTunes.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3WMbiqmbYuJFynAqLkLljJ?si=2PmXEm67SKyYgZdhOkxO8Q
KISS OF AN ANGEL
Years ago, I took my granddaughter, then 18 months old, into my meditation garden. I turned around to see her sitting in front of an angel statue, answering the angel’s kiss with one of her own. Fortunately, I had my cell phone in hand and caught the moment.
With love,
Gloria
CONTACT INFORMATION UPDATE
For inquiries about Spiritual Directions sessions, workshops, classes, etc., please email centercircle@triad.rr.com.
If your contact information has changed since we last heard from you, please email centercircle@triad.rr.com with your most recent email address and phone number. Thank you!
Gloria Karpinski, 2018.
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~MESSAGES FROM THE GARDEN~
Messages from the Garden are inspiration and guidance from Spirit. Please enjoy this gift....
From my heart to yours,
Gloria
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“Trees make my heart sing! They are co-inhabitants and co-creators helping to make balance in our world. Loving Consciousness with roots!”
Quote and photo by Lea Lackey-Zachmann
