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By Kasia Szumal
Image courtesy of Laura Milnor Iverson, Rising Phoenix, zenbreeze.com
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” ~Rumi
When I hear the word phoenix, the first thought that comes to me is a new beginning, starting something fresh, a shift, and a big change. The Phoenix, according to Wikipedia, is a bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn, … and arises from the ashes of its predecessor. This change happened to me in a moment when I was not expecting it.
As many of you know by reading previous issues, and/or this issue of Conscious Community Magazine, Walter Perschke was the Publisher of The Monthly Aspectarian/Conscious Community Magazine since 2012, and I was the Circulation Manager. I worked closely with Walter for the past nine years, and we had an awesome time, laughing, building, creating, sharing, and celebrating life.
On Friday, May 20th, there was a HUGE change that happened to me. Walter passed away. My friend, my spiritual teacher and business advisor died. I was not expecting this to happen; I believed that Walter would heal from his cancer surgery, and we would continue working together. If you read the “Cosmic Daily Weather” column by Kaye Berjot for May 20th, you will read, “The Moon is hanging out in Scorpio today, and is helping to form the second of two astrological kites. When the Moon is in Scorpio it can be a sobering effect, because something could be coming to an end. On the flipside of that, something new is set to begin, and as soon as Mercury goes direct you’ll get a better glimpse at what that new thing is.”
That was the moment when everything changed for me for good.
As many of you may know, I am on my spiritual path for 33 years, and I am the “Millennial Generation,” or Generation Y. I believe that there are no accidents in life, but only experiences that our souls picked before we were born, for our spiritual growth. I want to share with you what happened exactly one week before Walter passed away. On Friday, May 13th, I decided that I needed to clean up my room, and I started with a closet where I had all my spiritual magazines that I’ve been collecting for decades. I’ve moved twice in my life, and both times, I took those magazines with me. I could not let them go. That day, something shifted in me, and I was ready to recycle all of those magazines without hesitation.
A week later, Walter passed away, and my inner voice wanted to reflect on something that happened a week earlier. I sat down and reflected, and I got the answer: “Kasia, by recycling all of those spiritual magazines, you created a space for your own magazine, and all of the answers are inside you, not outside you.” It was a “blow away” discovery for me, even though I did not know that Walter wanted me to continue Conscious Community Magazine. I never thought that I would become the Publisher, even though I got spiritual messages from my guides a year prior to Walter’s death.
Friday the 13th is very significant for me. I got all of my amazing opportunities on Friday 13th!
What I learned again this time, is to TRUST every aspect on your journey, and know that you are guided to become an enlightened person; everything that is happening to you right now are experiences that your soul picked before you born, to experience in this life. Enjoy your ride! Embrace all difficulties and smile, because in the end you will be happy with who you have become.
My Phoenix is rising so high, and I am excited for the future! I know that I am ready for it, and I hope you will be with me on my journey as well! Let’s fly together, and make this world a place we want to live in.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
I asked a few of my friends what “a rising of the Phoenix” means for them, and here are some of their answers:
“My generation has learned to deal with negative situations, like the recent shootings, and rise up beyond them, with even stronger positive action. For example: people will get tattoos to remind themselves that the person they are now hasn’t lost (sic) – they are just a new, stronger version of themselves. Our generation believes that power can drive a human more than fear.” Bernadette
“Getting rid of all kinds of FEARS and calmly, confidently, taking steps forward.” Katarzyna
“We have to be willing to feel pain, and embrace death in order to grow.” Kayla
“If there's any lesson to be learned from the symbolic Phoenix, it's that transformation can occur even in seemingly simple scenarios–but only through awareness of our ashes can we alter the rate at which our evolving energies rise.” Crystal
If you would like to assist me in continuing to support this legacy that was nearest and dearest to his heart, please donate on the website: www.ConsciousCommunityMagazine.com, or by sending checks or money orders to: Conscious Community Magazine, 47 W Polk Street, Suite 153, Chicago, IL 60605. Thank you all for your support.
Kasia Szumal is the new Publisher of the award-winning Conscious Community Magazine, formerly The Monthly Aspectarian, a co-organizer of The Conscious Connection Conference, Faeries and Knights Festival, and Serendipity Festival. She is also a healer, Reiki practitioner, and a student of life. If you have any comments or questions, please email: [email protected].
