A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine.  July Theme: "Flow"   Volume 1 Issue 5  ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Deborah Koff-Chapin Putting a Price Tag on Nature David Suzuki PhD Meaningless Words… Thoughts of a Reader Jackie Sedwick The Flow of Parenting Abby Brannstrom Spiritual Flow - Ordinary Moments Cheryl Jewett What would YOU take? David Reber Tarot: From the Mind of Humankind… Jeannette Roth The Envelope, Please... A Profile Featuring: Dawn Baumann Brunke Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Tales of a Country Vet Dr. Bruce Burton DVM Poetic License Featuring: Marriah Secrist Aunty Nasty Nasturtium Blackwitt Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson Magik'ly Speaking… Elizabeth Abernathy Margarete Peterson Tarot Margarete Peterson Pandora's Tarot Emile Scheherzade, Stella Bon Voyage Freshies Cloth Menstrual Pads Kendell Schafer The Nahualli Oracle Caelum Rainieri and Ivory Andersen The Book of African Divination Raymond Buckland and Kathleen Binger

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Currently I'm working with a client ordered into mandatory counselling after being prosecuted for shoplifting; and trying to get her to realise how her actions have disturbed the 'flow' of her life is a real challenge.

Every ripple in a pond causes a reaction somewhere in the scheme of Nature's balance, and we have had many chats about how far the effects of her little escapade may have actually reached. Now she has a criminal record, which will go against her for many years into her future. Bank loans for a mortgage, credit card applications, and Customs officers at a National Border… all will be permanently affected by this one thoughtless act of shoplifting.

This particular young lady stole from a large supermarket, even though she was aware of the security cameras recording her every move. Oblivious to the consequences, she reasoned it was only a candy bar - and the store was part of a huge chain - and surely one little candy bar wouldn't make any difference to them. Wrong! Wrong! and wrong again!

Think about this - you are shopping in the supermarket, and oh boy, lucky you! One of the things on your list is on special at a really great price. So you make a mental note of the sale price, and later, as you're going through the checkout, idly watching the LCD display as the cashier rings the items through - and OIY! she charges you the regular price for the item.

Now you know it's on sale, so you stop her and point out her error. Well of course; otherwise you feel you are being taken advantage of - right? To make the point more blunt; you feel she is stealing from you. Oh, it was only a few pennies, but you aren't going to let anyone get away with mistakes like that, are you?

Let's look at it from the opposite angle. The cashier rings in the goods, you pay, and she gives you too much change! Are you going to speak up and right the wrong, or are you going to put the change in your pocket or purse and get out of the store as fast as your cheating little legs will carry you?

So now tell me, how does the last scenario differ from out-and-out shoplifting, or stealing? IT DOESN'T. If you knowingly accept too much change and walk away, you are still stealing, no matter how you look at it.

You see; every action has ramifications somewhere else. Let's say, for instance, you accepted too much change and quickly walked away. When the cashier comes to the end of her shift, she has to cash out before handing over the till. We already know her till won't balance; because she's going to be out at least the amount too much she gave you.

In some establishments, the cashier may not leave until the till balances - and so she might have to re-count or ring-off again and again, trying to find where the missing money is. We know. You've got it. But eventually, it is the cashier who has to put it in, out of her own pocket. By accepting too much change, you have stolen from the cashier, as well as the store.

What if it took her an extra hour, trying to figure it out? Would the store have to pay her overtime? Would she be late getting home and maybe miss out on seeing her children before they went to bed that night? How else might your thoughtlessness cost someone else time and money?

See what I mean about our actions having far-reaching consequences?

'Flow' implies un-interrupted movement - un-obstructed passage smoothly from one moment to the next. We can enjoy this condition in our lives if we pay attention to each happening, and recognise the importance of how each thing we do affects other people.

No matter how you describe it - whether you call it ripples in a pond, the flutter of a butterfly's wing, the practice of living with integrity - it all boils down to the same message as so aptly quoted in our Good Book - "Thou shalt NOT steal!"

Practising honesty and flow doesn't just affect the other guy… we reap what we sow!

It's as simple as that.

Ms. Blackwitt is a noted psychologist who specialises in dysfunctional behavioural and abnormal sociological interaction. Her column features insightful commentaries on familial relationships, as viewed from her unique perspective.

Affectionately known as 'Aunty Nasty', amongst her many honours and awards are a Ph. D in 'Mammalian Excretement Dispersal' and a Degree of Familiarity with The Ministry of Human Remains and Dysfunctional Families.

Ms.Blackwitt also served in the Armed Forces on a 6-year tour of duty as a Diplomatic Peace-Keeper in Washington, D.C., during which time she rose to the top of her team, quickly attaining the exalted rank of Private, and was subsequently transferred to Bikini Atoll, (with undisclosed rank) where she gained extensive hands-on experience in Mammalian Excrement.

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