We all want to live in harmony, but many people confuse the absence of change with peace. In order to experience authentic peace - both within oneself and with other people and nations - one must be willing to experience the bouts of tension and discomfort that accompany transformation. Constant harmony does not exist and the idea that it should is a myth.

Take weather for example. Most of us consider clear blue skies to be ideal, but storm clouds eventually roll in, bringing needed moisture and clearing the air. Harmony in any given climate does not come from the absence of stormy weather, but arises out of the dance between clear skies and dark clouds. The same is true within individuals - harmony is not the absence of heavy emotions and periodic discomfort, but the outcome of embracing all our emotions, knowing that they come and go like the weather.

- Excerpted from upcoming Portals of Peace

Once in meditation I received the impression of God being closer than my breath. Think about it - closer than your breath - that's pretty darn close. Since then, I've been deeply comforted by the whole idea. But it's more than him being closer than our breath, God is our breath, our cells, and the air around us.

Even though we all know God is not a man with a beard living "out there" somewhere, this idea is deeply held in our collective consciousness, doing us a huge disservice. I believe it is the reason we so often pursue happiness outside ourselves. Those of you who read Opening to Life may remember me talking about "the treadmill effect" - us chasing our spirit, but never finding it.

What if we experienced the fullness of God in every breath and even in between breaths? What if we knew that the substance of our being is the same substance that creates everything else, and therefore that, in truth, we are in need of nothing? This is our evolutionary point right now. We are moving from duality to integration - from chasing life to embodying and expressing it.

Next time you find yourself wanting something that you don't have, try taking a deep breath and then receiving the energetic quality of whatever you're seeking. God truly is closer than your breath, waiting to be received in all Her glory;)

There was so much good dialogue generated on the last will power post that I wanted to share some of it with you.

One of our frequent visitors, Ms. Melissa shared that the tricky part about will power is using it in a way that is aligned with your higher self. I whole-heartedly agree. When will power is used to try and puff up the ego (ie. restricting oneself only to look perfect or working hard simply for power or money) it can actually undermine authentic growth and spiritual evolution. My experience is that if your will is not aligned with your higher self it is not sustainable and will eventually backfire.

Ms. Gabi - another wise one - shared that as a body worker, she has observed that a nice balance between core strength and core flexibility correlates with being both powerful and graceful in life (I'm paraphrasing). She suspects that over-developed core strength correlates with being too "guarded" with one's emotions and an underdeveloped core correlates with being too "open." Good stuff - I have a hunch that the same is true for will power. Too much will in the wrong areas suffocates life, while too little disperses it prematurely, leaving one powerless...

Finally, we had a new visitor named Vincent who left an insightful comment about the three levels of will. First, there's having the will to say "no" to what's bad for you - junk food, over-spending, etc. The second level is saying "yes" to what is good for you - exercising, saving, eating healthy. The third level is using your will to control your thoughts and emotions. When negativity takes over, he recommends stilling your body and thinking of nothing until the emotion dissipates. He goes on to say:

"When you've mastered all three levels of self control, a feeling so wonderful and strong persists inside. The feeling provides an incomparable joy, much greater than that Twinkie or new pair of shoes could ever temporarily disguise as. The feeling is not at all fleeting, but strong, whole and permanent. And fuels you with an unparalleled power."

Thanks guys - I'm truly inspired.

Being spiritually oriented, I used to have a problem with the whole idea of will power. It felt like muscling through something rather than gracefully moving toward a goal. Now that I understand the energy centers in the body, I know what it means to have will power and why it's so important.

The energy center of will is located in your solar plexus, which is around your abdomen. The chakra below that is the creative/procreative energy center, which is driven by desire. The creative center is impulsive - like a wild animal. It wants to experience pleasure of all kind and RIGHT NOW. Because we live in an immediate gratification society, many of us give in to our desires at the expense of our overall well being. For example, having the goal to save money, but then stumbling upon a great pair of shoes that you can't live without. Or, wanting to lose weight only to give into the temptation as you walk by a plate of pastries at work.

Your will is strengthened each time you don't give in to the impulsive, self-defeating desires of your second chakra. Every time you say "No" to the untamed animal in side you, the energy in your body is able to rise up toward your abdomen where it accumulates and becomes power. Hence the term, will power.

Giving in to the impulses of your pleasure center (sacral chakra), causes the energy that's meant to fill you up from the inside and nourish you, to prematurely release in favor of immediate gratification. So the insane game goes like this: Energy rises within your body to fill you up prior to extending into the world as your light, but the thrill of some impulsive behavior tricks you into thinking you'll get immediate energy if you go for it. Giving into whatever impulse is in front of you releases the energy that's meant to fill you up, before it even makes it to your solar plexus. You may get a short thrill from feeding the impulse monster, but you lose vital energy which leaves you more powerless to make the right choice next time.

Expect the first couple of times you say no to your impulsive self to be difficult. The knowledge of how it all works does not take away cravings. Success does however, and it doesn't take much success to fill you with the power you need to make good choices effortlessly. One final piece of inspiration: Once enough energy collects in your solar plexus it can begin to rise up to your heart, which is when the real fun begins!