Here at Beyond Within Towers, we often discuss how spiritual themes are present in music, art and literature. Most of the human race like to express themselves in their surroundings, and as to the few who eschew a personal style.. well, that is another (pending) blog

Simon Meola is an up-and-coming Australian musician-and-artist worthy of your attention. I’m no art critic but his work encompasses themes similar to those found in the creations of Alex Grey, M C Escher, Gerald Scarfe and Salvador Dali

A particular favourite is “Veil to Veil” which illustrates this blog post. The bold, bright colors and organic feel remind me of my personal deck of Tarot cards, the Neuzeit Tarot.

If you like to decorate your environment with insightful art, that reflects your path as a seeker then take a look at Simon’s work. He displays an astonishing array of artworks, so I am sure there will be a painting among them that you will fall in love with

“Veil to Veil” reproduced with thanks to Simon Meola at “Dimension of Art”, http://www.simonmeola.blogspot.com/

–Gehenna

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With so many spiritual websites out there emphasising positivity, it is no wonder so many of us feel like we have failed at life when we wake up feeling less than love-and-light-y.

For those practising the “Law of Attraction” there are dire warnings against negativity, and thus manifesting what you do not want.

Of course, feeling good is important ..but for it’s own sake first and foremost. Changing your life circumstances is the long-term goal, but it should be remembered that happiness comes from within.. your circumstances are the symptom, not the cure.

In my experience, it doesn’t help to plaster on a smiley face and repress your problems.. they are still playing out internally and causing you pain.

Crappy emotions are a sign something is wrong, much like pain indicates an injury to your body. As you would salve your wounds, so you need to address the issues which are causing you emotional pain.

I find that giving the negative emotions a voice; allowing them expression, is cathartic and doesn’t scupper your long-term goals of improving your vibration. To indulge the odd day of unhappiness is to release it from your experience. We are so afraid to be human, and we really shouldn’t be. To deny a part of ourselves only makes it more determined to show up, and play out in a way you have no say in.

If you wake up and feel overwhelmed by sadness, jealousy or anything else that makes you feel less than smiley, try one of these techniques:

Play some music which reflects the emotions you are experiencing.
Draw or doodle your thoughts.
Cry and scream, or punch pillows.

..but most of all, do not beat yourself up for being human!

By practising these techniques you’ll soon realise how much energy it takes to feel bad.. and you’ll learn that letting off steam regularly is healthier for you than bottling it up.

Raising your vibration isn’t about having an unbroken string of joyful and abundant days.. it’s about loving yourself, warts and all

Originally written for, and published in EarthSpirit Tarot’s newsletter.

–Gehenna

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Whatever religion, creed or path you follow, a “dark night of the soul” is inevitable. There is no such thing as an unshakeable belief. Life happens in all it’s glory.. the highest highs, and deepest lows, and sometimes when we turn to our higher power for answers, none are forthcoming. None that we like, anyway

It may feel as though you have been abandoned in your time of need. You question everything, and you feel stupid for believing in something greater than yourself.

So, how can you re-ignite your faith when you feel so let down? There is no easy answer.. but here’s my 2 cents:

Think of yourself as the child, and your belief system as the parent. Now think on what “guidance” means.. and what it is not.

As a parent, I am tasked with guiding my children. I support them as they grow and learn, and I’m there to fix the bloody knees and runny noses. As they get older, I take a step back. I’ve given them the knowledge and tools to make their own way in life, and to fight their own battles. I’m still there to dispense love and comfort, and a offer a listening ear.

Sure, I could wave the magic mummy wand and step in to a playground disagreement, and in later years pay off the overdraft or have words with the mean scary boss.. and don’t those scenarios look ever more controlling and unhealthy?

To quote from the popular movie Deep Impact; God hears all prayers, even if the answer is sometimes “No”. Every parent says “no” to their child at some stage, for good reason. Material support might not be an option, but they can always offer emotional support.

As your creator, your higher power gave you life and free will. You were born to experience life, to grow, love, learn and achieve. Your higher help is still there, cheering you on through hard times, willing you to make it over the obstacles so that you can know the joy of a victory well-earned. Maybe you have shut out that voice in your anger and frustration?

Do not let hurt and pain blind you to all those times that your “parent” stepped in and gave you a helping hand. Life has many lessons, and the point of them isn’t often clear until some time later.

It is in our darkest hour that we need to use the faith, tools and lessons of easier times. Open your heart, mind and intuition ..in the midst of chaos you will find calm, strength, endurance ..and you will know that you are not alone.

Originally written for, and published in EarthSpirit Tarot’s newsletter.

–Gehenna

Popularity: 5% [?]

Hello, Gehenna here. I was giving a friend a pep talk earlier and realised that it applied to me too. So here is an explanation of why our prices have gone up..

We have been online doing what we do for TWO WHOLE YEARS now. If Beyond Within were a toddler, he’d be one who is walking with confidence and seeking to branch out into bigger projects. Probably chocolate smeared ones

We kept our prices low at first to attract customers.. newbies don’t have the benefit of a reputation to get them work. Well, we are newbies no more and have worked with many clients, for whom we are exceedingly grateful. We worked hard to build our reputation, and thanks to word-of-mouth from repeat clients and friends we are becoming well-known. Thanks guys

There are some pretty damn fine psychics out there that charge peppercorn rates.. however low prices often mean the service offered is misinterpreted by potential customers as “shit, low-quality and amateurish”.

I value my time. Performing the work I do is taking increasingly more of my day, which is fine with me.. but I put a *lot* of my energy into my work and it can be quite draining. The new price structure reflects this. Please read this post if you have any doubts at all about why you should pay for psychic services or energy work.

–Gehenna

Popularity: 5% [?]

I have nothing against religion. I count some pretty devout Christians, Pagans and Thelemites among my friends. I do however hold a beef against people who use their religion like a giant self-righteous hitting stick. If you are going to use Jesus/Pan/Crowley/Cthulhu or Zoroaster as your tag team partner please keep up-to-date with their latest developments

We have a site FAQ. It isn’t there to look pretty. We try and answer as many of your questions as we can so that if you message for help, we aren’t spending our, and your, valuable time explaining who we are and what we stand for.
*I*, Gehenna, yes that’s G-E-H-E-N-N-A, really do not want to spend my work and email time explaining the 20+ years of pop culture and arcane religious references behind the name, that hold a deep enough meaning for me to use it as my online alias. It is there in a simplified form on the FAQ.

If you don’t like our vibe, then don’t read us and don’t buy from us. Simple. We debated long and had a drink or two.. hard about how we should represent ourselves on our site. Did we want to be businesslike? HELL no!

Who we are is important to us. Our testimonials often mention that we come across as people our clients can relate to. I am not willing to compromise my identity for the sake of a sale, nor will I spend hours of back-and-forthing explaining myself to people who cannot be bothered to understand their own religion.

I recently posted an unmoderated blog comment denouncing us as clowns and scammers (written by someone perturbed by my choice of name) on my personal facebook page.

Here are some responses:

SH–good response, not worth taking the time to explain the unexplainable to the ignorant and irrelevant…

SMcB–A lot of people miss the one, main positive of the meaning of Gehenna – Gehenna symbolizes the process of PURIFICATION through fire (whether that be energetic fire, violet flame, etc) People like him just google the word and pick the first few descriptions without actually taking the time to read and understand.

Me-^this. And They also miss the AD&D stuff

SMcB–Hell yeah! Or should I say Gehenna yeah LOL – You can find a few sources for this if you google Gehenna and Purification but there will always be some dork who blocks out the rest and goes straight for for the “hell and damnation” meaning.

One example is the story of TOPHET AND MOLECH IN HINNOM “During the twelve-month period in Gehenna, the soul goes through a process of purification and atonement”

LtG–He probably knows SO little about his own religion that he doesn’t realize gehenna is a REAL place outside Jerusalem and there IS NO HELL. Jews don’t acknowledge one, nor do they acknowledge any devil character.

LW–evil in who’s eyes huh? Lack of understanding ANYTHING is the biggest problem in this world. Too many morons, who know NOTHING with far too much to say on things they will never understand.

………………………………………….

It should be noted that although this person has never bought any of services they would advise you “not to buy from these clowns or you’ll live to regret it“. Consider yourselves warned! *Leers scarily at you*

My advice to anyone curious about us would be to open your minds and leave your preconceptions at the door. Read our site. If you like us as people then it is highly likely we will be happy to work with you. If you feel that we are evil then please google for someone who will be better suited to meet your needs.

A name is just a name. After all, do you think xXxSexy-hot-babe69xXx is really a hot 21yr old?

For the record, I am female, which is pretty obvious if you read the “about us” page. Not “he” as our disgruntled reading-shy friend kept repeating.

*This has been a public service announcement and a free tutorial in using Google search.*

–Gehenna

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