You haven’t heard from me for a few weeks and that’s because, as the world is dealing with the chaos of change, I’ve been going through my own transformation, and I’d like to share something with you because I think some of you can relate.

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding that I’m feeling a bit disoriented by the cloud of uncertainty that hovers over everything now. Since I believe that opportunity can be found within every situation, I asked how I could benefit from the evolutionary change that our financial and political systems are going through.

I realized that this is the perfect time to latch onto the energy of transformation and allow myself to be more honest about who I am and what matters to me. You see, I’ve been hiding a part of myself–it’s sort of my secret. And I finally woke up to the fact that if I’m not willing to be totally honest about who I am, then I’m abandoning a part of myself, which can only affect me in a negative way.

And I bet more than one of you out there feels like you’re hiding too.

Although I focus my work on money and emotions, it’s really the spiritual part of my life that matters to me. When I was “homeless,” I perceived it as a spiritual journey that allowed me to get in touch with the inner guidance that I know we all have. Because I owned nothing and was attached to nothing, I could let my mind and spirit roam into uncharted territory, which I did.

On my journey, I had inter-dimensional experiences that, if someone else were to tell me the story, I’d probably think they were delusional. I wasn’t, and the experiences were real yet totally unexplainable through logical means. I came away from that period of my life with a deep, deep knowing that we are not alone, and my personal journey now is about how to enhance my relationship with that Force that guides us.

I often have synchronistic experiences that validate for me how we are all connected through an invisible communication grid that we can learn to use at will. It takes practice and patience, but it is there for anyone who is willing to suspend their disbelief and open themselves to alternate realities.

My purpose for writing today is just to connect and let you know that I’m contemplating how I want to present the knowledge that I have gained over the last 30 years. My broadened point of view allows me to be in the world but not of it so I can experience what’s going from a detached point of view. This allows for being in a peaceful place in the midst of the chaos.

As the Build Your Money Muscles for Financial Strength & Security Program is evolving, starting in the fourth month, I’m introducing this new material. I haven’t mentioned it yet in the description of the program, but will by the middle of next month.

In the meantime, on Decemeber 26th at noon EST, 9 am Pacific, on my BlogTalkRadio.com show, I’m going to tell some of my story. I’ve been told by those who have heard parts of it that the story is inspiring and certainly interesting. If you’d like, you can listen live or download later at http://BlogTalkRadio.com/JoanSotkin

I hope you all have a peaceful holiday and look forward to communicating with you next year.

According to Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) who was interviewed on the Thom Hartman Radio Show on Air America (9/26), during the Bush administration 400 of the richest Americans increased this wealth by a total of $670 Billion. That’s an astounding concentration of wealth.

The news is not all good for the uber-rich because the value of their assets are decreasing during the current economic crisis. But their lifestyles probably won’t be affected.

The people most affected by the market downturn are apparently those who are retired or nearing retirement who depend on their market holdings as a base for their reitrement income. Some have to go back to work, others who don’t have that option, are scared and struggling.

There’s no way of knowing if the rescue package is going to stabalize the market or not. Clearly traders are jittery. And because the financial crisis is global, no one can predict the eventual outcome.

I heard a quote yesterday (don’t know who said it)–Everything is going to be ok in the end, and if it’s not ok then it’s not the end.  We’ve got a long way to go until the end.

In the meantime, we can’t wait for someone to save us. It’s up to us to educate ourselves about the financial world and develop stellar financial management skills. Doing this can help us straighten out our own finances and make rational financial decisions for ourselves.

If, Instead of giving into the fear you take action, you can find your own way out of your fianncial mess, if you have one. Count your money, don’t use credit, create a rational spending plan, cut back on non-essentials, work with othes to find local solutions.

Personally, I think that it is important, at this time, to get beyond the fear and spend time being still so you can let your intuition be your guide. Times are tough for many, and we all have the opportunity to come out of this stronger, wiser, and much better at managing our finances.

It’s also crucial that you understand the economic policies of the presidential candidates. Find out who their economic advisors are and what they believe are the solutions. It’s the advisors who will affect the judgement of the person who is going to be in charge. Paul Krugman has an excellent column on this topic.

In 1975, when I was doing a lot of intense healing and meditation, I had a strong vision–actually, it was something I “heard.” The gist of it was that we were headed towards a period of great chaos on the planet, that many people would leave, and that the violence in the middle east would get so bad that people would ask, “How can a benevolent God allow this to happen.”

The second part of the message was that people were being trained to act as points of peace in the midst of the chaos in order to help those who would become befuddled and scared.

I’m fully aware that messages received in this manner are not infallible–our humanness can get in the way.  Even so, I have spent the last 30 years or so learning how to detach and watch the drama while holding on to a faith that whatever is happening is ok. It’s not good or bad, it’s only what is.

It looks to me like we have moved from the outer edges of the chaos and are now moving towards the eye of the storm. Because of the speed (or lack of it) with which universal events take place, this could take years.

From my point of view, it looks as if a viable strategy is to find a place of peace within ourselves in order to cope with the chaos and uncertainty. Easier said than done, I know, but well within the range of possibility.

It looks to me as if we have two choices. We can either get caught up in the fear and chaos, or not. Each of us can choose which direction in which we wish to move and we can take action to go there. 

Lots of people have already chosen the path of peace and we can surround ourselves with those who eschew judgement, hate, and violence and embrace acceptance, love, and peace. For me, that’s what prosperity is all about.

When the administration tries to rush something through congress, I worry. I also get a queezy feeling about the huge bailout that is being proposed.

The numbers are staggering, so much so that it defies comprehension. Our national debt ceiling will be rased to $11.3 TRILLION dollars. The bailout will cost $700 BILLION dollars. Maybe. It could be more, and there’s no guarantee that the plan will work. So far, the proposed bill doesn’t offer relief for homeowners.

I highly respect the opinions of economicst and NY Times columnist Paul krugman. He has an excellent column today called Cash for Trash that I recommend if you’d like a more sober view of what is going on.

With the global economy behaving the way it is, there’s no doubt in my mind that a new paradigm has to emerge in order for everyday folks to move into a more prosperous financial state of being. The system that exists now helps the big get bigger and the small get smaller.

To me, it looks as if the job market is becoming more and more narrow and that in order for  ordinary people to see their incomes rise, there has to be a greater movement towords self-employment. The problem is that many don’t have the skills or personality to succeed as entrepreneurs or solo practiontioners.

What has to change is the each-man-for–himself that prevails in our system. Competition from an individual mindset has to be replaced by cooperation with like minded people working together.

There’s a novel by science fiction wirter Theordore Sturgeon called More Than Human about a group of misfits who couldn’t survive alone in society, but together they formed a strong, viable unit. I read that story many years ago, and it keeps coming to mind as I think of where we have to go in order to prosper. Now that I’ve really gotten into networking on Facebook, a picture of how we can create a network of individuals working together in order to thrive is emerging.

Rugged individualism and extreme competition is on its way to becoming yesterday’s story as people will be forced to find more cooperative ways of building comfortable, sustainable lives.

At the same time, people who now  look to others to support them, keep them healthy, and offer them security will have to become more proactive and take responsibility for their own health and well-being. This will require a major but ncessary shift in consciousness–and behavior–for many.

Taking responsibiity for one’s own health and well-being, does not mean doing things alone. It requires working with others who have complementary talents and abilities so all can thrive.

Is this idealistic? Perhaps. But i see it as a necessary step in our evolution.