It seems like accepting paradox is the key to enlightenment and to our own peace of mind.  It seems that we are both a loving God/Oneness and individual “souls”.  And it seems that God is the same: someone we can pray to as well as being our own ultimate identity.  When Buddhists speak of “emptiness”, is this what they are alluding to?  Are we both individual souls and also NOT individual souls because our ultimate identity is God who is being us?

I am 36 years old and I’m a single mother of two children (girl 16 and boy 7). Although I’m still in the process of learning, right now I consider that I have actually reached a higher level of consciousness, based on what I knew 7 years ago.  I feel the need of helping my children to become aware of the difference between religion and spiritual awareness/enlightenment… please excuse my grammar, I’m from Venezuela and my English is not that good, I hope that I’m expressing exactly what I mean to ask…

My daughter is often invited by her friends to go to church, most of them being from the Christian denomination.  I don’t believe in religion/church as an institution. I’d like to know what is the best way to start introducing children to our believes? It is hard for me because I don’t belong to any church. It’s hard to talk about God to them, because my opinion differs from what they often hear outside. My seven year old boy, goes to a Christian church during his dad’s visitation.  Could you give me an advice?

Every meditation class or Reiki session I have attended, people always talk about spirit guides. I have always understood (or felt) that my guidance came from my own soul whose source was the collective soul. I understand archetypes and often use these in meditation but cannot fathom spirit guides. Are they archetypes? Are they other souls helping us? Why does everyone have an American Indian guide? Friends have even had theirs drawn by an artist, not sure how I feel about this. Where do you stand?

I  have a difficult time staying awake when I meditate!  Location, time of day, physical position do not seem to impact this.  After I am able to stop thinking, I am aware of a short time of silence, then I vision (or is it dreaming), then I start to nod off.  I feel a strong desire to nap.  Sometimes I indulge this desire, sometimes I force myself into wakefulness.  I enjoy sleeping, going to bed around 10, falling asleep right away, awaking once or twice during the night but falling right back into sleep, and awaking between 5 and 6 each morning.  I’m generally alert and not tired during the day.  Any insights or recommendations?

How do you balance giving without expectation to being taken advantage of?  After many years in an unbalanced long term relationship and many discussions where the lack of balance and attempts to address my needs are made secondary, if referred to at all, I am considering a major life change.  But in meeting my needs, I will cause great pain for those around me.  This internal and external dialogue has disturbed my peace for years.