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In December 2010 I had the privilege of asking the following questions of don Miguel Ruiz, a fellow Toltec healer and the author of The Four Agreements. They were designed to ferret out a new understanding of our roles as shamans and healers in the world today.

Greetings!

I was waiting to write when I had something really inspirational and uplifting to say. I was hoping there would be a sudden shift, for my enlightenment to return and the storm clouds to pass. Sorry, but that is not the case.

I am honored and proud to be a voting member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences that nominates and then votes each year for the Oscars. I have said often, however, that I have absolutely no idea how to judge a "best" film or actor or screenplay or anything else.

Everything that exists is formed and defined by the thinking substance that fills the interspaces of the universe. We call it consciousness. It is driven by our thoughts to become reality. It is the stuff from which our thoughts are created and take form.

We think we know what we want from love. We want the romance, the honeymoon, and the gazing into each other's eyes. We want to have the "happily ever after" scenario. We want to connect and be part of something bigger. We want to feel the bond and the bonding.

What is stopping you? What has to happen before you get to be you? What has to happen in order for you to move on with your life? What has to happen for you to move from here to there? Am I there yet? Can I do it now? When will I be ready? When will I have had enough?

Dear Dream Zone,

Who is your higher self? You thought you were your only self. How many selves do you have? Your higher self is who you really are; it is how you came into the world. It is called by many names—spirit, soul, consciousness, and so on—but it's who you are.

Lyman Frank Baum wrote many books, the most popular and endearing of which we all know as The Wizard of Oz.