The Oasis

The oasis thrives within us, friend. Filled with possibility, hungry hearts come here to rest, seek comfort and be inspired.

Saturday, December 16, 2017

The Voice - A Training Manual for Souls







The following is an inspiration story crafted as a Sci-Fi adventure. I wrote it over a period of a year in the mid-90s. For almost three years prior I had been writing parable stories and fables as teaching guides to pass along important psychological and spiritual principles I had been exposed to. Over the years, these had come to me through nearly 500 books read from the early 70s onward, and through my three decades as a therapist. Now that I have a clearer understanding of what’s referred to as personal and spiritual growth, I’ve come to regard this book as a Training Manual for Souls.  
I describe The Voice as a mythical story, the kind we humans have been telling each other over the centuries through our collective mythology. It’s the kind of story that aims to open us up to our deeper selves by taking us on a soul healing journey, not unlike most variations of The Hero Myth.  The latter has been best exemplified by Joseph Campbell’s stellar analysis of the form. In this case it’s not about defeating multi-headed monsters or evil sorcerers. It’s a story that favors our inner world, our emotional and spiritual development, with lessons on self-acceptance, self-responsibility and self-love. To quote Albert Einstein in a letter to his daughter: “Love is the most powerful force in the Universe.” In this book that Universal Love emanating from our Divine nature is what our characters are aiming to connect with. One of our main characters in this story is God of course, as is often the case in mythology. 
I believe we’re on the threshold of a significant change for humanity, and such times are always painful, for us personally and for the society in which we live. In either case, there is never a shortage of critics ready to assail the “New” that’s trying to be born. In times of change, there are always individuals who don’t want to hear messages that require them to re-examine their lives. They don’t want their rigidly grounded preconceptions about who they are and and their place in life to be challenged. So they pounce when they hear anything contradictory to those established norms. This is the old guard, always ready to counter anything that smacks of change, even when it’s for the better. 
The 80s gave us a plethora of self-help books and practices to choose from. We had gurus of many stripes come forward with their answer to our collective pain and self-doubt. We connected with our Inner Child.  We learned about dysfunctional family dynamics (John Bradshaw). We learned about addictions and their consequences to all family members (Melodie Beattie). And we started visiting the New Age bookstores which were blossoming at time with many such authors showing up on Oprah (e.g. Shirley MacLaine). I read lots of these books as they helped with my practice and the kinds of issues that were showing up there. I started referring to this group of readers/clients as The Healing Generation and included myself of course. We were the ones exposing our psychological wounds so they could be dealt with, the ones delving into family dynamics, the ones going to AA support groups and attending spiritual and personal growth seminars. 
For me this was the beginning of Conscious Evolution and books with that reference were starting to show up. I saw it as conscious, because those referred to as the healing generation were choosing not to be part of that victim mentality anymore. It’s called conscious today, because we who have chosen this path, now realize we have to pace ourselves through our sorrows and fears in order to be done with them. And as we learn about our healing processes we pass that learning on to the next generation and the one after, repeating the same cycle that has characterized our collective human mythology.  
Are you ready for your consciousness to evolve? Are you ready to receive and express your gifts of love and creativity? Are you ready for ascension into the next dimension of consciousness? Then step up!





Thursday, December 7, 2017

Grief & Loss and the Holidays


The holidays are upon us again. The US also celebrates Thanksgiving at this time of year, after which the big focus will be Christmas and New Years. Holidays are always difficult for persons in Grief.

The loss of someone important to us comes boldly to the fore at this time.  We feel their absence more intensely than at any other time of the year.  The tendency is to want to withdraw from all the merry making and  celebrating when we are feeling so low about our loved one.

It is necessary to push at times like these. And be prepared to cry more than usual. This would be a good time to write a letter to your loved one, letting them know how much you miss them and whatever else you're feeling at the moment. This is for you, to help reduce the stress, to acknowledge how much you miss them and how it hurts to be without them. This is not a permanent condition. It too will pass.

For those of you engaged in the How to Cope with Grief and Loss strategies, you will be turning to your journal more often at this time. It's been working for you so far so just ramp it up as much as you need.  Listen to the relaxation program. Read and listen to your favorite passages in the book. And let yourself feel. Although this may be intense, when you come out the other side, you will be greatly relieved and your recovery process will have taken a giant leap forward.

For those of you struggling without guidance, we wish you well. Your tendency as already mentioned will be to distance yourself from activity in order to try and avoid what you're feeling. That'll just make it worse. Be with friends and family at this time, especially if you are sharing this
loss with others. There should be some comfort there for you.


Feeling Connected

Sometimes when we are feeling lost and alone we don’t know which way to

turn to possibly renew a friendship.

That pal we had so long ago is lost to us now. They have faded away like

so many things from our earlier life.

Are we to believe that we can no longer sustain such relationships? Are we

to let go of all those sources of comfort that once enjoined us and caused
us great pride.

Our affections for others are what keep us alive. That is, our connection

to each other invites us to live again, to breathe, and to satisfy those
cravings for friendship we once carried around and dismissed.

It’s not true that we have to let go of all this as time marches on. It
is true however, that we have a greater need for each other as the years
speed on by.

When we’re alone, we’re alone, but not in the factual sense. We are

alone because we feel alone. And we are together because we feel connected.

Connected means enjoined. It means we are happy to be in the service of

the Lord. He/She is our Creator and Guide. She/He is our Source of constant
comfort. Without the Creator we wouldn’t have each other, given that we all
sprang from the same “Source.”

Now we are ready to move on, to join with each other once again and to

share what we know and cherish. The twilight of life is a better place if
our lessons to this point have taught us about the value of having good
companions while marching on this pilgrimage toward home.

Home is where the heart is, and that is where we are all joined together,

isn’t it?

Thursday, January 26, 2017

New Album Just Released: Dr Moe's Cosmic Jukebox - "Authentic"




Just uploaded 10 new songs to Bandcamp in my usual Inspirational Pop Rock vein.
Come have a listen. 
Comments and feedback would be much appreciated.

1 - Authentic

2 - Time to be You

3 - I Am Here for You Now

4 - Heart of Stone

5 - Rescue Me

6 - Beat of My Heart

7 - I Have Arrived

8 - Heart & Soul

9 - Love's Invitation

10 - Come On

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Dr Moe - I Have Arrived



I Have Arrived 
Copyright: Maurice Turmel AKA “Dr Moe” 2016

(1)
Where am I traveling to
Where am I going next
Where do I get off this time
Who do I impress

Second to none, you can be sure
I’m saying to you all
Not me baby, that’s for sure
I won’t drop the ball

Chorus: 
I Have Arrived
I Have Arrived

(2)
Proving my worth, like I should
Is what life’s all about
Chasing rainbows, hiding from doubt
That’s no longer what it’s about

Life purpose says, that through my heart
I rise once again
Face those dangers, do my best
It’s my time to begin


(3)
All I want to know, is who I am
What am I doing here
Still chasing rainbows, when You draw the line
Can I find solace, dear

You say those hazards are part of the way
So don’t get caught, check every day
Your heart will draw to you, what is Mine

All else is thunder, so let go that line