Finding your personal sacred place or space is a critical part of the spiritual practice. Having a location that allows you to find inner peace, and therefore, present moment awareness, gives you an opportunity to take in the spirit of the cosmos while having the time to express gratitude and compassion in return. Here is a top 10 list of my favorites places, in no particular order, that have been sources of inspiration throughout my own journey.

We live our lives based on cycles. From the seconds, minutes and hours, on up to the lunar and sun cycles that create our natural rhythms; we operate and synchronize within cyclical patterns. Expanding this idea to the universe as a whole, it is logical to assume that in some ways, the entire universe is one large cycle in which our consciousness is connected, and it’s this very idea of entrainment between consciousness and the flow of the cosmos that fascinated the Maya.

In both the literal and symbolic sense, we are living in a time of great evolutionary change, and in my opinion, we can’t really talk about what the year 2012 means for us as a global community without addressing the Mayan calendar and its prophesies surrounding this momentous year.

Astronomers around the world have predicted that 2012 will likely be one of the worst years for solar radiation.  The cycles of the sun’s activity are quite predictable and <a href="https://emanuelkuntzelman.com/conversations/the-most-important-year-in-our-lifetime.html" target="_blank"><strong>2012 is definitely going to be an active one</strong></a>.  This has, in fact, already begun, and on the days following intense solar flares, there are physiological changes on earth.

At the close of 2011, the Greenheart Transforms book club participated in a wisdom gift exchange, sharing quotes, books and ideas. Inspired by that evening, I thought I would also share some words of wisdom from various people who have been masters for me as we embark on this transformational year in 2012.