listening

There are those days when there is nothing to say. Nothing to say? – you say. Why there is always something to say. To that I say, hmm. Sure we can all talk incessantly about nothing much. Saying something is more than that though; it’s listening to all that’s around us, and what it’s trying to tell us. Oftentimes it can’t be heard because we are a society that embraces noise. When we put away the noise though, and listen to what’s inside of us, and the things outside of us that speak softly and need silence to be heard – when we do this until we hear, we pave the way for an exquisite way of being in the world. Maybe then there’s something to say, or not. 😎

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RUN toward your fears! Embrace them. On the other side of your greatest fears lives your greatest life. – Robin Sharma

Surrender is like a fish finding the current and going with it. – Mark Nepo

spam


Once in awhile I read some of the crazy spam that finds its way to this site (thousands over a short time), and I press delete. In the process, I wonder in absolute amazement why people would want to spend their time thinking of, writing about, and sending what’s called spam. Often it’s possible to glimpse the intelligence and creativity that produced it, and I’m thinking that if whatever effort it took was used in a positive direction, the energy of the sender would change, and the person receiving it would benefit also. Imagine that! That’s all I have to say about spam.

For decades the well-loved book The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn has been read the world over. The following sentence is lifted from The Power of the Word:

A person knowing the power of the word, becomes very careful of his conversation. He has only to watch the reaction of his words to know that they do “not return void.”

Her writings are simple, clear, and powerful. Because they’re simple, they’re hard to ignore. They have a way of reaching the subconscious mind. Her timeless book is a gift you give yourself. She was a mentor, and still is. Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life said: “The Game of Life and How to Play It, by Florence Scovel Shinn, helped me crystallize my own thinking and moved me forward on the path to where I am today.”

www.mitchhorowitz.com/yolanda-king.html

www.louisehay.com

a thank you for a “simple” meal

I HOPE THANKSGIVING DAY WAS EXACTLY AS YOU ALL WANTED IT TO BE.

While recovering from a recent hospital experience, I sat one morning with a simple breakfast of Knudsen’s Concord Grape juice diluted with water; scrumptious Wheat Sandwich bread from Metropolitan Bakery in Philadelphia, toasted to perfection and spread with butter and bionatura Organic Bilberry Fruit Spread; Burlap and Bean Espresso coffee from Newtown Square, Pa made in a French Press (although a few days ago Sumi read that for health reasons a French Press and percolator are not the best way to prepare coffee. And so, a little research will begin on that).

With that simple breakfast before me, I decided to say a thorough thank you to everyone responsible for the enjoyment of this meal, – farmer, baker, supplier, retailer, and all of the employees – from land the world over. I was surprised at how many people and how much work was involved. And as I thought about the simple breakfast, the list became a very long one. Then I was reminded that it wasn’t only about the food, there was also the matter of the coffee grinder, plates, pot for boiling water, stove, toaster, utensils, glassware, tap water, and refrigerator. I truly hadn’t stopped to think about the extent of our dependency on each other until that breakfast thank you. A simple breakfast doesn’t seem so simple anymore.

On Thanksgiving Day I think the food would have gotten very cold had we all said a special thank you to everyone involved in that entire meal.

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Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul. -Democritus

Simplicity should not be identified with bareness. – Felix Adler

The aspects of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity. – Ludwig Wittgenstein

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. – Meister Eckhart

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. – Vincent Van Gogh

mentors for monday, and tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday too

“One of the greatest stresses we can endure is trying to live a life that doesn’t fit who we are. We look for some kind of mission and purpose external to ourselves to fill the void that only living in communion with the Inner Self can fulfill. And it is from this connection to the Inner Self that right relationship to the world (career) occurs.” – Jerry Thomas

“First of all, one must observe, see with great care the mind and its functioning, listen to what is within and without: Out of this arises sensitivity and in sensitivity there arises insight. That insight alone will wipe away sorrow.” – J.Krishnamurti

“All day long the thoughts that occupy your mind, your secret place as Jesus calls it, are molding your destiny for good or evil, in fact, the truth is that the whole of our life’s experience is but the outer expression of inner thought.” – From the Pen of Emmet Fox

“. . . We are where are thoughts have taken us, and we are the architects – for better or worse – of our futures.” – James Allen

“As is the human body,
so is the cosmic body.
As is the human mind,
so is the cosmic mind.
As is the mirrocosm,
so is the macrocism.
As is the atom,
so is the universe.” – The Upanishads

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
– Marcel Proust

“Do not fear mistakes. There are none.” – Miles Davis

“Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: Now.” – Denis Waitley

“. . . We have underestimated ourselves tragically. We are sadly mistaken when we see ourselves as merely temporary bodies instead of timeless spirit; as separate suffering selves instead of blissful Buddhas; as meaningless blobs of matter instead of blessed children of God.” – Roger Walsh

“Arguments gain little. The mental attitude and prayers gain much; for thoughts are things and their vibrations reach those in every sphere and walk of life as related to self and to others.”
– Edgar Cayce Reading 1438-2

“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” – Leonardo de Vinci

“Forgive those who wrong you; join those who cut you off; do good to those who do evil to you.”
– Mohammad

“A major goal of spiritual practice is to clear our mental space of the intellectual and emotional garbage we have been collecting since childhood, and to provide space for the experience of true relaxation and enjoyment. We should realize that a positive thought or inspiration becomes nourishment for the mind, like healthy food. But negative views and passions, like waste products, have toxic effects.” – Tulku Thondup

living luminaries, the movie

If you want a change of pace from the nightly negative news; and from movies filled with violence and gore; and video games of the same ilk, then you just might enjoy the movie Living Luminaries. It suggests another way of living in the world, and explains simply how this can be achieved. The gist of the movie is that actor Sean Mulvihill, also one of the writers and producers, is seeking a way to happiness. He travels far and wide talking to those who have found their happiness, and are teaching others who want what they have. In the movie these well-known people talk openly about what they’ve found to be happiness, and how to attain it.

We need a balance for all of the negativity, and once we see the balance we can see more clearly where the negativity is going, and how it’s affecting us and the world. And once we see that we can ask ourselves why would we stand for it. Because there is a gentler, kinder, more loving, more open, beautiful, and peaceful way to live, if we want it. Imagine that!

Living Luminaries can be viewed online at www.video.google.com.

indeed

Indeed the world is experiencing unimaginable suffering. But the world is experiencing a vast amount of good, also – all is not wrong with the world. Does experiencing the world one way or the other depend on us – our thoughts, and how we create in our lives? Over and over and over it has been said that it does. Now that’s a powerful thought.

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“Words are the vibrations of nature,
therefore beautiful words create
beautiful nature, ugly words create ugly
nature, this is the root of the universe.” -Masaru Emoto

needs

It would seem that this election year is not about having a black or white man, or having a woman in office or not. It’s strange that after all these years, and all that’s happened/happening in the world, this, among other things, is what’s written about and talked about. The world’s needs are not about skin color or gender, but about needing a person having extraordinary wisdom, along with a brilliant mind unencumbered by decisions of the past. The world of 2009 needs leaders of every country capable of implementing the changes needing to occur at this stage of the world’s development, and for the benefit of people everywhere. Imagine that!

Sometimes one could easily believe that our beautiful world exists for a handful of people. I feel that written on the soul of every creation is a right to evolve physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. How is it that a few have wrestled power at the expense of many, and, in the process, have caused unimaginable chaos and suffering around the world? It boggles the mind!

May our next president be all that he can be for the good of himself, our country and the world.

looking outside the box

Kevin Trudeau’s book, NATURAL CURES “THEY” DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT, has sold over 10 million copies. It’s a #1 New York Times Bestseller. It’s also an eye opener. Have you read it? I started to last week.

That said, I don’t want to become a bore again. I used to talk to friends about this ‘n that way of doing things regarding healing, and I got weary of seeing their eyes roll way up into their sockets. Now I understand that just because I like the subject doesn’t mean everybody does. I think I’ve corrected that fault because sometimes a friend will say, “You knew that and didn’t tell me? And I’ll say, “Yes, because you, my friend, gave me the hairy eyeball whenever I talked about looking outside the box for anything having to do with healing body mind spirit.”

There’s magic out there and at times we need to look outside the box, or as someone said, “Get rid of the box.” It’s that simple.

Imagine!

 

when there were no cell phones

Do you remember what it was like when there were no cell phones, and public phones weren’t always accessible. I remember that we had to be more creative. Think of all the stories we told when we were late for an appointment-a dinner date, an important meeting, etcetera. It wasn’t always possible to get in touch to say, “Sorry I’m going to be late.” And there were the times we were left standing on a corner waiting for someone, and that someone was standing on another corner waiting. No phone in hand to call and say, “Hey, where are you? I’ve been standing here for 20 minutes. What? No you’re not, I would have seen you. Wait a minute. Where are you?” Many people found themselves in the middle of what seemed like nowhere. And all of a sudden there was this matter of a flat tire. Realization strikes, I’ve never changed a flat tire. They slammed out of the car muttering all kinds of things to themselves. It sure took awhile, but, what a surprise, the job got done. And think of all the new and wonderful places that were discovered when people got lost and had to rely on a map. I know of people who still go back to a place they discovered when they lost their way once upon a time. For some it’s a restaurant, a theatre, or a beautiful site. It can be fun and freeing.

I’m not knocking cell phones. It’s one of the first things I put in my bag when leaving. I’m only saying that once there was a time when it was all different, and it wasn’t very long ago. Imagine that.

sophie

Sumi and Toshi have a beautiful daughter. Her name is Sophie. A wonderful name. Yes? She was born on 22 May 2007 in NYC. Sophie’s my granddaughter. And we’ve been getting acquainted these past few weeks. She entertains with all of her many expressions. I wondered what she was thinking about as I held her last week. Where did she come from? What will she want her life to be?

Have you noticed the attention babies get when they’re in a public place? Not many people can resist their charming ways. Even when they’re simply sleeping, people enjoy watching them. They’re easy-usually. When they’re crying, it doesn’t take much to restore order. Sometimes it’s a guessing game, but you get good at it after awhile. Their innocence makes us want to hold them and look at them. A baby trusts 100 percent that all needs will be met, and is happy with what we would call the bare necessities-milk, sleep, diaper change, a smiling face-that seems to be it. And lots of love. Love, everyone’s birthright it would seem, and Sophie gets it in abundance.

A new life. Imagine that!

Here’s to you, Sophie.