Seasons of the Soul

The Planet Myrth

This is a little story that I created to convey a message about our journey here on Earth. Many of us came to this planet through frivolous error.

You see, we were a merry group of souls bound for the planet Myrth, which was two galaxies down, to the right of Jupiter. As we hurtled through space towards our intended destination we were suddenly overcome by an awesome sight. There to the left of Jupiter was this beautiful blue bauble hanging in the sky with such a wondrous aura to it that we all oohed and aahed and asked our tour director, “What is that!?” To which he replied, “Oh…that’s Earth.”

We, (merry creatures that we were), looked at one another and said, “It’s so pretty, we want to go there, and besides it sounds close enough!”

So we arrived on this planet and our first major life lesson was to be learned: All that glitters is not gold. Rather than our intended destination - Myrth - we came to Earth, because it appeared to be flawless. The truth, as we know, is something else again.

Yet, those of us who were intended for Myrth have come to reflect humour and light heartedness, to make of earth a place where all are welcome. We need to remember who we are and what our purpose is, and in so doing, elevate the home in which we find ourselves.

Positive use of imagination and creativity are part of our legacy. Love of beauty and enhancement to all life is the way of Myrth. Spring is its season. As we approach a time of renewal, it is a time for Myrthians to remember their heritage, even in the midst of winter.

If you believe that you were intended for Myrth, then this is your time - to reclaim your being in light and light heartedness, to contribute to Earth in such a way that those who come to this beautiful blue ball in the sky will find that it reflects in actuality everything it projects in appearance.
KJ

Evolving From Hope to Hopelessness

by Margaret Wheatley

German philosopher, Rudolf Bahro, said, "When the forms of an old culture are dying, the new culture is created by a few people who are not afraid to be insecure." Could insecurity, self-doubt, be a good trait? I find it hard to imagine how I can work for the future without feeling grounded in the belief that my actions will make a difference. But Bahro offers a new prospect, that feeling insecure, even groundless, might actually increase my ability to stay in the work.

Vaclav Havel helped me become further attracted to insecurity and not-knowing: "Hope," he states, "is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out."

Havel seems to be describing not hope, but hopelessness. Being liberated from results, giving up outcomes, doing what feels right rather than effective. He helps me recall the Buddhist teaching that hopelessness is not the opposite of hope. Fear is. Hope and fear are inescapable partners. Anytime we hope for a certain outcome, and work hard to make it happen, then we also introduce fear-fear of failing, fear of loss. Hopelessness is free of fear and thus can feel quite liberating. I've listened to others describe this state. Unburdened of strong emotions, they describe the miraculous appearance of clarity and energy.

Thomas Merton, the late Christian mystic, clarified further the journey into hopelessness. In a letter to a friend, he advised: "Do not depend on the hope of results . . .you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself. . . .you gradually struggle less and less for an idea and more and more for specific people. . . In the end, it is the reality of personal relationship that saves everything."

Thomas Merton was right: We are consoled and strengthened by being hopeless together. We don't need specific outcomes. We need each other. Hopelessness has surprised me with patience. As I abandon the pursuit of effectiveness, and watch my anxiety fade, patience appears.

Oprah's Academy for Girls in Africa

I am saddened by the criticism towards Oprah for not having used $40 million in ways that would be more inclusive of many other children besides her 152 selected students. The critics are often people who don’t understand the bigger picture, or the overview of what this Academy is really about. Oprah has created a big dream for the children of Africa who have had nothing to look forward to on their own continent – nothing to aspire to that would come from their own soil. And in providing this opportunity to the children of Africa, nothing less than a first class model of what might be possible would do.   

We’re spoiled in the developed and wealthy nations. We take things for granted. But on a continent that has so little demonstration of success, something of this grand nature is a beacon of light. During our depression in the 30s, movies in the United States were extravaganzas. The reason being – people mired in survival mode needed something to look up to – to see that there was grandeur amidst the economic rubble. And those movies sustained a lot of people through dark days when something spectacular was needed to provide a message of hope and possibility.

What Oprah has done through the school she created is to bring a shaft of light to a continent that has been mired by a dark stain of global neglect and plundering as well as tribal intolerance, greed, colonialism, and lack of education.

It is time for Africa. It is time for the children of that continent to have something of their own to look up to and forward to. This is what lifts us out of mediocrity – not just giving a little bit to help us get by. And in Africa, as Nelson Mandela said long ago, the women are the answer. Educate the women, and you educate the families.

Oprah has provided an important starting point, and it is only a beginning. It will take shape organically as the success of these students filters through to the towns and villages from which they come, and as people of the world see the vision and possibility. Everyone loves success, and others will want to contribute to the reclamation of this incredible pool of rich human resources. We are beginning to wake up. The global village called Earth will begin to reach out one to the other to help each achieve the magnificence of our collective destiny. Africa is the focus now. More will come. As a global family, we can provide opportunities for one another. As a global village, we can rise to greatness. 

Thanks to Oprah for her vision, and for creating a beacon of light. Thanks to all the rest who are validating that vision and contributing to it in large and small ways all around the globe. Thank you!
KJ

Quotable Quotes

When you are in a state of non-acceptance, it's difficult to learn. A clenched fist cannot receive a gift, and a clenched psyche -- grasped tightly against the reality of what must not be accepted -- cannot easily receive a lesson.
--Roger John

When we let go of yearning for the future, preoccupation with the past, and strategies to protect the present, there is nowhere left to go but where we are. To connect with the present moment is to begin to appreciate the beauty of true simplicity.
--Jack Kornfield

Humor - Medical Care In America

Two patients limp into two different American Medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement.
 
The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week.


The second sees the family doctor after waiting a week for an appointment, then waits eighteen weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another month and finally has his surgery scheduled for 6 months from then.

Why the different treatment for the two patients?

The first is a Golden Retriever.

Sweeping

   When I was a little girl, I remember sitting on the steps of our apartment house in San Francisco, watching the Russian ladies who lived in the area out on the sidewalk with babushkas covering their hair, brooms in hand, sweeping the streets in front of their places until everything was sparkling and clean. They would also come out with pails of soap and water and wash the stairs and the stoops. I’d wave my arms in the air, imagining I was directing their actions, and always the peaceful sound of swish, swoop, swish could be heard. That image, and the remnant of an age gone by when a rag man would come up our street with his horse and cart, are wonderful memories from long ago that enrich my reflections. The rag man was an oddity then – it was the last gasp of an era gone by – but as a little girl, I found watching him come by, hearing the clip clop of his horse’s hooves, and the sound of wooden wheels squeaking on the pavement, fascinating and poignant.

     I recall when I first moved from the City to the suburbs as a child, and we mowed our lawn. You could hear the sound of blades churning as kids or parents were out taking care of their gardens. There weren’t a lot of gardeners in those days – at least not where we lived – people did the household chores and garden chores on Saturday together. It was a great symphony of cooperation.  Chop, chop, swish, swoosh. Blades and sweeping – no ear splitting motors, just the contentment of knowing all was right in the world and all the neighbors were out participating in the rite of house care that meant families caring for their homes together.

     When electric mowers came into existence, and then leaf blowers, it coincided with acid rock and raised decibels – noise as music, noise as efficiency, noise as a way of life.  I never would use the electric mower. My husband was thrilled to have it. In fact, it wasn’t until we got one that he took over the job of mowing lawns. Before that, I was the Saturday lawn contingent.  I don’t have a lawn anymore. I prefer plants and shrubs and flowers. 

     When I go out to the garden and bring my broom, I can sweep to my heart’s content. It doesn’t disturb the birds, doesn’t ruffle the air, and brings me back to a simpler time when people appreciated the task of mowing and sweeping, and used the time to engage in quiet reverie.
     The rhythm of the broom is a dance unto itself – and it is always in those moments of sweeping in the garden that new ideas are birthed in my thought process. No Walkman, no IPod, no Talk Radio to distract me. Just the broom, the fallen leaves and blossoms, sounds of nature, and me.
Swish,  swoosh, swish, swoosh….Ahhhh.
KJ

A "Crazy" New Way to Increase Sales ...From Zero

by Dr. Joe Vitale
www.mrfire.com

    In my new book, "Zero Limits," I talk about the unusual therapist who helped heal an entire
hospital ward of mentally ill criminals -- without seeing any of them.

    I've since learned his method for healing, which involves "cleaning" yourself of all negativity in order to see change in others.  It seems bizarre, but when you take care of your own issues, they disappear in other people.

    The whole idea is to love the problems away. You do it by saying "I love you," and a few other
statements, non-stop. I've been doing it for two years now and my life is astonishing. I live in an almost moment-by-moment state of bliss.

    Once I learned this method, I started to use it on other things besides illness. Since I'm a
practical metaphysician and an entrepreneur, I wanted to see if this wild method would work
on sales and other bottom line results.

    Whenever I would write an article – much like this one -- I would send love into it.

    Whenever I would write another book – like my new one, "Zero Limits" -- I would keep saying
"I love you" in my mind. What I noticed is my emails and articles would get read and distributed to *millions*  of people. And my book, "Zero Limits," became an  Amazon bestseller -- six months *before* it  was published.

   But I didn't stop there in my testing.  Because I want to be sure this method works for others and not just me, I taught it to my close friends.

    Bill Hibbler, coauthor with me of the book "Meet and Grow Rich," was skeptical. But he borrowed a pre-publication copy of my book, "Zero Limits," read it, and started loving his
products and his list of subscribers. Here's what he said:

    "Sales for Jan 1-4 were 41.39% higher than Dec 1-4. During the four day period in January,
I didn't mail my list or launch any new promotion during that time. All I did was clean while
reading your book and throughout the day."  Bill went on to tell me he saw sales increase
from sites like http://create-ultimate-ebooks.com/  -- which he wasn't promoting *at all*.

    How is this possible? How can "cleaning" yourself with a mantra like "I love you" make a difference in your sales? It appears that there is nothing "out there." The entire world is a projection of what you feel inside.

    So, if you feel love, you will attract love. Because love contains gratitude, you attract  more things to be grateful for. This is the essence of my book, "The Attractor Factor," and of course
of the movie, "The Secret."

    You get what you feel.

    That's it.
   
    At heart I think you (I) just want love. Well, so does everyone else. When you say "I love you"
inside yourself, you cleanse yourself and you  radiate an energy that others feel.  The result: more sales.

    Still skeptical?

    Look at it this way:

    Even if this whole method seems totally crazy to you, what harm can come from you saying "I
love you" in your mind as you make calls, write emails, deliver pitches, and go about your day?
If nothing else, you'll have better feeling days.

    Try it and see.

    By the way, "I love you".

 
   *************************************************
Dr. Joe Vitale is author of way too many books to mention, including the bestsellers "The
Attractor Factor," "Life's Missing Instruction  Manual" and the forthcoming head spinner: "Zero Limits." He's also one of the stars in the hit movie "The Secret." His main website is at
http://www.MrFire.com

Beginning Anew

As the year begins, we have an opportunity to look at what works in our lives and what doesn't. We have the options to re-create ourselves with the dawning of a new day. Somehow the changeover from one year to another gives a psychological boost to refreshing ourselves, our vision, and our intentions.

Whether or not we follow our intention sets a tone for the year. When we take the steps required to unfold what we've promised to ourselves, we are strengthened each day in the doing. However, when we forget or slide back into old habits we've determined to break, we let ourselves down, and we are diminished. Therefore, it's important to set a tone in the beginning that we are steadfast about each day, so that we will strengthen our will and develop the fortitude to make a success of the new start toward renewal. And if we stumble or forget, we can pick ourselves up again, knowing that each day brings a new dawn and a fresh start.

For today - let us remember that we are an incredible resource, here to contribute our light and service in ways akin to our heart. Let us not  see ourselves as anything less than precious, for this life is a gift to us all - and what we do with it is our gift to the Creator.
KJ

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

I was at a Sunday service a couple weeks ago, and the guest musician brought bells, rattles, tambourines, sticks, and all sorts of things to make sound with. She had us get up and do these songs with the accompaniment of the instruments, and suddenly the room was transformed. Everyone was acting like a kindergartener, and I thought we should have Eldergartens - where grownups can celebrate again that within us are little five year olds and all ages/no ages who want to express and be recognized. I noted especially that the older participants looked rejuvenated after we finished.

I wrote an article for Planetlightworker.com about Elders— and will do more. The first was titled "Wake Up Boomers!"

It's time this age group overcomes the paralysis we've been engaged in since we set the “distrust of elders” wheels in motion way back when. We have become the ones we warned ourselves about - so now it's time to change the internal program to respect, rejoicing, and response. We are certainly not throwaways... unless we choose to be.

KJ

The Magic of Movement CD

Years ago I had the opportunity to experience Francoise Netter’s work in Mind/Body Dynamics. She is a gifted teacher, who incorporates movement and dance in the healing process of past trauma or to release memories held within the body that we are not even aware of. I was amazed to find during our session that when a specific part of the body was touched, a flood of memories returned. Through dance movement into the memory, release occurred, and the part of the body affected was able to return to its original pattern, unencumbered by past hurt, fear, or trauma. Francoise works with many psychotherapists who have stated unequivocally that her work hastens the healing process of patients by at least 50%. We do not recognize how intelligent the entire body is – thinking that memory is stored only in our brain – but the mind resides throughout the cellular structure that we are, and wounds or trauma are often held in various places on the body where a physical repression took place.

In addition to teaching classes and doing personal client work, Francoise shares her gift through CDs, the one I’m recommending being The Magic of Movement. In this CD she directs the participant through a series of gentle body movements to allow us to get into a relaxed state of awareness, feeling the presence of our body, and recognizing where we are comfortable, and where we hold tension. She guides us through a process that recognizes the wisdom of the body from the top of our head to the tip of our toes. Through her melodious voice and the soothing music of composer, pianist Robert Clark, she creates a safe space in which to explore – and as we do, we find ourselves becoming more relaxed and attuned to the messages the body would like us to hear.

I recommend The Magic of Movement to anyone who would like to be more in touch with themselves. The exercises create different reactions each time you listen to the CD, and the opportunity for relaxation and a sense of wellbeing are very worthwhile. This is a CD you can play again and again, and it certainly qualifies as one that will bring valuable insights and stress release as well.

To find out more about The Magic of Movement and Francoise Netter, go to www.bodyminddynamics.org