Seasons of the Soul

Pancho Teaches Us How to be Fully Human!

This is one of the most inspiring articles I have ever read and points the way for what being Fully Human really means!

http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=127

Finding Peace In or Out of the Hospital

by Stanley Peele

Many people dread going to the hospital; and while in the hospital they are anxious and fearful. Rightly so. It is a place of pain, suffering and sadness. Yet there is another way to look at it. Having been hospitalized 25 times, my view is that a patient can also find peace there.
 
While in the hospital, you are often confined to a bed, hooked up to IV tubes or other paraphernalia – so that you cannot move much. In other words, there is nothing you can do except lie there.
 
Therefore, why not relax and enjoy the ride? While there you do not have to worry about having to do chores at home. There is not a thing you can do about them. You do not have to worry about your job or about any of your usual worries. You can simply let go of all these things. And, if you wish, you can go to a place of greater tranquility than ever. You simply surrender to the process, turn off the constant chatter of the "monkey mind," and relax.
 
Many of us believe that in order to be close to God or the Source, we must be pristine, that we must first seek all the positive aspects of spiritual life. That is, that all our thoughts must be clean and positive. That we must be helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, thrifty, brave, and reverent.
This is a fine ideal. Yet we should also recognize there are times when we fail to be helpful, are unfriendly, sad – and so forth.
Here's the deal: Yes, we should try to be all these positive things; yet we should also recognized there are times when we are not. In other words, we are human. We should love all of ourselves, not just those parts of ourselves which measure up to the ideal.

The ego is often maligned. Yet it is an integral part of us. It gives us a foundation. Our personality is built around the ego. Great joy comes through the ego. Two examples are when we watch a basketball game; or when we enjoy a comedy such as Arsenic and Old Lace.
 
We are each special in the eyes of the Universe; and should look at ourselves as special. In fact, each of us is a walking miracle! And a part of that miracle is our ability to joke, to forget things, and to enjoy a chocolate cake!!

So, a vital step toward spiritual upliftment is to love ourselves; to love our lower selves. We bring all of ourselves to the light. We say to the Universe: "Here I am! All of me." Popeye knew this. He said, "I yam what I yam."

Do we have to approach God with downcast eyes and only the purest of thoughts? No, we approach our Source EXACTLY as we are. Do we have to join a nunnery or a monastery to draw near to God? No. That is fine if that is your choice. But the approach to our Source can be in the marketplace, while walking in the woods, while reading a newspaper.
 
There is another benefit to being in a hospital: It can help us to realize what is important in our lives. Our perception shifts. We have an opportunity to discard trivial things and turn our attention to that which is important. Buying jewelry, clothes or a car become less important; expressing love to our families becomes more important. We are less interested in such things as the Michael Jackson case and more interested in helping others. We become less critical of people, less judgmental.
 
Our needs are modest.
 
While in the hospital I am able to go to a place of total serenity. If it can be done in a hospital, with all the noise and disruption; think how much easier it is to do it in a quiet place where you can breathe fresh air, where you can see the sky, trees, bushes, grass, flowers, lakes and streams?
 
There is nothing to prevent you from becoming tranquil right now.
 
First, bring your whole self to the table. Bring that special person that is you; that person with all its flaws and all its radiance.

Second, breathe and relax. Let go of the "monkey mind." Let go of control. Peace is there. Our Source is there.
 
Take the time, right now, to enjoy a few minutes of silence. May the peace that passeth all understanding fill your hearts and minds with love.

~Stanley Peele is an emergency judge in North Carolina, and author of                                                  A Simple Guide to Spiritual Healling and The River of Light, and What I Learned From Edgar Cayce.

Forgiveness is a Key to Healing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sZKwLoLiaI

Aside

Q. Do you know what makes God smile?

A.  Humans making plans.

Sacred Geometry and Brain Physiology

In an article by Tom Kenyan, M.A., he discussed brain physiology and learning problems. He stated that walking in a figure eight pattern while looking at a point on the wall and “crossing mid line” by touching the rising right knee with the left hand and then the rising left knee with the right hand will offer remarkable improvement in the ability to learn. Apparently crossing over the midline of the body stimulates a thick band of neural fibers in the middle of the brain that is implicated in many learning problems.

Years ago I learned of a technique that involved walking in figure eight patterns in the morning at dawn and later at dusk with hands held outstretched, palms up, to heighten spiritual receptivity. Reading this account now of brain physiology reminded me of that exercise which was quite wonderful. I had many beautiful morning and evening figure eight walking meditations outside, and encouraged many of my clients to try the process, which they did, with very good results. It is interesting to note that the first exercise reconnects us to our own ability to learn, and the other connects us to a greater resource for unfolding our true essence.

A New Holiday Tradition - Support Local Merchants!

Great ideas for now and until the country is back on it's economic feet again!

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods – merchandise that’s been produced at the expense of American labor.

This year can be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that at gift giving time nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time for all of us to think outside the box. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box wrapped in Chinese-produced wrapping paper?

Let's look at options that help to sustain our small businesses and give meaningful gifts of services or other forms of local support.

EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who can benefit from some health improvement. Massage for stressed out family or friends...there are lots of wonderful local people who give super massages and would appreciate your giving a gift certificate to someone.

Remember, this is about supporting your home town American shops and workers with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open. Local bakeries, local specialty shops, even the local coffee shops and local hardware stores. Gift certificates are always welcome and go far to help support our economy.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy? Maybe your computer could use a tune-up, and for sure there are some young people who are struggling to get their repair business up and running.

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would probably LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day or services of a care giver for an aging relative that is homebound, or babysitter, or pet care/house sitting.
If you are looking for something more personal, local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

You can give a gift of local produce from a sustainable organic farmer who delivers weekly or wine/cheese certificates from a nearby winery or cheese maker.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner-operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Honestly, do we REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese-made Christmas lights for the house? When we buy a five dollar string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. Why not leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip instead?

Holidays are  now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we cannot even imagine.

This article contains just a few suggestions. Think up your own...out of the box, creative, thoughtful things that support our country and our workers, not someone else's.

Make THIS a new American Holiday tradition!

~Author Unknown

A Moment In Time

Hear the gentle rain now
Quietly calling out to you.
Listen to the pitter-pat
Of sweet rain anew.

Come smell the fragrance
Of a rose freshly blooming out;
Calling upon you to partake,
Of what life is all about.

See yonder Red-tailed hawk,
Mastering the skies.
Seeing all that lies below:
Nothing hidden from his eyes.

Look up! Behold the stars!
A part of you is there.
Walk peacefully upon your path
With a smile. Do not despair.

All around you is beauty,
In every bush and tree.
Awaken to the source of light
Forever residing within thee.

~Stanley Peele

Thanks for Giving

The pilgrims who came in search of new life found hard going in this new world. They had little means for coping with the demands of the Americas, and had it not been for the kindness of the native population, they would surely have perished. Once they learned how to plant and work the soil, they experienced good harvest, and set out a tone of gratitude that we have continued to commemorate throughout the centuries. It is one major holiday in America where gifts are not expected. It is one time when we spend a day to appreciate what we do have rather than lusting after what we don't. 

Yet, in Thanksgiving, there are many who feel disenfranchised, who look to the lack of family, poor health, lack of friendship, lack of the good things our country represents. It is to these that we must beam a light of understanding, for no matter what we have or do not have in our lives, the importance of thanks for giving is the gratitude we feel for life. The importance of being able to live in bodies and explore the depth of who we are at core is a major gift to us all. We are singular in form to polish the aspect that we represent in expression.

We are the result of our choices. We may not want to accept this when our choices have put us in positions that mirror lack or poor health. But if we are honest with ourselves and go back to the strands that have brought us to the current situation, we will see where we chose an experience that put pressure on us in some way to grow beyond the accepted idea of what we "should" be. 

Instead of berating ourselves for "poor" choices, we can reorient our thinking. We can recognize that we are expressing aspects of life that don't necessarily conform to society's idea of what the good life is in order that we develop greater awareness, greater empathy, more compassion, and understanding about the heights and depths to which humanity can rise or fall. When we negate where we are through victimization or blaming others, we shortchange ourselves in the deepening of our character. The important factor here is that we always have the God given ability to make different choices. If we have experienced limitation, we can choose to create from that space in a way that will bring us liberation.

A prime example recently of someone who turned a tragedy into victory is Christopher Reeves. His classic accident while jumping in a horse show left him a paraplegic. Yet, because of the endurance of his faith in himself and in the help available to him, he is making a miraculous recovery. His example has strengthened others who face the same handicap. He is a visible hero who is making a difference. Sometimes, we sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of humanity. We might do that in small ways or large ways, but if God is in all things...we are expressing the goodness of God in adversity as well as in joyous times IF WE SO CHOOSE.

Humans as free will beings are co-creators. We have the capacity of utilizing our imagination for whatever we choose. We have minds that create our reality based on our choices. We may be handed a fortune, or handed nothing. But our capacity is to create or destroy from where we are. Not from the past; not from the future, but right now. We are like those pilgrims who arrived in a world unknown to them. They experienced the trials and errors of their choices. But with time, and by opening to the help that was given by others, they learned how to plant seeds that would yield the crops that they needed to survive. And through human ingenuity, they not only survived, they flourished.

So, too, us. We thank God for our lives. We thank God that we are finding our way from survival to flourishing. Life is not an endurance race. it is an experience of thanksgiving. And that means right here, right now, no matter in what condition we find ourselves. Our choices are continuously creating our reality, and from each stage we have an incredible opportunity to grow and deepen.  When we choose to live gratefully, life presents possibilities that we haven't previously noticed, and help that we hadn't seen before.

Thanksgiving, therefore, is symbolic of much more than gathering with others. It is a gathering of ourselves to our Creator. It is the show of gratitude for everything we are and everything we have experienced. It is our salute to ourselves as pilgrims in a new land, moving through the hardships and being strengthened in the process. It is the bounty that represents our life experience, no matter what it looks like in the moment, AND the knowledge that we are planting the mental seeds right now that will affect the quality of our future!

Blessed Thanksgiving!

From Seasons of the Soul print edition, Autumn 1999

This is Good

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied - "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.

"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened." And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you, and not here with you right now."

~Author Unknown

The World Will Not End in 2012

The following article is full of wisdom and good information regarding what we are experiencing now and what the opportunity is for all humanity

http://thesecrettruthabout.com/1464/the-world-will-not-end-in-2012/