HEALTH DOES NOT ALWAYS COME FROM MEDICINE:

 

TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF MYSTICISM:

 

Mysticism is the experience, not talking or thinking about it, but the actual experience of Oneness with all.

BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST belief that union with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or the spiritual apprehension of knowledge inaccessible to the intellect, may be attained through contemplation and self-surrender. "St. Theresa's writings were part of the tradition of Christian mysticism" 2. belief characterized by self-delusion or dreamy confusion of thought, especially when based on the assumption of occult qualities or mysterious agencies. "there is a hint of New Age mysticism in the show's title" NOT! Choose languageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBanglaBasqueBelarusianBosnianBulgarianBurmeseCatalanCebuanoChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKinyarwandaKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMāoriMarathiMongolianNepaliNorwegianNyanjaOdiaPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScottish GaelicSerbianShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSouthern SothoSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTurkishTurkmenUkrainianUrduUyghurUzbekVietnameseWelshWestern FrisianXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu Definitions from Oxford Languages

…the expression of gratitude is not a single act taken in response to a single instance...

 

…the expression of gratitude is not a single act taken in response to a single instance of bounty, but part of an ongoing cycle of giving and taking, taking and giving.

TREBBE JOHNSO

BE AN UPLIFTER, not a downer:

 

Those who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize.

ELIZABETH HARRISON

No to Civil War:

 

                                                                                        

LOVE IS ALL WE CAME HERE FOR...Elton John WE ARE CREATED TO LOVE AND BE LOVED Mother Teresa

 

GRIEF IS NOT LINEAR...

 

Banning books is always by the bad guys from history...

 

Make the darkness conscious...

 

Hope calls for action:

 

Hope just means another world might be possible, not promised, not guaranteed. Hope calls for action; action is impossible without hope.

REBECCA SOLNIT

Can we make GRACE every moment? Or is it too much to ask for?

 

For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.

ELIE WIESEL

"I do not long for happiness." - "...allow yourself to be happy" now:

 

No matter how happy I had been in the past, I do not long for it. The present is always the moment for which I love.

JAMAICA KINCAID The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy. THICH NHAT HANH

Jim Carrey On "Awakening" I like that he uses thought instead of the overused demonized "ego."

Pema Chodon - Relaxing with impermanence

KEEP THE SPARK INSIDE ME ABLAZE:

 

There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see it: to keep the spark of life inside me ablaze.

ETTY HILLESUM Personally, I go to someone in my spiritual community, or go to an event or to a guided meditation several times a week to get that spark back. Or go to the beach several times a week:

SO MUCH JOY...

 

There’s so much joy to be felt in slowness and softness.

RA AVIS

Courage to Create

 "The presence of God is within and around me. I am alive with creative energy. Awake to prospering ideas, and open to unlimited goodness."

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ---Philippinians 4:13

I can do all things through the spirit of God expressing creativity through me.

ART as a SPIRITUAL PRACTICE What does it mean to send good vibes? For the month of February, we will explore good vibes as a spiritual practice, learn a new skill and tools for infusing our love and good wishes in a way to share with others, and of course create some beautiful artwork along the way! All students will receive a gift while we are learning the process of imbibing, which is pouring in good intentions and love. This is a class you don't want to miss! Come join in this celebration of beauty making and peace taking. 💜

I no longer want to have anything to do with love...

 

I no longer want to have anything to do with love that forgets to be grateful.

THOMAS MERTON

TO BE FULLY ALIVE

 

Only when we know our own darkness well...and make the moment our friend:

 

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others.

PEMA CHODRON

Look around, look around ...

 

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA i am happy to be alive now at this moment!

Thank you, John L. Lewis

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. KING

 

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

The only real apology:

 

The only real apology is changed behavior.

RACHEL RICKETTS

Choosing gratitude doesn’t just help us transcend our bad fortune.

 

Choosing gratitude doesn’t just help us transcend our bad fortune. It also helps us integrate our good fortune.

SAGE COHEN

Stories recognized?

 

When people’s stories are recognized, it does something: It creates a possibility.

JOHN A. POWELL

Our world is divided, be a bridge for Unity and peace.

 2022 NEEDS YOU EVEN MORE:

Meditation is easy, just concentrate on an affirmative word or phrase. Watch your breath, Watch a candle frame. Be aware of your senses from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. If any  pain, just repeat, this too shall pass. Any one or any combo of the above. In addition, I read the other day that humming was good for your breath, so I have gone back every once in a while, even while driving I have returned to the sacred Universal OM, and I call it OMMING!  OooooooM! Ooooom! over and over like humming...

Life beckons us as a flicker.

 

Life beckons us as a flicker. A tendril. A corner of darkness. A bell. A spark of the soul. And curiosity propels us to follow.

ROSE ZONETTI  Listen for the whispering from the universe

Taking things personally, living in a nightmare rather than a dream, not loving yourself enough? Then this book is for you + a funny Cardinal encounter:

The Four Agreements is a book written by Don Miguel Ruiz based on ancient Toltec wisdom that advocates freedom from self-limiting beliefs that cause suffering and limitation in our lives. I honestly believe that if every single person could read and embody the agreements laid out on the pages, we would see a radical shift in behavior and compassion on this planet.

Speaking of taking things personally, it could go either way. This morning at yoga class, we were noticing a mating pair of cardinal out the glass double doors. Half way into the session, sitting closest to the doors, I noticed the beautiful red (male) acting like it wanted to come in, pecking at different parts of the glass several times. I waved at it, charmed that it appeared attracted to me and our peaceful practice. Later on, as I was reflecting about the pleasant experience I remembered that it was pecking at it's reflection, thinking it was a competing male. As I passed by the doors later, I noticed that were covered in a reflecting cover, that would mean one could not see in, so it was after an apparently competing male.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer..."

 “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. You have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman

Re: the "ego" in relation to -: “I search for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God.”

-: “I search for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God.” Rumi

Ron: Does this not mean that our so-called "ego", at least the healthy, balanced one is the "seeker"?

Dr. Tom Pinkson: the soul speaks and sometimes the ego listens and seeks greater union with the soul recognizing there is more to us than our egos.  at least that is my thought on the matter. love, t. 

 

Ron: At least some "egos" listen, I am very weary of so many New Age thinkers demonize the ego =- New thoughts devil! I think we can healthy, balanced egos that listen?

Dr. Tom: i agree with you. tis possible if we set that as an intention and then stay vigilant to do the work required. 

 Ron: Yes, my main intention for the New Year is to lower the amount of distractions that I have on my path. What "path"? To be a bridge to unity and peace. 

Thanks for all you inspirational clarity. your Soul Bro, Ron

O

Where the power comes from...?

 

Keep those boundaries for toxic people...

 

BE a polished gem, DO NOT TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY:

 

If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?

RUMI

There is a beehive here inside my heart And the golden bees are making white combs And sweet honey from all my failures.

 

Hola Relatives, In a rapidly changing world of uncertainty about what the next day or moment might hold, it is increasingly important to stay open, flexible, fluid and adaptable, not to mention humble and receptive. Just this past week I have had to cancel two scheduled retreats and today postponing a trip down to Santa Barbara that I was to leave on tomorrow morning. Letting go, working to stay unattached, remembering, as the poet Kabir said many centuries ago, "Wherever you are is the entry point.” I send out this missive to you in support of whatever adjustments, changes, and/or letting go situations you may be dealing with in your own life. You have the opportunity to use right now as entry point to waking up, connecting and attuning to the always present, presence of Spirit, accessing consciously the infinitely-creating wisdom energy of the universe to polish up your stardust to Live Love Now. If you want to fly, you have to do what novelist Toni Morrison calls us to do, “You got to give up the shit that weighs you down!” Yes to facing the truth of what is, but do so with fierce tenderness and compassion for your sacred self. Do so with kindness, with gentleness. I find the comforting words of Antonio Machado very helpful and encourage of this process. See how they work for you. There is a beehive here inside my heart And the golden bees are making white combs And sweet honey from all my failures. Remember there is miel dulce, sweet honey, that lives in your heart through grace and it is just waiting to be enjoyed. Seems to me that we can’t go wrong in using the out-breath to let go of what is no longer needed, opening to receive the life-fuel of the new breath and then bringing it down to your heart to juice up the sweetness that is already there: taste it, feel it, celebrate it and share its golden light of love... Exactly what our troubled and struggling world needs more of right now. Gratitude for you. All Blessings and Love, tomás www.drtompinkson.com

“I search for God and found..."

 “I search for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God.” Rumi

There is a great longing within each of us. (to have no enemies)

 

There is a great longing within each of us. We long to discover the secrets and mysteries of our individual lives, to find our unique way of belonging to this world.

BILL PLOTKIN "Be guided. listen to the whispers of the Universe." (yogi tea tab) Janicki interpreted thich nhat han  "he has a simple message, everything is in your head, move any perceived enemies into your heart."

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,

 I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, 

but people will never forget how you made them feel."

                       Maya Angelou"

Gratitude is the closest thing...

 

Gratitude is the closest thing to beauty manifested in an emotion.

MINDY KALING

I am grateful for my privilege:

 

What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.

BRENÉ BROWN

"...remember that none of us came into this world with a manual about how to get it all right."

 

It’s really easy to be kind to others when I remember that none of us came into this world with a manual about how to get it all right.

JILL BOLTE TAYLOR

Gratitude is universal spiritual wisdom, and ...

 

Gratitude is universal spiritual wisdom, and it is sufficient.

TERRY PATTEN

STOP, in the name of love, when about to react. Respond instead.

 Between Stimulus and Reaction, there is a space where all your power lies. Victor Frankl

Stop, pause in that "space".

Regret about the past, anxiety for the future? Or gratitude in the present?

 

No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of anxiety changes the future. Any amount of gratitude changes the present.

ANN VOSKAMP

Tara Brach: Embodied Presence - Portal to the Sacred, Pt. 2

Between 2021 and 2022 - What I learned last year and what my intentions are for new year:

 The pause in-between the ending of one year and the beginning of another gives us space to simply BE and remember. A time to become less and less of who or what we think we are so that we can become more and more of who we were created to be.

.Divine Spirit in action.

Pure and perfect Love.

Infinite and Brilliant Light.

Living expressions of Divines Love uniquely expressed through our individual gifts. A divine spark that belongs to the infinite source. The radiant ONE.

Remembering that we are Holy Whole always....wishing you a perfect "pause" this week as we release the old, and make way for the new.

Happy New Year,

Rev Scotti  

2021: I learned a lot about fear as a Veteran for Peace Activist supporting BLM.

R. A. I. N.

Recognize (the fear)

Allow (Accept) There is a paradox within acceptance, the more I allow, accept the 

                         fear, the less fear I feel. 

Investigate - where is the fear? I feel it in my gut, my heart.

Nuture - I place my hands over my gut and my heart. I soothe that part of my body, I

               I feel the fear lessening, I feel healing going on...

2022  I has an epiphany last night. There was a bowl-burning a Unity event. A bowl burning is where one burns a negative habit, addiction from last year. I picked distraction. I had been watching football all day, with a comedy in between attempting to distract myself from the way I was feeling - a relapse of the flu-like symptoms which sent me to a VA a couple of days ago for a Covid test. When I got that message, I moved to a new teacher online, who has been inspiring me - she has many free sessions on YouTube. Her name is TaraBrach and you can find her at TaraBrach.com, however I prefer her sessions on RADICAL ACCEPTANCE, THE GENTLE REVOLUTION, FINDING THE GOLD,  EMBODIED PRESENCE, THE PATH OF SURRENDER etc. on YouTube plus many guided meditations.

TaraBrach.com   

 watch TaraBrach on YouTube really helps...

Tara Brach: Embodied Presence - Portal to the Sacred, Pt. 2 above!

https://youtu.be/bYYv1qv1W70

 

Stay consistent:

 

WORD FOR THE DAY It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.

TONY ROBBINS