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an accident

First Officer Matthew Bell was a friend of a friend of mine. He died flying a UPS plane in Dubai this Labor Day weekend, along with another pilot, Captain Doug Lampe. I know of Matt, his wife Dawn, and their daughter indirectly. I heard they were a loving couple. And so when death knocked on their door, I immediately felt a heaviness in the pit of my stomach.

I read books about death because it’s certain that one day it’ll be part of my experience, so I’ve a curiosity about it. Surprisingly there’s a lot written about death. The more I read the more I discover that it’s possible to be sort of comfortable with it. We prepare for many things in life. The ancient and modern wise ones say we should also prepare for death. I know this sounds rather gruesome to some people. All I have to say is, as with all subjects, with the learning eventually comes the understanding, making it possible to gain an entirely new perspective. To spend time on this mysterious subject is a good opportunity to rethink about things learned once upon a time from here and there, and to plant the seeds for other ways of thinking and feeling.

When someone I know either directly or indirectly dies, I start to marvel at the wonders that make up the universe, and in praying for the newly departed, I say a short prayer for all of us.

Have you read the book Divine Interventions by Dan Millman and Doug Childers? Well, the book helps enormously to open the reader to the amazing possibilities in this life and the next – some of the possibilities seem to not correspond to our material world, but then again, it’s simply an extension of the borders of the material world.

Praise for the book Life After Death by Deepak Chopra covers 13 pages. Suffice it to say that it could possibly be the perfect choice of all the books there are on this subject.

“Deepak Chopra has written a masterpiece that is long overdue in our spiritual culture. Life After Death: The Burden of Proof is a bold and comforting guide into the afterlife. Eternity is the true home of the soul, yet we fear to explore experience of death and our place beyond now. Deepak has brilliantly accomplished this journey on our behalf.”
-Caroline Myss

“East meets West in Life After Death. This treasure of a book is graceful and thoughtful, inspiring and enlightening, practical and mystical, an adventure of the mind and heart. If Deepak Chopra is correct-and contemporary afterlife research supports his belief-we should not fear death, but ‘respect it as a miracle’ and celebrate our inherent ability to conceive and experience the eternity of life. Prepare to be awakened.”
Gary E. Schwartz, Ph.D., professor and director, Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health University of Arizona, and author of The Afterlife Experiments and the G.O.D. Experiments

“With great clarity and depth of insight, Deepak Chopra guides us through the process of understanding who we truly are, and leaves us with a richer, more complete awareness of the miracles of both life and death.” – Laurie Monroe, president and CEO, Monroe Institute

“Here is the paradox: life’s greatest mystery-death-seems to be its opposite and its very denial. However, anyone who reads Deepak Chopra’s penetrating and insightful investigation into this great mystery with an open mind will come to realize that the opposite of death is birth, not life. Life, which in essence is consciousness, is eternal and has no opposite. There is no death, only the metamorphosis of life-forms, consciousness appearing as this or that. This is the liberating truth the book continuously point to.”
-Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now

“If I had any doubts about the afterlife, I don’t have them anymore. Deepak Chopra has cast his inimitable light on the darkened corners of death. I think this is his greatest contribution yet.”
-Marianne Williamson, author of The gift of Change

* * * * * * *
May Matthew Bell find amazing possibilities on his next journey, and may Dawn Bell find strength and loving support as she continues on this journey.
* * * * * * *

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experiences

It’s written that the sages, through deep meditation and a falling away of the “I,” came to understand that all experiences are not good or bad, that they are just that – experiences.

Ahh, if we could live our lives with that thought and not add fuel to the fire with other thoughts, balance and joy would no doubt prevail – as the sages have said since ancient times.

If only we could; if only we would.

Tucked away in a small journal, unfortunately I didn’t jot down the author’s name, I found these words:

“If someone with a wand took away your ability to think, all of your problems would go away.”

It’s about the negative nature of thinking that’s easy to fall into – those thoughts that repeatedly come to mind unless an awareness of what’s going on quiets the mind.

And tucked away in a small journal are words of another, and again, no author’s name, food for thought though:

“You will never find the answer by dwelling on the problem. You find the answer by dwelling on the solution to the problem.”

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dana gillespie, dream on

“Third Man is the pseudonym of Blues singer Dana Gillespie. . . .” www.dana-gillespie.com Two weekends ago I discovered that moving, unpacking, and cleaning is easier when listening to Dream On. And when she begins singing “Amazing Grace,” well, I’m compelled to drop everything to join her (for once and for all it’s time to learn all the lines to that amazing song that has captured so many ears and hearts throughout the decades). The word “soul” is substituted for “wretch” which seems to ring nicer for all of us beings. Although when “Amazing Grace” was composed it’s easy to understand the reasons for the use of the word “wretch” by the composer. www.amazinggracemovie.com

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the retreat film

As of yesterday, three lovely creative women, and a wonderful creative cast are in full force on Long Island working on The Retreat film www.theretreatfilm.com.

Lately I’ve been witnessing “the flow” and this is another story of its operation. The serendipitous meeting of the producer, writer, director who all seem to enjoy being “extras” in movies (I think they try to snatch every opportunity to be where the creative action is, no matter where it is – poetry meetings, writing workshops, books, movie sets, acting, studying, researching, imagining – following the creative path wherever they find it), and their discussions during that first meeting somehow flowed into creating the Sag short film, The Retreat.

Watching its inception has been an enormous treat, and knowing that they come from the heart makes it a joy to watch. The motivation, the talent, the belief, and, let’s say the enjoyment of it all, has taken them from their first meeting to where they want to be.

To all of you on the set, and to your big imaginations, keep on letting it flow.

* * * * * * *

“Don’t play for safety – it’s the most dangerous game in the world.” – Hugh Walpole

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.” – Rumi

“Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.” – Josh Billings. a 19th century American humourist

“To live intuitively is to live fourth-dimensionally.” – Claude Bragdon

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. . . .” – Albert Einstein

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peter at moving specialist Inc.

I just moved. Whew! The only good thing about having to pack every single thing one owns is that we get to sort out all the “stuff” that’s not being used. All the things that if someone were to come and take – none would be missed. I know there are a lot of different reasons for keeping unused things. But. . . .

Peter, “Speedy and Reliable with a Positive Attitude” efficiently moved my things. He’s located in Philadelphia. He’s accommodating; he’s nice. From the first phone call, he eliminated any anxiety that was trying to push its way to the surface. Support is a big Must Have when moving. otherwise it can get quite overwhelming.

Speaking of moving, I’ve been noticing many moving trucks in front of buildings, and also the unusual number of people in Philadelphia pulling suitcases around. What’s going on I wonder. I know there’s a large student population in Philly, but it’s not only students who are moving and pulling. So I think Philadelphians like to move and pull. And I want to be excluded from that moving and pulling list.

It’s good to share, so here’s Peter’s number: 267 974 7577.
www.movingspecialistinc.com

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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

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charles eisenstein

A friend of mine and I exchange books. Last month when she offered a book to me; I looked at it and thought to myself, “I don’t think so.” I accepted it though and after reading a few pages, happily continued. Soon I realized that the author is a world-class thinker. The 565 -page book is titled The Ascent of Humanity The Age of Separation, the Age of Reunion, and the Convergence of Crises that is birthing the transition. At first glance it looks like the kind of book many of us would pick up and put right down, -as in I don’t think so. True, it’s as serious as the title suggests, and It could have been boring and dry. But it isn’t. There’s a wanting to read more because it becomes obvious to the reader that Charles Eisenstein is a person who is compassionate and dedicated to understanding all that brought the world to its present condition. On page after page his easy style of writing connects the reader to the world and all that it’s been through, and all that it can become. And we begin to know and to understand how it’s accumulated the many, many problems facing it today. Don’t worry, it doesn’t leave the reader “down in the dumps.” On the contrary, reading it opens the mind, and the reader is able to see the world’s problems with clarity, and also its solutions with an equal dose of clarity. Now I’ll stop attempting to explain a book that covers a vast number of important topics that touch our every day lives.

If you click on to Charles Eisenstein’s website, I think you’ll be pleased that you did:
www.ascentofhumanity.com

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siddhartha, a book a movie

Until last year I hadn’t read the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Not because I was too busy, too busy is never the case when it comes to good books. The truth is that until last year I hadn’t even heard of the book. People I mentioned it to said, “Oh, that book. Yes, I read it a long time ago.” Two things surprised me, the number of people who’ve read it, and their response to the book.

So, because I was late jumping onto the bandwagon, I intensified the feeling by watching a movie about Siddhartha written, produced, and directed by Conrad Rooks and shot in Northern India. To watch the movie is to bask in beauty. Really! And to listen to Conrad Rooks speak about the making of the movie, and also about his life in Greenwich Village in the 70’s, is as wonderful as a pistacchio ice cream cone on a sweltering summer afternoon.

When body, or mind, or spirit is feeling frazzled, and you just want to bathe in tranquility, pick up a copy of the 122-page book Siddhartha, or watch the movie, or do both. If you’ve read it, you can read it again. There’s always a passage or two or three that will sing to your heart.

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laughing

It’s said that laughter heals. And that laughing for 15 minutes every day offers many benefits to our health. It doesn’t matter whether the laughter is coming from something that’s caught our attention, or from simply wanting to laugh. Laughing feels so good. I wonder, has any one researched when exactly our ability to laugh began?

Laughing dissolves stressful and awkward situations. Laughing keeps us in the present moment. It makes problems seem less troublesome. When we put our heart and soul into laughing, any problems we have take second fiddle. Laughing refreshes the mind. Children love to laugh; we can learn from children – they know what we’ve forgotten. Laughing changes our energy to a higher vibration. Are you in?

www.laughteryoga.org