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it’s raining, it’s pouring; the old man is snoring. he went to bed, and bumped his head and he couldn’t get up in the morning

I want to think light and fun on this rainy day. You, too? A rainy day is a calm day unless one’s schedule is on overload. A rainy day is a slower day because accidents happen more easily if we don’t make it a slower day. Have you ever slipped and fallen on a rainy day because you were in a hurry to get somewhere? That’s always a tap on the shoulder to not rush. Judging from the look of all those clouds, it seems they’ll be no sun shining on us today, unless we’re heading for a beautiful island with sunny weather. And, so, here we are with a no-sun kind of day. We have to appeciate these days because summer is peeking around the corner, and usually that means we’ll be complaining of hot and humid because hot and humid is hard to take.

Well, not always. We can do hot and humid by by a beautiful body of water, bare feet in sand, sipping a cool refreshing drink – the biggest decision to make is whether to go for a swim before or after lunch, oh, and another, what to have for lunch. That’s not hard to take.

Ah, but we want to keep our energy in the present moment, so back to our rainy day; it’s puddles for us today. That beautiful body of water is for another time. Actually I’ve been noticing lately that people are not timid about the rain as much as they used to be. I don’t know how that came about, but people seem more willing to walk a few blocks in the rain, without an umbrella, not caring whether they get wet. It’s nice to have that attitude, that sense of freedom. Then the rain becomes fun and we get to be like children. Children love the rain. They look for puddles to jump in never caring whether feet get wet, clothes get splashed on, mud sticks to pants. Children think fun, and rain is fun. Have you ever heard a child complain about rain? They’re not the ones who remember to bring an umbrella. They don’t want anything hampering their fun. Children stay in the present moment. We’ll watch them and learn.

Okay, I get it, we’ll be like children; we’ll see the rain as freeing and fun. We’ll do rain. Yeah!

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. . . to plant a seed

Words are powerful. That’s why I’m wondering why doctors are at liberty, when a serious illness is diagnosed, to plant a seed in the mind of a patient as to how long s/he has to live. The mind is powerful, too, and when words of doom and gloom are uttered, they’re not easily forgotten, and can jeopardize the outcome if a patient places a lot of belief in them. The doom and gloom words stick and put a patient in a zone of sorts where thoughts of a healing are diminished.

Years ago, doctors told patients very little; I’m beginning to think that, in this case, very little is possibly better than too much. A sick person tends to become vulnerable when under a doctor’s care, all those appointments, all those tests, meetings with the doctor to discuss a course of action, perhaps a second or even a third opinion, a decision to be made about who would be the best doctor, researching treatments, decision as to the best treatment, concern of family and friends, disagreement among family when making these decisions, medication that dulls the senses leaving a patient unable to see matters clearly. For one to understand how to go about healing, and to tap into one’s own knowing, encouragement of the highest quality is needed.

It’s not the fault of the doctor that many things have gotten so out of hand; it’s the way of the world. A doctor of today is taught to practice differently from a doctor in, let’s say, the 1950’s. I don’t know when things began to change, but it seems it would benefit both sides if a middle ground were reached. It makes sense to use words that speak of possibilities, words that capture a patient’s body, mind and spirit, rather than words that give an overall sinking sensation of despair.

The mind is powerful and, words of encouragement are like a healing balm-a divine kind of medicine. Many books have been written about the mind and its power to heal the body. And people have healed from serious illnesses; If one person has that ability, it would seem that we all have it. We do have choices, but in a time of illness we are inclined to put all our trust in a doctor and forget that there’s another part of us that is there to help. Fear can get in the way when we listen to discouraging words.

From “the SECRET of INSTANTANEOUS HEALING” by Harry Douglas Smith:
In spite of emphasis on the word “new,” the healing power of the Mind has been known and used for centuries. Mind is the great physician. This truth is not new. The following quotations demonstrate its timelessness and universality:

400 B.C.: We do not cure the body with the body; we cure the body with the Mind; and if the mind is confused and upset, it cannot cure anything properly. -Plato, The Republic

300 B.C.: . . .as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. -Proverbs

Often it takes only a small emotion to furnish the primary cause for the onslaught of a cold or an attack of the flu. All the ordinarily blamed causes – cold feet, drafts, wet weather, etc. – are only secondary causes,”. . .else,” as John Caius said in 1552, “if one were sick, all should be sick.”

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deepak chopra and david simon

If you have a free weekend or more, and have money in your account screaming to be used, I have an idea. I know someone who’s been researching spas and decided that the Chopra Wellness Center in NYC could very nicely handle a desire of hers to straighten out the way she thinks about food, pamper her body with massages, manicures, pedicures, yoga, meditation, speak the ayurvedic language so that she’s not always in the process of trying to understand it, and help her to heal from cancer – all this in a setting that speaks of beauty from the moment one enters its doors. www.chopra.com

When I was at Optimum Health Institute in San Diego, a few of us who were staying there took a ride to La Jolla. As we walked along the town, we noticed The Chopra Wellness Center and walked in. A staff member took us on a tour of all the facilities, also the kitchen, the beautiful dining area, and the retail shop where I bought a cd. Eventually the cd landed in the hands of the person sitting next to me in a bus heading for Boquete in Panama. When I think about that cd, I know it was not really meant for me. I was just the delivery person for the one who now has it. And that’s why I smile when I think of the Chopra Wellness Center. It wasn’t very long ago that this center with Deepak Chopra and David Simon opened its doors in NYC. The body, mind and spirit places took their time in coming to NYC. But Hallelujah!-they’re here. www.optimumhealthinstitute.com

I read scathing comments about Deepak Chopra on a website. There are times when well-known people have to endure all kinds of comments from all kinds of people. What’s funny about this is that those commenting are so sure of their own way of thinking, and for them it comes down to them being perfectly right and the other guy being perfectly wrong. It’s really quite interesting, or entertaining, depending on how you look at it. What Chopra has to say is not for everyone, and if his writings grind on you, there’s an option of not reading the books. It’s amusing how bent out of shape some people get when they don’t agree with someone. It is as it is.

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omega in rhinebeck, ny

Omega in Rhinebeck, New York sent their catalogue recently. On the cover is written: workshops retreats trainings conferences vacations community. In its pages is a history of Omega’s beginnings, and its development over the past thirty years. The catalogue introduces us to teachers from all over the world, teaching us just about anything we can imagine in the beautiful way Omega lets it happen. If you want a different kind of vacation, this could be just what you’re looking for. It’s very nice to turn the catalogue’s pages and see the faces of teachers and participants enjoying and learning in many many many ways-together. I’ve not been to Rhinebeck, NY, but have heard it’s a beautiful place, and I’ve heard Omega is not to be missed. In case you’re wondering, the phone number is 800.944.1001, and the website is www.eomega.org. Perhaps I’ll see you there soon. Nice!

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stirrings from within

I went away last week-not far-but far enough to see that life is just a little different there than it is here at the moment. That’s always okay because one finds food for thought in places that are different. What wonderful conversations I had with three people at three different times. Neat! Interestingly, these conversations were along the same lines, having to do with relationships which can get rather sticky at times-if we let them. These three people are searchers. The thing is though that they’re not quite sure what they’re searching for. You can tell when they’re talking that there’s something nagging at them and it keeps telling them at every opportunity that there’s a better way of thinking, doing, imagining, loving, and, in general, living. Every indication suggests that the time is right for them, and now they’re paying attention to the stirrings from within urging them to watch, trust, read the signs, let go and be open to change, to discover and explore a better, more powerful and loving way of being in this world. Ah, what an adventure; it’s an amazing journey we’re all on.

“Before you die, dare to walk the wildest unknown way.” – Bryce Courtenay
www.brycecourtenay.com

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

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” – Otto Rank
www.ottorank.com

“Unless you leave room for serendipity, how can the Divine enter in? The beginning of the adventure is to lose your way.” -Joseph Campbell

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the law of the universe

I very much like the idea of reincarnation, not that it matters, one way or another. It seems a wonderful way of sorting out things. Do you feel the same? I didn’t always think this way. When I first heard a simple explanation of the word reincarnation years ago, I actually felt stuck-yes, stuck in this world-forever and forever. And that was due to the fact that I had no real understanding of its meaning and worth. Now I appreciate what it is, and feel that the Energy that created the Universe created a beautiful, fool-proof, easy way of keeping a balance in everything. We need never be concerned with making sure justice is served as justice is always served one way or another by the Law of the Universe.

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about the weather

We’re complaining about the weather, for a good reason. Do you think that our planet is trying to tell us something by way of the weather? We all know that, aside from getting our act together, and keeping our planet from choking and dying from all the pollution we’ve given it to digest, there’s nothing much else we can do. If we could do that we’d at least be doing what we should have been doing all along. That seems to be a tall order in today’s world, because we’ve strayed far off the course. We don’t know Life’s plans for the planet, but if we uphold our part of the bargain and except responsibility by nurturning it instead of heaping one insult upon another on it, there’s a good chance that it would continue to nurture us in its grand style.

Our mass consciousness at the moment is one of wars, killings, hatred, random acts of cruelty, greed, and there’s more. How is this nurturing anything? I’ve read many times that we live in an intelligent universe. It must feel slighted, ignored, somewhat depressed, maybe a bit angry, when it observes what we’re doing. Talk about disrespect in the name of more, more and more. Our planet doesn’t ask much of us, only that we take care of it and keep it in good stead. It gives so much to us, but if we continue to destroy it by our toxic ways, and dissipate its bounty, it won’t be able to keep us in good stead.

It’s like everything else, when we take care of what we have, perhaps leave it in a better way than the way we got it, certainly not in a worse way, whisper words of love to it, enjoy it, offer a thank you prayer to it, how can we go wrong? But that’s not what we’re doing. Hmm!

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it is what it is

A few days ago as I was walking along a street, I could see two men in work-clothes standing on the sidewalk facing the side of a parked red truck. As I continued walking in their direction, I noticed their eyes never left the truck. They looked lost in thought when viewed from a block away, not in an unusual way, but rather like a Norman Rockwell scene. As I reached the truck, I saw they were focused on a painting that was leaning against the truck. No one else was around, perhaps they’d just bought the painting, or been given the painting. From the way they were looking at it, obviously trying to make some sense of it, it was hard to guess how it got into their possession. As I passed them, I heard one of the men say of the painting, “It is what it is.” The other man had no response. I glanced at the painting in passing. Had I lingered along with them, I would have been in their same puzzled state, staring and saying, “Yes, it is what it is.” And that was a good description of what it was. People used to say “interesting” for want of a better word, but “It is what it is” does nicely, too.

I’ve been hearing that phrase a lot lately, that, or “It is as it is.” There’s a feeling of acceptance when you hear the words, and they’re often said with a kind of gentleness, too. Whatever it is about those words, they seem to work for all occasions.

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life

Many people are living with a lot of pain in their bodies, minds and emotions. The main reason is that there’s no let up to the disturbing things seen, observed, witnessed  daily. We all know the list that causes pain and suffering and leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless. If we would look pass our complicated world though, we would feel differently, and would arrive at a place that allows us to grasp the deeper meaning of Life.

There’s no denying it; our world is in somewhat of a mess right now. But, if we could realize that there’s so much more to us than what we’ve been taught, if we could get pass the surface – the things we read in the newspapers, or watch on the news, or witness in our own lives, the opinions bobbing around – things of that ilk, something grand will then open up for us.

When we believe that what we see, read, and hear about is the sum total of our lives then life becomes a drag; I don”t want to live in that kind of a world. Thankfully, that’s not the case.

The material world is a place for experiences, many of which can help us have a better understanding of Life. When we open our eyes and really look at the Creator’s creations – the abundance and beauty, the oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, valleys, forests, flowers, healing plants, the joy the sun brings during the day, the look of the stars on a dark night, a newborn – how can we possibly not want to awaken to the other parts of Life .

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“Everything in the world comes from the mind, like objects appearing from the sleeve of a magician.” -Buddha, Lankavatara Sutra

“We have no reason to mistrust our world, for it is not against us. Has it terrors, they are our terrors; has it abysses, those abysses belong to us, are dangers at hand, we must try to love them. . . . How should we be able to forget those ancient myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave.” -Rainer Maria Rilke , “Letters to a Young Poet”

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there’s simple and there’s complicated

Some people have such complicated and taxing personal lives, and others have such simple and lovely lives. The mind of some can’t fathom simplicity. When they conjure up the word, simple, it tends to mean something unpleasant to them. I think they feel with simple they’ll wallow in having nothing, being nothing, and doing nothing. I suppose if that’s what the thought process is, that is what could happen. You know, “As Within, So Without. ”

Simple is easier to define than complicated, after all it’s about simple. Simple allows for lots of other things to happen in one’s life, whereas complicated keeps gathering momentum until it strangles. This is a very simple example of complicated: There are people who, when they pick up their mail, save everything -every scrap of paper-lest “something important” slips past them. These people have a big pile of mail collecting that, they say-with a sigh- “I’ll get to soon.” I know this because I’ve seen it in action. Now that pile of mail becomes burdensome for them to look at. It’s another job for the future that weighs on the mind. This is how complicated could be simple; there are people who pick up their mail, shuffle through it because it’s a habit they’ve acquired, and in a few minutes, know what stays and what goes-no pile, unless it’s to be taken care of within a short span of time. Yes!

Another example of complicated: for some the December holidays begin in October, sometimes even September. They say, “After all, there’s so much to do, it’s important to begin early.” Three months plus of planning! They then become high strung due to the demands they place on themselves, and things get complicated. December holidays can be, should be, wonderful. However, when there’s a fanatic frantically planning months ahead, how can they be. Nah! There are so many fantastic things to do in our world to allow life to get that way.

People must want simple because there are lots more magazine articles and books written about it. Simple is an agreement with oneself that the old way goes, and another, less stressful way, is ushered in. It really is that simple.