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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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pat robertson


I have read that more and more people are believing in reincarnation. If reincarnation plays a part in our existence, and if Pat Robertson’s opinion about Haiti (generations ago, people in Haiti sold their souls to the Devil and are now paying for it) is written in stone for him, we needn’t upset ourselves – too much. I have read that there is a Law in the Universe, and the Law responds to every unkind word or action, just as it does to kindness in word and action. And so, perhaps in a future lifetime Pat Robertson will experience being born in Haiti, thereby giving him first-hand knowledge, along with a sincere understanding. At that time, any opinion he has about Haiti will at least be based on experience, rather than on a loose tongue. Whether it would be that way or not, I imagine that the Law has interesting ways. . . .

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on death

Last month I watched the movie “How to Know God” by Deepak Chopra. Actually, I watched it twice, or perhaps it was three times. And I picked up another movie “Experiencing the Soul” Before Life, During Life, and After Death, in which those who are devoting their lives to understanding other aspects of life are interviewed.

At Border’s I found a book titled “The Open Road THE GLOBAL JOURNEY OF THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA” by Pico Iyer. On its cover is written: “An intimate portrait. . . . Without ever losing compassion or respect for his subject, Iyer peels away layer after layer of illusion, revealing critical truths about this man at every possible level.” -Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love. The Dalai Lama was a friend of the writer’s father. I think I’ll read it more than once, not because it’s complicated, but because I want to experience reading the words again. The Dalai Lama wakes at 3am every morning to meditate for four hours. I’ve read a few times that he’s preparing himself for death. He’s also living a very full life.

Every so often I read the words “preparing for death” and it seems a very good way to live life. We prepare for many things, and since death goes hand-in-hand with us while we’re alive, it makes sense for us to get into the habit of preparing for it. Should we die tomorrow, or not for many decades, we’ll be comfortable with the thought of death. I’ve been at the bedside of people who’ve died peacefully, and with one who fought it tooth and nail. Peaceful looked right.

Michael Jackson’s death was a surprise to his family and his fans. I hope it wasn’t a surprise to him, and that his spirit is now peacefully of its journey. It’s quite obvious that his talent touched many lives in an extraordinary way.

* * * * * * *
“When I die I will soar with the angels, and, when I die to the angels, what I shall become you cannot imagine.” – Rumi

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sun and rain and being busy

Some magazine articles, movies, tv programs, books, experts, DVDs, tell us we need to multitask if we want to get ahead, become successful, have the right friends, be respected, and, of course, have a lot of money in the process. We’ll be happy, we’re told, living the way of constant doing and striving. However, if we don’t question that idea, we’ll also be burdened by our fragmented thoughts, and an inability to slow down. And when an opportunity comes to have an evening of aloneness – even when the aloneness doesn’t mean lonely, just a chance to catch up with other parts of ourselves – we feel pressured to make plans. We tell ourselves that we shouldn’t be alone for an evening, a day, a weekend, – we should be out doing.

If all that busyness was working, why are there so many depressed people, people on the verge of suicide stopped only by prescription drugs, or lifted up only by prescription drugs, so many people unable to sleep, so many sick people, so many people just plain unhappy because they’re not doing what they enjoy? It’s a fair question to ask, isn’t it?

Today is a rainy day; lately there have been complaints about the rain. The sun is teasing us – it’s sunny, then it’s not. Spirits are dampened; maybe weekend plans have to be changed. But rainy days are wonderful, too. Rain has a way of slowing things. It can change a day of rushing to a more mellow one, and that means we’re less stressed. We don’t need to change our plans, just our mind set, and then getting rained on at the beach becomes fun. Staying indoors on a beautiful sunny day is a little difficult; the sun seems to say come out and play. Rain, however, says, you can go out if you want, but you can also stay in. Don’t worry, you’ll be busy, but it’ll be a different kind of busyness; you’ll be busy being still – just for a little while.

I used to feel that practicing Qi Gong with Matthew Cohen’s Fire and Water DVD was an imposition. Then there came a time when I realized the benefits were outweighing any imposition felt, and that every time I practiced, I learned something new -maybe more insight about the way of a particular movement, or of a word not heard before that brought new meaning to not only Qi Gong, but life in general. Now practicing the once difficult empty stance is a pleasure, and Qi Gong is not an imposition. The empty stance is “full of emptiness” Matthew Cohen says. And slowly an understanding that the busyness of being still – of being empty – has its own rewards.

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mentors for monday, and tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday too

“One of the greatest stresses we can endure is trying to live a life that doesn’t fit who we are. We look for some kind of mission and purpose external to ourselves to fill the void that only living in communion with the Inner Self can fulfill. And it is from this connection to the Inner Self that right relationship to the world (career) occurs.” – Jerry Thomas

“First of all, one must observe, see with great care the mind and its functioning, listen to what is within and without: Out of this arises sensitivity and in sensitivity there arises insight. That insight alone will wipe away sorrow.” – J.Krishnamurti

“All day long the thoughts that occupy your mind, your secret place as Jesus calls it, are molding your destiny for good or evil, in fact, the truth is that the whole of our life’s experience is but the outer expression of inner thought.” – From the Pen of Emmet Fox

“. . . We are where are thoughts have taken us, and we are the architects – for better or worse – of our futures.” – James Allen

“As is the human body,
so is the cosmic body.
As is the human mind,
so is the cosmic mind.
As is the mirrocosm,
so is the macrocism.
As is the atom,
so is the universe.” – The Upanishads

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
– Marcel Proust

“Do not fear mistakes. There are none.” – Miles Davis

“Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: Now.” – Denis Waitley

“. . . We have underestimated ourselves tragically. We are sadly mistaken when we see ourselves as merely temporary bodies instead of timeless spirit; as separate suffering selves instead of blissful Buddhas; as meaningless blobs of matter instead of blessed children of God.” – Roger Walsh

“Arguments gain little. The mental attitude and prayers gain much; for thoughts are things and their vibrations reach those in every sphere and walk of life as related to self and to others.”
– Edgar Cayce Reading 1438-2

“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” – Leonardo de Vinci

“Forgive those who wrong you; join those who cut you off; do good to those who do evil to you.”
– Mohammad

“A major goal of spiritual practice is to clear our mental space of the intellectual and emotional garbage we have been collecting since childhood, and to provide space for the experience of true relaxation and enjoyment. We should realize that a positive thought or inspiration becomes nourishment for the mind, like healthy food. But negative views and passions, like waste products, have toxic effects.” – Tulku Thondup

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it’s raining. it’s pouring. . . .

Early evening today I was caught in a rainstorm. As I walked I passed people on every block, mostly without umbrellas, either going to or coming from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Suddenly I noticed a very different feeling about the rain and the people. No one was minding that they were getting soaked. No one was rushing to find shelter, or hurrying to their next location. All were walking as though the sun was brightly shining and cars were not splashing when passing. I liked the feeling. Walking in the rain and getting soaked never happened in quite that way for me before. Stuart Wilde once wrote, “If it’s raining, do rain.” Once you’re in that mindset; it’s easy. When I entered the building where I live, someone was leaving. She looked at my shoes and soaked pants stuck to my legs decorated by the wind with leaves and tiny white petals, and she turned around and headed for the elevator. I guess she didn’t want to do rain.

The worst storm I was ever in was in Panama, in the mountains of beautiful Boquete. Rainstorms there rarely announce themselves: one minute you’re basking in the sun; the next minute you’re drenched through and through. No matter, the sun is suddenly shining, and soon everything is dry. That one worst rainstorm with thunder deep in the mountains left me gasping, the road quickly flooded, and buckets of water poured down unrelentingly. It seemed almost like a joke to have been caught in such a downpour.

Then again, I was walking to a Bed & Breakfast place in Ireland when I was almost blown away into Galway Bay. It was the loneliest rainstorm I’d ever encountered. Ever so quickly darkness was everywhere, the Bay became rough, the rains descended unmercifully, and the winds came. No one was around, and there was nothing to hang onto.

These rainstorms taught me to laugh because sometimes you can be in the most ridiculous situations, and there’s nothing to do but laugh.

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acceptance

Acceptance is a good word, and a soothing word; it’s a word that’s effective when used verbally or silently. When applying acceptance to a particular situation, we’re inclined to wonder whether we’ve done enough, and whether it’s time to  stop guessing, thinking, worrying, trying. Yes, stop so that the mind is free of the energy we’ve created around a situation or person, and free of blockages – hands off; it’s time to trust.

Becoming comfortable with acceptance allows the mind arguments and blockages to eventually disapper. Practicing acceptance will lead us to intuitively know what’s best in a situation. Then we trust. Acceptance and trust go hand in hand. We know that things are not okay at the moment, and we trust the tide will turn. Trust.

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a good reason

Today is the 6th day of The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs for me. I am not going to say that it has been exactly easy. I will just say it is entirely doable, and as the days go by it gets easier. Food thoughts come and go, and everyone handles them differently. When thoughts of food come, I remember two things, and when I do, I am okay. They are: 1) The reason for going on the cleanse, and 2) It is temporary. And a nice thought about temporarily givng up food is that some of us suddenly have free time from something that is done two or three times every day – shopping, preparing, cooking, and, of course, eating.

Today I went to University City in Philadelphia, opened the door to Penn Bookstore, and headed directly to the cookbook section. For some peculiar reason it is rather satisfying for me to read cookbooks when on the cleanse. There were three of Madjur Jaffrey’s on the shelf. She inspires in the way she writes about food, in the mouth watering pictures, and in the clarity of her recipes which tend to give the reader confidence in creating them with the same results.The book is worth buying just to look at those beautifully photographed pictures. It was eye-filling.

Now if one morning you wake up, and your first thought is: I want to go on the cleanse, there is a thin, yellow book by Stanley Burroughs waiting for you at a bookstore. It is to be followed without any exceptions. And if you want a coach in the form of a book, I have a good one; it is called Lose Weight, Have More Energy, Be Healthier in 10 Days by Peter Glickman. Also, here are a few interesting websites for support, if they are needed:
www.thelemonadediet.com
www.themastercleanse.com
www.healsa.co.za/cayennepepper.htm
www.curezone.com

Be well; be happy.

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eckhart tolle

The title of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle says it all, and the contents of the book is priceless. For starts, it can change one’s ideas about how things are, or ought to be, and take one on the ride of one’s life. It tends to turn one’s thoughts around and around, and get one to agree that, -okay, that’s true; that way is not working for me. I have to do what? All right, if that’s what it takes to stop the misery, I’m on board. And little by little, thoughts and opinions about the past, present, and future, about relationships, about the way the mind is used – the thinking and doing that doesn’t work, and yet has a stranglehold on one’s life, get chiseled away.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle has sold over 6 million copies. And what a book it is. The book grabs hold of one’s being – if one let’s it, and if one is not compelled to ask the why of everything when reading it. The meaning of the words will eventually find a place in one’s consciousness, and then a place in one’s outer life.

I’ve noticed that A New Earth is not a book one can give as a gift, I suppose that’s true for The Power of Now, too. That’s been my experience. Well, one can give it, but… A New Earth can’t be a blind date, a person has to chose it for themselves, or the giver will most likely see it untouched, or used as a coaster, or maybe taken out when “they” know you’re coming. The best time for someone to read The Power of Now, or A New Earth, or any book of a spiritual nature, is determined by the one who will be reading it. That makes perfect sense. www.eckharttolle.com

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The Master Cleanse Experience… aka Lemonade Diet

Well it has been sometime since I have blogged, before the birth of our second baby, Clover Alessandra. This topic, however, has to be blogged about. I started the Master Cleanse diet this past Monday, January 29th, 2008. It is a 10 day(min) fast where you only consume liquids consisting of a lemonade concoction and then do a herbal laxative tea in the morning and evening. I completed this fast once January 2007 with my mother-in-law, Fran. 

What drove me to even consider this craziness was that I was at my wits end with the lack of weightloss from having my first baby, Sebastian. I packed on a hefty 50 lbs with him and had 40 lbs to lose after the baby. I managed to wittle away at it but by the holidays (6months) later I was still 10 lbs heavier and at a plateau. I saw the footage on Oprah about Beyonce Knowles doing the fast to lose weight for her role in “DreamGirls” I thought to myself… I can do that! So when I saw the family at Christmas I mentioned it to Fran and low and behold, she had the actual orginal book The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs.   I was shocked! Apparently she had the book and had always wanted to do the fast but never got around to it.  So it was ON! We decided to start and complete the fast together beginning the new year. 

It was a really tough first few days and I almost quit so many times. It was amazing the need to chew something was what I felt and I just felt like I had the flu. Apparently these are all detox symptoms. At the end of the fast I was a pleasant 12 lbs lighter and had so much energy and umpf that I was so happy I had completed the fast no matter how tough it had been.

This is why I am here again going through the same fast. This time I had more to lose since I started at a higher starting weight. I figure it will get me going down the right path and help me restart my system. Oddly though, this time the fast has not been as arduous. It has actually been quite easy.  I was prepared for the worst on day 2 and day 3 and that never came. I am currently on day 6 and toward the end of the day at that.  One side effect I am experiencing that I also had last time is the “coldies”. You just freaking feel cold all the time. I guess the lack of solid food and also it being winter time doesn’t help. Besides that everything else, including the cravings are manageable. Last time I was obsessed with watching the Food Network and looking at cookbook recipes. Weird even though I couldn’t eat anything just looking at it made me feel better and closer to food. I am planning to go to day 10, but have been contemplating continuing on for 4 more days to make it a full 2 weeks.

I have been looking at message boards www.therawfoodsite.com which are really helpful during this time. It is always nice to know there are others going through what you are going through. With that being said, it is definitely easier to do this with someone than alone. Also I had the benefit of having this week off of work. So I will only be at work for 3 days if I complete the 10 day fast instead of the 14 day one. The worst days are also in the beginning.

So right now my sense of smell is like superhero sense of smell. I guess since I am not eating it has instensified my other senses. It’s really odd to smell everything so intensely but at the same time really great. I am also just starting to get the energy high that comes with this fast toward the end. I have also managed to mantain working out. I have gone twice now and plan to go and do a weightlifting class tomorrow.

One thing I did differently this time was I drank a lot more water in between my lemonade drinks. I think that really helped me feel so much better and I am glad I figured that out. Also having two little ones keeps me really busy and my mind off of the whole food thing. It is truly amazing how much time you have when you don’t mess with food. You have a lot of free time to read and do things you usually don’t have time for. For me though with the kids I am just spending more time with them.

So another hard thing is watching your loved ones eat in front of you. Michael has been eating pizza, chinese food, pasta, etc.  It’s tough but I just tell myself that I can’t do it and I am too close now to the end to stop this. I know once I am done I will feel like a million bucks just like last time. Also hopefully a good 15 lbs lighter. Currently I have lost 8 1/2 lbs as of this morning weigh in. It is really motivating to see that scale go down everyday! My plan after the fast is really stay away from all the bad foods and eat a more clean diet and continue my vigorous exercising… I am addicted to the working out part!

So to anyone that wants to try this diet… DO IT! Just commit and do it and I promise you will be truly amazed at how you feel and how you look!