Inspirational Messages

"Messages from Wayshowers Community Fellowship seek to tap the wisdom of various faiths and inspire individuals on their spiritual path. Use them as focal points for personal reflection and/or share them with others. Your experiences and feedback are welcome"  -  Dorinda Fox, WCF President

(most recent message on top)

Spiritual Song of the Aborigine

I am a child of the Dreamtime People
Part of this Land, like the gnarled gumtree
I am the river, softly singing
Chanting our songs on my way to the sea
My spirit is the dust-devils
Mirages, that dance on the plain
I'm the snow, the wind and the falling rain
I'm part of the rocks and the red desert earth
Red as the blood that flows in my veins
I am eagle, crow and snake that glides
Thorough the rain-forest that clings to the mountainside
I awakened here when the earth was new
There was emu, wombat, kangaroo
No other man of a different hue
I am this land
And this land is me
I am Australia.

 by Hyllus Maris

Acting without Effort 
(Diminishing Will, Letting Be, Wu Wei)

The Tao Te Ching alludes to "diminishing doing" or "diminishing will" as the key aspect of the sage's success. Taoist philosophy recognizes that the Universe already works harmoniously according to its own ways; as a person exerts their will against or upon the world they disrupt the harmony that already exists. This is not to say that a person should not exert agency and will. Rather, it is how one acts in relation to the natural processes already extant. The how, the Tao of intention and motivation, that is key.

The Sage is occupied with the unspoken and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing, the Sage has nothing to lose.
-Tao Te Ching

Wu Wei has also been translated as "creative quietude," or the art of letting-be.

As one diminishes doing - here 'doing' means those intentional actions taken to benefit us or actions taken to change the world from its natural state and evolution - one diminishes all those actions committed against the Tao, the already present natural harmony.

You are that which you are seeking.

-St Francis of Assisi

Our Spirit May Wander and Come Back

Although my spirit may wander the four corners of the earth,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may go far away over the sea,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may go far away to the flashing beams of light,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may go far away to visit the sun and the dawn,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may wander over the lofty mountains,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may go far away into all forms that live and move,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may go far away to distant realms,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may go far away to all that is and is to be,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

Although my spirit may wander in the valley of death,
Let it come back to me again so that I may live and journey here.

- the Ancient Rig Veda,
Vedic Tradition, predecessor of Hinduism

Your Hopes and Dreams

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. 
Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. 
Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, 
but with what it is still possible for you to do.
- Pope John XXIII   _6-10

A  Spiritual Message from Native American Elders

Spiritual health is the key to holistic health. 
We pray to have the discipline to set healthy examples for our children to follow. 
Respecting everything and everyone in the universe starts with self-respect. 

To the Seventh Generation: 

• Survive

• Keep hopes and dreams

• Take care of yourself

• Remember your spirit

• Be there for each other

• Respect courage

• Share knowledge

• Always keep learning

• Remember your true values

Excerpts of a message created at a conference 
of 1,200 Native American Elders representing 105 tribes.
See the whole message here   _8-27

My Place in the Universe

The Ocean I see and sail is my brother.
The Wind is my sister. It brings hope. It is fresh and new.

The Sky is my father and mother and the creators. It is very great.
The Earth is my ancestors and the past. I thank the past and look ahead.

I am here to use these elements to improve my life and that of others.
I accept my place in this universe.

(A synthesis statement of Polynesian  & Aboriginal philosophies.) 

_7-xx

A Healing Prayer and Water

It is based on Ho'Oponopono, the ancient religion of Hawaii, which knew that we are all united as ONE on a higher level.. The ancient Hawaiians believed that saying and meaning special words of love and forgiveness would help put us and others back as One and back in peace and harmony with all things..

Dr. Masaru Emoto is the scientist who has researched and written about the characteristics of water including that water responds to human emotions. He asks us to pray these words, the last of which are from Ho'Oponopono...

"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the waters 
and all living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings.  
To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton, corals, algae
....humankind... to ALL living creatures... I am sorry.  
Please forgive me. Thank you. 
and I Love You."

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind
and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing,
but to free the breath from its restless tides,
that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence
shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top,
then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
then shall you truly dance.

- Kahlil Gibran in "The Prophet"  _3-12

Interconnected

"The life of all creatures and our own lives are One; 
profoundly dependent upon each other.... 
We call our ancient scroll of wisdom, the Torah, a 'tree of life', 
for it, like Earth's great forests sustains us. 
Torah teaches that creation, in its great diversity, 
is harmoniously interconnected. 
Like the trees, we too need strong deep roots for nourishment. 
The uplifted branches of trees point to our future. 
The Psalmist was right when he said, 
'like a tree planted by the waters, we shall not be moved.'" 

- Rabbi Warren G. Stone _2-26

Courage

With courage you will dare to take risks, 
have the strength to be compassionate, 
and the wisdom to be humble. 
Courage is the foundation of integrity.

-Mark Twain _2-19

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness; 
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering; 
May all beings experience the joy that is without sorrow, 
and may that joy never leave them; 
May all beings live in balance and in harmony, 
free from greed and aggression. 
Believing in the equality of all that live. _1-29

A New Year

My excitement is my road ahead. 
Each moment, each breath, I lead by what I love. 
I give an opportunity to me.

-Rev. John Pease _1-15

Happy New Year 
January 1, 2010

One Person

You may be just one person in the world, 
but remember, 
you may be the world to someone.  _12-25

The Christmas Story 
is one of love, joy, giving; the rebirth of innocence; 
and hope for harmony among us all.

I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all 
people ....Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to all men.
Luke 2:   _12-18

Prayer of St. Francis

Make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light and,
Where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

    - St. Francis of Assisi (1181 - 1226)   _12-11

Gratitude for Spiritual Guidance 
(For Thanksgiving week)

Do you ever realize how great it is communicating with your inner guidance? 
You never have to worry about being alone, because you never are alone. 
Your guidance is always with you. They know everything there is to know about you. 
They want you to do your best and succeed in whatever you want to do... 
It is important to practice your communication 
so you can learn to trust the wisdom you receive.  _11-27

Sharing Happiness (Hindu tradition)

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, 
and the life of the candle will not be shortened. 
Happiness never decreases by being shared.

 - Sutta Nipata   _11-20

Essence  (Taoist tradition)

The essence of true destiny is yielding. 
The essence of yielding is softness. 
The essence of softness is entering. 
The essence of entering is openness. 
The essence of openness is heart.

 -Grandmaster John Kells, 
British Tai Chi Chuan Association _10-2

A Lakota Prayer
Native American Tradition

 Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery, teach me how to trust my heart, my mind, 
my intuition, my inner knowing, the senses of my body, the blessings of my spirit. 
Teach me to trust these things so that I may enter into Sacred Space and love beyond fear, and thus Walk in Balance with the passing of each glorious sun. 

the Sacred Space is the space between exhalation and inhalation. 
To Walk in Balance is to have Heaven (spirituality) and Earth (physicality) in Harmony
 _9-25

The Wind
Native American Tradition

If you take a copy of the Christian Bible and put it out in the wind and rain, 
soon the paper on which the words are printed will disintegrate 
and the words will be gone. Our Bible IS the wind."
 - Anonymous Native American woman    
_9-18

All Arise Together
The Maya Tradition

Grand Father Sun, he shines upon all of us equally; he doesn't know discrimination; he  doesn't get lost on his path....He gives us all warmth and life. One Sun, one Air, one Water, one Mother Earth. 
The Maya prophecy says, ARISE, ALL ARISE, NOT ONE OR TWO GROUPS BE LEFT BEHIND. TOGETHER WE WILL SEE ONCE AGAIN THE PLACE FROM WHERE WE HAVE COME." 

-Alejandro Oxlaj, Grand Elder of the National Council of Elders Mayas, Guatemala    _8-21 

The Wayshower

A wayshower is one who always gives opportunity to others to reach the place where he is, or to go beyond it. Because a wayshower has patience, he will not confuse those whose path he illuminates by giving them spiritual indigestion. Nor will he under nourish others by underestimating what they can comprehend. He will not cater, neither to those who want too 
much nor to those who want too little. He respects himself and automatically respects others. He remembers to check closely with his guidance when dealing with people. This is the man of spirit - a doer - a compact energy with direction and commitment to his purpose in life. 

-Dr. Francisco Coll "True Feelings - The Center of Your World"    _7-31

The Creation
Australian Aboriginal Tradition

[here the masculine and feminine roles in creation are balanced]
In the Dreamtime, the Sun Mother, upon the urging of the Father of All Spirits, gave life to all forms on planet earth. It is said that the Sun Mother glided down to Earth, which was bare at the time and began to walk in all directions, and everywhere she walked plants grew. She ventured into a deep cave, spreading her light around; her heat melted the ice to form the rivers and streams. She awoke the spirit of the birds and animals and they burst into the sunshine in a glorious array of colors.... 
Later, the Sun Mother gave birth to twins - a god who was the morning star and the goddess who was the moon. Two children were born of them and these she sent to Earth; and they became our human ancestors.

"Finding A Way - The Religious Worlds of Today" by Crotty, Habel, Moore, O'Donoghue Crotty    _7-24

People and the Land
Australian Aboriginal Tradition

Aboriginal spirituality involves a close relationship between humans and the land. Aborigines call the beginning of the world the "Dreaming" or "Dreamtime." In the Dreamtime, Aboriginal "ancestors" rose from below the earth to form various parts of nature including animal species, bodies of water, and the sky. 

Unlike other religions, Aboriginal belief does not place the human species apart from or on a higher level than nature; their beliefs see humans truly as "one with  all."      _7-17 

Huna Spirituality 

The ALOHA spirit is a code of conduct, a way of acting. 
It is Light, Oneness, Truth, Humbleness and True Love; 
it is being one with the spark of divine essence that comes from pure spirit, 
the love that we are, all of us.

-from The Empowerment Group in Hawaii   _6-26

 Hawaiian Huna & Responsibility

A Polynesian  tradition is Huna, a Hawaiian spiritual path that teaches Ho'Oponopono - taking 100% responsibility. 
"For much of this time I thought it was not easy to take 100% responsibility, as Ho'Oponopono requires. But I persevered. In time, I came to know that taking 100% of the responsibility is The Easiest Way. Think about it. If we have created a situation, we can change it!"  

 -"The Easiest Way" by Mabel Katz who has been in training with Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, a Hawaiian Shaman, for the last 10 years.
Videos: Dr. Hew Len on the concept of Ho'oponopono -1   Dr. Hew Len on Ho'oponopono -2     _6-19  

A Secret from The Aloha Spirit

There is a secret that has been given to humanity over and over again, 
and here it is once more in another form. The secret is this: 
BLESS EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING THAT REPRESENTS WHAT YOU WANT! 
To bless something is to give recognition or emphasis to a positive quality, characteristic, 
or condition, with the intent that what is recognized or emphasized 
will increase, endure or come into being. 

-"The Aloha Spirit," by Serge Kahili King    _6-12

The Realist and the Wind
The pessimist complains about the wind; 
the optimist expects it to change; 
the realist adjusts the sails.
- William A. Ward

Sail Away - Explore, Dream & Discover
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by 
the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. 
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. 
Catch the trade winds in your sails. 
Explore.
Dream.
Discover.
- Mark Twain           _6-12

Polynesian Tradition

The Aloha Spirit is a well known reference to the attitude of friendly acceptance 
for which the Hawaiian Islands are famous. However, it also refers to a powerful 
way to resolve any problem, accomplish any goal, and also achieve any state of 
mind or body that you desire. In the Hawaiian language, ALOHA stands for much 
more than just "hello" or "goodbye" or "love." Its deeper meaning is "the joyful 
(oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha) in the present (alo)." 
-The Aloha Spirit,  Serge Kahili King   _6-5

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."
 - a Maori Proverb
_5-29

"If we live with the understanding of impermanence, 
we will cultivate and nurture our love.  
Only then will it last." 

from "Taming the Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions"
 -Thich Nhat Hanh   (thanks to Maizie Dalby  _5-22

Giving Thanks

"If the only prayer you say is a prayer of thanks, that is sufficient."

-Meister Eckhart O.P. (c. 1260–c. 1328)  wikipedia   meditation on TV   _5-22  

from the "The Spiritual Nature of the Maori"   _5-15

Discover Yourself
"You have to leave the City Of Your Comfort 
And go into The Wilderness Of Your Intuition. 
What you'll discover will be wonderful. 
What you'll discover is yourself."

-Alan Alda         _5-8

Io

"At the core of this world, of the whole of the universe, is Io, Io matua kore, Io the parentless, Io taketake, and Io the root cause of all. The richness of the Maori understanding of Io is seen in the different names applied to it; the Io creation genealogy shows a cosmic, rather than this world only, awareness".

- "The Spiritual Nature of Maori"  
From the Maori tradition. (Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand)      _5-1

"Nothing in the world can ever be supported by words alone." 
- Abdul Baha',  "The Secret of Divine Civilization"
from the Baha'i faith   _4-24

From the Islamic or Muslim tradition. Islam means "submission to the will of God" and is derived from the Arabic word for "peace". Islamic practice is based on the Q'uran, believed to be the word of God channeled to Mohammed around 600 AD; it is also based on his sayings and life example, consensus among the learned, and individual reasoning. One of the sayings of the prophet Mohammed is: "Riches are not from an abundance of worldly goods, but from a contented mind."                                                                                                                    _3-13

He was known for his kindness, his gentleness, and his concern for humanity. One of his most famous sayings, recorded in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers, a tractate of the Mishnah), is "If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?"    provided by Linda Postal of NY                       3-11

Anyway

Click  here and enjoy the inspiring message 
as a web page, song, video, or downloadable poster.  
The true story of its history is also shown.            3-6

Paul's essay in 1 Corinthians celebrates the depth and tenacity of the 
love that carries us beyond self interest and mere affection:

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does nor envy; love does not parade itself, 
is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own, is not provoked, 
thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity; but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, 
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. love never fails." (vv. 4-8)   2-6

Author Unknown   1-30

When Love Is Found

"When love is tried as loved ones change, 
Hold still to hope though all seems strange, 
Till ease returns, and love grows wise 
Through listening ears and opened eyes."
Lyrics by Brian Wren

Enthusiasm

"One man has enthusiasm for a day, another for a week or a month. 
It's the one who has enthusiasm for a year that really makes a difference." 
-Nancy Seybert, DD

^^RECENT MESSAGES ^^

See and Hear With Depth

"Learn to see where all is dark, and to hear where all is still. In the darkness one can see light. In the stillness one can hear harmony. Thus, one can penetrate to the furthest depths and grasp spirituality."

-Chuang Tsu, from the Works of Chuang Tsu.  From the Taoist tradition.

To Know the Way, Understand the Great Within Yourself

There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite.  Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.

I call it great.
Great is boundless;
boundless is eternally flowing;
ever flowing, it is constantly returning.

Therefore, the Way is great,
heaven is great,
earth is great,
people are great.

Thus, to know humanity,
understand earth.
To know earth,
understand heaven.
to know heaven,
understand the Way.
To know the Way,
understand the great within yourself.

-the 25th verse from the "Tao Te Ching"

Translation by Wayne Dyer in his book

"Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao" amazon 

The Medicine Wheel Turns

"The mystery of all endings is found in the birth of new beginnings.
There is no ending to the journey of the four directions.
The human capacity to develop is infinite.
And the medicine wheel turns forever.

-Native American Tradition in "The Sacred Tree" by Judie Bopp    amazon

Legacy Project : Totem Pole Project 

Ojibwe: Visions, Dreams and Life Purpose

"The Creator gave humans the ability to have visions, to find their purpose or reasons for being here, knowing all along that people sometimes lose their way. Humans are imperfect beings. We all stray from the Good Path. Then we dream of better times and of a better life, for ourselves and for all who are important to us. And we live to make it real. That is what makes us human.
Maskawisen (Be strong).  Mi-iw (That is all)"

-"The Good Path: an Ojibwe Learning and Activity Book for Kids" by T. Peacock and M. Wisuri, Afton Press  amazon 

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is the vision of the ancient Kabbalists, the esoteric interpretation of Judaism...According to the teachings of the Tree of Life, The Divine Essence split the atom of itself into male and female components, creating the evolutionary "big bang". This was done so that the Divine could realize itself in a new way, and so that Divine Being, the Adam Kadmon, could come into being. Everything that exists and is experienced by humanity as it progresses through its life on earth can be transmuted to good, to creative building of the Adam Kadmon, if only it will learn the principle of balance....By reconciling within ourselves creation's dynamic and opposing life forces, we will be able to find the point of balance, or the centre of peace, which lies within the mystery of the human heart.

-"The Book of Peace: Meditations from Around the World" by Claire Nahmad     amazon

Prayer for Morning

I raise my hands in honor of the Lord of the morning
who rises in glory in the east of the world.
Piercer of darkness, illumine my path as I go through my day.
Way-shower, illumine my path as I go through my life.

 -"A Book of Pagan Prayer" by Ceisiwr Serith,  amazon

“Shall I not tell you what is better than prayers and fasting and giving charity to the poor.  It is making peace between one another as enmity and malice destroy all virtues”. 

-Mohammad, founder of Islam

A Hindu Mantra and Story

Om Sarva Charine Namaha, "Salutations to the spirit who is the source of the urge to wander, travel, or follow."

In one mythic Hindu drama, Parvati (wife of Lord Shiva, the Destroyer) takes her own life. Shiva, disconsolate, carries his wife's corpse over his shoulder as he wanders everywhere. Vishnu, the Preserver) intercedes by cutting away Parvati's body, piece by piece, so that Shiva will leave his grief behind. Parvati eventually reappears, saying that she needed to seed the world with here feminine glory. This Shiva mantra salutes our consciousness as the wanderer with the capacity to see divinity everywhere.     Wikipedia 

"I am One Self, united with my Creator, at one with every aspect of creation, and limitless in power and in peace. This is the Truth, and nothing else is true."

-"A Course in Miracles", Lesson 95  
official website  public domain version   a related blog with meditation music  

Who, unto friend and foe Keeping an equal heart, with equal mind Bears shame and glory, with an equal peace Takes heat and cold, pleasure and pain; abides Quit of desires, hears praise or calumny In passionless restraint, unmoved by each, Linked by no ties to earth, steadfast in Me, That man I love!

-"The Bhagavad Gita",  Chapter XII

Living Together in Freedom

"Treat all men alike. Give them the same laws. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it ...

Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself - and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty."

-Chief Joseph, Native American, Leader of the Nez Perce, Lincoln Hall Speech 
  wikipedia PBS  Tribal Directory speeches    

Thoughts of Peace

"I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity.  When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace.  A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.  Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content.  Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and happiness."

-from the Baha'i Faith.  Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 29  peace quotes  Bahai Library

Perfection and Imperfection

"If there is one mark of perfection, 
it is simply that it can tolerate the imperfections of others."

- François Fénelon in the seventeenth century,
a primary advocate of quietism  wikipedia 

Intuitive Insight

"It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It's my partner."

    - Dr. Jonas Salk   more Salk quotes

Like Attracts Like

"The greatest teachers who have ever lived have told us that the law of attraction is the most powerful law in the Universe. Religions, such as Hinduism, Hermetic traditions, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and civilizations, such as the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians, delivered it through their writings and stories.... The law of attraction says like attracts like, and so as you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you."

-from "The Secret" compiled by Rhonda Byrne    wikipedia

What Survives?

"After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box."
-an Italian proverb

"You are a soul with a physical body. You always have been, and you always will be. Your soul or energy is the real you. It is the wisdom from past lifetimes you brought with you to planet earth, as well as the wisdom from your experiences in this lifetime, that are part of you. Your energy, the real you, is all you will take with you when you leave planet earth."

-from the PMM program by Dr. Francisco Coll. 
www.ProfoundMysticalMeditation.com  for more info.

Develop a Soul with Stamina

We need to "develop a soul with stamina"... You are pursuing your own empowerment. A spiritual life is not about finding ways to feel good... Facing personal truths and purging yourself of addictions or manipulative habits require strength, courage, humility, faith, and other qualities of a soul with stamina, because you are not just changing yourself; you are changing your universe. Your soul is a compass. Change one coordinate in your spiritual compass and you change your entire life's direction.  

-from "Entering the Castle," by Carolyn Myss, based on St. Teresa of Avila's writings and the Mystical Christian Tradition. book on amazon

Just for Today

Just for today do not worry
Just for today do not anger
Honor your parents, teachers and elders
Earn your living honestly
Show gratitude to every living thing.

- from the Reiki Ethic of the Reiki Tradition.  www.reiki.org 

Reiki is an energy system of spiritual growth and chakra healing derived from the Tibetan lamas; it was re-discovered by a Christian monk, Dr. Mikao Usui, in Japan in the late 1800's and passed onto the current time by a Hawaiian woman, HawayoTakata. Pronounced ray - key, it means "universal life force energy".  

Easter Message

"Perfect love casts out all fear."
I John 4:18

"The Conference of the Birds"

An allegory of a Sufi master leading his pupils to enlightenment.

What is your excuse for not seeking God? Your life is fine already? You prefer material pleasure? You are holy enough? You have pride, lack courage, or are burdened with responsibility? Attar has an answer to encourage you on the path.

-by Attar, Persian Sufi of the 12th century   wikipedia  amazon book 

The Sufi's say that almost everyone is born with possibilities for inner development but that his parents and those around make him a Jew, a Christian, a Hindu, or a Magician, and he soon acquires prejudices and accepts what others say without regard to his own experience or reasoning.. and this becomes a stumbling block...

Difficulties and Contradictions

When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, 
but bend them with gentleness and time.

   - St. Francis de Sales, from the Catholic Tradition     overview   wikipedia  

On Religion

Your daily life is your temple and your religion.
When you enter into it take with you your all...

And if you would know God be not therefore a solver of riddles.
Rather look about you and you shall see Him playing with your children.
And look into space: outstretching His arms in the lightning and descending in rain.
You shall see God smiling in flowers, then rising and waving His (Her) hands in trees.

   -Kahlil Gibran, in "The Prophet"  book online   bio+book

Spirit in the Mirror

If you see yourself in fear, barely holding on with survival at stake,
yours is a God of fight or flight......
If you see yourself as growing and evolving, yours is a God of the intuitive response.
If you see yourself as someone who makes personal dreams come true,
yours is a God of the creative response.....
If you see yourself as one with God, yours is a God of the sacred response.

   -From "How to Know God - The Soul's Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries",
by Deepak Chopra  amazon  Larry King interview 

As a blind man feels when he finds a pearl in a dustbin, so am I amazed by the miracles of awakening rising in my consciousness.  It is the nectar of immortality that delivers us from death, the treasure that lifts us from death, the treasure that lifts us above poverty into the wealth of giving to life, the tree that gives shade to us when we roam about scorched by life, the bridge that takes us across the stormy river of life, the cool moon of compassion that calms our mind when it is agitated, the fun that dispels darkness, the butter made from the milk of kindness by churning it with the dharma. It is a feast of joy to which all are invited.

-adapted from the Bodhicharyavatara by Shantideva   website   amazon book wikipedia

^ March 2007 ^

Feb 23                                              Personal Initiative

"Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person to person."

-Mother Teresa     
other quotes     overview on wikiquote

Feb 16                                                    "Counter"

"Without loyalty to myself I will always be at odds with everyone and everything. Loyalty to myself is to decide how my energy is to be used in all circumstances. If I am not alert to my own energy, my own purpose, my thrust, then I am at the will of the strongest vibration around me. I will end up creating by reactions, rather than actions. I will end up being emotional rather than feeling..."

-excerpt from F.D. Coll, Wayshower's Philosophy for February 2007, Theme: Counter

Feb 9                                                       Love

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.

 -I Corinthians 13:7-8   
3 versions side by side  search other books

Nature Wisdom: Feb. 2 Is The Imbolc: A Celebration of the Feminine

The Full Moon rises tonight. It coincides with Imbolc, the mid-point between the December Solstice and the March Equinox, creating a rare and awesome portal of manifestation. A new consciousness is growing deep within Mother Earth. Listen!

We are blessed. Sun, Moon and Earth are suspended in perfect balance.
This is a culmination, and a turning point. Thoughts, prayer and intention are
magnified exponentially for the next five days. Choose wisely.

Honor what has come to fruition in your life, in your home and community.
Notice your powers of creativity, intuitive awareness and healing abilities.
Create with intent. Celebrate new beginnings!   Wikipedia 

^ February 2007 ^

From the Islamic Tradition: Mind My Own Business!

If they charge you with falsehood, say: "My work to me, and yours to you!
You are free from responsibility for what I do, and I for what you do!"

     - Qur'an, Jonah, Sura 10:41

Hindu Wisdom: No Separation

As there can be no water without the sea,
No touch without the skin, no smell without
the nose, no taste without the tongue, no form
Without the eye, no sound without the
Ear, no thought without the mind, no wisdom
Without the heart, no work without hands, no
Walking without feet, no scriptures without
the Word, so there can be nothing without the Self.

   -Brihadaranyaka Upanishad      WikiPedia

Jan 12                                Embracing and Accepting All

If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.

-Margaret Mead, anthropologist, author

A king asked a sage to explain the Truth. In response the sage asked the king how he would convey the taste of a mango to someone who had never eaten anything sweet. No matter how hard the king tried, he could not adequately describe the flavor of the fruit, and, in frustration, he demanded of the sage "Tell me then, how would you describe it?" The sage picked up a mango and handed it to the king saying "This is very sweet. Try eating it!"

- a Hindu Teaching Story in "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus," by Timothy Freke   amazon

“Our true home is in the present moment, and if we want to enter Heaven on Earth, we need only take one conscious step, and one conscious breath.”

-Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh,   
background here and  wikipedia. 
books  amazon   Selected Dharma Talks including "Jesus and Buddha as Brothers"

another quote:  It is only in the midst of our daily life and in our actual contact with people and other species… that we can know whether our mind of love and compassion is really present and whether it is stable. If love and compassion are real, they will be evident in our daily life, in the way we talk with people and the way we act in the world.

To travel with the unawakened makes the journey long and hard and is as painful as traveling with an enemy. But the company of the wise is as pleasant as meeting with friends.

Follow the wise, the intelligent, and the awakened. Follow them as the moon follows the path of the stars.

-Dhammapada 

^ January 2007 ^

Knowledge has two wings. Conjecture is one wing. Conjecture alone is lacking and cuts short the flight. The one-winged bird continues to struggle, hoping to reach the nest somehow with one wing. And then wisdom shows his shining face. Delivered from conjecture, the bird now spreads both wings (and soars to his destination).

-Rumi "The Life and Thought of Rumi"

We are constantly searching for the people who have come to do spiritual work......We are throwing out the net to rediscover our brothers and sisters. We are in the business of strengthening people's moral fiber and awakening their self-respect. The leadership has to make this a way of life, then people sense this energy and start living it also. The only way to reach the masses is by touching the individuals and helping them discover their potential and self-respect.

-from "The Wayshower's Philosophy and Mission Statement" by Dr. F. Coll, 
(c) 1999 Alleycopyrights, Inc.

Nov 10                          Some Native American Values

Laws should be redemptive and healing.
The bonds of community are the Cheyenne Way.
Life is sacred.
Healing is superior to vengeance.
Responsibility is more than power.
Harmony is preferable to dissonance.
Enduring social values are
more important than "the law."
Children are to be cherished.
In the tribe, murders earn a bad name.
Men of reputation with names that are
well thought of should not spoil them.

 -from the Cheyenne Cultural Center, Clinton, Oklahoma

------------

Jewish Kabbalah Wisdom
Your deep soul hides itself from consciousness. So you need to increase aloneness, elevation of thinking, penetration of thought, liberation of mind - until finally your soul reveals itself to you, spangling a few sparkles of her lights.

 -from "The Essential Kabbalah", Daniel C. Matt, ed., 1996 amazon 

-------------

When to Change
 
“One would grow poor staying one place always.” – Poem of Cid
The more you understand yourself, the more you respect yourself and the more you value your time. When you value yourself and your time, you leave a situation in which things do not seem to work – just as birds leave a feeding area when the food is gone or they sense danger.
 
That is a law of the universe and part of a pattern. That pattern exists and is part of the understanding you need to keep your self-respect.
 
  -from the booklet, "Balancing Your Physical and Spiritual Worlds" 
by Dr. Francisco Coll

October
 
A Catholic Perspective:
 
Truth, in fact, cannot be confined. Truth is for one and for all. And if this truth comes about through love (cf: Eph 4:15), then it becomes even more universal.
 
-in "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" by Pope John Paul II amazon 

-----------------

Prayer for Peace and Harmony from Pakistan
 
Merciful God, You made all the people of the world in Your own image and placed before us the pathway of salvation through different preachers who claimed to have been Your Saints and Prophets. But, the contradictions (made by us) in the interpretation of Your teachings have resulted in creating divisions, faith-based hatreds and bloodshed in the world community.
...
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the controversial teachings of arrogance, divisions and hatreds which have badly infected our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; reunite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish Your purposes on earth; that, in Your good time, all nations and races could jointly serve You in justice, peace and harmony. 

  - S. A. Rehman
 

September
 
Spreading Divine Joy
Beginning with the early dawn each day, I will radiate joy to everyone I meet. I will be mental sunshine for all who cross my path…..Let my love spread its laughter in all hearts, in every person belonging to every race. Let my love rest in the hearts of flowers, of animals and in little specks of stardust.
 
I will try to be happy in all circumstances. I will make up my mind to be happy within myself right now, where I am today.

            "Metaphysical Meditations by Paramahansa Yogananda", amazon 

 --------------------------------
Being
 
A butterfly goes from flower to flower,
Giving as well as receiving.
When it rains lightly,
It continues on its journey.
When the downpour comes,
It stops and rests,
Waiting for the sun to return.
Then it continues on its way,
Going through rainbow after rainbow,
Delighting in being a butterfly.
 
Master/Ordained Minister David C. Hakim ( www.davidhakim.com )
------------------------------------
Credo of a Church Without Walls
 
We believe that by following our true feelings we pray without ceasing. We believe in acknowledging, understanding and living the Ten spiritual Commandments of Sincerity, Loyalty, Self-respect, Kindness, reverence, Immortality, Magnanimity, Genuineness and Contentment – for and within ourselves first – then towards others.
 
-excerpt from the Creed of Peace Community Church International
 ---
Hindu Wisdom
 
Knowledge born of the finest discrimination takes us to the farthest shore. It is intuitive, omniscient, and beyond all divisions of time and space.
 
 - "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", 3:54, translated by Alistair Shearer amazon  messenger 

Thinking - The Servant of Awareness

Instead of being lost in your thinking, when you are awake 
you recognize yourself as the awareness behind it. 
Thinking then ceases to be a self-serving autonomous activity 
that takes possession of you and runs your life. 

Awareness takes over from thinking. 
Instead of being in charge of your life, thinking becomes the servant of awareness.
Awareness is conscious connection with universal intelligence.
Another word for it is Presence: consciousness without thought.

-Eckhart Tolle, "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" 
Official website  Amazon  Now-for You

^ October 2006 ^

From the time we are born, 
there is a wildish urge with us that desires our souls lead our lives, 
for the ego can only understand just so much.

-Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "Women Who Run with the Wolves"  amazon

The Dream World

The dream world is the real world.

-Seneca Indian Healer, 
from "Conscious Dreaming" by Robert Moss  amazon helpful

Courage and Patience
 
The world we live in requires great courage and patience.
 
Those with great courage, but little patience,
Tend to kill or be killed.
 
Those with great courage as well as great patience will tend to survive.
 
But the Great Integrity never judges you for whatever path you happen to take.
 
The Great Integrity never strives
But always fulfills itself,
 
Never is commanded but always responds.
 
Never is summoned
But always appears.
 
Never is impatient
But all is done on time.

            -Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu

From the Native American Tradition
 
Happily may I walk.
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
In beauty it is finished.

-The Night Chant of the Navajo

Change

It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise, open new doors, 
bring fresh experience and create excitement in life. 
Certainly it is worth the risk.
-Leo Buscaglia, professor, author, the "hug doctor."  website  quotes wikipedia

Small Actions

For the Universe 
even the most difficult things
occur spontaneously.
The largest result
is composed of countless minute elements.
The master understands,
in the Universe and in life,
great achievements may easily be accomplished
by starting with small actions.

- Laozi (Lao Tzu), in the "Tao Te Ching",  as quoted in "The Healing Power of Qi"
"Feel the Qi"  website    the book on amazon 

^ June 2006 ^

Liberation

"Liberation is only being rid of the idea that there is anyone who needs liberation."

-Ramesh Balsekar in "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus," edited by Timothy Freke, published by Godsfield Press. online through Amazon.  official website  article 

Kindness: A Writer's Wisdom

"Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness."

-George Sand, Pseudonym of Amandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin, a French woman writer and contemporary of Frederic Chopin. Her writing influenced Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Gustave Flaubert, and Marcel Proust.   wikipedia  George Sand Association

Going Within

How can we hear our wise voice of intuition if we are always thinking, talking and distracted by outer events? If we take time daily to experience physical stillness and to director our attention inside, we can begin to find the peace, love, will and wisdom that exist as our essence.
 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh      www.LindberghFoundation.org  
 www.TheDailyGuru.com  Maya Deva's World 

Patience

"Do not flee from your trials; patience in adversity is the foundation of all virtue, of compassion and sainthood. Patience is the foundation, and without a sound foundation you cannot build a monument."

From the Islamic tradition:  Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani   on BeliefNet  also Shaykh Jilani

Success and Self Value

Your success in life is determined by how greatly you "esteem" or value who you truly are. Intuition, spiritual guidance, your self-healing capacity and self-esteem all depend on each other. How would your life change if your self-esteem improved?

 -  from a CD set on Self-Esteem, by Caroline Myss, PhD, neurosurgeon, founder of the American Holistic Medical Association, medical intuitive and author of "Anatomy of the Spirit" and "Sacred Contracts"  website    books + CDs   

^ May 2006 ^

Love's Legacy

With love you will attain eight good qualities --
Gods and humans will be friendly,
Even non-humans will protect you,
You will have many mental and physical pleasures,
Poisons and weapons will not harm you,
Without striving you will attain your aims,
And be reborn in a wonderful state.

- Nagarjuna, one of the most important philosophers of Buddhism and founder of the Middle Way School.  thesis: "Thinking in Buddhism..."    Wikipedia entry

"I am the Rainbow Spirit Healing Mandala.
I am a Spiritual Messenger and a Spiritual Guide.
I am Light, Life, Love and Laughter.
I am the blessing from the Four Winds,
East, South, West, and North....
I am a tool for meditation, visualization,
transformation, and healing....

I am you and you are me,
and together we journey the
Rainbow Spirit Healing Mandala
full circle,
back to the Light."

- Ralph Ulysses Davis, Intuitive, Navajo spiritual leader and artist, describing his original artwork.  artwork  

Strength in Being Fluid

"Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. 
But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. 
As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. 
This is another paradox: what is soft is strong."

- Lao-Tzu    quotes on water  river quotes   

The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want. 
He makes me lie down in green pastures; 
he leads me beside quiet waters; he restores my soul. 
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death 
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 
your rod and staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presences of my enemies. 
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

- Psalm 23  NIV  BibleGateway.com  Bibles+Translations

^ April 2006 ^

Forgiving Ourselves

"If we don't forgive ourselves for our mistakes, and others for the wounds they have inflicted upon us, we end up crippled with guilt. And the soul cannot grow under a blanket of guilt, because guilt is isolating, while growth is a gradual process of reconnection to ourselves, to other people, and to a larger whole."

- Joan Borysenko, medical intuitive and author of "Minding the Body, Mending the Mind"

Amazon  author info 

BEGIN

Setting aside the trials
of Yesterday,

Pushing away the fears
for Tomorrow,

I walk the straight and
narrow path of Today.

Not easy,
but the simplest
of all things.
Love without self,
Be without fear;
Ever being retaught.
When all that is required
is to
Begin.

-from Marilyn Gibson's book, "Hanging By A String."   www.newage-spirituality.com 
Marilyn, a spiritual teacher, has survived 5 death experiences.

^ March 2006 ^

Motivation

Life is like a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you stop pedaling.

- Senator Claude Pepper

Authentic Being

I do not treat everyone the same. I am the same with everyone.

- Dr. Francisco Coll

Trust in Abundance

Manifestation is an act of trust. 
It is the soul pouring itself out into its world, 
like a fisherman casting a net to gather in the fish he seeks; 
with each cast properly made, we will bring what we need to us, 
but first we must hurl ourselves into the depths 
without knowing just what lies beneath us.

- Ghandi

Power Derived Through Dedication

In the days before time, two beings simultaneously said to the other,
You are my child, my own, my love, my brother, my sister---everything!
Do not fear! You are under my protection!
I dedicate my existence to being of service to you.
I will not let any harm come to you.
And your child/brothers/sisters who come after you,
Upon dedication of their lives to being of service
And trusting in goodness, shall never want.
Theirs shall be freedom from harm no matter what happens to them.
They shall also be our equals in time, place---yes, in eternity itself.
Their works shall be great and their very being blessed,
For by their choosing to serve they are also chosen.
Wherever they are, they are in the Promised Land
Where love, mercy, grace and harmony shall rule.
All are their equal,
And by their dedication they shall always be in the energy
that flows from the sun.

- Rev. David C. Hakim,  www.davidhakim.com 

^ February 2006 ^

The Self
from the Hindu Philosophy

Earth, fire and water,
The wind and the sky--
You are none of these.

If you wish to be free,
Know you are the Self,
The witness of all these,
The heart of awareness....

-excerpt from "The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita," 
by Thomas Byrom, 1990   full excerpt   book

Role Play

We are all movie stars and the world is a great stage. 
We play roles life after life, sometimes a s a husband, a wife, a minister or a queen; 
sometimes we play less desirable roles. 
And we play them unknowingly and ask ourselves why we have to play these roles, 
why so and so is on the throne and I am only a secretary. 
Those who are awakened know that the world is only a stage for us to learn, 
to fulfill our desires and needs, and to get closer to perfection.

- Excerpt from "I Have Come to Take You Home" by Buddhist Supreme Master Ching Hai

^ January 2006 ^

Soul Power

Religions have made us aware of the existence of a soul.
In reality you do not have a soul, you are a soul.

When you forget you are a soul, you may make the things of planet earth 
more important than you. 
But if you remember that you are a soul, you will release those things 
which keep you from being yourself.

- From "Create Your Destiny" by Dr. Francisco Coll

Follow the Star

Follow the star, you weary strangers,
On trails unknown to your erring feet;
Mid nighttime's fears and suntime's heat.
Follow (past) Herod and his schemes,
Follow your heart. Follow your dreams.

...Follow the star. It forever guides
All in whom hope and love abide.

Follow it now though the path grows rough
In the tangled world of what might have been;
Look to the sky; it is yet enough
To be guide for you, as it was for them.
Follow the star, though it's light seems dim,
Follow. It leads to your Bethlehem.

 - Vic Jameson, a Presbyterian lay person

Purpose

"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, 
to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."
    - Eleanor Roosevelt

Printable version:  Hopi Elders 
  Hopi Message and Prophecies      Hopi-Maya connection  

^ December 2005 ^

Practical Suggestions on Accepting Change

"Every morning I repeat a gatha (mindfulness verse): 
'Great is the matter of birth and death; impermanence surrounds us. 
Be awake each moment. 
Do not waste your life.'  
Practice mindfulness. Come back to the present moment. 

Take a breath..."  When faced with a change, pleasant or otherwise, I tune into my breath and how I am feeling in my body. Tuning into the breath gives me time to respond better..."

    - Yoga Instructor Frank Jude offers some ideas for a change-friendly inner life, 
in "The Yoga Journal," August 2005

On the Joy of Life

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. 
I awoke and saw that life was service. 
I acted and behold, service was joy."

- Rabindranath Tagore

In 1919, poet and philosopher Tagore promoted spiritual values and the creation of a new world culture founded on multi-culturalism, diversity and tolerance.

Light

"Wisdom is the table, not bread and meat. Wisdom is the light, food for the soul. No nutriment can compare to the nourishment of light. Nothing can nourish the soul but the light. Rid yourself of material needs and be set free. Taste the original victual, the dainty morsel of light."

-by Rumi in the "Mathnawi",  in the thirteenth century.

November 2005

Shining the Light of Peace

The major religions of the world hold peace as a central goal and core value. Yet we do not have to be religious in the conventional sense to experience the spiritual dimension of peace. We need only to connect with our true nature and know that we are part of something larger. We need only trust that whatever the greater whole (being, power, mystery, energy, God, divine essence) is, peace is at its sacred center - and so are we.

-from "The Peace Book" by Louise Diamond, PhD  
description  

Meditation and Enlightenment

"Quan Yin" means contemplation of the sound vibration. The Method includes contemplation on the inner Light and the inner Sound. These inner experiences have been repeatedly described in the spiritual literature of all the world's religions since ancient times. ... It is because we are made of this Sound that contact with it brings peace and contentment to our hearts....

The inner Light, the Light of God, is the same Light referred to in the word "enlightenment." Its intensity can range from a subtle glow to the brilliance of many millions of suns. It is through the inner Light and Sound that we come to know God.

- From "The Key to Immediate Enlightenment" by Master Ching Hai (a female spiritual master who teaches the Quan Yin Method of meditation she studied in the Himalayas)  
www.Godsdirectcontact.org 

Inner Peace on the Move

The Inner Peace Movement (sm) is autonomous groups of people around the world who have the common bond of wanting to grow spiritually without dogma or theology, and in the process, make the world a better place. IPM is a means of becoming your true self; the dynamic, happy, balanced you. IPM can put into your hands tools and techniques with which you can create for yourself an unbelievably successful life on all levels.. IPM is not for everyone. (It) is for people who wish to transcend the limits their early conditions may have upon them.

See www.ipmers.org 

October 2005

Magical Life

Life is magical, mysterious, wondrous, and miraculous. Lose the magic and you lose life. It becomes dull and joyless. When you have flashes of wonder, that is the wizard's touch. The worst curse to befall anyone is stagnation...

    - from "The Return of Merlin"  a novel by Deepak Chopra  website

September 2005

Fellowship with Inner Guidance

I am not alone. The walk with guidance is a journey and adventure through life. Peace is sincerely being my ability in the here - now. Take the time to "just be" and allow yourself the space to expand and feel free. Listen as the trees rustle in the wind, see the beautiful moon through cool evening clouds, stare at the stars on a clear autumn night and dream sweet dreams. Remember at first light. Always remember that you are one..
In the Spirit
Who counts
Who is counted on
Who delights
and is delighted
Brings joy
Who is joy
Loves
And is loved.
    - Neal Krysinski,  a WCF Founder

The Cosmos, to a great extent, gives us the Future we Imagine

We must find that space, that spiritual posture, in which we live what we know. 
Every thought is a prayer, and if the vision of the new spiritual awareness resides in the back of our minds every day, every minute, as we interact in the world, the magic of synchronicity will accelerate for everyone, and the destiny we intuit in our hearts will become a reality.

-James Redfield in "The Celestine Vision"        "Celestine Prophecy" outlined

Hindu Wisdom

A poor devotee points to the sky and says, "God is up there."  
An average devotee says, "God dwells in the heart as the Inner Master." 
The best devotee says, "God alone is and everything I perceive is a form of God."

-Ramakrishna   "Hinduism Today" website

Freedom

Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.
    -Stephen Covey, speaker, author of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"   website 

August 2005

Perfection

So who can be still and watch the chess game of the world?
The foolish are always making impulsive moves, 
but the wise know that victory and defeat 
are decided by something more subtle.
They see that something perfect exists 
before any move is made.

-Brian Walker, Hua Hu Ching   (amazon)  website  buddhist links

Transformation

To truly change I must accept that there is no turning back... I know too much and have come much too far. With this acceptance settled in my soul I can truly enjoy life and its experiences. 

By releasing the emotions of the past I have the power to see things in perspective; to see things as they truly are without color of my emotions, without being tainted by others' opinions. This is all part of my transformation. I am emerging new because fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) does not dictate my life. The facts are in my feelings.

-From the Wayshowers Philosophy, Francisco D. Coll, President, Americana Leadership College

Release

I release... people, pets, things,
ideas and habits that
work against me.
And,
I embrace people, pets, things,
ideas and habits that
work for me, that help me
do what I've come to do.

-Dr. Sandra Adler, Bishop, Peace Community Church International

Happiness

If a man speaks or acts with pure thoughts,
happiness follows him
like a shadow that never leaves.
    - Buddha   (Buddha quotes)

July 2005

Advice on Life to Graduates

You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down.

You've got to find what you love ... the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. 

-from the commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University   read the full text here

Oneness-Freedom

If you know that your are one with the Source, then you don't feel tense or needy.
You don't feel lack or pressure. You're poised. You're silent. You're peaceful.

You can work harmoniously with anything that comes your way and then let it go, 
because your are free.

-John-Rodger, President/Founder Institute for Individual and World Peace  www.iiwp.org 

We Are the World, We Are the Children

Live from our hearts, to show ourselves we care
enough to be stronger and free.
All life is flowing through our hearts and through our minds
For us to find our way of love, our way to be.

We are the world; we are the children;
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start livin'!
What a choice we're making, to be gracing all of life.
We're here to make a better day;
Yes, you and I.

-excerpt from the song by Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson

On Leadership:
If a herd of lions is behind you and you are a sheep, your entire herd will be sheep.  If you have a herd of sheep and you are a lion, you will be a herd of lions.

-Dr. Francisco Coll

June 2005

-Andrew Harvey from "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics,"  www.shambala.com 

Formula for Success

Decide what you want...People who write their goals are 200% more likely to be successful than those who don't. Be specific. Pick one big goal; every day do five specific things to further your goal. Identify 3 next steps for achieving. Visualize that goals are already achieved. Write and read them every day...morning and evening. (The brain's reticular system filters out all not fitting with needs and current goals).

-Jack Canfield, motivational speaker and author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" website

Religion and Spirituality

Not everyone has a religion, but everyone has a spirituality. Religion can be summed up as formal beliefs, one's world view. Functional belief is how a person is using her/his understanding in their life...Spiritual insight is always discovered, not taught.

-notes from a presentation by Don Koepke, 
Center for Spirituality & Ethics in Aging  (amazon)

Training the Mind

This body will likely not last more than 100 or so years, even if we are fortunate. ..physical qualities such as strength and agility have a limit. It is important to work on those limitless qualities that will be valuable beyond this lifetime. Attained through mental contemplation, these refined attitudes will also enrich this life.

Buddhist practices for training the mind can be summed up in two sentences: "If you are able, you should help others. If you are not able, you should at least not harm others."

 -Excerpts from "How to Expand Love - Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships", 
by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama (2005)

On Self-Acceptance

Soul/spirituality is the font of who we are, and yet is far beyond our capacity to devise and to control. We can culminate, tend, enjoy and participate in the things of the soul, but we can't outwit it or manage it or shape it to the designs of a willful ego.

    - Thomas Moore, "Care of the Soul" (amazon)

Awareness

Yesterday, I lived bewildered, in illusion. 
But now I am awake, flawless and serene, beyond the world. 
From my light the body and the world arise. 
So all things are mine, or nothing is.
Ashtavakra Gita

-Andrew Harvey in "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics", 2001 (amazon)

 Shambhala Publications    www.Beliefnet.com    
 

May 2005

Guidance - Energy - Life

"Our inner guidance comes to us through our feelings and body wisdom first -- not through intellectual understanding. The intellect works best in service to our intuition, our inner guidance, soul, God or higher power -- whichever term we choose for the spiritual energy that animates life."

- Christiane Northrup, M.D.   website

A Seneca Proverb

 The Great Spirit has made us what we are; it is not his will that we should be changed. If it was his will, he would let us know; if it is not his will, it would be wrong for us to attempt it, nor could we, by any art, change our nature.

-from "Native American Wisdom" edited by Kristen M. Cleary  book 

On Being a Spiritual Wayshower

"The most important soul is you and what you came to do; anything else is a decoy, half truth, lie or religiosity. 

To maintain the intensity of your free will, the integrity of your soul and life purpose, you must act. You must share and inspire people, and you need a service. To maintain the frequency of your service and initiative requires trust to listen and act, trust to find solutions."

-Robert Conrad, President, IPM International, Inc.

April 2005

Waking Up to Life

"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep — everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement."

- Meg Ryan to Tom Hanks in the 1990 Steven Spielberg movie
"Joe Versus The Volcano," a movie about waking up to life. description on IMDB

Unity of Humankind

From the beginning, Christian Revelation has viewed the spiritual history of man as including, in some way, all religions, thereby demonstrating the unity of humankind with regard to the eternal and ultimate destiny of man.....

Truth, in fact, cannot be confined. Truth is for one and for all. And if this truth comes about through love (cf. Eph 3:15), then it becomes even more universal.  

-from Crossing the Threshold of Hope, by Pope John Paul II  amazon

I Am Spirit

I am water. I come from water. I will return to water.
I am spirit. I come from spirit. I will return to spirit.

Angels! Hear me Angels, from the north, south, east and west.
I commit myself to myself and to my purpose here on earth.

I am water. I come from water. I will return to water.
I am spirit. I come from spirit. And I will return to spirit.

 -a song and affirmation from the Peace Community Church program 

March 2005

Easter - The Lord's Prayer in Aramaic

Christians especially (but others as well) may find this beautiful flash show transformational. 
Jesus spoke and taught in Aramaic. You are invited to hear and read the translation of the Aramaic Lord's Prayer.  click here 

-translated and spoken by renowned scholar and author Neil Douglas-Klotz, with music.    

Immersion in the Infinite

Based on the zodiac symbols of time, Pisces, the fish, (February 19 - March 20), is the sign of our immersion in the infinite. The Sufi tell a story that tells it quite clearly. 

"Where shall I find God?" the disciple asked the elder. "God is within you." the Holy One replied. But if that is true," the disciple asked, "why can I not see this Presence?" "Because you are like the fish who, when in the ocean, never notices the water." 

Pisces reminds us that the mystical is commonplace. It is not that God is not with us; it is that we are (sometimes) unaware.

-"There Is a Season" by Joan Chittister, a Benedictine Sister of Erie, PA

February 2005

Yourself

Knowing others is intelligence; 
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is a strength; 
mastering yourself is a true power.

-Lao Tsu

Your Inner Temple

There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. 
Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; my philosophy is kindness.

-The Dalai Lama

Self Knowledge, Self Mastery

If you understand others,  you are astute.
If you understand yourself, you are insightful.

If you master others, you are uncommonly forceful.
If you master yourself, you have uncommon strength.

If you know when you have enough, you are wealthy.
If you carry your intentions to completion, you are resolute.

If you find your roots and nourish them, you will know longevity.
If you live a long creative life, you will leave an eternal legacy.

 -Lao Tzu (Laozi),  "Tao Te Ching"  Verse 33

Stanford on Laozi  Google Directory: Tao Te Ching   
 Complete Tao Te Ching on the Web   Ursala K. Le Guin's translation on Amazon  

January 2005

Focus on the Growth of Others

The moment that captures us now is all we have for certain...Someone close needs our attention today -  our encouragement, our inspiration, our recognition. And we need the commitment to focus outside ourselves if we are to discover the gifts promised us in each 24 hour segment of life. It is not coincidence that we feel pulled toward particular people, that we select certain groups to identify with.

Contemplative thoughtfulness about our presence in this time and place will assure us we are needed for the loving growth of many. The mystery unfolds by design.

-from "The Love Book", by Karen Casey  (Hazelden Meditation Series)
where to buy   website 

Where's the Miracle in a Tsunami?

The tsunami brings spiritual questioning to the fore of our consciousness. We grasp for some higher understanding to match the depth of our grief. And we find it.
In the days after the tsunami hit, we experienced the love that would literally save the world.

It is said in A Course in Miracles that God has a plan to every problem the moment it occurs. And what, I have asked myself, was God's plan at the moment the tsunami hit?

(The) plan, I believe, is that each of us become someone fundamentally different, someone capable of wisdom, insight , compassion and intelligence beyond what we have displayed before......
Those who died in last month's tsunami did not die in vain. For in their dying they helped to awaken a distracted and slumbering humanity (what symbolism, that the tsunami hit while we were literally on vacation)....

And thus the miracle, if we choose it: that death itself can bring forth a greater life.

    - Marianne Williamson, author of "A Course in Miracles"  www.Marianne.com 

Love 

Love is our true essence. Love has no limitations of caste, religion, race or nationality. 
We are all beads strung together on the same thread of love.

    - Amma,  a modern Hindu teacher    www.Amma.org 

See Yourself in Everyone

The reason why most religions preach that you must love other people is, that at the essence of every person that walks the planet, whatever color, race or creed, you are One.

Whatever you do to another, you do to yourself, because at a spiritual level you are joined and bonded together in the same spirit and, essentially, you are only hurting yourself.

Today, see yourself in everyone you meet.  Over time, you will start to feel a great liberation come over you.

-Remez Sasson in "Visualize and Achieve"  e-Book   www.TheDailyGuru.com 

December 2004

Just Be

You are coming close to the state of consciousness of just being, and there is no reason for you to have to prove yourself to anyone. All you have to do is just be. It is that simple. I am that I am and because of this, I cannot be you. Be proud of what you are. ...

It is time to get up and become more involved in who you are. That is when you really begin to grow. The moment you forget about receiving recognition or attention is when you really begin to progress. When you sincerely love yourself you no longer need attention. You need only fellowship and the sharing of your ideas with others.

-Francisco Coll, "True Feelings: the Center of Your World,"  chap 25, www.alcWorld.com 
  book 

Inner Fortress

"I will know peace when I accept that I am never alone. When you really move into the presence of God, you are going to feel lonely. In fact, you may find yourself alone. When God takes you in and prepares you to change, S/He will strip away everything and everyone around you in order to build a fortress within you. If you continue to focus on the outside world you will think you are alone....When you are moving into the presence of God, you will be surrounded by angels. You will be protected by wise men, prophets and sages. You will be held up, propped up, pulled up and opened up. ..Nothing outside of you will have the power to harm you. In the presence of God, everything you need will come to you and through you.

-Iyanla Vanzant, "Until Today! Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind" 
book on amazon  InnerVisions website

Enjoy Each Moment

One of the ultimate objectives of attaining inner simplicity is learning to live happily in the present moment. Keep in mind that life is a continuous succession of present moments. Most of us spend an inordinate number of our moments regretting the past, or fidgeting in the present, or worrying about the future. We miss a lot of life that way.

Going within will automatically bring you to a level of enjoyment of your day-to-day life that you may not have experienced before. Making the conscious effort to enjoy each moment will make your inner quest that much easier.

-Elaine St. James, from the book "Inner Simplicity"  amazon

Expect the Miraculous

Chanukah is the occasion for an awesome Lightforce to become revealed. This particular (time) is part of the Creation process in which the Creator infused the cosmos with the energy to bring about miracles. The energy of miracles has always existed in a potential form - for mankind to tap into, to create miracles in his/her life - and was available long before Chanukah appeared on the scene of history. (The eight days of Chanukah were evidence of the miraculous).

This month provides the energy of miracles. When proper meditation is applied, the wondrous power of miracles replaces the usual incidents of chaos.
May miracles permeate every area of our lives.

-Kabbalist Rav Berg,  from the Kabbalah Judaic Tradition  www.kabbalah.com 

Everyone Can Experience Divine Revelation

The Community of the Beloved Disciple has always believed that Divine Revelation is a personal experience that occurs between the individual and God, and is not contingent upon an intermediary priesthood or church. The Beloved Community, though it has its roots in esoteric Christianity, strives to honor all paths to God, especially as they relate to inner and outer world peace.
            - From The Beloved Community , an educational church organization.

November 2004

Earth and the Web of Life

This we know,
The earth does not belong to us,
We belong to the earth.
This we know,
All things are connected
Like the blood which unites one family.
All things are connected.
 
Whatever befalls the earth
befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.
We did not weave the web of life,
We are merely a strand of it.
Whatever we do the web,
We do to ourselves….
 
- Chief Seattle of the Native American Tradition,  
from "Graces" by June Cotner  amazon

Doing Little Things in Life Well and with Great Love

May today there be peace within you. 
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. 
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. 
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a beautiful, much loved, and forgiven child of God. 
Let the life-giving knowing presence of God's love settle into your bones. 
Allow your heart and soul to be healed and to be free to sing, dance, praise and share love. 
It is already here for each and every one of you - if you will only claim it.

- St. Theresa's Prayer, by Saint Theresa of the Catholic tradition
known as the "Saint of the Little Ways".  her story
She is the patron saint of flower growers, gardeners and florists.

Patron Saints Index    Prayers of the Saints     Saints and Angels     Feastday List

Potent Prayer

Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, 
it is the most potent instrument of action.         quotes 

-Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) (Ghandi)    www.mkgandhi.org  GandhiServe

Principled Leadership

In times of crisis, we must draw upon what we believe, why we believe it, and how we came to believe it.  When adversity strikes, we must remember our principles and why we hold them dear.  This is our common sense and becomes our passion.  The future is for the passionate and those who are willing to work for it. 

from "Center of the Storm: Practicing Principled Leadership in Times of Crisis" by Congresswoman Katherine Harris,  a footnote by Paul Wellstone   amazon

October 2004

Prayer of St. Francis

Make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light and,
Where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

    - St. Francis of Assisi (1181 - 1226)

Shamanic Practices Described

Once considered the province of an elect few, shamanic skills are easy for anyone to learn and are simple to incorporate into every day life.

Shamanism helps us forge powerful relationships with the world around us, rediscover our links with ancestral energies, power animals and helping spirits all of which can enable us progressively and efficiently to come into alignment with our soul energy, our destiny and our place within the order of the universe.

The shamanic process has been described by various culture using different names. The name is not important. What is important is this: each of us appears to have encoded within our genes the ability to access personal power for healing, wisdom, divination and creativity. What has been described as shamanic journeying is a collection of practices which help us access this power. The history of such practices stretches back 30,000 to 40,000 years.

  -from "Journey to Freedom" by Leslie Kenyon  www.LeslieKenton.com    book 

Inner Wisdom & Daily Experiences

Spiritual teachers ultimately agree that true wisdom does not come from outside of us, but from within. And it does not come from within because we want it.  It comes when we live in a way that invites wisdom. It comes through direct experience....

We can learn about the spiritual experiences of others, or we can bring meaningful practice into our own daily lives. We can learn about mysticism, or we can practice being mystics.

-from "God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism," 
by Rabbi David A. Cooper   book  amazon 

The Law of Attraction 

...states that you'll attract to your life whatever you give your attention, energy and focus to, whether wanted or unwanted - emphasis on the unwanted.

The "vibes" that you put out into the Universe are either negative or positive, and at every moment, the Law of Attraction is responding to the vibes you are offering by giving you more of the same, whether wanted or unwanted.

If you are curious about what it is that you are offering vibrationally in any area of your life, you simply need to take a look at that area and see what you're getting...it's a perfect match.

    -from "Law of Attraction" by Michael Losier  www.shrinkmylink.com/gbuison  

related  How karma works 

September 2004

Ojibwe: Visions, Dreams and Life Purpose

“The Creator gave humans the ability to have visions, to find their purpose or reasons for being here, knowing all along that people sometimes lose their way. 
Humans are imperfect beings. We all stray from the Good Path. Then we dream of better times and of a better life, for ourselves and for all who are important to us. 
And we live to make it real. That is what makes us human.

Maskawisen (Be strong)
Mi-iw (That is all)”.

-from "The Good Path", by Thomas Peacock and Marlene Wisuri 
an Ojibwe learning and activity book for kids  amazon  Afton Press 
the Ojibwe Native American tradition

Prayer for Peace

"We are one global family
All colors, All races
One world united.
We dance for peace and the healing of our planet Earth
Peace for all nations.
Peace for our communities.
And peace within ourselves.
As we join all dance floors across the world,
let us connect heart to heart.
Through our diversity we recognize Unity.
Through our compassion we recognize Peace.
Our love is the power to transform our world
Let us send it out
NOW...
"May peace prevail on Earth."
-from Earthdance.org - PrayerForPeace

August 2004

-"Every Day Tao", by Leonard Willoughby

Growing on Earth

One of the early Christians, Philip, wrote - Faith is our earth, in which we take root; hope is the water through which we are nourished; love is the air through which we grow; gnosis (understanding) is the light through which we come fully grown.

-"Beyond Belief", by Elaine Pagels 

"The Joy is in the Journey" 

The yogis say that ultimately all sorrow stems from one source, our misconception of who we truly are, 'not knowing' or 'not seeing' our true self.  We believe we are limited beings...which causes enormous distress. We don't know or see clearly that we are exactly the opposite -the eternal, unlimited, omniscient, joyful Self. 

-"The Yoga Journal", August 2004 

"Creative Mythology: The Masks of God", by Joseph Campbell
all 4 books in the series   amazon

July 2004

Today

Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope.  Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life.

-Sanskrit poem, 4000 years old, author unknown

full version   similar 1   2 

Fount

"A Fount is a source of inspiration.....  When we follow our inspiration we become a vessel for Spirit to heal the environment. In the process, we too are healed."

Excerpt from the "Astro-Soul Test Tube Venture (sm)", July, 2004

 Staying in Tune with the Universe

"The Holy Spirit is eager to guide and help you grow through daily experience. By becoming aware of the Christ within you, and by staying in tune with the universe, you are able to receive guidance.
When you become tense or negative, you cut off the flow of peace and abundance. You are the cause of your own unhappiness because of your state of thinking.
Be at peace and accept the realities of life. Open yourself, having faith in the path before you. Do not allow your own ego to be in the way. Rise above your specific little world to a more universal one."

From "Discover Yourself", by Francisco & Maria Coll

Religious Taoism

All religious Taoists share a concern with harmonizing the fundamental energies in the universe. Some channel their powers to perform healing and exorcism; others seek to harmonize yin and yang forces internally to achieve immortality. 

This may be interpreted literally in terms of cultivating an imperishable subtle body, or metaphorically as a state of spontaneity and spiritual freedom. 
Central are the beliefs that the Tao is the unchanging principle behind the universe, and that the secret of life is to live in accordance with the Tao "which never acts, yet nothing is left undone."

From "World Religions", by John Bowker  (amazon.com) (Dictionary of World Religions)

June 2004

Anyway

People are illogical,
unreasonable and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good,
people will accuse you of
selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway...

Honesty and frankness
make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

- from Anyway -The Paradoxical Commandments, by Dr. Kent M. Keith 

(written by Kent Keith when he was 19, and intended for school leaders.)
 www.Paradoxical Commandments.com  

Often attributed to Mother Teresa because of a wall poster in her Calcutta children's home titled "Anyway" which had 8 of the 10 Paradoxical Commandments. 
"The Final Analysis" is another variation attributed to Mother Teresa and quoted in Wayne Dyers "There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem"  Mother Teresa -Do It Anyway         Summary of other "sightings" of "Anyway"  

Meditation: "If we want a love message to be heard, it has to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it."  -Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Spiritual Rejuvenation and Oneness

The world is not in need of a new religion or a new philosophy but in need of spiritual rejuvenation. 
Let's face the fact that we are all dependent on each other and that we all have an individual responsibility for the well being of life on the planet. We are all one and if one part of humanity is suffering - the whole humanity will be reached by its consequences. 
This is not anything new. It has been known in ancient spiritual traditions all over our planet. By entering this well of wisdom we will see that we have always had much more uniting us than dividing us. 

- the Global Oneness Commitment,  www.globaloneness.com 

Golden Rule Variation
"Practice wanting for others what you want for yourself 
by being Christ-like rather than a Christian, 
Mohammed-like rather than a Muslim, and 
Buddha-like rather than a Buddhist."

-Dr. Wayne W. Dyer,  "The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way"
 Wayne Dyer at SpiritSite.com    Amazon.com  Wayne W. Dyer    www.DrWayneDyer.com 

"Even if you be otherwise perfect, you fail without humility."

- "The Talmud";  the Judaic Tradition    electronic texts at UPenn 

 Yahoo! Directory Religion Judaism   Yahoo! Directory Jewish Teachings and Texts
 Torah Study Online   Hebrew - English Bible - Mechon-Mamre

May 2004

Healing

"No one can ask another to be healed. 
But he can let himself be healed, and thus offer the other what he has received. 
Who can bestow upon another what he does not have? 
And who can share what he denies himself?"

- from "A Course in Miracles"   A Course in Miracles® - ACIM  
Spiritwalk Traditions A Course in Miracles   Spiritwalk Traditions 
Religious Movements-A Course in Miracles

From the Islamic tradition (which believes strongly in destiny)

"You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust.
You were born with ideals and dreams.
You were born with greatness.
Your were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don't.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly."

-Rumi, Sufi poet, 13th Century

  Powell's Books - Islam  Inspiration Gail H. Stone   Divine Science Resources   

You are a Child of the Universe

"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; 
you have a right to be here. 
And whether or not it is clear to you, 
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

-from "Desiderata" ©1927 Max Ehrmann, American Poet 

(full text and other links)

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

...And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

-from Marianne Williamson's book 
"A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles" 
(incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela on the internet)

April 2004

WisdomMedia  more 

Practice for Yourself

If you have a teacher, hopefully they won't tell you too much or make you dependent. 
This Friend is helpful, for sure, but casts you off on your own as much as possible 
so that you can discover the power of Practice for yourself. 
Whether you have a teacher or not, you're in the same boat: you have to navigate!

-From the Buddhist tradition. Maverick Sutras   www.dailyzen.com  (quote)

From the Native American Tradition:

We pray that we will be given strength by the Creator 
to follow the footsteps of our forefathers 
to share our love, respect and compassion for one another.

Earth: We pray for respect and love of Mother Nature 
because she is the foundation of human survival.

Unity: Be an example in life that others may follow; serve people, community, country. 
Let us unite together so that we may have the strength to protect our future.

Health: Respecting everyone and everything in the universe starts with self-respect. 
Take time to listen and take care of your body and spirit.

Peace: We pray to learn ways to settle differences peacefully. 
Teach respect for each other's ideas....
We will be happy when we create peace with each other.

 -Excerpts from "Spiritual Message from Our Elders"  (full message)
More than 1,200 elders from 105 tribes across America attended and contributed to the words

(Adapted Version)
-Alice A. Bailey, Founder of the Arcane School.   www.lucistrust.org 

March 2004

"Regardless of all we have accumulated or are striving to acquire, for most people life still feels incomplete - like the letter 'C'. This gap or lack will always be there. 

Only spiritual knowledge and realization of Self can fill the gap and unite the two ends, which will make it like the letter 'O'.  The knowledge of That alone will help us feel well-grounded in the real center of life. 

Spirituality is not blind faith; it is the ideal that eliminates darkness. It is the principle that teaches us to face any adverse circumstance or obstacle with a smile."

       - Amma, considered a living Hindu saint   www.ammachi.org

From Confucianism (479 BC) - a Chinese religion based on the teachings of a philosopher. 
Confucianism has no clergy, gods or way of worship. Its focus is on moral and political principles.

"If I am walking with two other persons, each of them will serve as my teacher.
I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points
of the other and correct them in myself."
- Confucius  (texts) (links)

From the Zen Buddhist Tradition:

"Carrying vitality and consciousness,
Embracing them as one,
Can you keep them from parting?

Concentrating energy,
Making it supple,
Can you be like an infant?

Purifying hidden perception,
Can you make it flawless?

Loving the people, governing a nation,
Can you be uncontrived?

As the gate of heaven opens and closes,
Can you be impassive?

As understanding reaches everywhere,
Can you be innocent?

Producing without possessing,
Doing without presuming,
Growing without domineering:
This is called mysterious power."

-Tao-te Ching
from www.dailyzen.com

February 2004

- Rabbi Harold S. Kushner, author, When Bad Things Happen to Good People  (amazon) (synopsis)

from the Kadampa Buddhist Tradition

Every living being has the potential to become a Buddha, 
someone who has completely purified his or her mind of all faults and limitations 
and has brought all good qualities to perfection. 
Our mind is like a cloudy sky, in essence clear and pure but overcast by the clouds of delusions.

Just as the thickest clouds eventually disperse, so too even the heaviest delusions can be removed from our mind. 
Delusions such as hatred, greed, and ignorance are not an intrinsic part of the mind. 
If we apply the appropriate methods they can be completely eliminated, 
and we shall experience the supreme happiness of full enlightenment.

-from Eight Steps to Happiness, by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso ( www.Kadampa.org ) (book , review )

Surprise and Laughter

Our perceived limitations block the flow of spiritual knowing.
The unknowing intellect is often surprised when our life path or purpose 
unfolds before our eyes.
Here is a case in point from the Judaic tradition:

The Lord took note of Sarah as He had promised, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken.... Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. And Sarah said, 'God has brought me laughter; everyone who hears will laugh with me.'

 -The Torah :A Modern Commentary,  Genesis 17,18,21, ed. W. Gunther Plaut (book)

January 2004 

Don’t Take Anything Personally

Nothing others do is because of you. 
What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. 
When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, 
you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

- The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz (website)

Where Have All Our Heroes Gone?

Where have all our heroes gone?
Are they here or there?
Where have all our leaders gone?
Are they everywhere?
Are they still helping us?
Are they inspiring us?
Where have all our heroes gone?
Where have our leaders gone?

The loneliness we feel inside is yearning for something better.
They say they have died but are they alive 
Inspiring us all together?
They gave us a path to fulfill our journey 
To better reach mountains and valleys.
How can we ignore that in life there is more
With their courage and love in our memories?

Where have all our heroes gone?
Where have our leaders gone?

- Song From Astro-Soul

On Reverence

Reverence is the key to spiritual unfoldment and success.
Reverence means respecting the unseen power within
that affects my experience, my environment and other people.
That inner power is the wisdom to create or destroy, to tear down or build my success.
In every moment, how reverent am I to my power within?

-International Regrouping of Spiritual Leaders
Orlando, FL  January 23, 2004 

December 2003

Christmas

At this time of year, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ, who shared a message of spiritual awareness, healing and love more than 2,000 years ago. It is said he was the greatest example on earth of love and God expressed in man. His example serves to awaken people to their own God-likeness - the good, kind, loving, sharing part of us. 

There is a church “without walls” that practices Christianity as a ‘way of life’ rather than a way of worship. For more information on Peace Community Church International, see the membership brochure on this site, or contact Dr. Sandra Adler at (sandraadler "at" hotmail.com) 

Actions

“If it is the case that our actions create our future, then it is important to look at how we act. That is one reason why all spiritual ways have a moral code, looking at how our actions affect our own state of mind. It is possible to act with the intention of keeping our peace of mind. Actions, physical or mental, that stir up our mind such as hate, anger and jealousy, take us further away from that peace. Actions that enable us to keep our peace bring us closer to God.”

- Swami Bhaktanand, President, Yoga in Daily Life in the United States (website)

There is a current interest in the Feminine aspect of deity. In popular culture, books which relate to women of the Judeo-Christian Bible are best-sellers. Discussion groups in many spiritual traditions are focusing on women and their role in spiritual leadership. In my opinion, we have entered into an era in which the feminine or feeling side of each of us is being nudged to the fore. Intuitive sensitivity and relating to the wholeness and interconnectedness of life, often referred to as feminine, are the hallmarks of this age. 

From the Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels, "There is in everyone divine power existing in a latent condition...This is one power divided above and below; generating itself, making itself grow, seeking itself, finding itself, being mother of itself, father of itself, sister of itself, spouse of itself, daughter of itself, son of itself - mother, father, unity, being a source of the entire circle of existence." 

Embracing the feminine and masculine power within each of us 
creates a balanced perspective 
and will result in a more balanced world. - Dorinda Fox

November 2003

Thanksgiving

Throughout history people have celebrated the harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies. Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.

The historical event Americans know as the "First Thanksgiving" was a harvest festival held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors and allies. Today that event is an example of the respect that was possible once, if only for the brief time, between two different cultures. It is a vision of what hopefully is possible among all peoples.

" At this time, we give thanks for the spiritual and material abundance that we enjoy, and, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, may we increase our outflow and share from our hearts more joy, respect and love with people in our lives and everywhere on earth."

Out of the Tao emerges the One.
Out of the One, comes Two.
Two gives birth to Three.
Everything else comes from Three.

Encoded in these lines is the underlying model of the Feng Shui universe.
Everything (our bodies, thoughts, experiences, and all that we encounter)
arises from the energetic potential of the universe, the Tao.

It is beyond form,
It is beyond sound,
It is intangible.

-Master Lam Kam Chuen, from The Personal Feng Shui Manual  
(books: Amazon & Overstock.  Look at Feng Shui Courses Online -one is free. 
The Basics explained here  and by Lois Jean Lang Google directory Stanley Bartlett )

October 2003

When we consider our path in life, it's important to acknowledge the soul's
purpose which may not be totally grasped by our conscious awareness. 
To understand ourselves, we must look to the feeling nature to interpret our
motivation and the opportunities that we attract.

"You thought that union was a way you could decide to go. But the soul
follows things rejected and almost forgotten. Your true guide drinks from an
undammed stream."

       - Rumi, Sufi Mystic, translated by Coleman Barks.

"The light from heaven is about to break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and to guide us to the path of peace."  
Luke 1:78-79

According to Pathways to Peace originators, PEACE is both an innate state of Mind/Being and a dynamic evolutionary process. Their belief is very attuned to WCF's: "We recognize that the universal religion of the sacredness of all life unites us in a fellowship of mutual respect, support and tolerance."

       From www.PathwaystoPeace.org 

"To bless in the biblical sense means to ask for or to impart supernatural favor. When we ask for God's blessing, we are not asking for more of what we could get for ourselves (but for) unlimited goodness that only God has the power to know about or give..."

             - Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson, 2000  website 

September 2003

"The positive self is the God-part of each person. It is the qualities in each of us that are expressed through love, kindness and sharing, for God is a reality when manifested in man.

The Separated self is the narrow, negative part of a person that is self-pitying and judgmental.  When we dwell on 'poor little me' our energy will be turned inward and like the Dead Sea in Jordan where there is an inlet but no outflow, everything within and around  will become stagnant.

The positive self is like the Sea of Galilee, which has an inflow and an outflow. The water is fresh and pure, and life abounds within and around the sea. When you bring forth the positive self, you discover a reservoir of happiness and abundance."

     - Discovering Your True Identity, by Dr. Francisco Coll, 
founder of Inner Peace Movement (sm) and Peace Community Church (sm) programs . 
Learn more about these programs at www.ipmers.org    To order materials written by Dr. Coll, go to  www.alcworld.com 

"People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice all manner of exercises... observe a strict regimen of diet...or mechanically repeat mystical texts from the literature of the whole world - all because they cannot get on with themselves and have not the slightest faith that anything useful could ever come out of their own souls...But it is worth man's while to take pains with himself; there is something in his soul that can grow. It is rewarding to watch patiently the silent happenings in the soul, and the most and the best happens when it is not regulated by the outside and from above."

 - C. G. Jung, Dreams, from the Collected Works of C. G. Jung.

Dr. Jung's experiences, his prolific writings and work with people added to our understanding of the unconscious and spiritual nature of the mind. He did extensive work on dreams and symbolism, and created terms such as archetype, personality types and the collective unconscious.

www.jung.org 

"Seek the angel of peace in all that lives, in all you do, in every word you speak. For peace is  the key to all knowledge, to all mystery, to all life."
-  Essene Gospel of Peace, Book Four  (book)
-
Essene traditions are found in Sumerian glyphs dated back to 4,000 BC. 

"Elements of almost every major world belief system existing today may be traced back to this original lineage of wisdom, including those of China, Tibet, Egypt, India, Palestine, Greece, and the American Southwest." 
- The Isaiah Effect, by Gregg Braden

August 2003

I Have a Dream
This is a dream of freedom shared 40 years ago and continuing to unfold today. It is a message of spiritual freedom from hatred, freedom from prejudice, from attitudes of greater and lesser:

"I have a dream today ... 
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, 
from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up the day when
all God's children, black and white, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics,
will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,
'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Text of Speech (with Mahalia Jackson's key role) 
mp3 RealAudio  Text +mp3 audio  11 Languages pdf   other MLK speeches  

" I do not believe that anyone has the exclusive franchise on the truth. What we Jews have is a good approximation, for Jews, of how to get there.

Ultimately, each person creates a way that fits his own situation. While there are differences between Jewish and non-Jewish approaches to mysticism in specific methods, observances and rituals, there are no differences in the impact of the experiences themselves.

When it comes to what I call the 'heart stuff', all approaches overlap." 

-Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, 
modern mystic & founder of the Spiritual Eldering Institute   (his books)

Moving From the Unreal to the Real

The "fundamental yogic view is that our lives only make sense 
when understood as a sacred quest for the true self." 

May we be protected together.
May we be nourished together.
May we work together with great vigor.
May our study be enlightening.
May there be no hatred between us.
Om peace, peace, peace.

Lead us from the unreal to the real.
Lead us from the darkness to light.
Lead us from death to immortality.

-a Hindu Sanskrit chant (translation)
- Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, by Stephen Cope (book) 

What is prophesied as the end of the Dark Sun (nearly the last 500 years) is that the Condor (the land of the South Americas) and the Eagle (the land of the North Americas) will be re-united, and the knowledge of the Earth will re-emerge; the knowledge that we have will become whole. 

When we say "the Earth" in our language, we don't mean just the physical Earth, but rather something you might call "energy".

During this Dark Sun, the knowledge became fragmented. This ancient knowledge will rise again, only this time the key to it is integration, and we have to do it with "all the directions" (can be thought of as all the races of mankind).

- Pamela Colorado, Iroquois, World Indigenous Science Network, (website)

"As a monk, I have a responsibility toward furthering inter-religious harmony. As a human being I have a much larger responsibility toward the whole human family - which indeed we all have. 

I believe that if we consider the world's major religions from the widest perspective we find that they are all - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and the others - directed toward helping human beings find lasting happiness. And each of them is, in my opinion, capable of doing this. 

Under such circumstances, a variety of religions (each of which promotes the same basic values after all) is both desirable and useful."

- His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millennium  (book description )
 

July 2003

"For I come with a dream, and it is to build." - Dr. Francisco Coll.

Life is a journey of advancement, adventure and accomplishment of our plan or purpose.
It is an inner and outer quest to live our clearest dream,
to find spiritual fulfillment and answers.
The more we are of service to ourselves and others,
the more insights, answers and fulfillment we find and unfold.

- Excerpt from Astro-Soul, July 2003 
Alley Copyrights Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Oh Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you, 
To your messengers, the four winds, 
and to Mother Earth, who provides for your children.

Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect, 
and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace of mind.

Let us learn to share all good things that you provide for us on this Earth.

- A Native American Prayer for Peace

"Do all the good you can
in all the ways you can,
in every place you can,
with all the zeal you can,
as long as ever you can."

      - John Wesley, Founder, Methodist tradition

As a bee--without harming the blossom, its color, or its fragrance --takes its 
nectar and flies away,
So should the sage walk through a village.

-Translated from the Pali Buddhist Tradition

June 2003

The Universality of the Golden Rule

 Christianity says, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." 
Hinduism puts it this way: "Do not to others, which if done to thee would cause thee pain." 
Buddhism says: "In five ways should a clansman minister to his friends…by treating them as he treats himself." 
Taoism shares: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your gain and your neighbor's loss as your own." 
Islam expresses the following: "No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."

-From the course, "Religions of the World," 
Americana Leadership College, http://alcworld.com 

High in your consciousness lives the consciousness of God, the wellspring of life that gives its all to bless and nurture your mind, body, and soul. There is no limit to divine supply, no thought of failure in God, your source of life, supply and success. Through the power of prayer, you can open your heart ...you can tap the living stream of God's life, love and substance."

-- From the Living Stream, Unity Church

"We begin the journey this day, one that you cannot fail to complete. 
It is a journey into your heart, and therefore, toward your Home. 
There is no other place for you to go, for nothing else has ever satisfied you. 

There is only one goal now, and yet the reward you seek is already yours. 
We begin with this knowledge, the recognition, for it is by realizing this that you move into it. 
Embrace this one thought, and the rest will happen on its own. 
All things are complete within you now."

-- James Twyman, "Sacred Heart Lessons" ( www.EmissaryOfLight.com )

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in judgment, and guarded in your speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, 
a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

       -- from the Baha'i Faith

May 2003

A Buddhist Prayer for Peace

May all beings everywhere quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.

May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.

May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness
be guarded by beneficial celestials, and
may they swiftly attain Buddha-hood.

“To become sages, we must undergo an initiatory process, 
in which we learn to lead without dominating others, 
to make compassion the ruling principle of our actions, 
and to serve the whole with a multi-generational perspective. 

I believe that such a life-transforming process can best be accomplished 
in a supportive community with people who are 
committed to the same high aspirations.”

-- Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshiper,
Lover of leaving -- it does not matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vows
A hundred times, a thousand times.
Come, come again, come.

--by the Sufi poet, RUMI

"You are amused that other things never remain the same, but do not know that you yourself never remain the same."   Lieh Tzu

If the ego blocks us from the perception of the totality of consciousness, from the experience of being one with all things, then why do we need one at all?  The ego and its means of perception - the  mind and the senses, have like all things in the universe, arisen from the Tao and have their place in the natural order of things. 

They are, metaphorically speaking, the training wheels of conscious development, which while useful in their function, are not meant to be relied on solely or indefinitely.

- The Tao of Abundance, L. G. Boldt

The story is often told of a monk who lived in isolation in a cave where he painted beautiful murals on the wall as part of his meditation practice. With his strongly developed concentration and acquired skill, he painted a ferocious tiger that appeared as real as any live one. It seemed so real, in fact, it scared him to death!

All things that arise in the mind are like the monk's brush strokes on the cave wall - none of them, not even the ones that seem to be the most solid, are composed of lasting, unchanging substance.

- "Dharma Wisdom" column in Yoga Journal by Phillip Moffitt
 

"If we use love as a frequency instead of an emotion, anything is possible.

Meditate on your possibilities for sharing love as a frequency, 
creating harmony in your life and in the world."

April 2003

Humanity is one, according to Islam. God created all persons equal in their human-ness. We are all capable and responsible... Also, all humans are born endowed with a sense of the sacred and the moral. The Islamic faith calls people to a source of knowledge and wisdom which we all share.

"Turn your face to the primordial religion...that is the natural endowment of God bestowed upon all humans  by virtue of birth; equally shared by all humans without discrimination. That is the true and valuable religion."    (Qur'an 30:30)

--From a Trialogue of the Abrahamic Faiths, 1991

"In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. That is spending the wind without raising the sails.

We are needed. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear....

One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul."

--Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author

A Zen Perspective

"A man of peace is not  a pacifist, a man of peace is simply a pool of silence.
He pulsates a new kind of energy into the world. He sings a new song.
He lives in a totally new way. His very way of life is that of grace, that of prayer, that of compassion. Whomsoever he touches, he creates more love-energy.

The man of peace is creative. He is not against war, because to be against anything is to be at war. He is not against war. He simply understands why war exists.
And out of that understanding he becomes peaceful.

Only when there are many people who are pools of peace, silence, understanding, will the war disappear."

--OSHO, from "Zen: The Path of Paradox, vol II"

"If we use love as a frequency instead of an emotion, anything is possible.

Meditate on your possibilities for sharing love as a frequency, 
creating harmony in your life and in the world."

(C) Copyright  2001-2005 W.C.F., All Rights Reserved