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Prayers for the Planet

Prayers relating to giving thanks to our Great Mother Earth.


Prayer To the Directions

Ho Father Sun, power of the East, power of illumination.

Thank you for shining today, for giving away your light and your love bringing the life force to Mother Earth. Thank your for your teaching reminder of my true nature, and for your power to cut through darkness. I get stuck in my darkness so easily and you help me to cut through it and remember your light and love and to extend it to my family and all who cross my path today.

Thank you Holy Father.


Ho Power of the South, power of faith and trust. Power of innocence. Please help me, for I am weak and nothing without you. Help me to surrender to your loving presence as the newly born infant trusts it will be taken care of by its parents. Help me to shed the old trusting that new growth is already on its way. I give thanks to you and pray for strengthening of my faith in your always present, presence.

Ho power of the West, gifts to be found at the center of my being. Thank you the gifts of inner peace, light and love, courage and compassion, healing and forgiveness. Give me the strength to overcome my weakness and to honor the medicine powers I have been given to carry in this life bringing them out successfully in the world for the healing of the Sacred Hoop. Thank you for the power of introspection, of going within to mine the riches you Great Spirit have placed there for us all.

Ho Power of the North, power of Wisdom. Thank you wisdom elders of all faiths and traditions throughout time. You who know Great Spirit's presence working for the greatest good in everyone, everything, everywhere and all the time. Thank you for your wisdom guidance when ever I turn to you with an open and humble heart. Help me to see Spirit working for good in all the challenges of my life. Help me to walk the Good Red Road, from the south surrendering with faith and trust, to the north, knowing your presence always--knowing you , loving you, and serving you.

Ho Mother Earth, thank you for all the gifts of your creation. You open your body and give us the food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes we wear, the shelter of our homes. You give us teachings of how to walk upon you with harmony and balance. You give us medicine when we are out of balance. Thank you for your mysterious, beautiful, growth power healing energy. I pray for your health and healing and that your sacred waters, body, air and spirit be clean and fresh, pure and strong. Help me to open my heart to feel your heartbeat so I walk a healing path in harmony and balance with all of creation.

Ho Sky Father, You who are above, Father Sun and Grandmother Moon, star people, rainbow bridge spirits. Thank you for your light and your love, your company through day and night.

Cloud people, thunder spirits, thank you for the gifts of rain that come to quench our Mother's thirst. Help me to open myself to your medicine teachings of balanced masculine and feminine energies. I give thanks to all you who are Above and thank you for your gifts of vision.

Ho Great Mystery, Creator, Source of All. You have been always and you will be always. You birth me and receive me when my life path is over as you have done for all the ancestors who have come before. You are here now in my center and the center of all. Thank you for this day and the opportunity to know you and to serve you. Thank you for my family, friends, teachers, and loved ones. Thank you for the work you give me to do in this life. I pray for strength, Great Spirit, please help me to do the best I can do, to honor what I have seen to be true.

Use me as a channel for your healing ways to help the people and the healing of our Mother Earth and the relationships of all the lived. Thank you Great Spirit for you, thank you for holy right now and thank you for the gift of the greatest prosperity of all, knowing your presence always.

Ho. May it be so.


Healing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm5g-XyXsys

Prayer of Mr. Emoto

Right now, most of us have the predominantly angry emotion when we consider what is happening in the Gulf. And while certainly we are justified in that emotion, we may be of greater assistance to our planet and its life forms, if we sincerely, powerfully and humbly pray the prayer that Dr Emoto, himself, has proposed.

I am passing this request to people who I believe might be willing to participate in this prayer, to set an intention of love and healing that is so large, so overwhelming that we can perform a miracle in the Gulf of Mexico.

We are not powerless. We are powerful. Our united energy, speaking this prayer daily...multiple times daily....can literally shift the balance of destruction that is happening.

We don't have to know how......we just have to recognize that the power of love is greater than any power active in the Universe today.

Please join me in oft repeating this healing prayer of Dr. Emoto's. And feel free to copy and paste this to send it around the planet. Let's take charge, and do our own clean up!

"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, planktons,corals, algae and all living creatures.....I am sorry. Please forgive me.

Thank you. I love you."

Dear sweet Friends, Let this week be full of Peace and Love. May you have positive abundance in all you need, Happy Fathers day. God Bless you. Melodie

Uncle Earl
by Vicki Miller

"Cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity."

Joseph Addison, The Spectator

Annually my husband's family has a reunion in a state park in the mountains of North Carolina. At one of the reunions, the weather was overcast, and more rain was predicted. The family members who arrived early to set up were concerned about the pending rain and the impact it would have on attendance. Just as the rain began to fall, a car pulled up to the picnic shelter and out of the passenger side popped 'Uncle Earl'!

Now, 'Uncle Earl', as he is called by the family, is 96 years old and has been blind for many years. Just the arrival of Uncle Earl immediately changed the morale of the group.

Ever cheerful and optimistic, Earl continues to amaze the family. He is the oldest member of the Miller Clan, and all gathered around him. One by one he addressed each member, held their hand, gave them a piece of candy from his pocket, and made them laugh.

As I stood back, I watched how his demeanor and cheerfulness brought a smile to everyone's face. He did not spend time telling everyone about his ailments as others were doing. I realized that it was his choice to take the "high road" of cheerfulness and not focus on the negative aspects of his life. By doing so, he was extending an invitation to each family member to respond in the same manner.

Just before we began to feast on the wonderful spread of food, Earl stood up and asked to speak to the group for few minutes. He asked everyone to lead a 'good life' and to take a lighthearted approach to what may come our way. He said he had prayed for us all to arrive and to return home safely, so we need not worry about the rain. Then he gave us all his blessing. I know I felt blessed to be with him!

Being of good cheer raises our spirits and benefits our health. Uncle Earl is a prime example. What is happening in your life right now?

Are you taking a cheerful or lighthearted approach to your day? If you changed your perspective, what impact would it have on your health and others around you?

Just for one day practice being cheerful and see what happens. Try a new slant on challenges that may surface; see if you can find some humor in the challenge or view it from a light-hearted approach.

Be of good cheer!



Relaxing With The Ocean


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qTuhUHSnmw

DailyOM – Useful Transformation

June 18, 2010

Useful Transformation

Make Change Work For You

At the root of all growth, we find change. Allow it to work for you not against.


Transformation is a universal constant that affects our lives from the moment we are born until we leave earthly existence behind. At the root of all growth, we find change. Occasionally, change and the circumstances leading up to it are a source of extraordinary joy, but more often than not they provoke feelings of discomfort, fear, or pain.

Though many changes are unavoidable, we should not believe that we are subject to the whims of an unpredictable universe. It is our response to those circumstances that will dictate the nature of our experiences. At the heart of every transformation, no matter how chaotic, there is substance. When we no longer resist change and instead regard it as an opportunity to grow, we find that we are far from helpless in the face of it.

Our role as masters of our own destinies is cemented when we choose to make change work in our favor. Yet before we can truly internalize this power, we must accept that we cannot hide from the changes taking place all around us. Existence as we know it will come to an end at one or more points in our lives, making way for some new and perhaps unexpected mode of being.

This transformation will take place whether or not we want it to, and so it is up to us to decide whether we will open our eyes to the blessings hidden amidst disorder or close ourselves off from opportunities hiding behind obstacles.

To make change work for you, look constructively at your situation and ask yourself how you can benefit from the transformation that has taken place. As threatening as change can seem, it is often a sign that a new era of your life has begun. If you revaluate your plans and goals in the days or weeks following a major change, you will discover that you can adapt your ambition to the circumstances before you and even capitalize on these changes.

Optimism, enthusiasm, and flexibility will aid you greatly here, as there is nothing to be gained by dwelling on what might have been.

Change can hurt in the short term but, if you are willing to embrace it proactively, its lasting impact will nearly always be physically, spiritually, and intellectually transformative.

DailyOM – The Consequences You Sow
today@dailyom.com
June 15, 2010


The Consequences You Sow

Action And Effect

Every action you take has a cause and effect. The influence we wield is infinite.


All motive and action affects the cosmos in some way. The principle of cause and effect is the truth that allows us to change ourselves and the world around us for the better. However, this same universal law is also at work when change is not at the forefront of our minds. Our intentions flow forever outward in the form of energy, affecting both the people closest to us and billions of individuals we will likely never meet. For this reason, we should strive always to speak, think, and behave with great thoughtfulness and compassion. The virtues we choose to embody can inspire joy and integrity in the lives of countless people, whether we touch their existence directly or not.

The influence we wield is infinite. In an effort to internalize our conscious understanding of the nature of cause and effect, we can never truly know how our thoughts, emotions, words, or actions will manifest themselves on the larger universal stage because it is likely that the furthest-reaching effects will fall outside the range of our perception. We can only look to the guidance of our conscience, which will help us determine whether each of our choices is contributing to humanity's illumination or setting the stage for unintended troubles. When we are in doubt, we need only remember that the cultivation of altruism inevitably leads to a harvest of goodwill and grace. Motivated by a sincere desire to spread goodness, we will be naturally drawn to those choices that will help us express our commitment to universal well-being.

Nothing you do, however minor or mundane, is ever exempt from the rules of cause and effect. From the moment of your birth, you have served as an agent of change, setting forces beyond your comprehension into motion across the surface of the earth and beyond. You can exert conscious control over this transformative energy simply by examining your intentions and endeavoring always to promote peace, positive energy, and passion in your ideas and actions. While you may never fully comprehend the extent of your purposefully heartfelt influence, you can rest assured that it will be universally felt.

DailyOM – A Refuge of Your Own
today@dailyom.com
June 16, 2010


A Refuge of Your Own

Creating a Garden Sanctuary


Think about creating a garden sanctuary to reconnect with nature and honor yourself and mother earth.


Each of us has been blessed with an innate need to celebrate and glorify life. At a most basic level, we honor the forces that came together to bring us into being by caring for our bodies and our souls. To truly rejoice in existence, we must also learn to cultivate loveliness in those special places that replenish the soul. When we create a garden sanctuary, we are reminded that we are a part of both nature's essence and something more. An outdoor retreat is a place we can surround ourselves in nature, beauty, and the life force. It is not difficult to create a sanctuary—we should endeavor, however, to create sanctuaries that speak to us as individuals.

Whether we have a yard, a grassy corner, a patio, or a porch at our disposal, our creative potential is infinite. Any of these spaces can become a magnificent garden. When we feel drawn to specific themes such as Zen, angels, paradise, or the ethereal, we should explore them. Décor and furniture crafted from natural materials like wood and stone blend seamlessly into nature. Yet we can also augment the natural world by filling our garden sanctuaries with statues, bells or gongs, or colorful flags. Running water, like that in a created stream or fountain, helps energy flow smoothly.

If space is a concern, crystals and mirrors can fulfill the same function. Hidden features like concealed swings and reflecting pools veiled in shadow can surprise and delight. As your garden sanctuary evolves, remember to invite the elemental spirits of nature to assist you in your efforts to create a small pocket of harmony, beauty, and peace in your own backyard. If you have not already felt th! eir presence, sit quietly in your garden and reach out to them. You will feel these earthly guides at your side as you continue to develop your sanctuary.

In the refuge of brilliant color, sweet scents, and stillness you create in your garden, the burdens imposed upon you by a sometimes hectic world will melt away. The splendor and tranquility of what you have brought into being will entrance you, allowing you to forget the constraints of time and space. No matter how large or small your garden sanctuary, the time you spend reveling in its pleasures will refresh your spirit and provide you with innumerable opportunities to celebrate life.

DailyOM - Below the Surface
today@dailyom.com
June 17, 2010


Below the Surface


Finding Deep Strength


We have all have times in our lives when we think we don’t have the strength to carry on. You do, and you can.


We have all faced moments in our lives when the pressure mounts beyond what we feel we can handle, and we find ourselves thinking that we do not have the strength to carry on. Sometimes we have just gotten through a major obstacle or illness only to find another one waiting for us the moment we finally catch our breath. Sometimes we endure one loss after another, wondering when we will get a break from life’s travails. It does not seem fair or right that life should demand more of us when we feel we have given all we can, but sometimes this is the way life works.

When we look back on our lives, we see that we have survived many trials and surmounted many obstacles, often to our own amazement. In each of those instances, we had to break through our ideas about how much we can handle and go deeper into our hidden reserves. The thought that we do not have the strength to handle what is before us can be likened to the hard surface of a frozen lake. It appears to be an impenetrable fact, but when we break through it, we find that a deep well of energy and inspiration was trapped beneath that icy barrier the whole time. Sometimes we break through by cutting a hole into our resistance with our willpower, and sometimes we melt the ice with compassion for our predicament and ourselves. Either way, each time we break through, we reach a new understanding of the strength we store within ourselves.

When we find ourselves up against that frozen barrier of thinking we cannot handle our situation, we may find that the kindest choice is to love ourselves and our resistance too. We can simply accept that we are overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched, and we can offer ourselves loving kindness and compassion. If we can extend to ourselves the unconditional warmth of a mother’s love, before we know it, the ice will begin to break.

Heavenletters™, bringing Earth closer to Heaven.

HEAVEN is here to reach every soul on earth to reawaken:

* Our connection to God *
* Our belief in ourselves *
* Our awareness of our shared worthiness to God *
* Peace on Earth *

God is always bringing us closer to Him.

HEAVEN #3493 Be Glad for What You Are, June 18, 2010

God said:

If you would take hold of joy the way you clasp trouble to your bosom, how happy you would be. Clasp appreciation close to you. Clasp regard for life and your life. Be glad for what you are and for what you are not. Be glad for what you have and what you have not. Allocate to yourself all that you can be glad for. Your life is your life. Do not begrudge it. Do not fault it.

You were handed a certain sequence of cards, so it seems. You may have picked them out of the deck. Whether you did or not, however they got handed to you, they are in your hands, and you are the one who plays them out.

In sickness or in health, life has been granted you.

I know you feel that life is often not fair. Some of your blessings may not be fair either. Value your blessings, and then you are playing fair with life.

For reasons known or unknown, your life is such and so. Someone would be grateful for what you, at present, may or may not be grateful for. In retrospect, you may be grateful for much that you were not grateful for at the time.

When you were nineteen, you might have found fault with your figure. Now you would be thrilled to have that same figure.

Once you may not have appreciated some people in your life, and now you wish they were here and that you could hug them and talk to them and tell them how much you love them.

Once, someone broke your heart, perhaps, and it was the end of the world for you. Now, in retrospect, you heave a deep sigh of relief that you did not go down the path that once you so wanted to go down.

You may favor one fruit over another, yet each fruit from God's tree nourishes you. Your preference is not everything. Digest what is before you. It may be hard for you to see, yet some good will come from it. You may well not know what good, yet good will come. You will come out ahead from it. You will survive. You will thrive.

What is there in life to be surprised at? If you must have woe, you must also have joy. Let woe be uncommon, and joy abundant.

You may not have conscious choice of all that visits you in life, yet you can choose the timbre of your life. You may have a scrawny little tree in your yard, and you can water it, and you can bless it, and it will bear fruit.

Someone else may have an orchard and neglect it. One tree, or a thousand, trees are for you to nourish. Life is for you to nourish.

Whatever is given to you or taken away from you, you have say over how you treat life. You are a vital factor. You are the deciding factor of how you value your life. You do not need to stay stuck in one view of life. You are free to choose from many views. Do not let moaning about life become a habit. It is a hard habit to break. If you have adopted that habit, let it go now. It is easier to let go of it now than later.

If, at this moment, I were to adjure you to pray, I would ask you to pray that you lift up your life and offer it to Me with all the love in your heart and so make your offering of your life to Me and your responsibility for your life simple and holy.


Permanent Link: http://www.heavenletters.org/be-glad-for-what-you-are.html

Thank you for including this link when publishing this Heavenletter elsewhere.

an interesting post

by Michael Beloved :

http://meditationtime.ning.com/forum/topics/moving-forward-to-the-past

The article which is at the Web address below might be providing evidence that it is possible to move forward in time and also go forward to the past.

Science has long said that the time arrow only moves in one direction but evidence from Quantum Physics seems to challenge that notion. Now at the Max Born Institute in Berlin, an experiment has proven that it is possible for particles to be accelerated to extremely high speed, to such an extend that the particles stop and then go in a reverse direction, as if they have negative mass and are push forward into going backwards.

This is a bit spooky, but to me this verifies astral and third eye experiences where one goes forward and then finds oneself in a previous life. Forward to the one's past? Gautama Buddha did it. Krishna told Arjuna about it, but Arjuna had some doubts.

In the 1970s, I used to regularly move forward into third eye experiences where I would come out into a past life, look around, see people moving about and actually be living in my past. The subtle body can do this.

But putting aside mystic stuff, see this:

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100412084525.htm

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DailyOM – Knowing is the Key
today@dailyom.com
June 14, 2010


Knowing is the Key

Getting What You Want

The first step to getting what you want in life is knowing what you want.

The first step to getting what you want in life is knowing what you want. This may sound obvious, but a surprising number of us are going through life without really coming to terms with the truth of what we want. There are many reasons for this, and they range from parental influences that curb our imaginations to external factors that curb our ability to take action.

We may feel that getting too caught up in exploring our deepest desires is wasted energy when it seems we want things beyond our grasp. This is a very practical attitude and has its benefits, but it can be safely balanced with a more imaginative and unlimited approach to the question of what we want.

Perhaps you are 40 years old and find within yourself a desire to be a ballet dancer. You see the impracticality and seeming impossibility of this idea, so you reject it without exploring it. But perhaps you should allow yourself to feel this desire and perhaps even take a dance class.

Allowing yourself to participate in ballet in small ways may provide inspiration that leads you in a new direction in life. And time spent doing what you want to do is never wasted because it generates energy that can fuel the rest of your life.

You can begin to uncover and discover what you want by doing a simple, timed writing exercise. Set your timer for 15 minutes and write without stopping, starting every sentence with the words “I want.” Writing without stopping for a set period of time enables your inner voice to override your inner censor and helps to unearth buried dreams. It also creates a feeling of relief in the mind, heart, and body.

This exercise can also be practiced orally, alone or in the company of a friend. You might try doing this exercise every morning for a week, looking back at the end of the week to see what has come up. Sometimes the simple act of expressing a want actually releases it, while other yearnings retain their energy, asking us to pay attention. When we pay attention to what we want, we are that much closer to getting it.

Heavenletters™, bringing Earth closer to Heaven.

HEAVEN is here to reach every soul on earth to reawaken:

* Our connection to God *
* Our belief in ourselves *
* Our awareness of our shared worthiness to God *
* Peace on Earth *

God is always bringing us closer to Him.

HEAVEN #3489 Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, June 14, 2010


God said:

Blessed be you. Blessed be you for being alive on Earth. Blessed be you for aspiring. Blessed be you for attaining and for even not attaining. What is wonderful is that you venture forth. Without armor, you venture forth into the big world, and you make your way in it.

Each day you pull up the window shades of the day, and each night you close them. You are like the rising sun, and you are like the setting sun. You bring days into action. You run through a day, or you pause, or you tiptoe. You are the one who runs through a day the way a river runs through the land.

You are a pioneer. You are much more a pioneer than a settler.

Each day there is a new terrain to run through. You venture forth, you give each hour its time of day. You open the curtain of each moment of the day. You are the revealer of the day.

Each day is a like a book you read, or a chapter, or a prologue, or an epilogue. Or each day is like a deck of cards that you peel open to see what the cards say.

You are a diviner of each day.

You hold each day in your hands. And you ruffle through the day.

May your day be blessed. May you cherish it, this never-before-given-day of today. It is your slate to draw on.

It is your part of the masterpiece that is being created on Earth today. And you contribute to its creation without a backward glance, for you are ever moving forward into this landscape of life. You turn the kaleidoscope of the day the way a captain of the seas turns his telescope to see a far-off star.

The star the captain sees is blinking brightly at the captain who made an overture to the blinking star.

Each of you is a star-gazer like Galileo. Each of you makes new discoveries about the stars and life and the divine threshold of discovery that you are on. You are on the verge of great discovery. You are about to discover yourself. You are about to discover yourself in the mundane world and beyond. You are the discoverer of life on Earth. You set the course of study, and you find out what it is you have set as you go along. You may intend to learn one thing and find you learn another that what was on your mind all the time.

What do you want to find out? Keep walking, and find it. By and large, you do find what you are looking for. Look far and near until you do find it. It may be right under your shoe now.

This is a day never before seen and never before opened, and now you open it. You open it for all the world to see. You turn the key of the world, and you usher it in. You create daybreak.

And, at night, you put the day to bed, and night awakes. The stars come out. Night clubs open up. Some people sleep, and some people wake.

Babies are born, and cats knock over garbage cans in the alley. The moon is big or small. Wynken, Blynken and Nod sail off on their wooden shoe, sail off on a river of crystal light into a sea of dew. What is more probable than that when you are alive on Earth and can sail on anything and reach the white moon and take it home, even as it follows you?


Permanent Link: http://www.heavenletters.org/wynken-blynken-and-nod.html

Thank you for including this link when publishing this Heavenletter elsewhere.

Are You Running Your Life or is it Running You? How are you spending your time and energy?

by Jan Hornford



There has been a great deal written on the concept of time management. The simple fact is that each of us has the same 24 hours a day. We cannot create more time. What we can do is manage our energy and our thoughts to change how we experience time and make considered choices on how we are spending our time.

It is all about living with purpose and spending your time and energy on what is most important to you. Honoring your priorities and focusing on one thing at a time will help you to have a less stressful experience of time and will allow you to accomplish more with less effort.


Dangers of Multi-tasking and Multi-thinking

We often fill up our time with thoughts of the past (thinking about all the things we did not get done) or the future (thinking about all the things we have to do) instead of where we are right now. We often try to do a number of different tasks at the same time. Splitting our thoughts and attention in these ways contributes to our sense of feeling rushed and pulled in many different directions.

When we multi–task we often end up with having a number of things half done, which leaves us feeling anxious. When we only listen to our child or colleague with half an ear while we think about tomorrow’s meeting, we create an experience that is stressful, unfulfilling and ineffective for both you and the other person.

Being Fully Present

What if you could focus all of your energy and attention and place it on what you are doing in this moment? What would be possible for you then? When we give our full attention and presence to whomever we are speaking to or to whatever we are doing, we step off of that hamster wheel of frenetic activity and enrich our lives and the lives of others.

Choosing to focus our thoughts and energy in the present moment, doing one thing at a time and doing it well, will not only help you to accomplish more, it will help you to create a peaceful experience of time.

How are You Using Your Time?

We are constantly confronted with multiple possibilities of how to spend our work and personal time. There is not enough time to do it all. We often must give up one thing in order to have time to do another. We often get caught up in doing all sorts of things that we think we should be doing, but are not very important.

Many people spend up to 35 hours per week watching television. Is this a real priority for you? Perhaps you would rather choose a movie or one really good television show that you enjoy and let the others go. This would free up huge amounts of time for you to do a myriad of other things.

When you know what is most important to do and have clear priorities, then it is easier to make choices on how to use your time. When we focus on things that are important, we make more effective use of our time and we feel better because we are spending our time doing what is important and meaningful to us and will likely accomplish more as a result.

Setting Priorities

Setting priorities will help you make conscious and informed choices on how you are using your time. It is all about living with purpose. Honoring your priorities and focusing on one thing at a time will help you to have a less stressful experience of time and will allow you to accomplish more with less effort.

When you are setting priorities consider:

Why am I doing this?

Is this something I need to do or is it something I want to do?

Or neither? Who else can do this?

Is it important that I do this right now or can it wait?

Will doing this support my goals and my values?

It is important to recognize the priorities in all aspects of your life: work, relationships, self–care, home, and responsibilities. You can then make choices that enable you to fulfill your priorities and can choose to let the less important things go for now. Be honest with yourself about what you can do and what you want to do.

Priorities will change day–to–day, week–to–week, and year–to–year. Different things will be more important to you at different times in your life.

Schedule Your Priorities

Schedule time to take care of your priorities and set a completion date. Be sure to build ‘flex’ time into each day. Flex time is 30 –60 minutes of time that you block off. This time can be used to deal with the unexpected or for things that are taking longer than you anticipated, or as time for yourself.

Spending your time focused on priorities will increase your peace of mind and bring greater meaning and purpose to your life because you are focused on what is really important to you in all aspects of your life.

Coaching Questions

Of the activities you are doing now, which ones energize you? Which ones drain you?

What do you want to have more of in your life?

What is most important for you to have in your life right now? (Consider all of your roles and responsibilities).

What is stopping you from doing these things?

Take Action

How Are You Really Using Your Time?

Over the next week carry a notebook where you write down what you are doing for every minute of your day.

Keep a record of how you spend your time and energy for the next 7 days.

After 1 week consider:

How are you using your time?

What are you missing out on because of your current lifestyle?

Is there time in your life for the things that are most important to you?

How can you make more time for what you value most?

Action Steps

List 3 ways you misuse your time (such as watching T.V. or checking your email every hour) and then list 3 things you can do to minimize these activities.

Identify 3 areas where you might be able to delegate tasks or ask for more help in and then list 3 actions you can take to help you create more time in this area.

For example:

Area: Household chores:

Action:

Have shirts pressed rather than iron them yourself.

Have each family member take on an additional household task.

Get curb side recycling instead of recycling it yourself.

The Story of a Mail Man

A postman like him may have educated you to a good life.

Here is the story of a school and a college which rose from the dust because of the dreams of a mailman in India.

In 1938, a school was running in a little shanty room with a total strength of 11 boys, one teacher and bank balance of Rs.11 (about 22 cents). The salary of the teacher was only Rs.12 per month (about 24 cents); but the school was on the verge of closing down. Then the miracle happens! A postman takes over its management and by 1944, the school has a fund of a few hundred rupees. The school is well-established with students four-fold and more class rooms. In 1946, the postman's 'Deewali baksheesh' (the tips received during the festival of Diwali) of Rs.4500 and funds collected by staging a play brings the total to Rs.12,000. And the postman and his wards go from strength to strength. Let us view this drama as it unfolded.

A corporal from World War I:

Way back in 1938, the Hindi School at Ghatkopar was one of the only two of their kind in Bombay [now Mumbai] in India. It was in doldrums when a young postman Nandkishor Singh Thakur, pledged to give his spare time to the school. Well, if Hindi School was an unimportant, unknown school in a suburb of Bombay, Nandkishor himself was an uninfluential person. Born in 1897 in a village in UP, his own education was two years of study in the primary school. But he had seen the world in the first World War - in the Middle East as a Corporal in the Infantry. Five years of stay in Turkey as a part of the British Army had made Nandkishor a changed man.

In 1926, he joined the Post and Telegraphs department as a Postman in Ghatkopar. But his dreams were bigger. He wanted to have a more purposeful existence. And he found an outlet. The combination of this humble, unassuming, simple postman and his little-known one room institution in one of the suburbs of Bombay has now become an epic story to remember.

What is it that drew this short, bald man with a walrus moustache to this school? What was it that made him put [--does so even today] all that he had and 'a little more' to make things better than before? Perhaps, he himself has no answer.

Collection drive:

Hindi School was in a very bad shape when Nandkishor took it over. He didn't know how he was going to add to the bank balance of Rs.11 that was all in the name of the school. But he knew that he had access to all and sundry in that locality as a postman. He made use of his contacts. He carried along with his postbag a small box in which people could drop anything upward from a paisa [1/64th of a rupee, 1/32 of a $]. It was a paltry sum to begin with but the school survived. More than that, people came to know of the school and its humble organizer.

The school received its first large sum in 1946. Nandkishor declared that whatever 'Deewali baksheesh' he would get from the people would be added to the school fund. People gave generously. He collected about Rs.4,500 that way. In a play staged in the same year, another sum of Rs.7,500 was collected, bringing the total to Rs.12,000. The school had come a long way from the days of Rs.11-reserve-fund.

A plot of land [3,300 sq. yds in area] near the Ghatkopar Railway Station was bought for the sum, with the help of a Government grant. Again the bank balance went to zero. No one was willing to lay the foundation stone for such an institute. 'Jai Ramji' [as Nandkishor was popularly known, for his usual greeting to all] himself was asked to do that: and in the name of God he did that.

He was again went on a fund collecting spree. This time he gathered seven donors, each committing Rs.3,000 [-- amount required for one class room], and the ground floor was ready. The then Chief Minister of Bombay Shri. B G Kher declared open the building and the first batch batch of 80 students moved into the new school by September of 1947.

Now came the period of risk. He went ahead with the construction of first floor without any capital -- purely on faith. The debit note rose to Rs.22,000. Again fate intervened. He collected a larger sum of Rs.31,000 from staging the famous play 'Deewar', presented by that kind hearted, popular actor Shri. Prithviraj Kapoor. Came Rs.44,000 from an unknown donor and the building had its second floor completed, barely within four years from the time the foundation stone was laid with no bank balance.

Here is a living example of that 'karmayogi' of the Gita -- a man who believes in doing his duty, leaving the rest to God. And God has never failed him. Yes, at times He severely tested this disciple of his but in the end He stood by him.

College takes shape:

Building of a school was not all that Jai Ramji had as mission in his life. No time for complacency. Like rare old men, his active life started after his retirement. On the mortgage of the school, he bought an adjoining plot costing Rs.64,000 for a college building. Bank balance?: a repetition of the past! But now he had the students and the teachers of the school to help him collect the funds. Rs.18,000 collected thus was enough to start the work. Slabs of all the three floors were ready. But there was no money for the walls and finishing. The test this time was the severest. Jai Ramji was mocked by street urchins. Construction work was at a standstill for almost two years.

But again in 1959, he started a one-rupee collection drive and gathered Rs.7,000. The school committee looking at his unswerving zeal, offered a loan of Rs.100,000 collected from amongst its members. The college was ready. It needed funds to be fit for affiliation to Bombay University. Even this dream materialised. In 1963, Shri R R Jhunjhunwala gave Rs.200,000 and the college starting functioning in that year.

A school of 1938 with 11 boys in a bare little room stands --after three decades -- as a towering witness to a humble man's dreams. It teaches 2,200 students in school and 2,700 in the college, from the primary to the post-graduate.

School in home town:

He now diverted his attention to his home town of Rampur Manjha in UP. It had no school. Work with Jai ramji has always been brisk and speedy. The foundation stone of this school was laid in 1964; it started functioning as Middle School in the same year and as High School by the end of 1965. It is the only High School for the surrounding villages. He wants a college there by 1970. He needs Rs.35,000 for that and is today busy collecting that.

All these institutions --the Hindi High School, the Jhunjhunwalla College and the High School in UP are the embodiments of people. The humblest of people have put their efforts to bring up these institutions, donating from a paisa upward. This reminds one of a legend from Ramayana, from whose lands Jai Ramji hails. While Lord Rama was constructing the bridge between India and Lanka, along with the monkeys came the squirrels to put in their efforts

Jai Ramji is 72 today. Even at this age, his energy is unflagging, his cheerfulness is contagious and his faith boundless. Faith, both in God and the goodwill of his fellowmen. Nor has his capacity to dream diminished. Above all, is his ability to fulfill those dreams. His dream at present is a Hindi University. And he has confidence he will live a hundred years to complete his mission.

He toils still:

One question remains. What does he do for his own living and that of his family? He married at the age of ten. His life has not been a bed of roses. He lost two of his sons, one of them leaving behind a wife and a son. As a postman of 32 years service, he never had an occasion to give an explanation for a lapse on his part. After retirement, he went into the manufacture and sale of phenyle, often pulling a wheel cart himself through the streets of Ghatkopar along with his son, making door to door calls. He is also an LIC agent, selling life insurance. His only surviving son is married and settled. Himself, his wife, his daughter-in-law and grandson are together in the house. In these days of graft and corruption, the example of Jai Ramji stands out -- a rare apostle of determination and faith in modern age.


Source: Goodnewsindia.com April 2003 Originally published in Feb, 1969 in 'Excellence' credited to Daktar Postal News.

From Spark To Flame
by Monique Howat

When my now 19 year old daughter was in Grade 3, all of Mrs. Mathews' students were given a small pot with a bean seed to plant. Green string beans it seems are pretty hardy and the perfect seed to use when promoting green thumbs in young children. That same plant was also a most unexpected source of understanding and insight for me.

Once the bean plants had sprouted and flowered, their teacher allowed the kids to carefully transfer the precious cargo from school to home. Once home, Shanna scouted around for the perfect location and settled on a sunny south window sill and then proudly declared, "Soon I can feed the whole family!"

Shanna's sisters were envious and even our cat looked intrigued which should have been a warning to me because when I woke up the next morning, I saw that the bean plant had been maliciously knocked off the window sill and ripped from it's pot. It's leaves were frayed and except for a limp thread of stem that still connected the roots to the flowering top, it was quite unrecognizable from the day before. The plant, it seemed, was a goner.

I dreaded what I had to tell Shanna but as I gently began to explain that the bean plant had to be put in the compost, her reaction was not what I expected. She said, "Everything will be okay Mom, the plant will get better."

Without wasting a second in thought she secured the first aid kit from the bathroom returning with gauze, a tongue depressor, bandages and a deep belief that the pathetic looking, near-dead bean plant would live, thrive and even produce food!

I had mixed emotions knowing that she was postponing the plants inevitable trip to the compost bin but I went along with it and helped her wrap bandages. Days later, to my absolute surprise, the bean plant was standing tall and looking perky. We were able to remove the bandages and discover a protruding hump in the stem where its near-fatal stem break had been. It was also amazing to see that the one and only bean, had become plump almost completely masking the claw marks that had scarred it.

I don't know why I hadn't thought the cat might go for a second round because it surely did, and this time I ran for the first aid kit! I carefully applied a heavy blanket of everything from cotton and gauze to colored band aids with "ouch" written on them and when the medic work was done, I whispered a little something to the heavens.

Just one week later we were able to take the bandages off and again we barely found evidence of an attack and there was even a new sliver of green where a second bean was forming. I was excited and amazed while Shanna had been expecting nothing less. Back to the window sill it went but this time we built a fortress of heavy books to keep it safe until our day of bounty.

I set the table beautifully with all the fanfare of a Thanksgiving dinner. The beans were carefully divided by 5, which awarded each person 2 small pieces, claw marks and all. They turned out to be the best green beans I had ever eaten!

My daughter never quite understood my exuberance over the significance of the beans. In my work as a youth motivator I am brought together with kids and teens that all desperately need people to believe in them. Now, more than ever, no matter what I have been told about a child or a teen and their behavior, I see everyone, no exceptions, with the same eyes and heart that my daughter used on her broken, beaten up bean plant.

I wonder if it's a coincidence that later that same week, I stumbled upon a most appropriate quote by Italian Poet Dante (1265-1351): "From a little spark, may burst a mighty flame."

Especially if you believe...!

DailyOM – No Hard Edges
today@dailyom.com

June 11, 2010


No Hard Edges

Creating Space In The Body

When our minds are cluttered with too many thoughts and information, our bodies respond by trying to take action.


Our minds and bodies are interconnected, and the condition of one affects the condition of the other. This is why meditation is such a powerful tool for healing the body, as powerful as physical therapies. When our minds are cluttered with thoughts, information, and plans, our bodies respond by trying to take action. When the body has a clear directive from the mind, it knows what to do, but a cluttered, unfocused mind creates a confused, tense body. Our muscles tighten up, our breath shortens, and we find ourselves feeling constricted without necessarily knowing why.

When we sit down to meditate, we let our bodies know that it is okay to be still and rest. This is a clear directive from the mind, and the body knows exactly how to respond. Thus, at the very beginning, we have created a sense of clarity for the body and the mind. As we move deeper into meditation, the state of our mind reveals itself, and we have the opportunity to consciously decide to settle it. A meditation teacher pointed out that if you put a cow in a small pen, she acts up and pushes against the boundaries, whereas if you provide her with a large, open space, she will peacefully graze in one spot. In the same way, our thoughts settle down peacefully if we provide them with enough space, and our bodies follow suit.

When we settle down to examine and experience our consciousness, we discover that there are no hard, definable edges. It is a vast, open space in which our thoughts can come and go without making waves, as long as we let them by neither attaching to them nor repressing them. As we see our thoughts come and go, we begin to breathe deeper and more easily, finding that our body is more open to the breath as it relaxes along with the mind. In this way, the space we recognize through meditation creates space in our bodies, allowing for a feeling of lightness and rightness with the world.

Heavenletters™, bringing Earth closer to Heaven.

HEAVEN is here to reach every soul on earth to reawaken:

* Our connection to God *
* Our belief in ourselves *
* Our awareness of our shared worthiness to God *
* Peace on Earth *

God is always bringing us closer to Him.

HEAVEN #3486 Serve God Over the Past, June 11, 2010


God said:

It is essential that you let go of your past mistakes. No matter how much you regret, no matter how careless a mistake, or how deliberate, you have to let go of it. Otherwise, you lasso yourself to the past and tie yourself there. This does no good to you or any man. Flagellating yourself is non-productive. It embeds the error. Tell the error, "Begone."

If you must be punished with the realization of the error of your deed or non-deed, you have already been punished enough. Do not keep yourself in the dunce's chair. There is no point to it. You are someone who learned something. The person who made the error and the person who regrets it are not the same person now. Regret your mistake once, and then be done.

You have to let go of the past. You have to free yourself from it. For My sake, let go of the past, and its errors.
Is it not true that heretofore you have been relentless with yourself? Now, I beg of you, let the guilt go. I exonerate you. You are all atoned for. You will not make that mistake again. Is that not good enough?

Why whip the hand, beat the chest, embed a knife in your heart again and again, to what avail?

Every time you imprint an error in your heart, you make it deeper. You make a rotogravure of it. Better to erase it. Do you see the humaneness and practicality of what I am saying? Do not keep error to you. Do not sustain it. Do not feed it over and over again. Release it.

You make no excuses, but you have to let error go. Congratulate yourself for being further along than you once were. Can you not be glad for progress made?

I congratulate you. I congratulate you for having greater vision now. I congratulate you that you are done making that error. You will not step in the same puddle again. Go ahead now, and buy yourself some new shiny shoes. Reward yourself.

You have graduated from an error. Once you were ignorant, and now you are less ignorant. Now you are wiser.
In the world, you do not have to be perfect. You are here on Earth learning how to live divinely in a human world. This is not always easy, but, dear ones, do not make it hard for yourself. There is no percentage in it, not for you, not for anyone.

When you have reached a higher rung in the ladder, you have reached it. Climb up, not down. Think of the greater good and not your penitence.

How does your sitting in a corner, chewing your nails, lashing your back, feeling regret and pain - how does that serve the world? It does not. It pains the world. Why not bless the world? Say:

"I made a mistake. I'm sorry, deeply sorry. Now I erase my mistake from the face of the Earth. I would not burden the world any longer with my regrets. I cast off this burden, from myself and from the world. I have vanquished the dragon. This dragon's term is over. And now I shall go forward on Earth and slay all the dragons of my past and leave a clean playing field for myself and for others forevermore.

"Once I was a scalawag. Now I am further along. I do not keep the dragons of my past in a cage where I can see them. I am not a taxidermist. I live life, and I serve God, not my past. This is good enough."


Permanent Link: http://www.heavenletters.org/serve-god-over-the-past.html

Thank you for including this link when publishing this Heavenletter elsewhere.

Hello my beautiful friend, I wish you a wonderful weekend of love, laughter, peace and joy. Blessings & Pure Energy coming your way, Melodie

God, Wisdom and A Deeper Understanding of Life
By Dingane Dingane

What is wisdom? For one, it is something that is valued in virtually all cultures throughout the world and throughout the ages wise people lead the way to a deeper understanding of life. Wisdom is not about having mere knowledge. It's much beyond that and in many ways knowledge itself is not even necessary to have wisdom.

Wisdom is an inner understanding that often contradicts intellectual knowledge.

Wisdom is almost always beyond the obvious and the conventional. When we recognize a great wisdom it is as if we see ‘a light' inside our minds -- a special feeling inside which leads us to a greater understanding. Wisdom is not something you attain as much as it is something you grow into. For most of us wisdom is synonymous with an old man and a long flowing grey beard. Although it is true that wisdom comes with age, you don't need to be old to be wise.

For me all great wisdom is spiritual by nature. All great insights into life are insights that transcends the physical world and our mere observations. It's metaphysical (beyond the physical) and therefore it often contradicts conventional thinking. Wisdom is about seeing past the obvious appearances of things. When you do this you cannot help but to recognize something bigger and greater at work behind everything in life. This great invisible force that some call God is not confined to spiritual thinkers, but is the very force of life that flows through everything.

The true meaning of wisdom is having an intimate knowledge of God and the spiritual and metaphysical dimension that will help you see past the appearances of things to reveal a greater meaning behind it all. In Dr. Wayne Dyer's 10 Secrets For Success And Inner Peace, he offers a great insight into wisdom. One of his secrets for success and inner peace is a definition for wisdom. He says that wisdom is avoiding all thoughts that weaken you.

Every thought you have will either strengthen or weaken you. On this deeper metaphysical level of life, your thoughts create your life. Having the ability to ‘see' and to realize this is what wisdom is really about. Virtually every spiritual text refers to the power of thought and how we create our lives through our thoughts. This great law, the Law Of Attraction is a controlling law in the universe that dictates what we attract and create in our lives.

Learning to distinguish and then to avoid the thoughts that weaken you will give you a greater sense of power and authentic energy in your life. Weak thoughts like anger, hate and jealousy always weaken you because it requires a counter force. Thoughts of love, peace and joy will only strengthen you because it never takes anything from you -- it only ‘adds' to you. In this sense wisdom will allow you to enjoy a greater sense of inner peace and it will help you to move right past conflict and confrontation.

So often we focus on what's wrong in our lives in an attempt to ‘fix' it. What wisdom teaches us is to shift from what's wrong, to what's right. Carl Jung once said that "what you resist persists" -- wise words from a wise man who understood that what you think about, will only recreate itself in your life experience.

The true meaning of wisdom is to have the insight that's beyond the obvious. It's learning to see that beyond the surface level of life experiences, there is something greater and bigger at work. This invisible (yet knowable) life force is intimately connected to you and your thoughts. What you think about expands in your life and learning to avoid that which weakens you will allow you to cultivate your own authentic power and ultimately create for yourself the kind of life you really want to live.

Hello my beautiful friend, I wish you a wonderful weekend of love, laughter, peace and joy. Blessings & Pure Energy coming your way, Melodie

God, Wisdom and A Deeper Understanding of Life
By Dingane Dingane

What is wisdom? For one, it is something that is valued in virtually all cultures throughout the world and throughout the ages wise people lead the way to a deeper understanding of life. Wisdom is not about having mere knowledge. It's much beyond that and in many ways knowledge itself is not even necessary to have wisdom.

Wisdom is an inner understanding that often contradicts intellectual knowledge.

Wisdom is almost always beyond the obvious and the conventional. When we recognize a great wisdom it is as if we see ‘a light' inside our minds -- a special feeling inside which leads us to a greater understanding. Wisdom is not something you attain as much as it is something you grow into. For most of us wisdom is synonymous with an old man and a long flowing grey beard. Although it is true that wisdom comes with age, you don't need to be old to be wise.

For me all great wisdom is spiritual by nature. All great insights into life are insights that transcends the physical world and our mere observations. It's metaphysical (beyond the physical) and therefore it often contradicts conventional thinking. Wisdom is about seeing past the obvious appearances of things. When you do this you cannot help but to recognize something bigger and greater at work behind everything in life. This great invisible force that some call God is not confined to spiritual thinkers, but is the very force of life that flows through everything.

The true meaning of wisdom is having an intimate knowledge of God and the spiritual and metaphysical dimension that will help you see past the appearances of things to reveal a greater meaning behind it all. In Dr. Wayne Dyer's 10 Secrets For Success And Inner Peace, he offers a great insight into wisdom. One of his secrets for success and inner peace is a definition for wisdom. He says that wisdom is avoiding all thoughts that weaken you.

Every thought you have will either strengthen or weaken you. On this deeper metaphysical level of life, your thoughts create your life. Having the ability to ‘see' and to realize this is what wisdom is really about. Virtually every spiritual text refers to the power of thought and how we create our lives through our thoughts. This great law, the Law Of Attraction is a controlling law in the universe that dictates what we attract and create in our lives.

Learning to distinguish and then to avoid the thoughts that weaken you will give you a greater sense of power and authentic energy in your life. Weak thoughts like anger, hate and jealousy always weaken you because it requires a counter force. Thoughts of love, peace and joy will only strengthen you because it never takes anything from you -- it only ‘adds' to you. In this sense wisdom will allow you to enjoy a greater sense of inner peace and it will help you to move right past conflict and confrontation.

So often we focus on what's wrong in our lives in an attempt to ‘fix' it. What wisdom teaches us is to shift from what's wrong, to what's right. Carl Jung once said that "what you resist persists" -- wise words from a wise man who understood that what you think about, will only recreate itself in your life experience.

The true meaning of wisdom is to have the insight that's beyond the obvious. It's learning to see that beyond the surface level of life experiences, there is something greater and bigger at work. This invisible (yet knowable) life force is intimately connected to you and your thoughts. What you think about expands in your life and learning to avoid that which weakens you will allow you to cultivate your own authentic power and ultimately create for yourself the kind of life you really want to live.

Forgiveness: The Story of that Great Englishman Saint Patrick
By David Evans

We all know that Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and the ultimate symbol of all things Irish. But in fact Saint Patrick was actually British! Here is his surprising story . . .

Patrick was born in the year 389 A.D. on the West Coast of Britain. It was not yet England and was still under the weakening control of the Roman Empire. In fact, Patrick's father was a minor official for the Romans, with enough status to enable his family to lead a comfortable, privileged life. But it was a dangerous time. There was a smoldering state of warfare between the Britons and the Irish across the sea. War parties from each side crossed over to the other side and raided the villages, looting, grabbing prisoners, and torching buildings. Many people were killed.

One night when the sixteen-year-old Patrick was asleep, a band of Irish pirates swept into his village with wild war whoops. They smashed down the door of his house, jerked Patrick out of bed, knocked him to the floor, and tied his hands behind his back. Then they shoved Patrick, dazed and stumbling, back to their boat, and threw him onto the deck. Soon the boat slid into the water, and Patrick, with ropes cutting into his wrists, was on his way to the forbidding land of Ireland and the life of a slave.

In Ireland Patrick was sold to a local king who put him to work tending the livestock. He endured beatings, near-starvation, and sub-zero temperatures. In the dead of winter he was forced to tend the herds in the hill country to the far North, where he was constantly shivering from the arctic winds howling all around him.

Patrick had grown up in a Christian household, but his family's faith had meant little to him. To Patrick, Christianity meant empty Bible passages, delivered in a singsong voice. Or dinnertime prayers hurried over as quickly as possible, so the meal could begin.

But the crisis of slavery changed everything for Patrick. He began to recall fragments of bible verses and long forgotten prayers and homilies from his childhood. He remembered that some of the people in the Bible had also gone through great tribulation: Job; the Israelites in Egypt; the psalmist David, fleeing for his life first from King Saul and then from his son Absalom. He remembered that they cried out to God, who brought them deliverance. So, with his heart in great anguish, Patrick turned toward the Lord.

He constantly dreamed of running away, but for years it was impossible. He was too closely guarded. Then one day a miraculous opportunity arose and he escaped. Patrick began the long, perilous journey to the coast, where he caught a boat for the continent. After many adventures he was finally re-united with his family for a spectacular Homecoming.

But even harder than escaping the imprisonment of his captors, was the struggle to escape from the imprisonment of his own heart. Patrick was filled with rage and resentment over his suffering while he was a slave. It was only through the alchemy of prayer that he was finally able to transmute his hatred for his captors into eventual forgiveness.

Patrick's religious experiences along the way led him toward the priesthood, and he traveled to Gaul for his ecclesiastical studies. But after his ordination, he began having strange, recurrent dreams. Again and again, in the middle of the night, he heard voices. They were Irish voices. They kept calling him, beckoning him: "We beseech thee, Patrick, come and walk among us once again."

Patrick came to believe very strongly that it was God's hand that first took him to Ireland, and that God was now calling him to return. So after Patrick became a bishop, he journeyed back to Ireland, but this time by his own free will, on a mission of love and mercy.

Patrick served in Ireland for thirty years as a wandering bishop. His contributions are the stuff of legend. He established churches and monasteries all through the country. He baptized tens of thousands of the faithful, and ordained hundreds of priests. He was greatly loved and was the true patron of Ireland.

What a wonderful model Saint Patrick is for all of us! He demonstrated that it is possible to live the life that Jesus has called us to. He is a great example of that life. Patrick suffered through years of pain and mistreatment, but he learned how to love his enemies and pray for those who persecuted him. With God's help we can too.