index

Letters Home Part II

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:19:28 +0100

Dear Friends and Family~

We have been in the Nilgiri mountain range for a little over one month now. We had decided to come here because I longed for fresh mountain air and a tranquil lifestyle. Now that we have had some time to live, we have new perspectives—a fresh look at our lives.

We live on the edge of one of 14 small villages in a small valley. Wikipedia describes it as being full of temples and fairly noisy. I couldn't believe it, and still don't accept it. Isn't it funny that the 50+ temples would all play different music at the same time? I also am including the several Christian churches as well. Where we live, the 4 AM music rises up the valley; the music waves cumulate into a disharmonious audio experience—a very distorted sound. This lasts until about 8:00 AM, unless it is Sunday, and then we will listen to the local CSI church preach on loud speaker. I don't pay attention to this anymore, unless the musical distortion plays havoc with my precious dream time.

We begin to see the underbelly of this tiny village, and the lesser value of living in such a remote region. My internet server sometimes doesn't work; electricity goes out randomly, sometimes for 30 minutes, but sometimes for 12 hours. And I find that I have to fight to keep the connectivity with my friends and family. I'm doing “my level best” to keep this communication. I welcome you to call me on my mobile from Skype—this has been the most successful. It's easy, just buy Skype minutes, and the rates are very reasonable. Don't have my phone number? Email me at susanrajkumar@fastmail.fm and I will answer you as soon as possible. “Level best,” remember? ;-)

Most of the inhabitants of this area are from the Baraga tribe. My husband theorizes that they belong to an Aryan race (white) although the people that he has spoken to don't know where they come from. They have honey colored eyes and different customs. Three days ago, my husband attended a Baraga festival high up on the mountain. He could see our blue house. The celebration, he said, reminded him of the Native American Pow-Wows in the U.S.A. “It was so similar. They gave thanks before they ate, they prayed to the Earth Mother Goddess, they danced, and they prophesied.” He was truly glowing when he returned home.

As we begin to get to know people slowly, we also hear feedback about other people. “Watch out for this person. Be very careful,” someone told us. I had already said something similar to my husband, and this warning confirmed my feelings. Diplomacy and good manners go a long way—although truth and personal preference rule. We tip-toe about, enjoying our neighbor's gardens, accepting tea invitations; my husband gave two medical consultations, although he promised his best friend in Trivandrum, also a medical doctor, not to advertise that he is a medical doctor, “Or they will be calling you in the middle of the night.” This is our vacation time, after all!

And so the latest talk around the village about us is that my husband is a veterinary doctor. With four dogs and three cats, people assume he is a vet when he tells them that he is a doctor. He doesn't specify. Raj just nods and smiles.) Another village highlight is that, “his wife is from the U.S.A!” They are pleased when I tell them how much I love living in India. And when they ask why I like India so much, I tell them that I can speak about God freely, without having to worry about insulting someone's religious (or non-religious, atheist, Buddhist, Agnostic, Wicca, etc. ) sentiments. I have no religious preference, by the way, for other people; my wish is only that they be connected to a Good source of inspiration and practice the Good, and love their neighbors.

Yesterday my dogs were barking loudly. I have them chained (sorry, in India people chain dogs) to the fence, as there is no compound wall for them to run freely. It was a great source of stress for us when we first moved in, because we like to see our animals running freely. Setting this aside, our dogs were barking at the three little monkeys that sat on my rooftop. These monkeys are so cute, and one turned his head sideways and made squeaking noises when I told him that we had an agreement that they were not to make my house their playground. He wasn't much concerned until I went to the rooftop and shooed him and his buddies away. The neighbor boy and his sidekick were throwing rocks at the monkeys today, and I also had to gently shoo them away as well, because the monkeys were starting to chase them.

Harmony...balance...peace...these are some of my favorite feelings. Last week I went to Germany for a three day conference. It was so wonderful to see friends again, and to take these feelings into my heart.

There were indicators that I've been away from the high technology. I felt a little funny not knowing how to operate the motion sensitive faucets and paper towel dispensers in the airport. Later, a friend generously handed me a sound card that is plug and play for my video camera—Wow, thanks! I didn't know what to say. Now I can record directly to my computer. I saw and experienced so much while I was in Germany. Every day was full. I brought back a new feeling about India, and about my purpose here—my life work. And I was happy to see my husband, who had done a lot hours of travel in order to meet me at the airport.

Today, we went to the city of Ooty. We ride the bus, usually the bright green one. While we were waiting, a neighbor from the green house 100 meters up the road from us was there also. A lady came up to us, speaking to him in the language of Kanada. This language comes from the same Dravidian roots as Malayalam, so we understood some words. We heard the words white, dark, and blue. It's always a little funny when someone is speaking about you while standing in front of you staring, with a smile. I've grown accustomed to it, from living in the little villages. This woman was wearing traditional Baraga dress, a sari with a white wrap around her (like a sarape from Mexico, or a shawl.) She was trying to figure out why I was so white and Raj was so dark. It wasn't a racial “thing,” but more of a question of her belief that we were also Baraga people (I had a shawl on my head with sunglasses and a very large bindi on my forehead, so she couldn't clearly see me :-). Baraga people generally have lighter skin, and honey colored eyes. In this lady's mind, my skin was too light for Baraga, and Raj's too dark to be Baraga. The neighbor explained that Raj is from Kerala, and that I am from America. “Why would she want to come to live in India? Our people go to America all the time.”

The bus arrived, and it was packed. We squeezed in along with everyone else. In these situations, my “sense of personal space” is put to the test. In Kerala, I found myself always having to watch all around me to make sure that there was no “funny stuff” going on with the men. Usually, I sidle up next to the women, and all is good. Here in Tamil Nadu, it's different. Women and men are more integrated, and therefore there isn't such a “stigma” about being near a member of the opposite race. But today, we were really pushed up against each other, and the conductor was encouraging more people to squeeze in at the stops, with nobody getting off at the stops. I pushed up against my husband, and all was well for the thirty minute ride. I can see why they play loud music—it helps keep people distracted from the reality of being confined (I realize that this is my Western perception, and maybe not at all the truth.) I enjoyed the ride and the loud Tamil tunes.

We were on the way to see the rose garden, a very spacious, three-tiered garden that holds about 2500 different varieties of roses. Sweet rose scent wafted through the air. The feeling there was very peaceful, and we sat on a bench under a very large eucalyptus tree munching on Indian snacks and drinking mango juice. We also took in the healing stream, and wished good thoughts about the people in our life. Young newlyweds passed by, looking coy. “Hello, how are you?” ventured a brave boy. We sniffed the roses that were close to the fence and read the labeled names of the many varieties. We shared some lozenges (that I had brought back from Germany) with the gardening women. I apologized for speaking only Malayalam, which one out of four women understood. My husband's fledgling Tamil translated, and they were very pleased with the lemon/menthol flavor of the tablets. They sat down on the steps to enjoy it. They had just pruned a section, turned the soil, and were adding generous piles of cow-dung in the rows. People in Tamil Nadu really know how to work hard, and they are such great gardeners, something that I admire. Late May is the time to come, when all roses are in bloom, and also the time of their rose festival.

Two days ago, Raj brought home ½ kilo of cracked corn. I made a wonderful corn bread that was so moist and tasty (two days in a row, and I might make it again today) and a bean soup to accompany it. I am so grateful for healthy taste buds and a good appetite, so that I can experience good food from my kitchen. I'll write this recipe down for you, because it was another one of my fabulous “ad-lib” kitchen recipes. Enjoy!

Salsa Corn Bread

1 cup flour

½ cup cracked corn

½ cup corn flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 medium size tomatoes, diced

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic

A few sprigs of coriander leaves, (cilantro) chopped finely

3 eggs

1 ¾ cups whole, organic milk

2 Tbs water

2 Tbs. Oil

Grated cheese

(Optional: chopped green chili pepper)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F | 178 degrees C. Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Cut and dice all vegetables. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry, add the vegetables. Pour into a greased baking pan. Bake to a golden color. Test the bread with a stick to make sure the inside is cooked. Add the cheese to the top, and allow to melt. Bake for at least 25-30 minutes (I'm at 7000 feet | 2300 meters, so things take longer to boil and bake.) Serve hot with a wonderful bean soup.

Letters Home

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:26:14 +0100

Dear family and friends,

Wishing you all warm greetings of Love and good wishes for the New Year 2012.

Some of you have not yet heard of the details about moving our four dogs and three cats from the ocean level Kerala to the Nilgiri Mountain range—some seven-thousand feet above sea level (2000 meters.) What is a cat from Kerala going to do with a bunch of monkeys in the neighboring trees?

But to begin this story, I must preface it with the disclaimer that some of you may not want to know all of the details...and so I will keep this as brief as possible...after all, less information is sometimes better.

Our story begins in Kerala. In 2010, my husband and I both expressed the desire to move somewhere away from the city. Being a country girl, I added a few stipulations so that he could have a better idea of my “dream” location.

It had to have a low population density. I smile at this, because India isn't a very large country to house 1.4 billion people. People are rarely alone...anywhere.
It must be “above snake line.” Snakes are ok, and I believe that eventually snakes will evolve into symbiotic poison-less friends, but I don't feel like gardening with vipers, at this point.
It must be country-side, fairly quiet, and a fair distance from a “minor city” (at least 10 kilometers from a city of 60,000.) I would like to be nowhere near a “major city,” a metropolis of a population over at least two or three million inhabitants—but if I have to be, then maybe three hour drive.

And so sometime last year we started our search. We first prayed about it—or tuned in for it. And then the guidance kept “coming up” for the high mountains. I have lived in mountains during various times in my life—the latest was a twelve year stretch in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, US. But this time, the Nilgiris mountain range called us; a location famed for high-altitude tea and wild animal reserve in the Western Ghats. The jury is still out whether we plan to stay in this immediate location—it seems a little far away from family and friends in Raj's home city (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.)

Raj found a wonderful little village to live in—and in every aspect, it's delightful. It has a beautiful view of the mountains, of pine forest, a distant view of the little train that runs on tiny tracks from Connoor to Ooty. The country side is spotted with tea plantations, with groves of eucalyptus and cedar, with brightly colored tiny houses. Wild tree Dahlia, gorse, witches broom, forget-me-nots, daisies, raspberries, thistle plants, and straw-flower cling to the corridors contours and tiers of this land. This beautiful country side where we are renting a blue house is our salvation from a lot of stress. From the rooftop of our house we can see tea workers, neighbors brushing their teeth, monkeys, the local tiny story, morning mist and fog, and a deep blue sky.

Regarding tea, my heart wish is to one day see an increase of demand for fair-trade Nilgiris organic tea, and further—that they stop cutting back the tea trees (similarly, like hobbled banzai plants,) that they be left “natural.” My husband was talking to a young woman at the bus stop who made RS 100 daily by plucking tea leaves. This is a little under USD 2.00 per day. These people are so amazing and humble, and we are allowed to live around and near them in this country side. I feel so humble.

Two days before our move to the mountains, we were carefully finishing up our packing. I asked my husband to take only what he needed, and leave the clutter (trash it, give it away, or burn it are my usual options.) And now, fifteen days later, I am re-reading a book by Karen Kingston on space clearing. It seems that I've gotten a little lax over her space clearing techniques since the mid-nineties. When we arrived with thirty-something boxes and other “things,” like dogs and cats, our bodies were pumped with excitement at our new life. And now I am reconsidering what I've brought.

We had some days of “cleansing” with high fevers and a hospital stay (yes, I did the bed-duty...) to be sure that my platelet levels were going back up (from Dengue fever.) This experience gave us a perspective of the medical care here in the mountains—since we had to drive down the mountain three hours to a good facility. This was on Christmas day, and the gift was indeed special: On our winding trip down to the hospital, we saw a herd of wild elephants, with their three babies. They are so much more beautiful in their own habitat.

Thank you, dear friends and family for making contact with us...or attempting to. Given the circumstances, our internet provider is different from the previous (we now have a mobile kind of network, which works differently than a regular cable—we pay by the minute.) Also, we have new phone numbers, please email me if you didn't receive our update email of contact information. At any given time, the internet can turn off, so please don't take it personally if this happens. If you are calling from the US, you may consider buying the calling cards sold by Indians at your local gas station. They have good deals.

Recently, I found that my house was sequestered by monkeys. I looked out my window, and one was sitting on the window sill, a space below it. Then I opened my door to the balcony off of my bedroom, and saw another. I went to the roof, and found another. I didn't have time to feel fear from these guys, but a thought did pass through my mind that I had to reject. Instead, I communicated with the big one using words and images. I told him to tell all his friends that this house was “hands-off, please!” and that they were not to use it as their personal playground. (I had figured out that the dirt prints on the exterior walls were theirs.) And a week later, they've still kept their distance.

Here in the mountains, there are many different kinds of people. They speak tribal languages, Baraga, or they speak Canada, Telugu, Tamil, or Malayalam. It's really a mix here; I can hear the differences. Two young teen-age boys at a shop were convincing my husband not to learn Tamil, that he should speak Canada...but they were urging him in Tamil.

Today I sat for hours in the green grass and looked at the sky, breathed in the fresh air, and took in the power from nature. There is a stand of tall eucalyptus trees at the edge of a field where our house is. We have our dogs tethered here, and alternately we let them off to run and play. The monkeys like to sit on the wall in front of the stand of trees—they rest here from their seed gathering; they watch our dogs; they preen each other. I took off my flip flops and let my feet sink into the thick grass. It's part clover and part crab-grass (the really thick kind.)

We buy fresh cow's milk from the neighbor's cow. I can see their bright orange house when it's not foggy. The other day I was over buying a few items at their store, and the grandmother came outside with a big-telling smile. “Do you like to eat chicken?” She asked me in Malayalam. I hadn't thought of eating chicken in a long time...and I looked over at a healthy hen pecking at bits and pieces of rice nearby...such a pretty girl...I don't know if I like to eat chicken. “You can make a wonderful chicken and bean curry...buy the chicken in Ooty...” Her bright eyes and smile were contagious.

Maybe it was the fever, but I've been slow to get everything in order. And doctor's orders were to take full rest. And so this is what I am doing—washing clothes, hanging them on the roof top lines, watching monkeys and sky, listening to the shimmering leaves, smelling the eucalyptus, moving my dogs around, snuggling with my cats, adjusting to the cool weather. And I'm feeling so grateful for all of the Good in my life. Whether we stay in this part of the Nilgiris—I really don't mind. I'm just happy to be here—away, so far away from the city.

An update

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:08:06 +0100

Dear Friends,

What I offer to you is a modest, not-so-regular blog every month-or-so. These times seem to hinge on a lot of “information consumption,” which I think is not necessary. Take a concept like forgiveness, and practice it for a month or two consciously. Then find another bit of wisdom, and incorporate that into your practice as well. This is what is true for me. In the past, I'd “plow” through the self-help books, or sacred texts, without allowing the seeds of wisdom to germinate inside. And the result was that I'd have a longing for more information rather than practicing what I had already learned. And because I didn't tend to the growing seeds, there was little fruit to bear.

These past few months have been very busy, very introspective, and very action and in-action oriented. This sounds like I am contradicting myself, but allow me to explain. During what seems like in-action, I was taking in the newness of different thoughts and insights.

In September, I was sent the guidance to quit the popular networking website Facebook. I did immediately, without saying goodbye to my friends. Some of you who saw me disappear from your friends page, please don't take this personally. It freed me up for a new life. I had been addicted to it, and would sit for hours looking at people's pages, making comments about things that really don't seem necessary, and reading people's updates that were not necessarily positive, or reading too much information that I don't really need to keep in my head, like what so-and-so ate for dinner. After this separation from FB, I received the thought that I needed to interact with it in a different way, so I created another page, but don't open it unless I am looking for friends, or an email address. This gave me so much more time to explore life in “real time” rather that in a virtual reality. Some of you ask when my cookbook is coming out. :-) It's almost finished. I may start by offering some free recipe downloads. Although I have changed my focus greatly—so it will come out when it is ready. :-)

Also in September, my husband bought me a mandolin and I began to take lessons; also I've started voice lessons, both online—but very much interactive. We started packing for our move, which didn't take very long, since we don't have much “stuff.” My husband and I also started to make instruments to play. My husband began taking African drumming classes (also online,) and bought a drum. I made two drums, one American style frame drum, and the other is an African style djundjun, which is made out of a huge piece of reclaimed bamboo. My husband then bought a piece of tamarind wood and took it to the wood carvers, who spun it on a lathe to shape the outer shell of another djembe, which he is now hollowing out by hand and chisel.

In between all of this we have had four or five weddings, 4 funerals, conferences both online and in Pune, dog training sessions, business-related meetings, client visits, friends visiting, website up-dates, maintenance and painting the inside of our house, daily animal care, cooking for ourselves, and the regular chores and prayers. Good to have spiritual tools to keep ourselves filled with enough energy.

I suppose that you could say that we've been busy.

The music I've been listening to lately is Georg Friedrich Handel's Messiah. This music is so beautiful and powerful that I cry sometimes.

Sometimes change causes for the need to be quiet inside, so that one can listen to guidance, to receive the right thoughts and set into motion the right action. And this is how it is for me right now. And while all of this is going on around me, I feel peaceful. Even when something loud is shouting in my ear, like the barking of a horn, or three cats howling for fresh fish, or four dogs crooning at my neighbor, I feel peace.

My roots have grown so deep and strong in Mother India's soil, that nothing will move my sense of balance. The joy is deeply embedded into my cells. Even as I wait for many months for my move away from this noisy city, a sense of peace has come over me now, in these most recent months. A friend reminded us last June, that when times are trying, complicated, or busy, just remember to exclaim, “Praise God.” And in this moment, life will change for the Good. You may feel a sense of relief pour over you. Or actually joy may creep into your cells and give you a boost when you need it. Wishing this for you, your family, and your neighbors!

Cutting Corners

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:19:28 +0100

The Shine

You shine behind 'India Shining,'
unnoticed by many, but not by all.
The boats cruising the backwaters
leave your unread signature,
unclogging the arteries of Kerala.
By Rajkumar Reghunathan

This week, our dear friend Babu Varghese floated into God's magical canals of the afterlife. Loyal, thoughtful, resourceful, he knew something about everything—he was an extraordinary thinker. Babu wasn't perfect, but he had a specific task in this life. He was a visionary, a father and husband, a tour operator, and one of the founding fathers of Kerala's eco-tourism. As the popularity of boat transport in the intricate waterways of Kerala's backwaters decreased and put people out of work, Babu Varghese had an idea. He found a way to employ the rice boat operators with a new task: he designed and built the first houseboat fleets that transported tourists through these waters. He helped pump resources into Kerala's economy. As the bullock carts stopped being used for transport, he organized bullock cart tours for tourists; Babu created tree houses in the Wayanand district of Kerala, with eco-friendly and natural lifts (elevators.) He is mentioned in Alexander Mater's wonderfully descriptive book, “Chasing the Monsoon,” which is a wonderful read. A job well done, dear friend. Until we see you again. This blog is dedicated to you, dear Babu.

In spirituality, and in the active practice of it, cutting corners to “get ahead” is not the right order. It's the same as cutting in line to get ahead of your peers, or going behind someone's back to gain information. This is to say that those who are using competition as a means to gain spiritual strength may have to one day take a long look in the mirror to see how life is presenting itself. Are one's words and actions both congruent? What are the recurring messages? Why do the same situations come back?

In the material physical world, we are taught competition from the earliest age. We enter beauty contests, spelling contests, singing contests, drawing contests, cooking contests, pet competitions, food-eating contests, car racing, car rebuilding contests, and physical fitness competitions of every kind. Competition is an out-dated metaphor for society: Competition is considered normal when it's called “healthy.” But what is healthy about it?

Competition divides people into sections. It differentiates people into categories. Do you have “it?” Are you beautiful enough? Brilliant enough? Cool enough? Strong enough? Sly enough? Fast enough? Famous enough? What do these things mean after we go home to the spiritual world, after we leave our physical bodies? What did each of us come here to do, anyway?

Were we “born to make money and build a big house?” I know someone whose family members touted that the astrologer told them that this was so about their child. Do you think that he's very happy working the long hours that he does? Do you think that he is enjoying his “success” the way those of us on the outside looking in imagine that he is? It's hard to say, really. What is the drive behind making so much money? Only he will know when he goes to the other side and meets with his mentors there.

Yes, people are appreciated for their special talents, like their ability to organize a helpful non-profit organization. Yes. Appreciating someone for her chosen life priority is different. When people are idolized for singing popular songs, or envied for their participation with a famous football team, or admired for their special beauty (as if it were talent,) or adored for their fat bank accounts, for me, at the most, feels like a misinformed belief about these people on a soul level. There's nothing special about these people. They all have their own spiritual challenges, just like you and me.

Envy or adoration of someone's physical attributes or accomplishments does not set up a healthy form of interaction with people—especially for the person being idolized. I have a British singer in mind, who was idolized since her childhood. Imagine what kind of life she must have had since she was small: people wanting to know her, touch her, listen to her, buy her albums, tee-shirts, dolls, what-ever her “management” could produce to keep her name in the limelight. And what happened? She's accused of being a mean girl with the “voice of an angel.” She may have the voice of an angel, but there is a part of her that allowed the negative thoughts in, over and over again. And then it happens: life gets nasty-mean for a while, until she is able to heal or recover.

I can affirm the same happened with me, but in a very different way. At the age of 12, I knew that I was spiritually in trouble in many ways. I sought self-help books from my mother's book shelf. Later on, I became aware of my own competitive prowess by reading all of the “right” spiritual books. I didn't pay attention to my thoughts. I had evil thoughts when I was 12—one of which I dearly regretted—and prayed to God for forgiveness until I was 16. But because I didn't get the spiritual guidance (or needed intervention) during this time, I became a real pretender, a phony. My life purpose was service to others, but because I was in so much emotional pain, I mistook that for “service to self.” A missed spiritual lesson of the most foundational kind: comparing myself with others and making judgments about their “spiritual progress,” as if I knew. And I knew everything. There wasn't room for new information input because my brain was “topped off” with blah blah blah, who knows what? Ego was huge. Pain in body was huge. Self-pity was enormous.

While training for cross-country running in high school, I used to “cut the corners” on a rigorous off-road course in Northern California. Annette, a fellow team mate and friend once told me, “You are just hurting yourself and your own training program by cutting corners.” And it was true. What was happening inside my head while I was running was a constant battle zone. I couldn't quiet my mind, and I couldn't stand being alone with myself while running. I just wanted to finish sooner by cutting corners to get ahead—of what, I ask—since cross country running is based on an individual's own physical endurance and training.

Fortunately, almost thirty years later, I receive the right spiritual guidance, and have made amends with a lot of people and with myself. But what happens when we are not in the right mental alignment with our Creator? We cut corners, we take the “easy way out” by not watching the “spiritual road signs.” We might compete with each other, or think secretly that we're “better than them.” Substitute the word “better” for richer, nicer, cuter, stronger, more brilliant, and on and on.

When we ask for the Divine connection and direct our questions to God about situations or conditions, we will begin to receive good thoughts and ideas. Remember that we are sent thoughts from both sources of information, the good and the “other camp,” the negative. It is our task to separate from the negative, and allow only the good to come in. This will shed some light on our matters, and bring about a good sense of resolve within ourselves.

What does this mean, anyway? It means that any kind of self-aggrandizing thoughts that you allow into your heart may give you something to contemplate about at a later date. It means that (I know I write about this most of the time...) when you choose better thoughts, better living skills, all the our past words, thoughts, actions or inactions may “come up for review.” This is a good opportunity to use this holy time to clear out the old so that the good can come in.

Reflection will make you a better person when you take the time for God and to contemplate your old belief system. But notice how you feel in your body when you are doing this. You may ask yourself “what do I need to give away?” When you do this, dear friend, do this with deep contemplation. See if you feel something inside of your body—maybe a tingle of Joy or maybe a tingle of pain. Just consider this a cleanse of sorts. These are rhetorical questions intended for God through your own inner reflection. The answers will come to you in a nice fashion, especially if you ask quietly with your heart wide open to God's answers. You'll definitely build up more spiritual strength once you do this without the need to cut on the corners. And I'm sure that you'll feel more peaceful. All the best!

This blog is published simultaneously at www.divinerite.com

Ch-ch-ch Changes!

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:00:43 +0100

Dear Friends!

There are changes indeed. Yes, I am splitting my blog into two separate entities, because I know that the audience who was interested in what I am doing in India isn't so interested in how I experience (and how they also might enjoy) God. And I know that my friends who read my blogs about God and are really enjoying my sporadic outbursts. And so I would like to let you know that I have a new website for my blogs about God and stuff. The following website I have created is for prayer. It's best to start prayer before something "happens." You know the kind of people who only call you when the going gets tough? It's the same thing. It's great to develop that relationship so that you not only have the spiritual protection (yup, it's like insurance,) but you receive the guidance and good thoughts--which in out-pictures as good actions and words.
Introducing www.divinerite.com -- a website for prayer, prayer requests, and a few good spiritual insights. I may repeat a few blogs on DivineRite that were published here on Susan of India.
Recently I've been guided to do what my heart wishes are, and aside from packing for our move, which will be in late November (--insh'alla--God willing,) I have been taking voice lessons. I also made a drum for my birthday in late September. My husband and I have been playing around with drums, and we both have experience in making drums. Right now I am working on a drum that is made from a very thick piece of reclaimed bamboo--it's width is about 7-10 inches, and the length is 22 inches. I will put two heads on it--it's styled after the Mali Junjun drum. We are also having a djembe drum made, and so I will also be putting the head on this as well. My husband just had some more of this reclaimed bamboo, which he took to the woodworkers to make small incisions on the length--it's called a "tongue drum" and when tuned to specific keys, offers wonderful melodic sounds.
Since August Onam holidays, we have been very busy. I quit my Facebook account, and now just operate a small page for my Susan of India site. You can find me on Facebook under "Susan of India" or "Love India." You are welcome to "friend" me, and "Like" my page, if you are a FB member. It felt so liberating to leave this social network behind, because what I realized was that there is a lot of "chit-chat" and I didn't have the willpower to only look at it once a week. It became daily, and then I became interested in the little details, and it filled my head with little details that were not very important--what so-and-so had for dinner, this and that... One Saturday in September I was sent the thought, "Quit FB today." I said to myself, "not a bad idea." And so I did. I love all 400 friends that were on my FB, 15 of whom I don't know in person.
There are other changes that have occurred, but I must be more prepared to write about them in detail This is the overview. I am loving life here in India with my Indian husband, four dogs, and 3 cats (Our dear Calvin kitty recently went home to God.)
I've also received the idea that life is for living. And so this is what I am doing--together with my husband. We are living life more freely. We are singing, playing instruments, making drums and percussion instruments...cooking good food for people, enjoying our friends, our animals, our family members, and celebrating God. Of course I am pursuing more intensely my spiritual practice, and have had some wonderful lessons and changes. It's been an "action packed" time (spiritually speaking) since June. :-)
Warmest regards to you and your loved ones. Wishing for you that your heart wishes are granted. I'm just so grateful to be allowed a life here during this time. What an amazing time. All the best.

Facing Compensatory Mechanisms

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:02:02 +0100

Dear friends, we live in changing times. Many things are changing, even inside of ourselves. At best, we are getting stronger inside, learning from our mistakes and receiving deep spiritual insights that allow us more wisdom. And this is the time to be in action more, a time to fully experience life's wonderful gifts.

There is something that I'd like to write to you about today. It has to do with a small mechanism that is built inside of us--and this is not scientific, by the way, it's my own personal observation within myself. Our bodies are built to survive many situations—physical spiritual or emotional. And what I have noticed is how our minds have the ability to compensate for emotional difficulties.

Someone who has a strange childhood learns how to adapt to her situation in the best way that she can. Likewise, the mechanism that causes one to adapt is what I am talking about. It's like a compensatory program to avoid the difficult moments, or even block out the memory. I know this from personal experience. This can also be applied on the physical level.

Here in India, I see this with people who were not corrected for a small injury to the ankle as a child, and as adults, they walk on the side of their ankle. You see, if these things aren't quickly taken care of or corrected on the physical level, then the muscles, tendons, and ligaments compensate for the part of the foot or ankle that is out of balance.

This is a drastic example that I share with you, because the same kind of compensation is possible for emotional/spiritual situations. First it starts on the emotional level and if it is not corrected, it transfers to the spiritual realm to the soul—and ultimately manifest inside the body as a physical disorder. I realize that this is a very hasty explanation of a vague concept. Maybe the following example will help illustrate my understanding.

A week ago, I was watching an introductory video to a singing course. The singing coach also gave the same example of compensatory behaviors in athletes, and he likened it to the vocal chords of a singer. He stresses that when we stop using the wrong muscles for singing, then we won't be compensating any more, and we will sing easily, with freedom. No more falsetto, or crackling voice, or strain to get the right pitch. He also alluded to the same kind of transformation in other areas one's life once you buy and practice his system of singing, but since I haven't bought the CD series, this will be left in the mystery until I do.

Do you ever notice that whenever we avoid the tasks or trials in our life that God has given to us—they seem to persist and get even more amplified? For example, there was always a certain "type" of person that I resisted. Invariably, I was paired up with someone of the same archetypal quality in a class, on university trips, and so on. Now that I've moved through my resistance (and judgment) I'm glad to have the company people of this kind—they're a rare and delicate breed of human.

My point is, that it's God's agenda, not ours. We have the right to say yes or no. We live in the "free will zone." But ultimately, it is God who will decide when we have fully learned a lesson. And sometimes these lessons repeat over and over again until we get it right, until we attain the spiritual insight, the wisdom.

Likewise, many people think that bad traits go away just by ignoring them. When we consciously have a heart wish for things to go away, and we ask God for help—to take these burdens away from us—or better yet, that we give them to God, we may begin to see results. The other day I was talking about a spiritual experience I had a number of years ago, and it had to do with the way I was pleading to God for the right result. I had been asleep, and when I woke up, I was sitting upright in my bed, arms up in the air pleading to God for the right result, acknowledging my mistake and asking for forgiveness. The next morning the right result came, along with the insight and wisdom.

That's what spiritual development is all about, being conscious of the patterns that God runs by us again and again, so that we learn. Do you ever wonder why that person sitting next to you is speaking loudly in your ear? We are learning patience and endurance; we are learning tolerance. This same girl may be the first person to respond to you with compassion and tenderness in y o u r moment of need. She may become your best friend or your wife.

How long will we hold on to these compensatory mechanisms? We did not come here to be spiritually crippled, or to walk around with pain and suffering on our ankles. Our bodies are built for Joy and for good health. We are here to perfect the body through God's wonderful gifts. We cleanse and purify by practicing divine teachings, and narrow our focus only on the Good. It's a good way to live, and many people will learn.

And this is how we go about our day. We help our friends in need, we pray for them, and they heal from their burdens. They in turn, will do the same for others. And little by little all of humanity comes together as one, no need to compensate for the difficulties that we'd rather leave in the closet. We take them out one by one, and face them together with God.

Heal or Deal?

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:15:15 +0100

A friend sent this to me today. It is something that I would like to share with you. It serves as a wonderful heart-model for creativity in business of life. (We don't know what to call it, but it's good. ;-) Please feel free to share this in any way that you choose. S.

Heal or Deal ? that is the question. Are we growing our business or the quality of the services that we provide? The business models of the past have demonstrated that doing the same thing is no longer providing the expected returns. It is through our creativity that we can grow past what we know.

Do you want to go beyond the limits of what you know? This can only be accomplished by losing your mind. This is not a permanent loss, just temporarily to allow for the possibility of achieving creativity beyond what you know. We have all come together with the same intention in seeking greater productivity and rewards for the services that we provide. What we currently know is where we are now. It is only through the presence of being that we allow for the creative expression that will take us beyond anything we could have imagined. This may seem very strange at first. Quieting the mind is not how we are in group activities. Do you believe in your creativity, I do. Everyone participating will receive not only their contribution. but also the collective energy of our creativity to bring us to our mutual success. Shall we begin? Everyone's agreement is advantageous. Discussions before beginning are encouraged and no discussions during or after the process. This could disturb the collective energy achieved by the group and our individual opportunity to keep this in our hearts. We are planting feelings and allowing them to sprout. Ego's will have a real problem with this.

Healing is feeling and not what you think. You can feel well. Thinking well does not heal. The presentation of what you feel and offer in your services, is what heals. We come together to reflect the essence of heart energy that is healing and to share those aspects that are experienced by the other. This process is a simple exchange of the presenter to the receivers. By maintaining a direct heart connection--what is shared is pure and nurturing--so that the presenter receives the positive reflection from the receiver and develops according to their unique gifts. As the sharing is the expression of one's own feelings, additional comments are not necessary, as they would only present compromise of the connection. This leaves both the presenter and receiver with the heartfelt energy to be processed by their own heart for reflection. After the presenter has finished, the receivers one by one will communicate what they felt without judgment. This is accomplished by the creation of a safe space that is free of egoic opinion and a respect of the sacredness for all to experience during the connection of the presenter and receiver. To receive the full benefit from the safe space created, everyone's attention is focused on the speaker and listens without judgment so that you allow yourself to receive the total energy available. Coming from a place of mutual respect and allowing our bodies to experience everything from a feeling level--in that moment--allows all of our creativity to grow. If there are any comments, please see me after our meeting so that it does not disturb the experience of the others.

Where is God?

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:25:08 +0100

A friend's friend wondered where God was. Actually, he denied His existence. And instead of writing an answer in small box, I opted for the bigger venue to answer. This is just my own experience. I don't expect anyone else to understand God the way I do, because we all come from such different backgrounds and have such different experiences. But I'll tell it how it is for me, and maybe someone will relate to it; maybe it might help someone in a small way, find his way back to God. This is my daily prayer, that people find their way back to God's love.

When I was young, my parents searched for a church that would meet their specific beliefs. I'm not too sure what they were, because this was the 70's—a lot of philosophical and theosophical beliefs, theories, and “brands” of Christianity circulated. We attended the Methodist, Episcopalian, Christian Science (I learned my Lord's Prayer there,) Seventh Day Adventist churches, and more. Sometimes we were invited to go to church with friends. This happened a few times with me, because I wasn't too sure of the message. My mother threw her hands up one day as we were sitting in the middle of the meadow. I was 7. “Look all around you, because this is God.” I remember looking at the Douglas Fur trees that towered behind her, the deep blue sky, the Manzanita bushes, the goats that were grazing nearby, the bugs. I was never one to believe what anyone said, until I tested it out for myself. But I listened to my mother. I didn't understand completely what she meant when she said, “If you ever need help, call out to God, and He will help you.” At 16, I was baptized by the nuns in Mexico, but it wasn't truly in my heart at that time.

At this point you probably think that I'm writing for some Christian recruiter magazine, which I am not. But the tone of this blog certainly has similar nuances. Please bear with me. This is where I take a sharp right turn, and exit. I am giving you some background information of my World view.

Over the years, I believed in God without any question, despite the difficult circumstances I endured. When I'd hear people say, “He's being punished by God—he has this or that disease...” I couldn't believe it. My God is friendly and loving, protective and guiding. At that time, though, I hadn't convinced myself exactly what God was for me. I hadn't begun to understand the infinite and creative possibilities in which God would present Himself in my life.

I was barely 18 when I got my driver's license. I started to see how God helped me while I was driving. Yes, I drove too fast then. But I saw how my thoughts could interfere with safe passage if I wasn't thinking nice thoughts about the drivers around me. After all, they are also receptive, living beings inside moving hunks of metal on wheels. Sometimes I think to people, “Please move to your right so that I can pass you.” And then, their turn signal is turned on for the right, and they move over. Sometimes, when a car is about to pull out in front of me, I say, “Please don't.” and then I'd see them put on their brakes and wait. It was then that I realized that this was God for me. This was God helping me and protecting me while I drive.

For a period of almost 10 years I disconnected from God. That was a very difficult time. I had allowed negative thoughts into my heart, and started believing the lies that were told to me, often taking the wrong advice before consulting with God. I had lost my friend. Even more difficulties and disease came. I lived in a spiritual wasteland. I was suffering the aftermath of different kinds of mistakes that I had made, because I didn't have the right spiritual guidance. I was alone, and my family was living on the other side of the country. And I didn't let my friends in on my grief, pain, and frustration. I pretended that I was fine. I had decided that I wanted nothing to do with God. And I blamed him for all of my problems. I also fired all of my spiritual helpers. In a sense, I thought that I was God, and you see—this is not the right kind of thinking that leads to a healthy life. No, I had depression, several different kinds of mental problems, and some major physical burdens.

When I finally hit the wall, and there was nowhere out, I searched desperately to find something to hold on to. In 2004, I started coming back to God. My mother-in-law was a very religious person, a devout Hindu, but she believed in all religions of the world. She sat for hours on end singing devotional songs about God. I loved to listen to her. And I knew that she was right, that God heals everything. I started talking to God again.

“Please God, give me something to live for.” I asked with my whole heart. I had been teetering on the edge of hopelessness for a long time, including thoughts of suicide, despite my marriage to a nice man. It was my own baggage, not his. The next day, someone dumped two tiny kittens into our yard, and I saved them by feeding them milk with an eye-dropper every two hours, cleaning them, and loving them. They were my salvation. I noticed this, that after my plea for help, the kittens came.

And so this happens with all of us. We must be vigilant with everything in our lives. It is important to know what we want to ask for, so that we know what comes. Take notice of how we ask for things, and how things are given to us. This is the surprising thing to me: if I ask nicely for something these days, it arrives in the most interesting way. This is God. God is the father who provides you with all of the care and nurture that you need. God provides you with everything that you need for your lives. “Don't demand, attain,” my friend tells me. If you demand things, you may not notice any kind of progress.

You see, this is school. We are in these bodies for a schooling, my friend. If we don't learn the lesson, we will be presented with the same lesson over and over, and over again. I know this from my own personal experience. I wasn't smart enough to learn it the first time, and had to bump my head two and three times more before I absorbed the lesson, or the spiritual medicine. It's the same with getting to know God—in my experience.

If we get quiet enough, and give away the head chatter (“This bill needs to be paid, We need to buy some food. This laundry needs washing. That person is staring at me. What do you want, lady?”) we may have a few moments of peace. Let us sit in a beautiful park, or a place with Nature (because Nature is God) and absorb this nature—the power of nature—into our bodies. Just imagine doing this, and you will take it in. But it must be done without words, in complete silence. Notice what happens to your body. Notice what happens to your mood. Notice how you interact with your family members afterwards.

When you reconnect this way with Nature, how can you tell me there is no God? My scientist husband marvels at the life of a single cell. How everything can be contained so perfectly, that it can also change or mutate to the cell it needs to become, at its innate intelligence. And when we provide a healthy environment for these cells, they are happy: good thoughts, nature, relaxation, laughter, quiet contemplation, a regular spiritual (or religious) practice by taking in God's healing power.

Turn off the television programming, because it is just that: programming. “Buy this; dress like this; Believe this, even if it is a lie; Live like this; Live beyond your budget; Think small;” God power is so beyond the imagination of today's humans. God power is everywhere at any time. You don't have to fly to India to find it in a Guru. You don't have to make a pilgrimage to Spain to find God's true power. It's not in a special ritual, in lighting the right colored candle at the right hour. Everything that you need for your life is inside of you. Right here, right now. And it's free. Just absorb it in peace. Set your intentions that God will help you absorb it.

Sit down and get quiet. Listen to yourself. You yammer on and on about this and that, and the other, and the neighbor who has slighted you in some way. I know this, because this is the battle for the Good that you are fighting. It's the battle to release the negativity so that this God power can flow once again on the inside of your body, your soul, and every aspect of your life.

My friend tells me “to observe my body every hour, every minute, every second,” so that I may observe the changes. Sometimes the changes are so very subtle. But when we know that there's been a change, then it means that God has brought us a gift. And be grateful for each gift. Have the right thoughts about even a small gift.

And then larger gifts may come. You may notice that a burden that you've had for a long time goes away. This is possible. God's power heals so many things. I have had this experience, that I no longer have some of the mental burdens, or physical burdens. This is God's love. And it grows the way you grow to love a child. The more you convince yourself of God's power, the more help and deeper the relationship grows. It's really very simple.

God makes contact with us through animals, through people, directly, through thoughts, dreams, voices, visions, or through reading sacred text. And this I am happy about, because sometimes it could be through a person you don't even know telling you something lovely—or vice-versa. Someone that you don't even know receives a message through your kind words. Their face brightens into a warm smile—the lines of stress leave, and for a moment you can see their face light up like a lantern. They pat your hand and call you an angel. Life is about the way we relate to each other and our environment. And the sooner we recognize that we have a symbiotic relationship with everything, including our almighty power, the better this world will be. God is everywhere and everything, including nothing. And I haven't even begun to define what God means to me. I'm just warming up, my friend!

How Much Good is Good Enough?

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:24:48 +0100

I was asked to write about unconscious evil. But why such a subject if we are all interested in Love and Light? Because we unknowingly use it unconsciously. I only speak from my own personal spiritual experience. If you test it out for yourself, you may notice some of the same things that I'm writing about. This is a blog about spiritual healing from my insights. How much Good is good enough?

Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary has a lot to define as evil. a : morally reprehensible : sinful, wicked b : arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct. a archaic : inferior b : causing discomfort or repulsion : offensive c : disagreeable 3 a : causing harm : pernicious b : marked by misfortune : unlucky

Suppose would happen if you were given the thought that the definition of evil is illness? Would you stomach the word easier? I could consider illness as offensive, disagreeable, or marked by misfortune. But if we don't accept illness in our lives or in our bodies, then by definition, evil also could be considered as sickness. How could someone be allowed to suffer so much in the final throngs of cancer? God wants us to live with dignity, with Joy. I look outside at my role models and “happy gauges” for an answer: The trees, for example, don't have to take in anything but sunlight, water, air, and nutrients from the soil. They thrive beautifully. Shouldn't we do the same?

As humans, if we try to nourish ourselves with negative thoughts, negative words, and any kind of sensory input that does not come from the good, including drugs and alcohol, foul language, and other practices—in most cases—would give us a different out-picturing than a happy image of God, or a tree, right? Likewise, when we consider Good thoughts as spiritual nourishment, then we would like to have more of this.

Of course, most of us at one time consciously lifted a bottle to our lips, but we may not have consciously wanted to drink so much alcohol. How much negativity should we drink? The negative affect of these actions may have been unconscious. Likewise, the impetus to drink or the urge to speak bad words was also unconscious. Where did this come from, the urge to speak bad words, or the impetus to take in anything that isn't healthy?

When I took up the belief three years ago that I only wanted to focus on the Good, this also applied to words, thoughts, and deeds and more. And although I was aware of “unconscious evil” in theory, I did not have any experience with it consciously. For example, if I had read what I am writing today, I would have been astonished that someone could come up with such ideas! My ego was so huge that the Good was almost impenetrable to my psyche, to my body. Fortunately for me...I let the Good in, and started cleansing myself, my body from the evil, both conscious and unconscious. And it changed me.

We are talking about spirituality, where God rules matter. And if God rules matter, then there must be other elements that can affect matter as well, such as negativity, negative thoughts, negative words, actions, and so on. And because there was a time when my ego ruled whether I accepted, I didn't believe that such a thing was possible, that I could be practicing evil on an unconscious level. By accepting any kind of illness is also accepting evil.

What does this mean exactly? It means that sometimes we don't think about the thoughts that we receive. And when we receive thoughts of limitation, thoughts that are typical beliefs passed down from generation to generation such as, “You lose your eyesight after 40.” When we believe in such things, such lies, then our bodies also conform to these beliefs, and we have to wear glasses to read, or we have to suffer; we think that pain is normal. Why do people accept this unconscious evil? And why am I using such a strong word to describe something that many people today follow and believe in? Because it is not truth. I've seen medically verifiable reports that contradict such ancient claims. And further, I wouldn't want to wish this kind of physical out-picturing on any friend, or on any person who doesn't consider herself my friend.

And if I may further things along a bit, I have to repeat this over and over again: Our bodies are built for good health. Our bodies are built for Joy and love. We are not built to succumb to illness or to any maladies. Why, then, have we accepted and practice a “watered down” version of Good, or of quality? When we say yes to something, then we are practicing t h a t, such as saying “yes” to a bigger dress size—we are practicing the belief in weight gain. We are succumbing to it. And then we complain about it, which adds to the problem.

The same applies, when someone says, “Oh, do you want to hear a sad story?” And out of habit, unconsciously, we say “yes” to this person. That was me a few months ago. I accepted to listen to a very sad and morbid story, a story of a petite tragedy. Why did I do this? Why did I say yes if I didn't want to hear something that didn't come from the Good? And while he was recounting the story, I thought of ways that I could “get out of listening” to it. Why did I worry what he would think about me, if he'd take it personally? Those were also unconscious thoughts that I was accepting from...yes, from the other side. But I learned my lesson. I didn't feel so great after that conversation. I noticed it in my body, a not-so-pleasant feeling.

Although it is a habit to say “yes” so that we may be pleasing and polite—we may also practice saying “no” in a pleasing and polite manner. Humans can consciously control what comes to them in thought. Humans can choose n o t to be conscious also.

This is about our willpower. And so when we take in something that isn't so great, it slowly changes our spiritual strength, or changes our path from experiencing the great to accepting less than Great, or less than God. We become weakened. If we continue to do so over a period of time, our destination changes, and ultimately our spiritual goal; although we may not be conscious of it, our health may suffer as well.

How can we improve ourselves spiritually if we are not practicing actively? We are living in times that require wakeful awareness. It's important to be clear about how much Good we want to bring in. And why would we accept anything other than the Good?

In the past, a long time ago, I noticed that I allowed certain “liberties” to use foul language because I was really “cool” then. And “cool people use a few swear words once and a while.” While I was living under this false belief that I was so cool because I said shocking words once and a while, I was not conscious of the negative connotations that came in the same package. Other actions that may accompany profanity are smoking cigarettes, or watching negative media, or reading morbid news headlines, or gossiping and talking behind people's backs, or just plainly acting superficial, without a care for other living beings, surroundings or the environment. This is the practice of unconscious evil. I know that some of you, dear friends, may not agree with me. And this is fine. But after I changed my practices to speaking only good words, I was able to see so many other things that were not in order in my life, such as what you just read above. This insight gave me so much strength, power, more confidence and a spiritual perspective. The reason that I say this, is that all the while that I was thinking I was so “cool,” little by little, I allowed more and more negative influences into my life. And suddenly my body gave out. I became sick, and I accepted it for a while.

Merriam Webster on-line dictionary defines sickness as the following: sick·ness/ˈsiknis/Noun

a : ill health : illness b : a disordered, weakened, or unsound condition 2 : a specific disease 3 : nausea, queasiness. Disordered, weakened, or unsound condition. Yes, the order in my reasoning to allow negativity into my heart was not correct. How shall I say it, friends? I was not following divine order. By allowing this evil, these not very nice things, these watered down images of Good—this sickness—into my heart and belief system, and by allowing emotions that spawn unconscious evil, such as jealousy, anger, sadness, bitterness, and envy—I was thrown off of the path home to God. My huge ego-personality was clueless as to what direction to take when her hostess was found in her bed too sick to stand up for more than 20 minutes at a time. And then I became desperate when western medicines failed me.

The only thing that saved me from unconscious evil were the following: a willingness for positive change; a complete change in my belief system, that illness comes from the kind of life that I lived and the kind of thoughts that I accepted; a spiritual practice that requires humility, guidance, order, and constant care; and a very strong trust and belief that God is the greatest physician. (On the second page of my blog-site I have a place of resources that have given me direct inspiration and guidance.)

The following image is what I use as a gauge when I decide what to take in to my heart, so that I am taking in Good consciously: Imagine the image of a divine infant sleeping peacefully in your arms. All infants are divine. Would you allow anyone to speak harshly around the divine infant in your arms? And would you allow loud, angry noises to disrupt this divine infant's sleep? How about a few swear words? Would you allow the divine infant to witness profanity? Or “off colored” jokes? What about junk food? Would you feed this divine infant food that has a low nutritional value? How much negativity would you allow this divine infant to experience? What kind of a life do you want this infant to have? And spiritual food? How do you nourish your divine infant spiritually? Do you take in spiritual power for your divine infant?

You are this divine infant, and you rest peacefully in God's arms. It is your willpower that will determine whether you expose yourself to Good or evil consciously or unconsciously. Your willpower is also a direct reflection of your spiritual strength. And these are the spiritual lessons we must come by—the results of how much we take in to our hearts. As a good friend says, “What you take in to your heart, is what you have.” And this, plus your actions, will determine your path on this Earth. How much Good is good enough? Why should we settle for “good enough?”

Thankfully I have changed the way I think. I'm so happy that I don't have to look for validation from anyone, much less living as a “cool person” with empty values and a sick body. And I am so happy when I can catch myself in an unconscious lie or action so that I may correct it. It's like a cleanse—a spiritual cleansing that starts in my soul, and trickles down to my body and the 3-D reality around me. Good attracts Good. And I wish this for you as well: a peaceful and happy life filled with good health, good thoughts, good actions, and good deeds. May you spiritually nourish your soul in a humble, honest and truthful way, that God reflects divine power through you and yours.

Part II Our Spritual Toolboxes

Thu, 19 May 2011 08:01:25 +0100

Being here on this earth, and living in these bodies is such a privilege, because they aren't really ours. They are on loan—like a library book, or bowling shoes, or roller skates. We must take care of them. We've been allowed to be here to learn lessons during our time on this lovely earth. And part of our task is to keep track of what we learn. And this is why we carry a tool box, because if a page gets ripped, a wheel falls off, or a shoelace breaks, we have the right tools to fix it. I am referring to the spiritual toolbox as a metaphor, for a place to keep all of the spiritual lessons and tools that we need and use during our lifetime. Some people call it experience, or wisdom.

A friend just wrote to me asking for some clarification regarding my last post, “When a question arises from a friend or family member, what do I say if I don't use my own experiences with my life? Or should I not say anything at all and just let them talk? I don't want to influence their path. They have a compass, so can they learn how to use it in their situation?” Your tools belong to you and are specific only to your own toolbox, because you lived a very different reality than other people. We all have so much in common, but the way we experience life is what differs so greatly—our impressions, our world-views, beliefs, ideas, the foundations that we stand on differ greatly. And this is the challenge that we have: not to project our own experience on others, and not to judge, assess, or criticize. .

In most recent times, I live by the practice to "listen to God, not man..." a quote from a dear friend, a spiritual teacher. There were so many times that I had listened to other's people's advice...and what did they know about me, my experience, or my path? I didn't tell them everything about my history. I allowed myself to consequently be steered in such a wrong direction, so far from where I am going today. And it cost me so much time, effort, and introspection to change my direction and turn around to regain my sure footing on this path. And the lesson for me was to learn to receive the right guidance from my divine source (whom I call God.) I have to “pay attention to my body” and to my thoughts, and feel inside to know what is the right move for me, or the right move for my husband and I, as a partnership. I must be vigilant so that I don't believe anything that anyone says, only what God says. And most people who are searching for God will believe anything today, they are as credulous as I was. And if they learned how to “prove to themselves what God is,” and trusted in their guidance—they might find wonderful results, that their lives become happy, and they have everything that they need.

So this is the tool that I speak of: learning how to discern what is divine guidance, and how to get the right guidance from God. This is the most basic tool, because it is like your survival compass, or your own personal “spiritual GPS,” your spiritual navigation system that enables you determine your exact location; how you position yourself spiritually affects your life on earth, and if you believe in a “thereafter,” well—then there too.

If you have children, then it is important to trust in their own decision—to speak about it with them—but also it is your duty to educate them to listen to their own inner guidance. For example, "feeling in" to see if they get a Yes with a good body feeling, or a No with a not-so-great body feeling when they pose a question to God for the right direction or decision. Yes, you can use your own experience, but not without the right guidance. Sometimes I ask God to speak for me, because perhaps I can't find the right words, or the right attitude, or I have a bias of some kind. And then suddenly flowers come out of my mouth—the sweetest words. Use your will to discern when to use your own experience—that there be no hidden agenda—that your intentions are pure, without the need to influence, because if “you know it all and are right about this situation.”.then maybe it is best for you to stay silent. When I had this kind of demeanor, and became silent, I learned so much.

That “gut feeling” can be a path-marker, so to speak, that allows us to know when something is not quite right, and to pay attention to our words, or to the thoughts that are coming to us. Just tonight, my husband and I were seeking divine guidance for a certain matter, and we were both surprised when we each received a No at the same time. We both felt that this was what we needed to act on, which we did. This guidance not only saved us money, but also gave us time to prove the legality of a certain situation.

Another example that helps us attain greater depths into our spiritual self is the challenge that most of us face daily, and that is how to “live in the real world.” Often I hear people comment how “difficult” it is when they have to go to their working situations because of the “negative” conversation topics, or the family members and friends who give out “too much information,” or TMI, (and half of it is gossip or not-nice-news.) I was very good at this at one time, I'm sorry to say—and even went to greater lengths to tell strange and obnoxious stories to elicit shock factor from anyone who would listen. Fortunately I don't have a need to be different or get attention in this way anymore.

TMI hits from family and friends can potentially occur when we least expect it. And in my spiritual practice, I was taught to “close my heart” to this kind of information. As young children most of us are taught to be good, honest, and open. But when something morbid and evil (yes, I used this word...) is coming at my open heart, what should I do? Should I let it in, and feel sadness and cry and carry on with negative emotions with everyone else—giving my spiritual power away to the other side? I don't think so! This is about mastery. I protect the Good that is inside my heart, and snap it closed like window shutters! Now this may come as a surprise to some of you—but if I may explain that we are allowed self protection and preservation from things that are not healthy, well, this falls into the same category. You wouldn't knowingly eat poison, right? It's the same thing. Negativity is like a poison, and when you let it in to your heart, sometimes it takes time to regain the Good power that was there. There's nothing personal about this—I do this with anyone who starts to speak negatively. Family members, friends, employees. I snap my heart shut and look at the trees outside because they are pure and beautiful examples of God. And then I change the subject. It is my birth-right to feel Joy and to stay connected to God. This is a good use of my own will power. I am willing for Joy in my life. And this I wish for you as well.

Two years ago, I asked my circle of family and friends to speak to me only about the Good, that I was “only interested in the Good.” Only one family member told me that he felt uncomfortable with this, because he didn't know what we could talk about. I reassured him that we would certainly find good things to talk about. If a friend wants to tell me the same problem a g a i n, I remind them that they've already told me once, and that they should give it away to God so that they don't have to carry the burden anymore...then you don't have to let them take away these Good moments (precious time that God allows us) with their "negative reruns." Trust completely that your friends, your family members and your children will find the right way to interact with you, and eventually with life. Ask for them—meaning ask for divine guidance for them, that they bring Good into their own hearts, and focus more on the Good. Talk to your creator for this guidance.

I believe that there are no victims here (believe me--I played that role soooo well.) but it does your friend a benefit also, by teaching h/im that they don't have to allow anything but the good in their lives. This also invites dignity and grace. Eventually, the word will get around that you are interested in only the Good. And people mostly respect this. Then your life becomes easier and happier. But only you can set it in the right order by using your will power and action.

These are my experiences, but it's best to rely only on God's direction. When you sit in a quiet place for contemplation or prayer, connect to your divine source, and ask for help. Notice how you feel in your body, and listen. Sometimes I feel relief—and I cry with gratitude. It's my time to focus only on my creator, and to receive direction. The signs, insights, and subsequent actions in your environment will substantiate God's guidance for you. And I wish you much reception of the Divine Good—you may even feel it streaming in to you body. All the best to you and yours.