An Angel Returns Home

ABDELLAH IN PARIS - MARCH 2006

This is for me the beginning of a personal effort to recapture and understand the rhyme and reason, insight and lesson, and even beauty associated with what would appear to be a single event but which is really the culmination of a long series of synchronicities which lead up to, and even followed the event itself.

So, where to I begin? Well, those of you who have been following my blogs know of my wonderful friend Abdellah and our very special relationship, which included not only the lovely times we spent together in India, but even a 9 day visit I made to Paris to spend time with him in March of 2006. You can read a short account in the blog posts: http://mindfulnessjournal.blogspot.com/#114495322641587364

Abdellah is the only person I ever knew who truly and literally lived each day as it if was his last…truly lived in the moment.

The only meaning money had for him was as a means to bring happiness into the lives of people (not just “others”, himself as well, as he was a person who truly loved and respected himself).

NADDI


He lived each and every day fully, and worrying about “having enough for the future” was a completely alien concept to him. He was my living lesson in non-attachment.


BHAGSU WATERFALL CAFE 2003

Abdellah’s quest during the short few years I knew him, was to get closer to God. This was his reason for pursuing the different philosophies he pursued, such as Kriya Yoga. He was looking for the best way to connect to Him. Well, he is now where he always wanted to be. With God - and I am happy for him as I know he is at peace and content. He was just an angel here on Earth waiting to get back home.

A PUJA AT BHAGSU WATERFALL


And the lessons I learnt from him, I was able to put into action in my own life by using money “I did not have” and “could not afford to use” – to bring joy and happiness in a surprising way, into the life of another person. And this small act snowballed and the effects of my one small action continued to bring further happiness to others as well.

The lessons I learnt from Abdellah, the days filled with joy and laughter we spent together, the deeper meaning of living life to the fullest which I was permeated with every time I spoke to him, the smiles of joy on the faces of all those who knew him every time his name was mentioned, are all things which will remain with me forever.

He will always be with me. Abdellah was a practicing Buddhist, and I just have to maneuver my way over a bunch of ants so as not to step on them, or watch a mosquito fly by without "clapping" it between my hands (I did that once instinctively when Abdellah was with me (!)...I have NEVER done it again!), and I think of him. [Abdellah's Mother is Muslim, and his step-father, who he grew up with, is Jewish (he has relatives in Israel), and one of his favorite foods is kneidlach, which I happily made for him with chicken soup one evening in McLeodganj. I also taught him how to make challah when I was in Paris with him. ] I just have to think of sausissons which he introduced me to at Kailwood in 2004, and I am in food heaven. The wonderful meals we shopped for, cooked and ate together, the movies we watched with his wonderful insights - he studied film in university in the States - the insights into Buddhist philosophy I received from him, but more important, in daily living...all these things keep him alive within me. Showing true loving-kindness, compassion and goodwill to all - not an easy thing to do ALL the time, was something that he could never NOT do. It was simply part of his essence. A living lesson in truly loving and respecting all living creatures, including himself. Like the wonderful plans he had drawn up for his new home in India, originally planned at the farmhouse in Kangra but later moved to an area near Palampur that his friend the Banker in Dharamsala was helping him with. A beautifully planned home, lavishly furnished with the best of everything including giant full wall size plasma TV screen.







AT KOKILA'S FARMHOUSE IN KANGRA WHERE HE WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNING TO BUILD A HOUSE

Well, let’s start with the fact that the last time I saw Abdellah was when he left Dharamsala to go back to Delhi and home to Paris, last year sometime in May 2007 if I am not mistaken. We had spent several really fun days together as usual, but his time in Dharamsala was short and we didn’t have the intense type of visit we usually do in India, where we spend extended periods of time together. So when I decided to go back to India in February 2008, we knew we would be meeting up for 2 weeks the beginning of March before he flew back to Paris after his several months studying Yoga in Mysore. He would come up to Rishikesh, and it would have been his first visit to Rishikesh and I knew he would love it, and was excited about seeing him.

I wrote to him from home to confirm the visit, but when he didn’t reply I didn’t think twice about it, as this was part of who he was and I never was disturbed by his lack of response to my e-mails. I always knew he read them all from the conversations we would have afterwards when we met. He just hated writing. He would prefer to call me by phone, which he did every couple of months, usually calling on a Friday night and saying “Shabbat Shalom” and throwing me off balance for a few seconds before I realized it was him calling.

I then wrote again when I arrived, and again as the beginning of March got closer, but still received no response. Someplace deep down inside I felt a twinge of worry, but ignored it, thinking that he perhaps had changed his plans, and would certainly be in touch with me when he was able to. And then the beginning of March came and went and no word. I even met our mutual friend Nikolai in Rishikesh and asked about Abdellah. He also said he had been strangely silent for a long time…even for him.

ABDELLAH AND NIKOLAI AT KAILWOOD IN MCLEODGANJ - 2004

But he also agreed with me that there was no reason for worry as this was typical behavior for him…Abdellah was my big lesson in true non-attachment, and I tended to agree with Nikolai, but something still didn’t seem right to me. But I brushed it aside. I would be home in Israel soon (it was a short trip to India) and if I hadn’t heard from him by then, would call him, or call a friend of his in Paris, which was the only other way I had of contacting him. And I continued with the short remaining time I had in Rishikesh, disappointed with not having seen Abdellah, but figuring there was a good reason for him not being there with me. I was after all, enjoying the company of Ben tremendously, as well as my healing meetings with Dudi, and was being kept quite busy and happy as well.

When I arrived home, still not having heard from Abdellah, I went to call his friend in Paris several times, but something always “got in the way” of the phone call. It just seemed to be something which would not happen. And then one day, I forwarded an e-mail to a group of friends, and when doing this, Abdellah’s name would always appear in the ”TO” window as he was alphabetically first on my list. The rest would be BCC , but anyone who opened the mail could see I had sent it to Abdellah. One of the recipients was Nikolai, and he sent me an e-mail simply saying “do you know-just in case- that Abdellah passed away about a month ago?”

Well, first of all it is not an easy thing to write and I certainly don’t envy Nikolai for being the one to write it to me, and second of all, what do you do when you read something like that? You go into shock and denial at first, I can tell you, and then you begin to feel guilty about not knowing about it sooner (but how could you?), and then you begin to think “Why didn’t I call sooner” (but what good would that have done), and then you burst out in tears, and then uncontrollable sobs, and you need to sit down, you need to speak to someone, you need to understand, you need to comprehend what you just read, and you cry and cry and cry until everything hurts and there are no more tears…and then you begin to cry again. And finally, you can breath once again and you begin to realize the impact of that simple sentence. You will never see Abdellah again…not in India, not in Paris, not anywhere. He will never call again and surprise you with a “Shabbat Shalom”. He will never come up behind you on the street , say “How YOU doin’ my friend” and when you turn around, see his amazing smile in front of you. You will never cook another meal together with him,


KITCHERI IN MY ROOM AT KAILWOOD - 2003

drink coffee with him, go shopping with him (shop until you drop style) again, never watch another movie with him again, never have him watch you dance folkdancing in the guesthouse room, never listen to music again with him, never just sit and talk with him or travel with him, or laugh with him, never go to Udeechi Huts in Naddi for fried chicken with him, never, never, and more never!

UDEECHI HUTS IN NADDI 2004


And then I began to do my best to put together a story of how this all happened. Being in touch with other mutual friends I was able to put together the sad story of his illness and surprising death. I will not detail it here, as there is no reason to do so, but will simply say that he contracted pneumonia in Mysore, and by the time he was flown home to Paris by his insurance company, quite some time later by the way, the virus had done too much damage and he was unable to recover. He was 47 years old. I further checked with them and his family, found out some precise dates of events etc., read stories many people had written about him, collected pictures etc.

I refuse to dwell on the “what if” questions etc., as there is simply no point in it, and prefer to put together for you a series of small synchronicities surrounding my arrival in India in February, my stay there, some unusual things that I realized through hindsight which show the interconnectiveness of our souls even after his death. I can truly tell you that I “see” Abdellah more now than I did when he was alive…he is with me very often. Watching me at folkdancing, attending a recent silent retreat with me, and during one of the meditations sat next to me, and in his typical fashion of never taking anything in life too seriously, said to me “Well, I see someone has finally got you to shut up!” (He very often commented that I talked too much!). He is actually sitting with me now and has already made a couple of comments about what I am writing. I wear a bracelet he once bought for me (by surprise…sending it to me by mail after I had already left India…after I had admired it in a jewelry store where we were shopping together for presents for his family members)…and I can feel him physically with me. His presence is powerful and loving and gentle and brings me great happiness…whenever I am feeling down, he comes around and brings a big smile to my face. I can truly say that I do not miss him , as I very rarely saw him anyway. When I return to India in a couple of months, I’m sure it will be difficult, but I am also sure that he will be there with me as well, just as he is now.

So now, just a small list of those things discovered in retrospect, bringing things more into focus and understanding.

I arrived in India actually quite ill, having fallen sick at home several days prior to my flight. Upon my arrival in Rishikesh, I actually began running a very high fever, which is very unusual for me, I rarely, if ever, have even a low fever when I am ill. After two days the guesthouse people took me to a doctor as they were quite worried about my condition, and he said there is extremely serious congestion in my lungs and he suspects pneumonia. He was an ayurveda doctor and gave me certain herbal medicines to take, but also recommended 3 days of antibiotics due to the extreme severity of my condition. I was quite surprised as I don’t usually get this ill. This was around the 14th of February. Later on, checking back on my blog, I realized that the first day I felt well enough to leave my room, or the small area near it in the guesthouse, was on February 22nd. This was the first day when, all of a sudden, all of the symptoms I had been feeling, completely disappeared, as if I had never been sick.
A couple of days after that, I met Ben and one of the first things he brought me to read was a booklet called “Do Not Grieve” which he had picked up at a local ashram in town. At the time, I simply read it and found many interesting ideas regarding life in general, and graceful acceptance of all that happens etc., without ever thinking that I would actually need it for true grieving. But there is was…in my room….
another thing which happened to me and is also documented in a blog post is a feeling of sudden and deep sadness for no reason which overcame me, and brought me to tears which could not be stopped. I had to leave the company of friends and run up to my room. It lasted for a few days and only when I did a full energy cleansing of my room did I begin to feel better and start sleeping again at night. I tried finding a reason for the sadness, but simply could not….everything was just beautiful in my life at the moment. It is something that came from a deep deep place within…only afterward I understood what it was and what had caused it to service.
Upon returning home to Israel, I began my Reiki Sharing group and at the first meeting, one of the people working on me said she felt a deep, profound sadness within me, so intense that it was difficult for HER to bear. I again said I could think of no reason for such sadness to be sensed as I was in an extremely tranquil and harmonious time in my life and all seemed to be going really well for me.

Once I found out the dates connected to Abdellah’s illness, his death, his memorial services etc., I went back and checked the above things by date as well. I was SO intensely ill just at the same time that Abdellah was at the most critical part of his own illness with pneumonia. The day he passed away, and no longer felt the suffering from the symptoms, was February 22nd! The same day I first was able leave my room, feeling complete relief from symptoms as well.
The booklet “Do Not Grieve” came in very handy the first day I heard the news at home as it helped me to put things into perspective and come to terms with what had happened.
The day of the Reiki Sharing Group turned out to be the same day that a Memorial Service was held for Abdellah in the States, and again the sadness was felt by me. And the sadness I felt in India, well, my soul KNEW what had happened…it just had no way of communicating it to me on an intellectual level, so even not knowing, I also KNEW, and the sadness already enveloped me.

And of course Abdellah continues to do things for others even though he is no longer here with us physically. The lessons I learnt from him, and continue to absorb, lead me to understand that someone near and dear needed immediate help, and that even though everything common sense told me said I could not help them, Abdellah said I could and should, and so I did, and wonderful things have happened to an entire family through that help but with thanks to him.

I will end this post with my thanks to God and the Universe for bringing Abdellah into my life, and to Abdellah himself for all the wonderful days he spent with me, and for the lovely moments he still spends with me to this day.

Goodbye My Friend!

Just for Today...I Will Not Worry - Part II

"Worrying about something that may never happen is like paying interest on money you may never borrow. "

Let's continue where we left off in Part I following my dream...

The above quote is very apt for what we are discussing now as it brings home the absurdity of worrying! But we are human, and worrying is something we are very adept at, and do often. So how do we train ourselves not to worry? By training! By practicing...and by understanding where worry comes from and why it is just simply an energy draining, non-productive, past- time.

Not worrying implies FAITH. Implicit Faith in the Universe to always supply us with all we need…without understanding the means by which this is done. It is simply beyond our human comprehension.

Faith...it is like a plant...it must be nurtured and cared for or it will whither and die. We can nurture our Faith by talking with God, but talking WITH does not mean monologue. It is not enough just to talk to God...we must listen as well. Be aware...or we will not hear what the other side is saying, as with any conversation, it must be a dialogue.

TALK to God (Universe, Source) every day. I make it a habit to do this morning and night and in between very frequently. Not just asking for things, but "seeing" and "hearing" and being aware when they happen in answer to our requests. Thank you for the parking space, the short line at the supermarket, an answer in only 5 minutes when calling technical support. these things are all orchestrated for us but we need to be aware of this and acknowledge our awareness....our "hearing" the other side.

Once we send our request out, things are set in motion by our Partner, our co-creator. Nothing "just happens". And once we cultivate this living, working system, and truly believe in it, there really is NO NEED TO WORRY.

Here another quote which I also like to use when trying to explain the futility of worrying to my clients and the need for manifesting solutions, rather than worrying about "what is going to happen?...what if I can't?...what if it doesn't?"...etc.

"If you take your eyes off your goals, all you see are obstacles."

This helps us to see that we must look beyond what we perceive as obstacles and focus continually on our goals, visualize them in detail, often, not only when praying or meditating, but throughout the day. To believe they will be manifested, but in ways we, as human beings, with our limited senses and understandings could never contemplate.

Not worrying implies FAITH.

Faith in God, however it is you perceive him, in the Universe, in your Higher Self.…There is an "overview" (a term used by Kryon:…see next post for further insights into this whole idea from Kryon), a full picture, which we as human beings can never see. We live in the world of linear time, where past present and future are just that: past (what has already occurred), present (what we see this moment), and future (that which has yet to happen). But this is again because we are limited by our human capacities. In effect, all time is NOW. (That also makes it easier to understand how we can use Reiki, or other methods, to bring about change not only in the future, but in the PAST.) For in Universal terms, there is no past present or future, but only NOW. This is the Overview that we are unable to see.

What we need to understand is that although we cannot "see" the actual ways in which solutions will unfold, we can manifest these goals by "Seeing" the end result exactly as we wish it to be. And once we have done this, we must leave the "how's" to God and his Universe, with complete trust. And when we do this, there is NO REASON TO WORRY!.

Always remember: "Thoughts become things...…choose the good ones", and you cannot go wrong. When we worry, we incorporate negative thoughts into our manifestations, into our prayers, into our requests, and this negative energy is received by the Universe and incorporated into the solution which is being formulated (or has already been set in place!).

Please continue with the post

Letting Go and Letting God- Parable of the Missing Bridge which follows these 2 posts.…It will give you considerable food for thought and more in-depth understanding of the idea of Trust in the Universe and the futility of worrying.

I would like to end this Part II of the First Reiki Principle with the following from Carolyn Myss' Book, Invisible Acts of Power, pp. 141-142 as it is so appropriate:

A Third Chakra Prayer

I realease into this universe my trust that my journey in life and all who walk my path with me are there by divine design. Therefore, I trust that along this path, others will always be there for me, even when I cannot see them waiting for me. And I open myself to be of service to those who m ay provide me the gift of empowerment.

THE PRAYER OF THOMAS MERTON

Dear God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself...and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe this:

I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You.

I hope I have that desire in everything I do.

I hope I never persist in anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, thought I may know nothing about it at the time.

Therefore I will trust You always, for though I may be lost...I will not be afraid, because I know You will never leave me to face my troubles all alone.

Continued in Part III....next post...Parable of the Missing Bridge-Kryon

Do Not Worry Part III - Parable of the Missing Bridge from Kryon

Let Go and Let God

Following the previous posts which hopefully gave you further insights into the Reiki Principle “Just For Today-I Will Not Worry”…I am including the following from a Kryon Channeling. If you choose to read it, you will be taken further along into the idea of Trust in the Universe…the ideas presented are not unique in any way, but the parable of the Missing Bridge is one of my favorite examples for understanding the concept of “Letting Go and Letting God”. If you want to delve further into the channelings of Kryon and get further information, you can check out the Kryon Also note that the word “Spirit” is used frequently in these channelings, but God, Universe, Higher Source etc., could all be used just as easily…do not let semantics confuse you.


The first (thing to understand about trusting the Universe) is this: As you see and acknowledge the fact that the solution already exists even though you cannot see it, visualize the solution…. Now, this is important. Don't visualize what you THINK you need to create the solution. Let that be your partner's job (Spirit). Let US do that. If a human is going to run a race in the morning and wants to be one of the few who finishes, but doesn't know how he is going to get through that exhausting hill or around that tight turn, he might pray to God about the tight turn and the exhausting hill. We're here to say instead, he should be visualizing only passing easily over the finish line. Let US figure out about the exhausting hill and the tight turn. That's our job.

Let us review for a moment the parable that was given to you regarding Henry and the Missing Bridge. Some of you will remember that this was a story about Henry who was speeding toward a bridge that he knew was out. Everything that Spirit said to him was, "Continue on, Henry. Things are not always as they seem, Henry. You will be taken care of, Henry." The missing bridge was a metaphor for what human beings cannot fathom or see in the future that God has already taken care of. ….. For the solution to Henry's problem of the missing bridge had already been taken care of. You can read that parable again, (Kryon Book 7- “Letters from Home”, pp. 226-229)

As Henry approached the area where the bridge was supposed to be, he opened his eyes and realized that it was still gone. His fear increased... it was the last moment! It took everything he had in him not to stop right there, yet Spirit said, "Henry, continue on, continue on." So Henry in all his faith, continued on even faster than before, trusting God, and the partnership within. Just as he thought he was about to have his vehicle careen over the cliffs to a certain death in the valley below, he saw workmen on the road guiding him around to an area he had never seen before - an area completely out of sight that he had never, ever observed - hidden. And standing in full glory there was a beautiful new bridge! It was a bridge that was so big and so awesome that Henry realized that it had been under construction long before his need. He crossed it in ecstatic joy, realizing the power of his partnership with God.

Dear ones, this is the key to the parable. There are solutions … to problems you don't even have yet! By the time you get around to asking Spirit for the solutions, they've already been built, you see.... already been built. It's part of the balance. There HAVE TO BE solutions for the tests that you've agreed to... and there are.

Henry didn't visualize how his bridge dilemma was going to be solved. The thought of a miracle bridge popping before him was silly. The thought was beyond his human reality. So instead, he simply visualized moving to the other side... the end result. The runner visualizes breaking the tape. Regarding your problem? Visualize it all taken care of and then leave the details to us... but YOU do the energy visualization... often!

The second attribute, therefore, is that "things are not always as they seem." The answers may come in very shocking and unusual ways. Sometimes the miraculous energy will astound you. Sometimes the answers seem complex. In retrospect you might say, "long ago if person A hadn't done this, and person B hadn't done that... then my solution would never have been possible." There is something in you that realizes that person A made his move BEFORE you ever needed it. How complex this was, you might say. How elegant and perfect! Not only that, but within your solution, no matter how complex the interaction is with others, somehow everyone seems to win! Dear ones. That's the mark of a SPIRITUAL solution. Visualize, therefore, the solution as having been taken care of.

The third attribute is Don't LIMIT GOD. You don't know what we do. There are so many of you who are standing here asking for a bush when Spirit stands with …a whole forest (for you)! You don't expect it since you don't feel the self-worth of it. The solution to your little problem may contain the whole forest as a gift for you! Things that you don't even know about yet will be solved within the solution of the one problem you have on your lap... perfect within the simplicity of the physics and love of Spirit, and the complexities of your humanism.

So let US do the work. That's the overview of your partner (Spirit), the one you're holding hands with. That's the golden one in the golden chair - the one who knows everything about your potentials - about your contract - called the golden angel, or higher self. It has the energy of Spirit, yet it also has your name. Don't limit Spirit.

Just for Today I Will Love and Respect Every Living Creature

…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…leviticus 19:18

If we look at this, as it is worded in the fourth of the Reiki Principles, it appears to be fairly straightforward. It is pretty obvious to us that one of the most important things in this world is to love and respect others, show compassion and tolerance, patience and understanding etc. We also know that we must be kind to EVERY living being and this would of course include animals, insects, plants etc., etc.

The original wording of the principle as stated by Dr. Usui is slightly different, but the message is more easily understood with the above paraphrase which I prefer using in my Reiki classes and in my own daily meditation practice.

And the profoundness of the principle, if we truly think about it, opens the door to an entirely new way of perceiving the ups and downs of our lives, of relating to instances where we feel we have been wronged by someone, or taken advantage of, even purposely hurt or embarrassed, or injured in any way. Of relating to the different people who come into our lives and the way we accept and embrace all that is sent our way by God and the Universe.

In addition, if we add just two small words to the above principle, it changes the impact and intent even more deeply. Just for Today I will Love and Respect Every Living Creature…INCLUDING MYSELF!! If we do not truly love ourselves, how can we possibly love and respect our neighbor??

I will try and give insights into the following two questions we must try to answer:

1. Can we truly love and respect others if we don’t do the same for ourselves
2. Can we truly be expected to love and respect EVERYone??


Before going any further into the idea of loving even those who we perceive as causing us pain or wishing us ill, let us, just for a moment, think about our relationship with ourselves.

Do you love yourself? Are you proud of yourself? Do you respect yourself? Do you take yourself for granted? Do you put yourself down? Do you say unkind things about yourself ? Just for the next week, in addition to saying this principle each day with your daily prayers, meditation or whatever your regular practice is, try delving a little deeper into it. Pay attention during the day to the thoughts that you have regarding the things you do. Check the impulse to criticize yourself, or be compassionate with yourself. Note how you feel when you make a wrong decision, or get lost on the highway, or break a dish you are washing, or burn the supper, or simply forget to do something important. What feelings do you have, what words fill your head at the moment (stupid, clumsy, thoughtless, lazy). What sensations do you feel physically in your body? Where? Are you automatically hard on yourself, or, perhaps, compassionate and understanding.

Think about this for a week, and I think you will be quite surprised at what you find. Many of us cannot even say out loud “I love myself”, “I think I am great”, “I am perfect just as I am”, etc., but even those of us who CAN say these things and truly mean them, are still too often overly critical of ourselves.

I would even think to perhaps state the principle in a little different way. Instead of “Just for today I will love and respect every living creature…(including myself)”…How about: “Just for today I will love and respect myself in the same way I imagine I love and respect every other living creature” . Said in that way, it might make it easier for us to realize how much more compassionate we can be with others, how much more tolerant and understanding, how much more patient and loving, than we tend to be with ourselves.

Like a caring mother
Holding and guarding the life
Of her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Hold yourself…. And all beings

…Buddha

“We might quite readily offer such care to others, but we can learn to offer this same kind of gentle attention to ourselves. With the tenderness we might bring to stroking the cheek of a sleeping child, we can softly place a hand on our own cheek or heart. We can comfort ourselves with words of kindness and understanding. “ Radical Acceptance”, Tara Brach, PhD.

For once again, if we do not GENUINELY love and respect ourselves, our pretense at loving and respecting every living creature is just that…pretense… Self love is the first step in truly loving our fellow creatures. And when we love and respect ourselves, everything and anything that happens to us, can be dealt with in a healthy way.

Only when we come to terms with our own shortcomings and learn to accept ourselves exactly as we are, to extend unconditional love to the beautiful person we are, to be compassionate with ourselves even when we are not all we expected of ourselves, to love and respect ourselves and recognize the beauty of our soul within…to feel worthy and deserving and freely offer praise and genuine respect to ourselves…only when we cherish our own being, no matter where we may find ourselves at a particular moment, or stage in our lives, only when we offer ourselves encouragement and love at each step along the way and appreciate our accomplishments-no matter how small, only when we stop taking ourselves and our own needs and wants for granted and understand that we are just as worthy and deserving as everyone else…only when we truly love and respect ourselves can we begin to truly love the next person.

Many people will say “I don’t expect anything from the next person (my children, my spouse, my co-workers, etc.) that I don’t expect from myself.” Well, perhaps we are much too hard on ourselves! Others find it easy to extend loving-kindness, compassion, patience, tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and encouragement to others, while they dole out to themselves judgment, blame, anger, belittling words, harsh accusations, lack of forgiveness, etc.

But it is only when we can find the way to love ourselves unconditionally that we can truly understand the words:

…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…leviticus 19:18

The idea has obviously been around for a long time and is not a new concept developed by Dr. Usui… The Great Hebrew Sage Rabbi Akiva said “This is the most important point in the Torah…the rest is just commentary”.

The idea of loving the next person as we love ourselves becomes very easy as we simply extend the same gracious and loving attention to everyone that we do to ourselves.

And that will bring us to the second part of this discussion…loving and respecting EVERY living creature:

Let us look at this idea of loving and respecting EVERYone …. This would seem almost impossible when we think of some of the strange, difficult, inconsiderate, spiteful and even abusive people who we meet in our lifetime. But there is a profound lesson in extending understanding, forgiveness (see the post re: Forgiveness ) , compassion , patience and tolerance to those who truly wish us ill. It brings us once again in contact with the idea of FAITH…faith that God is sending these people into our lives for a loving purpose…no matter how difficult that may be for us to see.

We must learn to Cherish those we dislike, even those we perceive as enemies, for they are gifts from God and we must be thankful for this blessing and pray for the wisdom to learn the lesson these people have been sent to teach us

We draw to us those who will help us learn about ourselves. Each time we are presented with a challenge dealing with another, we are really being presented with an opportunity to look inside ourselves to see what about us it is that needs working on, so that we may grow.

The idea of loving each and every person, no matter what, is quite difficult, almost impossible, but I present the idea to you for further thought and consideration, together with the following collection of quotes and insights, and perhaps your comments will lead to further discussion which will benefit us all:

Every person sent to us is a blessing meant to teach us a lesson we need to learn.

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.

Dalai Lama

Everything that irritates us about others

Can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Jung (1875-1961), Psychologist ~

I have learned silence from the talkative,

tolerance from the intolerant

and kindness from the unkind.

I should not be ungrateful to those teachers.

Kahlil Gibran

What angers us in another person is more often than not an unhealed aspect of ourselves. If we had already resolved that particular issue,we would not be irritated by its reflection back to us.~ Simon Peter Fuller (from 'Rising Out of Chaos') ~

No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) ~

Nothing can hurt you unless you give it the power to do so.

~ A Course in Miracles ~~

The main teachers of patience are our enemies."
Dalai Lama

and with this I wish you all much love and compassion, patience and tolerance, and freedom from fear to accept and embrace all that is sent your way by God and His Loving Universe.

Jane

WHAT IS SURRENDER?

"At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service."

-- Fred Rogers (a.k.a., "Mister Rogers") 1928-2003

After many attempts at putting my ideas and thoughts into words for both you and myself, I finally turned inward for Guidance and Direction and the same day receieved a beautiful article by e-mail, which I will simply share here with you with credit to the author. It says all that needs to be said about what we've been talking about for some time now, and how my homecoming has taken shape. You can read about the homecoming on the India Journal and see some photos as well. Enjoy!

What is surrender?

Is it subjugating your will?
Is it not caring what happens?
Is it giving up?
Well, not really.

In every situation, we have the option to act, to attempt change, to apply our will to the given situation. Sometimes that application of intent and energy bears fruit and sometimes it doesn’t. The trick is being able to discern when it is appropriate to act or push, and when it is appropriate to let go and surrender to the flow of life. Sometimes we give up too quickly and sometimes we refuse to surrender, even when surrender is the very thing that will set us free.
So when is it the right time for us to choose surrender? Let’s say you always wanted to be 5’ 8” tall. You get to 5’7” and that’s it. This is an example of karma that can’t be changed. Well sure, I suppose you could go have the bones of your legs stretched through surgical intervention, but why? Does it really matter that much?
Or perhaps you have a beautiful and expensive shirt that you wear to a party. Someone spills grape juice on it, and you can’t get it out. You can try and try, but it’s not going to be the same color again. Sure, you can let go of the fact that you can’t wear the shirt any more, but will it serve you to still be angry and the person who spilled it? Probably not. This is the principle of surrender; letting go of that which you can’t change. Being angry will never bring that shirt back.
Anger or frustration is a choice; a choice to be attached to things, beings or situations being a certain way. Through detachment we are free to have peace regardless of what is going on. This is true surrender. It is the path of grace. By making surrender a conscious choice through positive attitude, awareness and acceptance, we are able to gracefully set ourselves free from the things that we can’t change. This gives us more energy to apply to the things we can and should change.
This frame of mind is particularly pertinent to those of us who always want to be in control of a situation in order to be safe. Really, that tight rein on reality is only creating a smaller box of what we are willing to accept in our lives. When we become more spacious with the things that ultimately don’t matter for our bottom line, we are freer to have more peace and joy regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Really, it’s not the situation that ultimately affects us… it’s what we choose to do with it.
Where are you pushing against your life and resisting reality? How are you imposing your will on life instead of embracing life? By moving towards love instead of pressing against fear, you partner with life and the Divine as it is expresses itself through your life. When your eyes open to love, love is what you get to see and experience with more and more frequency.
May you have the graceful discernment to know when to accept what life is offering you, and when to act to create positive change. May you move towards love, and release your fear of life. May you live fully here and now, with the greatest bliss possible.

© Sylvia Brallier
Author of the award winning book,
Dancing in the Eye of Transformation, 10 Keys to Creative Consciousness

Cnntinued Answers from the Universe-My Need to Serve and Those Needing my Service

I have posted a couple of things you may find interesting on my India Journal and the links follow. They say God works in Mysterious Ways but there is nothing mysterious about what is happening to me here...receiving channelings for other people, instructions for healings, and now the following two stories about Reiki, are all direct results of my intensive prayers and meditations over the past months that all those in need of my special services be guided to me. And they are!! They just come...and I serve...in the best way I can, for each of their individual, unique, Higher Goods, according to the guidance and direction I am given in each case, without fail. The messages and signs have been coming in many different and unusual ways, but when we listen, they are always there. From the moment we ask with pure intention for something, things begin to happen. We just need be aware of them.

So enjoy the following 2 links with my love.

Setting things in Motion


Reiki Classes

Insights and Empowering Experiences, God and Nature

And yet one more profound journal entry which I must share with those of you who do not follow my India Journals....

Today is October 5th, 2001 but yesterday the weirdest thing happened to me...I wrote a very long letter which first of all thanked all of you who took the time and energy to either call or write to me during the last few really rough days here...I love you and really appreciate your efforts. But I also wrote many deep "inside" thoughts and wrote and wrote and wrote and when I tried sending it, the whole thing disappeared...this has never happened to be before...I always do copy before I send and so if something happens the letter is still there..but thistime, someone else's letter came up on the screen...really weird.

So I wrote again, not quite so in depth and still refused to be sent...so I came to the conclusion that those thoughts were not meant to be put down on paper, but rather savored within and staying within just for me to experience.

I am first amazed at the resiliency of the human spirit. From feeling guilty about feeling happy – to exhilaration at dispelling a lifetime myth about myself, all within the same day. Life does go on and that is the beautiful part about living it to the fullest!

In spite of crises and difficulties with coping with a situation, life goes on and the beauty of discoveries about ourselves and our inner strengths carry us through.

Perhaps this inner awakening occurred simultaneously in me precisely on the same day as hearing about the terrorist attack on my daughter’s house almost as the Universe’s way of getting me through the last couple of days OR - as a RESULT of my getting through the last couple of days!! Don't know which! Whichever-it has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me and I will never be the same as I was.

No matter what I do when I get back to "normal"-normal will never be the same for me as it was just 2 months ago.

The revelations of my childhood memories during my first long walk made me realize that many things we believe about ourselves and allow life's experiences to reinforce for us over the years with our owninterpretations, we are erroneously basing on false perceptions of ourselves as children and adults. This creates modes of behavior and beliefs which stifle our very physical being for as much as 1/2 a century of our lives!!

To be finally released from these beliefs-to dispel a myth about myself and who I have always believed myself to be-is like being released from the shackles of a certain type of bondage and being freed to discover and develop all the wondrous things just waiting inside!

That a walk in nature can do this to a person is again proof of what I wrote awhile ago...the green of nature is God's way of showing his love for all creatures on earth and it is there, surrounded by his love that we can truly find our selves and achieve a true feeling of LOVE for ourselves.

I don't remember a time in my life when I felt so invigorated and alive. And not just physically...all my senses were totally involved in the experience bringing me into my most inner being as well asfilling an expansiveness of my aura itself with amazing energies, tingling through me and expanding outward to join with the trees and mountains etc.

These days, spending time with others is almost an intrusion... This precious gift of being with ME is a blessing and it will be over in just a few days. I will have a different kind of experience traveling now with someone else which I'm sure will be no less important and revealing to me.

I am just sad that this beautiful period of isolation by choice is coming to an end. I feel as if I could live for months like this and not get tired of it. There are always people here if I want them, but being by myself has thedistinct advantage of allowing me to NOT speak with or see anyone by choice without insulting any one or feeling bad about going off by myself. And no explanation is ever required! It is a true luxury.

Tomorrow I have agreed to try a real trek with Darya up into the mountain...3-4 hours up the mountain but with tea houses all along the way...she understands that if I feel it is too much, we just come back down without getting as far as the waterfalls which are allthe way up there some place. This will be an additional "test" for me and I am really looking forward to it excitedly...alot of the walking is in the forest so I hopefully will not have trouble withthe heat, and we are both taking lots of snacks along so I guess it will be OK.