By Michael Avery
Our dear friend, Anne, wrote this poem called “The Flame.” It was inspired by a quote from a book called The Slow Burning Love for God: “The slow burning, long-lasting love for God will lead us home—eventually. The turning points of change, which are the tests of purification, bring balance and open the heart to more love.”1
On October 7, 2023, Anne set sail for “home.”
Guest Post by RJ McBride
For forty some years I’d wandered in a half-awake, half-slumber state of consciousness all the while wondering why life had to be so hard and unjust. Over time, my collective experiences had left me a few grains of understanding.
Today, I’ve accumulated enough grains of knowledge to maybe fill a small bucket. And who knows, come tomorrow I may need a larger container. But simply storing these grains of wisdom does little good unless sharing what has been learned by one’s endeavors. And yet, for all that such renderings invoke, there are moments when only the poetic voice speaks to what is truly in one’s heart and Soul.
SEEDS OF LOVE, a poem by RJ McBride
Guest Post by Al Coffman
On Easter weekend 2020 our small town was filled with tension as the government placed restrictions on the activities of daily living. Many people had stopped going out to work, shop, or exercise. They holed up in their homes, venturing out only for walks and a little fresh air. People didn’t know what to do. What was safe? What was kind to others?
I enjoy connecting with people in a store or on the street to share a smile, a joke, or an uplifting story, and most important, a little love. How could I reach out to people when everyone nervously stayed at arm’s length? One approach bubbled up spontaneously and blossomed over time.
By Pichaya Avery
Gibran Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) was a Lebanese-American author, philosopher, poet, and artist. A bio and list of his books may be found here.
Mike’s and my favorite book by Gibran is The Wanderer. We selected the following four-paragraph story (p. 27) as an introduction to his 12 inspirational quotes.
Guest Post by Nigel Bell
Working in the Disability Services field, I would usually associate IQ with a person’s mental and functional ability to live their life as independently as possible. It wasn’t until I started using spiritual techniques such as chanting mantras, contemplating, and practicing mindfulness, that I could see a direct correlation between spiritual IQ and my ability to live in harmony and balance with the Infinite.
Daily practices like this certainly help me to live more graciously, but also to be awake to life’s synchronicities and guidance through waking dreams.
Guest Post by Riley Carson
“What is life? Is life the seeds of grass, drifting aimlessly, at times multiplying then dying, while at other times being swept into the vast expanse of the heavens?”
—Inspired by various passages in the chapter “What is Life” in the book Dialogues with the Master by Paul Twitchell, 1983 edition.
By Pichaya Avery
Jalaluddin Rumi is one of my favorite poets. As an introduction to twelve of his inspirational quotes, I’ve included the following excerpt from “Rumi’s Untold Story,” a free online e-book by Shahram Shiva:
“Rumi’s life story is full of intrigue and high drama mixed with intense creative outbursts. Rumi was a charming, wealthy nobleman, a genius theologian, law professor and a brilliant but sober scholar, who in his late thirties met a wandering and wild holy man by the name of Shams. In Rumi’s own words, after meeting Shams he was transformed from a bookish, sober scholar to an impassioned seeker of universal truth and love.
Guest Post by David Rivinus
It is early December in beautiful rural Vermont. The snow is already a foot deep, and today the sky is cloudless—a vibrant blue. Veronica is meditating on this scene from her picture window. Suddenly, she watches as a Cardinal, flying full speed toward her house, crashes into the “invisible” glass barrier. Veronica gasps as she observes it drop, a lifeless, crimson splotch—like a blood stain—in the expanse of pure, sparkling snow. She is distraught and seeks a meaning.
By Michael Avery
Pichaya often reminds me to be here now in this present moment. She is right of course. But sometimes a memory will arrive at my doorstep unexpectedly and shuttle me off to the past. At least that’s the way I used to view it.
But what if those memories have really come from my past and into my present for a purpose? Why would they do this? I asked myself. Could it be they have messages they are trying to communicate?
Guest Post by Riley Carson
Introduction
In the second part of this topic on Exploring Reincarnation, which is the name of a book by Hans Tendam, we will continue a review of his insights, with a shift of focus to the subject of karma. The Introduction in Part 1 explains more about the author, and why his book provides many valuable insights on karma and reincarnation. His extensive research coupled with his expertise in past life therapy enables him to provide many evidence-based conclusions on these subjects. I will continue the style of Part 1 by using a question-and-answer format.
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén