Living in the present

Chihuahuas are very smart - they  have the biggest brain percentage for their body size than any dog. My little Chihuahua, Penny, knows the meaning of the word friend. She learned this word when she was very young. Penny has people friends. If I say the word, "friend" to her, her ears perk up (well, her ears are always perky!) and she runs to find her friends. So Penny knows important words. Penny greets each of her friends like she hasn't seen them in a long time, even if she just saw them 5 minutes ago. Penny is a great teacher for living life with enthusiasm, in the present moment. I also taught her the meaning of the word, love....or maybe she taught me.

Reverence and Time

Practice Reverence Message #3 In a series . . .
Reverence: deep respect for someone or something, awe, wonder, love. 
Reverence combines profound respect with love or devotion. 

Our time on this earth is meant to be used for spiritual advancement. We waste time when we spend it not being present in our life. Whatever you do, even if you sit and watch TV for 5 hours or drink beer in a bar, at least do it consciously. Be aware that you are sitting in the chair. Be aware of what you are experiencing as you watch the TV, of your emotional responses. Be aware of how your body feels. Only through awareness can we begin to understand ourselves. When we perform actions with awareness, we are aware of their effect upon us. Then maybe we won't want to sit in a bar and drink beer because we will realize that it really isn't much fun. We will use our time wisely. We will learn how our actions effect us. This will naturally lead us towards healthy actions that increase our sense of health and well-being. So have some reverence for the time you are given to spiritually evolve here on the earth. Whatever you do, ask yourself, am I reverencing my time on earth by living my life with awareness?

My healing crystals in Mongolia





Dear classmates,
I just came home from a three weeks tour in Mongolia. It is such a vast, calm country with nice, heartfull people in the coutry. The Mongolian team was very 'sweet`. We had a cook, a schaman with her assistence, 3 drivers, the mongolian travel-leader and his assistence. We have been at the most beautiful places you can imagine in nature and were sleeping in tents and washed ourself with clear water from lakes and rivers. We have been to one of the most sacred places in the Mongolei: the Altai mountains. Every day was full of beauty and stillness.
Only at the end, on the flight back I had a hard lesson. At the airport they took my healing crystals away from me, they did not believe, that they are mine. The flight was delayed so we had time to take care of this. There is a chance, that I get back my crystals. I ask you, my classmates of the school and the angels to focous on the returning of the crystals to me. I appreciate it very much, when you can do this.
Love to all of you
Monika

WORDS OF REVERENCE

The words that we speak hold a certain power. When we speak with reverence, we avoid hurtful words. We avoid profanity. We avoid sarcasm. We avoid using words to demean another human being. And we notice when our words are hurtful, profane, sarcastic, and demeaning. We become aware of how much it hurts the beauty within us when we use the power of speech in hurtful, profane, sarcastic, and demeaning ways. Awareness is everything. Awareness guides us away from pain toward reverence for the beauty within us, the beauty that gives us everything we need, the beauty that is the center of life.

PRACTICE REVERENCE

I am posting the daily messages here, also, at least for awhile....because these are such important reminders for living a life of true and profound reverence....but I will add more to them here in your classroom. Please, as students of the school, be sure to show up here and read these messages. If you want to experience deep inner transformation, you must show up and do the work.  

Back in Los Angeles

Hi Everyone,  I have returned to L.A. , just in time to miss the east coast earthquake that was felt even in Jamestown. Here's some news. Because I was in New York State, with my aging parents, we had to postpone the Los Angeles Seminar. It will now be held October 29 - 30, same time, same place - that's in Los Feliz.

APOLOGIES

The way is clear and simple when you can accept yourself as you are and as you are not. If you have hurt another person (and who has not?) own your behavior. Make what amends you can, offer your failings to God, and move forward with a sincere resolve to live from the honesty of your heart.

A simple I'm sorry may be the only healing needed, although an apology is meaningless unless it is heartfelt; otherwise, you are likely to repeat the same hurtful behaviors. Real change happens in the heart. When you realize how much someone can be hurt by your words or tone of voice, you naturally refrain from deliberate sarcasm, insults, and anger, as well as hurtful lies, deceits, and unkind actions.

A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: SEEING

During this next month you are invited to practice seeing everything as a color. This is the simple practice of seeing, without judging or trying to control what you see, trusting that if a color needs to be changed, God will provide the means. If you see only blue, perhaps God will bring red, and then you can have red and blue, from which purple can be created too! 

If you find your mind condemning and criticizing the colors before you, please remember that the mind is not very artistic. The mind is not a true artist at all! True art happens. True art flows from God. This does not mean that the mind is not useful and necessary. Learning any art, from painting to gardening, can take years of study, discipline, and practice. Discipline and practice make it possible to ignore distractions and become one with creation—this is true art: intelligence working in tandem with heart.

NEW LESSONS POSTED

Good Morning! Well, here in Jamestown, NY it is time for oatmeal with raisons, ground flax, chia seeds, almond milk, and honey. I usually like nuts too, but I ran out. At home I roll my own oats, but I can't carry my oat roller everywhere. One of the best things about living where I do in California is that seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables are available year round at the local farmer's markets. I find it uplifting just to walk through an outdoor market!