Garden
The Quiet Garden of Forgiveness
Love, too, would set a feast before you, on a table covered with a spotless cloth, set in a quiet garden where no sound but singing and a softly joyous whispering is ever heard. T-19.IV.A.16:1
“There is a garden at the foot of this lovely statue with masses and masses of soft white lilies and little paths between to slowly walk and talk with Jesus. There is a fountain nearby and the forever trickling sound of water reminds us to leave the desert of wrong-minded thinking.” (Winnie)
Forgiveness is truly at the heart of the practice of A Course In Miracles. All of us have had moments of shifting our perception of a difficult situation, and finding peace. On this page I offer you the space to tell us about the stories that have stayed in your mind, times when you felt a real change occur in the way you were looking at a problem or upset. Maybe you were encountering aggressiveness in somone, or were being judged and belittled. Perhaps it was a loved one who had left you, or even a pet that had died. Or maybe there was fear, a threat in your life to you or to a loved one. In all these situations, at one time or another you have found peace beyond the pain, release from shame and sadness, and comfort and freedom in their place. There was always a presence there with you, the company of one who loves you and guides you to see differently. If you have had moments of finding that clear presence, please share it with us here.
A little more technically speaking, these would be moments when you reversed the projection and saw that the problem was not outside you, but with you, your perceptions and thoughts. A sudden moment of clarity perhaps when you saw that the upset was having pushed Love away, and not really what was happening outside you. Or perhaps it was just a moment when despite the upset or problem, you felt safely accompanied and that helped you remain unaffected by the problem, to get a little distance from it.
Please try to write concisely if your story requires a lot of explaining (and teach me something about brevity!). Also, please try to share from the heart and not from the head. It is always nice to hear the simple sincerity behind these inspiring stories.
Happy Birthday roses for you Nina —]–@ .. —]–@ and warm hugs too.
Hugs to EVERYONE!! Lawrence, you’re amazing. You are There and Here at the same time, a wonderful inspiration. And you write beautifully.
And Happy Birthday, Nina! All my blessings and much love.
Hope you’re all well, and if not, that you are able to keep smiling in some part of your mind, just like brother Lawrence. Our dream is not always pleasant, but at least it is always just a dream. Our reality still awaits us, and a certain extraordinary Love is still present for us.
aloha
here we all are in this lovely garden
so much caring and sharing going on while I was away
lawrence … simply beautiful … pure experience
nina and bernard birthdays … hope all had fun and happy celebrations
while visiting maui and lanai we got the dolphin escort on our boat … which is always sooo delightful
they just appear out in the ocean and love to play and surf the bow of the boat
it was a fabulous adventure
this garden is a wonderful gathering place
mahalo
Happy belated birthday, Bernard and Nina!
And thanks so much, Nina, for the reminder about roles. It has been very helpful today, when I seemed to be hit by a wave of depression. I just need to remember and be willing to step out of that false identification.
Hiya family, thanks for my b-day wishes! It was a nice day and in the evening we had one of our Course talks organized. The title was “One mind, seven billion faces”. It was a lovely evening, and afterward Pat served us all a scrumptious pear and almond cake with apple cider, with one candle in the middle. Nothing like a One-ness b-day cake! Just like at one of our Village gatherings. Yum.
And a belated happy birthday to Nina!! Hope you had a sweet day, too.
Dearest Villagers, I keep meaning to send this out to all of you. This is a powerful forgiveness prayer that Nouk Sanchez says Jesus gave to her to help undo unconscious guilt (which is always unconscious self-attack):
“Spirit, please help me to forgive myself for using _______ (person, pain, sickness, depression, financial scarcity, anger, self doubt, etc..) to attack myself and to separate from You as my Holy Self.”
This prayer has been very helpful to me, and I hope it is for you as well.
A Tale of Two Grudges
Earlier this year, I read a news article which reminded me of an incident from my childhood and the lessons that the event taught me. The following is about a teenage memory of mine and the news article which prompted me to remember it.
One of my weekly chores, at 16 years of age, was to drive the family car from my parent’s home to my maternal grandfather’s farm and then drive my grandfather to a town, every Saturday, to do his shopping. My grandfather was 83 years old at the time and he could no longer see well enough to drive himself. During the 30 mile trip we would usually talk about what was going on in his life.
During one Saturday’s trip to town, he told me the following story: It seems that grandfather trusted a neighbor to take care of one of his horses for him. The friend then sold the horse without my grandfather’s knowledge or permission; the neighbor then kept the money from the sale. This caused a huge rift between him and his former friend.
As grandfather told the story to me, the angrier he became; it was obvious to me that this incident was very important to him. As we discussed the situation, I felt myself becoming angry too and felt the beginnings of resentment toward this man whom I didn’t know. I was protective of my elderly grandfather and wanted to correct this wrong. I began asking grandfather questions about the situation while trying to come up with things that we could do to correct this injustice.
Due to my questions, my grandfather gradually filled out the details of the story. The full story was: grandfather had asked a friend of his to take care of his horse while he was off to war and the friend had sold the horse while he was gone. My grandfather was a veteran of World War I. The incident had taken place over 59 years before the time that he told me the story.
Grandfather had told me the story with such passion that it lead me to believe that the situation had taken place during the last week. Almost immediately, after I got the time frame, I realized that the event had taken place long before I was born (43 years); it was then that the silliness of the resentment struck me.
The news article, that brought the memory to my mind about my grandfather, was about a 73 year old man in South Dakota, U.S.A. The man was sentenced to prison for a murder, which took place earlier this year, of a high school classmate of his. The reason that the man gave for the murder was a grudge that started from a locker room incident that happened in the late 1950’s. In other words, the article was about a 50 year-old plus grudge that lead a man to commit a murder for which he was sentenced to prison. The murderer said that he couldn’t let go of the 50 year old memory, drove to himself to the former classmate’s home, asked the ex-classmate his name because he didn’t recognize him, and then shot the man with a gun thus killing him.
The morals of the two tales: Both stories are about young men (the man in the news article was in his late teens and my grandfather was 24) when they began their grudges. The stories are also about two older men who had chosen to hang on to the grudges for over 50 years apiece. A resentment/grudge can last as long as you want it to. Both men paid dearly for their grudges in the form of the mental anguish that they caused themselves for decades.
This is also a tale of a half-of-a-grudge. My pseudo-grudge, that began and ended during the telling of my grandfather’s tale, and the lessons that I learned from it. I was well on my way to creating a grudge of my own when I realized that it was silly to be angry over something that happened almost 60 years ago. It is much easier to look at other people’s grudges and call them silly or an over-reaction than to look at ones own grudges as silly because they don’t feel silly – they feel deeply personal. This pseudo-grudge of mine just felt silly at the time so it was easy to release.
I remember this incident, from over 35 years ago, because of the strong emotions that I was feeling on the behalf of my grandfather and my reaction inside myself when I realized that my perception was off. After some thought, I recognized that the anger, resentment, and release of them were of my own making; they had nothing to do with the physical events that happened to my grandfather.
All of my grandparents were teachers of mine. My maternal grandfather taught me a lot about anger and resentment/grudges. He was one of the angriest, grumpiest, cantankerous, and unhappiest people that I have ever met. By his example, I was shown how to be angry, how to create a grudge about almost anything, and how to hold on to it. What his tale taught me, due to my reactions to it, was where grudges come from (in my own mind) and that the solution to the grudge is to change in my own perception of it (what we students of ACIM define as forgiveness).
aloha holy fool
mahalo for sharing such rich tales of wisdom and superb examples of paths in life
somehow always easier to see better choices and paths when they are in someone else’s life
truly appreciate your taking the time effort and energy to write these stories out ….
they resonate deeply
so many different perspectives and insights
mahalo mahalo mahalo
so thankful to you
♡
~~~~~~~~
today my travels begin
am leaving my island home to return to the mainland
will be weird to see all my stuff … a whole house full of ‘my stuff’
have been gone almost a year and a half from a world that was my home
will be traveling for 3 weeks then back here again
california and brazil then back to hawaii
all beautiful places
all wonderful
blessings to all
♡
HolyFool, thank you so much.I am in the process of looking through the “me” and see how much grudged keep the “me” staying and going. So much justification-feelings, not letting the other off the hook – until I remember, it is only our perception of the situation we are asked to forgive, not the acts.
And fools…aren’t we all, thinking this person is real and important …thank you for visiting, hope you’re staying –
hugs
Nina
Sending so much love to Lawrence right NOW – meaning, I just connect with you herenow in my heart
Nina, and fellow villagers I should have gotten back to posting sooner. I see the big picture, too big most of the time, and most of the time when I do this time fly’s. Sharon and I are trying to buy a home so there is a lot of craziness in our everyday. Land lord still plans on kicking us out from where we have been for 13 years now.
We are ready mentally but there is a lot of stuff, not the least of which is finding a home we can afford and that we like. I will be back.
God bless us every One
lawrence
Dear Lawrence, that seems that you are back from the hospital after the unconsciousness. Seeing the both of you – and the landlord – held in complete Peace, while playing out a crazy script.
Warm loving hugs and blessings for the process –
Nina
The Adventures of Larry and Sharon #3 The Ambulance Ride. #1 is Post 835, #2 is Post 842.
I heard her saying “don’t leave me I need you”, my one true love Sharon was calling to me and slowly I found my way back to her. I was in a dream I state. I seemed to think and react to things in slow motion. The first to respond to the 911 call were two firemen, they kept asking me if I had hit my head. Sharon, as well as Corey and his girlfriend Carrie fielded all questions. That’s not to say I wasn’t answering them, but we of course had different perspectives.
Right across the street from Corey’s is West Penn Hospital, a respected hospital, but I wanted to go to Shadyside Hospital because we had history. I was born there, my mother worked there back in the day, and an older brother died from Leukemia as a child there, and most of my doctors are there. It was close by just a neighborhood or so away. I was thinking time apparently wasn’t operating for me on same level as others. Everything was going in slow motion, but even so I felt everything was normal enough under the circumstances. I was trying to stall a little, their taking me down to the awaiting ambulance. I wanted to be able to leave under my own power. The steps were steep with sharp turns and no way was I going to let them try and carry me down as long as I was conscious. I could tell they didn’t want to go that route either.
I stood up and got my bearings as best I could and then two of the men grabbed me under the arms and we got started on our journey. It broke my heart to see Sharon and Corey so upset and I was touched though saddened by Carrie being so obviously upset and sad as well. I told Sharon not to worry too much and that I loved her and would beat what ever this turns out to be. She has seen me in life and death situations before, but this was the most scared I had ever seen her. Corey was taking all this in and what registered on his face I think was helplessness. He had been ready to do CPR but I was still breathing slightly. He of course was scared too but I could tell he wanted to help in some way. Poor Carrie not being part of the family hadn’t gone through anything like this before. She was the last person I saw right before starting down the steps. She looked scared for me, for all of us. I was being almost carried by the two gents to the stairs. Carrie was standing back a little by the top of the steps. I turned my head and told her not to worry I wasn’t planning to go anywhere anytime soon, not counting my soon to be ride to the emergency room.
The walk down the steps played out like one of those scenes in the movies where someone comes too after being knocked out, everything was a little askew. I had a slightly blurred and wavy reality situation going on which made the steps quite the challenge. It was dark outside but it seemed very bright with the red lights of the fire engine and ambulance going full tilt, and the street lights adding their glow. I had an audience of onlookers wondering of course what all the commotion was about. It was about little old me, but not really. It was just another scene in another movie in which I had the staring role.
I entered the ambulance and was soon put on an IV Fluid. I complemented the paramedic for it not hurting. Folks have a hard time finding my veins because my veins have a tendency to role, which means they have to stick me a lot of times. I complemented him too soon I guess because my blood was soon running down my arm and to the floor. I was fascinated by this and just watched it without saying anything. But they soon saw it and remedied the situation. They asked me what medicines I was on and what operations etc. I had in the past. I took two separate pieces of paper out of my back pocket and gave it to them. One of the papers had a list of medicines I was on and when I took them. There were 13 meds.14 if you count the Nitrostate as needed and 14 operations and or treatments that were pertinent. They just shook their heads and we all smiled at the unreality of it all.
The ambulance came from Homewood, a gangland section of the cityI. So, I got me some experienced paramedics. I told them they were my home boys because I had history with Homewood. I found myself thinking of Homewood an older section of the city of Pittsburgh and one of the most if not the most violent sections. I remember gathering buckeyes that had fallen from the numerous trees that boarded Westinghouse park. I would break open their green spiky hides to find the buckeye treasure inside. I filled up my wagon with hundreds of them. They would usually stay on the back porch in paper bags for a month or two until my dad got tired of seeing them and then they ended up in the trash. I had a lot of good memories from there, this was in the 50’s. I also remember my next door neighbor and babysitter was kidnapped and found in a closet a few days later. She was alive but who really knew what she experienced. The good and the bad, always one or the other it seemed. I found myself thinking of that saying “Nothing is Good or Bad but thinking makes it so”.
The neighborhood where Corey lives is just a few blocks from where my Grandfathers house is. He of course is long gone but he lives fondly in my memory. He was a WWI veteran, having just left Ireland not long before the start of what they call “The Great War”. He was a stretcher-bearer, rescuing the wounded. My thoughts were all over the place. I think I thought of Pap Pap as we kids called him because he too rescued the wounded. It didn’t take long for us to get to the ER. I had told Sharon to ride with Corey and his girlfriend Carrie. I didn’t want to scare her anymore than she already was. I stepped out of the ambulance with the help of my new friends. I noticed that my blood was actually dripping from the side door way where I exited.
I had two people escort me to the actual emergency room. They probably thought I was nuts when they saw me left up one foot set it down and then lift up the other. I was looking to see if I was tracking my blood on the floor. I was brought up right and didn’t want to start on the wrong foot with the two nurses and doctor I saw before me.
Nuff said for now.
The Garden has been unvisited all year, so I thought I would set down my morning thoughts in its cool shade….
This morning as I did my daily reading of the Course, Chapter 9, Section VII, I stumbled upon, suddenly, how deeply I perceived myself to be unloving. It was unexpected, and the tears rushed to my eyes, as I found myself agreeing with the Text, :: If you choose to see yourself as unloving, you will not be happy. You are condemning yourself, and therefore seeing yourself as inadequate ::
And I realized that this is the belief I held of myself deep down. I have condemned myself for all my “sins” of omission and commission – for acts of hatred, and non-loving, for my not being there when I was required to be there. I have judged myself as guilty and buried the guilt deep.
The Holy Spirit does not accept any of these as my perception of myself, because the Holy Spirit’s accurate perception of me, of what I truly am, is so lofty that he cannot be deceived by whatever it is that I do.
:: The Truth about you is so lofty that nothing unworthy of God is worthy of you ::
Thank you
Lovely, Anil. Many thanks for this contribution, this lily, laid down in our garden.
I have no idea what Nina and Tex are ranking about ! (:
But that’s ok… I have been out of The out-crowd before ! (:
Happy Easter everyone ! The garden looks beautiful !!
and Bernardo bro …..
Love your long posta since returning. I want to responde át. Length later.
Peace is ….
Anil
Two typos （do not like apple iPod innovations of auto correct !!!!
1. Writing ( not ranking)
2. Incrowd (not Outcrowd !! )
(:
Peace .
Still is…
Love.
anil
Anil, Nina and Tex are just enjoying their play with silly words. Incrowd? where is it? inside the Tavern? come out – there’s such a wonderful Easter morning outside –
peace is
loved the easter eggs hidden in the garden … thank you easter bunny (nina)
the one I found was bright yellow with lots of colorful polka dots … and then it burst open and played the song ‘it’s a wonderful world’ .. the IZ version that has it mixed with over the rainbow
yes, anil, the auto correct does what it wants … and can be funny
one time I wrote ‘mahalo’ and it changed it to navajo
it changes lots of the hawaiian words into other words … have to watch it allll the time!!
love walking around this lovely garden … I see some other eggs hiding too!
happy easter … lovely lilies … spring blossoms all around
Peggy, Nina..
Thx for the notes ! (: I think I understand better now (:
Nina, you’re right. the Tavern is where I was, but the garden is brilliantly beautiful as always (:
Peggy, I figured out another reason for the typos … My darling wife ( but she dislikes the word ‘darling’) has her language setting on her iPod set to Portugeuse. Only fair since she is from Brazil.
Now, I have my own iPad mini, (on which I am posting this)… Hopefully goodbye to typos, hah ! (:
Happy April 1st to all ! (:
Love,
Anil
Anybody been fooled today – any more than any other day, I mean?
I read an awesome quote (on FB) today:
“Treat others as they would like to be treated!”
And I thought – WOW!
So simple…. so true….
LOVE TO ALL
Aaah, Nina.
You must have just written this. 25 minutes ago ! Good morning, although a gather a bit later than morning for you. I was just thinking about you as I did my reading of the Course. (I had stopped for the last few days with travel, etc).
[Chapter 11 – Section titled (The dynamics of the Ego), in case anyone is interested. Very neat section. Brilliant. But Jesus was always so. Brilliant in every sense of the term !! (:]
I in a very peppy mood this morning. Back in Brazil after a great trip to Singapore. Really missed my son and my wife (yes, I know special relationships and all that jazz, but hey, what the heck ! (:
I end the Way Nina started and ended.
LOVE TO ALL.
The garden is quiet this late Saturday afternoon. April 6th in Brazil and a family barbecue casually cooking in the background. I read something really moving from one of my favorite ACIM authors, and I retreat to the silence so I can contemplate, mull it over and pray….
dear God,
“The world seems so real – so dense and interwoven. Parts of it are so lovely, you can’t imagine giving them up. Parts are so horrifying, we can’t even allow ourselves to think about them. ”
Into this confusing situation, you have sent a Voice that speaks for You.
I pray that I may have the presence of mind to remember to turn to this Voice no matter what is happening to me or in me. With my Friend by my side, I pray that I gather up the courage to reach out for the veil covers the face of Christ.
Amen.
Bernard Your Poem “One Perfect Thought” describes perfectly where I am this week. Lovely piece of writing.
***********************************
“But be it known far and wide, that all is forgiven always in the Village!”
– Lawrence, July 19th, 2011
***********************************
I came to the Garden this restless and painful July 1st morning (in the East), searching for an old Lawrence quote that was triggered as I read the The Obstacles to Peace (text 19.4).
I read through the posts of May June July of a decade gone by, 2011 in earthly time, and wave after wave of love friendship and beauty flowed over me, knocked me down, got in my eyes, made me cry.
Such is the gift of Love, this Village and its inhabitants.
***********************************
“But be it known far and wide, that all is forgiven always in the Village!”
– Lawrence, July 19th, 2011
***********************************
***** Just Sit There *****
Just sit there right now
Don’t do a thing. Just rest.
For your separation from God
Is the hardest work in the world.
Let me bring you trays of food
And something
That you like to drink.
You can use my words
As a cushion
For your head.
Hafiz.
hafiz you are my beloved
hafiz you have been with me always
hafiz you are love
mahalo for your gifts of love
any day that starts with hafiz showing up in the garden is gonna be good!
my morning walk was filled with happy holy encounters
morning snorkel adventure had turtles, eels, fish of every size shape and color
hafiz … what a joy to have you appear in the garden
share more any time
” Just sit there right now
Don’t do a thing. Just rest.
For your separation from God
Is the hardest work in the world.”
I will go to bed with those thoughts
Thanks, Hafiz
please post again
When i read your words, something inside starts to laugh and laugh and pats its round belly
Sitting around in the garden – thinking …..
There is a line in the course that says “…lead not your little life in solitude with one illusion as your only friend…..” (T26 VI 2)
It just occurred to me that I have no idea what this means!
What is the one illusion? The dream? THE dream?
Stuck on words here – any ideas?
Thanks
Texy
I think: one illusion as your only friend is the belief that our separate ego identity is who we are. That is keeping us perceiving the life in solitude, isolated from our fullness with our mighty companions.
Whatcha’ think?
Hugs to all, Katrina
hi Tex – I would say the Illusion of the Ego/The World, etc, etc
Could be any word really that is synomous with that *thought* of separation.
The one the resonates most with you.
Love,
Anil
to Tex..
Thought itself is the one illusion, not the things we think but the attraction of thinking, anything. I think therefore I am.
richard
The one illusion is that we think we are separate from God at all, if you think that, all is illusion until to it is not. When it is not, it is true experience and nothing else is needed, until then eat drink and be merry. As Hafiz has said separation is our hardest work in all it’s forms.
I have gone a little over board I think in telling of my woes etc. But I wish to tell you they found a mass in my throat recently. I will be having a CT scan next week to see what we can see. It is all rather surreal to me and I found out right before Kaitlyn’s wedding. I must tell you it was beautiful, and she and her husband are now off to turkey to do it again.
They had a Quaker wedding and I was one of the speakers. Following is my little speech. It isn’t too good but no one complained so I guess it isn’t too bad.
“One of the primary purposes of marriage is the partnership and companionship it brings. When God created us, the scripture says, we were fearfully and wonderfully made, (See Psalms 139:14). Part of our make up I believe is; That God did not create us to be alone. We were specifically wired for this companionship. A quote from Genesis states, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help mate for him.” (See Genesis 2:18).
It seems maybe this yearning we seem to have for companionship is part of our spiritual DNA. I believe spirit designed the partnership of marriage to fulfill that yearning. This, is what many believe to be a divinely inspired partnership, to strengthen us in ways that words cannot aptly express or define.
But people of all faiths have been harassed and even killed in large numbers for their beliefs The Massachusetts Bay colony Friends were banished on pain of death. A woman preacher by the name of Mary Dyer was hanged on Boston Common for returning to preach her beliefs. William Penn founded the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide a safe place for Friends to live and practice their faith. I guess I always have known that but kinda of forgotten it over the years.
Quakers find compatibility in their longing for spiritual understanding and in their desire to understand the workings of the natural world. Many Quakers have been leaders in science, including some who have won the Nobel Prize in a variety of fields. We understand that people evolved over the years, and we stand in awe of the creation. Many Quakers feel called to help protect and heal the world that they feel blessed to inhabit.
We need to remember God didn’t create Religion, man did. When it comes to our search for God It isn’t what we know or are taught, but rather what we experience in our search that brings us nearer; an experience, for example, something as simple as when we help some one for no reason other than they appear to need it. Truly It is not what we know but what we experience that speaks volumes. You don’t have to believe in God for God to believe in you. One of the terms the Quakers use when speaking of God is “The Inner Light”. That resonates with me.
The famous saxophonist Issac Stern once said: ”The music is the silence between the notes” I think in that vane God is the silence between our thinking. God is pure experience. This experience can take many forms, but for myself and many others, God is simply and profoundly Love. And that is why we are here today, to celebrate this Love as it manifests in the companionship and joining of Yigit Manguch and Kaitlyn Wittig. There is no doubt that this is a discerning and varied group of friends and family gathered here today with many different belief systems and religions. Such is the world we made.
But in all cultures marriage is a time of celebration and love. May we all find it in our hearts to strengthen their bond by strengthening ours and supporting them in all they do. God is Love, I cannot say that enough. And no matter your faith or lack there of, I firmly believe we return to Source, we return to God ultimately, we return to Love Eternal..
And this also is my belief that Yigit and Kaitlyn are about to enter into a marraige that will be full of love, and that love will and has I believe moved us all one step closer to our true selves for it has a vibration all its own.
Jesus is considered the son of God by many. I have come to believe that Jesus was a man who remembered who he was and saw the Christ in every one he met, and he remembered who he was. He came to teach us this, that we could do the same, and also see our brothers and sisters in the same light. He came to teach us how to live not how to die. Yigit and Kaitlyn are two of the most interesting, intelligent caring people I know, And I know that they are truly in Love.
God acknowledges them in truth and in love. When we love we are always home, and home is where the heart is. Let us rejoice and celebrate, that this day has come, and after much hard work and humble beginnings they have truly found each other and that we share and witness this special moment in time.”
Kaitlyn and I and my wife Sharon are all cancer survivors. This was one of the only weddings I have been to where I believe every one there wanted to be there, spirit seemed to move us all that night and I felt blessed and watched over. I am sorry for the length of this but I needed to touch base with my spiritual friends.
Anil you are blessed in so many ways and I believe in you as do all the villagers. Look deep within yourself my brother and you will find the light you need, it is always there. Nina I am very proud of you and promise to read your book. Katrina and Tex, Peggy, Richard and Hafiz how nice to see you all. Please send good vibes my way for I have miles to go before I sleep.
God bless us every One
Papa Lawrence
Papa Lawrence ! That was a splendid read. A beautiful speech indeed. Kaitlyn and Yigit are now close to where I am in Berlin (or so I think – my geography is rusty, but certainly Turkey must be close to where I am now (:
Tex – thanks for asking that question. It brought so many of us here for a little Garden party to celebrate the Wittig-Manguc nuptials !
Love,
Anil
ps. Papa Lawrence – thanks for the kind words re: my spiritual quest at this moment. I am deep, and going deeper still. There is always some turmoil in that, the resistance shows up and does not budge, but eventually the clouds do part ! (:
Papa – you are a little younger than me but still our Papa – and the home is where the heart is
When you have walked that mile, we are all here with you on the coach, hanging out, remembering who we are, forgiving all dreams
thank you for reading my book. I like it much better as paperbook than e-book.
peace
Nina
<3
I love you all!
{{{Tex}}} – i felt that
Dearest Village ~
Anil’s Prayer, Peggy’s Beach walking meditation, and Lawrence’s welcoming everyone into the Union speech at the wedding, Hafiz’s visit, Nina’s publication, Tex’s question with all the right answers provided, Tex and Anil’s love exchange…all so deeply beautiful.
❤Really loved your prayer Anil ❤
dear God,
“The world seems so real – so dense and interwoven. Parts of it are so lovely, you can’t imagine giving them up. Parts are so horrifying, we can’t even allow ourselves to think about them. ”
Into this confusing situation, you have sent a Voice that speaks for You.
I pray that I may have the presence of mind to remember to turn to this Voice no matter what is happening to me or in me. With my Friend by my side, I pray that I gather up the courage to reach out for the veil covers the face of Christ.
Amen.
Papa Lawrence ~
That was the very most beautiful and all encompassing of the highest truths made so personal for the gathering. all that you said about marriage and what it means, how you felt about what Kaitlyn and Yigit have and are to each other and all of you. Really and truly so beautifully thought out, and given in the moment of you being her father with Sharon looking on. I hope it was video taped. I send the love you invoked and me and all of us here to you to buoy you as you deal with this new health issue in your throat. I wish the love expressed with it at the wedding working in conjunction with your vocal cords absorb the joy and truth and light and make a miraculous exit of the problem.
Love to all
{{{Eveyone}}}
Michele, you are too kind, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Tex, I felt the love you sent and Pam I felt yours as well, given to all of us for it is the glue that keeps us together. Anil, Michele was right in quoting you and this quote will become my mantra “With my Friend by my side, I pray that I gather up the courage to reach out for the veil covers the face of Christ.”
This is what we all struggle with and a turning point in our spiritual growth to be sure. I think it is but a mirror we are afraid to look in, for if we see ourselves we will not think ourselves worthy, but we are truly one with Christ and thus worthy. I struggle with this every day and it is more intense now with my mind thinking the worst of my new situation. But, in the real quiet moments what I said in my speech ” The famous saxophonist Issac Stern once said: ”The music is the silence between the notes” I think in that vane God is the silence between our thinking.
Let us not beat ourselves up too much for what we perceive as a lack of understanding or a perceived sin that stands in our way. The only thing that stands in our way is the belief in our separation from God. May the clouds of our doubt turn into the cleansing rains of our tears and become the eternal love that ever surrounds us.
I love you all. The Village is larger than the names that appear here for the silent ones give us strength to go on. God bless you all.
And God bless us every one
Papa lawrence
ÃℑΩ♔♛☼☆☀❅♛❅❅ÃℑΩ♔♛Tomorrow is Annie’s BirthdayÃℑΩ♔♛❅♛❅❅☀晴☆☼♛♔ΩℑÃ
Winnie,Ruth Anne and Pam style Refreshments in the Garden, followed by massages with healing balms whilst celestial harmonies fill the air gently…
ÃℑΩ♔♛☼☆☀❅♛❅❅ÃℑΩ♔♛We Love you AnnieÃℑΩ♔♛☼☆☀❅♛❅❅ÃℑΩ♔♛
I will be there for sure. Hugs and kisses to Annie
Hello and Good Morning my Village family this is Annie using Ninjanuns computer here in Temecula.
I was greeted this morning with a birthday card placed secretly sometime in the night in my guest bathroom. I purposely didn’t let on that my birthday was this weekend. So when Jean awoke …I asked “how did you remember?” I guess you wrote it down I said. Jean replied, “no- you have two birthday wishes in the Village!”
So this card placed lovely among the guest towels is Bright Yellow with a little monkey swinging down from a vine…Jean wrote the letters Annie coming out of his mouth and below that the card reads LOVE YOU.
Thank you for extending the Love.
Yesterdays class at the Foundation was about Protecting our Projections. Ken wanted to remind us that Jesus is this small little man sitting just
behind our right ear wanting to tell us a joke. But we keep sushing him-putting up our defenses.
All He wants to do is tell us this One joke…He waits patiently.
It was about a half an hour or more into the lecture when he finally shared the joke with us.
You wanna hear? Of “Course” you do.
It is a joke to think that time could come to circumvent eternity./
ROTFLMAO (not)
But one day it will be hilarious.
Basically-Nothing Happened!
Signing off from Temecula, California
All my Best,
Now I’ve gotta hit the road and head back home.
Annie
Tex, I am on my way for a CT Scan and I had to send this “B” Day horoscope to my old friend. We love you girl, may it be all that you wish it to be.
The Year Ahead
Forecast for August 2013 to August 2014
If You Were Born Today, August 19:
You are a big dreamer, and while you can worry and fret quite a bit in your youth, as you gain experience and connect with your inner code and spirituality, you become wise and more content. You are not always easy for others to understand! However, you do understand others instinctively. Your intuition is nothing short of outstanding. Even so, your mind is highly analytical. You are sensitive and warm, and a bit of a perfectionist. You dream big dreams, and sometimes are quite discontented with everyday realities. You can stretch the truth sometimes as a result. A natural leader, you tend to enjoy being the first to do new things. You have personal charisma, and whatever you do, your individuality shines through. You tend to attract hardworking, ambitious, and loyal partners into your life. Famous people born today: Coco Chanel, Matthew Perry, Bill Clinton, John Stamos, Gene Roddenberry, Tammin Sursok, Jonathan Frakes.
Your Birthday Year Forecast:
This year, you can feel that your spiritual and material goals harmonize or at least don’t get in each other’s way. Circumstances and your own attitudes facilitate following through on your dreams or turning your visions and ideals into reality. Combining imagination and effort is successful now. There can be a sense that your dreams are realizable, and you can build stronger faith and acceptance.
You have a strong capacity to dedicate yourself to things you hold dear this year, and particularly to a creative vision. Your ideas and plans are especially big and far-reaching right now.
This is a good year for learning and communications. You are able to find new insight into old problems, and your thinking processes during this period are likely to be especially original. This is also a good year for projects involving technology or New Age topics. You may find more opportunities to attend meetings and other organized group activities, to communicate online, and to take part in activities involving computers, science, or metaphysics. Relationships with younger people in your life are rewarding. A subject or even a person can be especially inspiring, prompting you to explore new perspectives.
Fortunately, you have an eye for detail so that even as inspired and imaginative as you can be during this period of your life, you are able to match these things with hard work and dedication, as well as practicality. You may frequently be turned to for advice or asked to speak about important, serious matters.
You might also benefit from publishing, higher education, foreign affairs, and travel this year. This is a year in which you are likely to find many opportunities to expand your horizons and to take on a new perspective. It’s a strong period for life and learning experiences.
This should be a strong year for new learning endeavors, awards and rewards for completed projects, communications, and new life experiences. Your cooperative attitude helps you to succeed across all life departments. You are thinking in big terms, but also willing to put in the effort to work towards your goals.
2013 is a Number Six year for you. Ruled by Venus. This is a year of relative contentment. It is a time when love is the easiest to attract, and partnerships formed under this vibration have a better chance for longevity. You are able to attract others, and material things as well, this year. This is a good year for establishing harmony in the family and in the home. Advice – develop existing relationships, be positive and receptive because these kinds of energies help you to attract what you desire.
2014 will be a Number Seven year for you. Ruled by Neptune. This is a year of preparation, chance, and refinement. It is not a time of dramatic changes. Instead, it’s a year when reflection on the past is helpful, and when refinements to your life path should be made. It’s a good year to study and analyze. Unexpected twists to your life story and “chance” meetings are probable. Advice – take stock of your life in order to prepare for more exciting years to come, examine the past and plan for the future, get in touch with your deepest needs and uncover your personal power, don’t strain yourself or actively try to expand.
Papa Lawrence
I love you Annie -even if I am a day late!
Did anyone see the movie Elysium? Sorta kinda Course like…