STEERING BY STARLIGHT

"Just another self help book," some would say. To me this is a little gem and has impacted my life greatly in the past few weeks! It is almost like magic and reinforces the idea that we can live our life to our fullest potential. This book will get anyone who is stuck between a rock and a hard place or has hit rock bottom, back on their feet, if not ready to fly.

Martha starts with "THE END", her idea behind this approach is that when you seek to fulfill your destiny the best way to succeed is to begin at the end. She guides you through several processes to clean and clear your mind. "Digging out of the Dungeon" for example entails a rigorous trashing of false beliefs. "The Ring of Fire" takes this exercise to the next level, by leaning into the fire and basically burning more "emotional trash". She steers you through each emotional process towards your core of peace.

Martha is very funny and sensitive, she shares many personal stories to illustrate her teachings. Just as I started to read it again, I began to experience the result of finding my "soul's referred occupation", last week I received a $2000 scholarship for a 3 day workshop Publishing and Writing. Martha: "I exist in perpetual creative response to whatever is present."

Martha calls the inner restrictive voice a "lizard" and asks her clients to picture their reptile vividly. May I introduce you to my little green lizard called Bo, when she's afraid I don't have enough money she cries BOO!

"By the time you finish this book, you should be able to identify and dissolve most of your mind clouds that keep you from seeing your own North Star." Even if you are not a self-help book fan, this might be the first self-help book you'll enjoy reading. Steering by Starlight is not for the faint at heart but for those that believe in the magic of life.

"The world is re-created in every instant of time, and this moment is always your life's beginning." (from her friend Marianna)

Be well, Mo

THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE

The Time Traveler's Wife movie came out just as I had finished reading the book. I wondered, "should I see the movie or stay with my great reading experience?" At first Henry and Clare Detamble look like a normal couple living in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Henry works at a Library and Clare is an artist. The characters are very "real" people, described with great love and detail. The cruel reality is that Henry is a prisoner of time traveling. It sweeps him back and forth (without being able to direct it), from the present to the past, with no regard for where he is or what he is doing.

It drops him naked and vulnerable into another date and place, where his sudden naked appearance often gets him in trouble. The first time Clare Detamble saw Henry being dropped stark naked into her parents' meadow was when she was only six. Henry was always the perfect gentleman and gave young Clare nothing but his friendship as he switched in and out of her life. She knew that Henri would become her husband and waited with great anticipation for that day to arrive.

The events are sequenced in such a way that you still witness each character's growth as a person, as well as discover many surprises along the way. Clare and Henry's story is a great love story. This book also addresses questions about the appropriateness of gene therapy, and the essence of being human. I could not stop reading this story and immediately accepted the time travel aspect completely, this only proves how well written this book is.

XOMO

THE PLACES THAT SCARE YOU

A few months ago I promised myself to do at least one scary thing every week. When I found "The Places That Scare You" I thought this book could be a scary thing as well. The subtitle: "A guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times" became the missing dot on the "i" I had been looking for. Most people have a hard time these days, I lost my job in June of this year and there are no more savings left. We lost our house in foreclosure. we had our piece of this sour, overcooked, bad economy pie.

What I've learned (and became more aware of) from Pema Chödrön is that you still have a choice. You can let the circumstances harden you, upset you, make you bitter, resentful and afraid, but you can also use it (welcome it!) as a tool to grow and become stronger. Until now, I've always had a hard time to grasp the concept that we are one, I just could not "believe" that I am part of others and they are part of me, certainly not the extreme figures that terrorize our planet.

But when she describes the process of training in the three difficulties (part of the "lojong slogans") she hit a string in me that was never touched before: "...we could recognize that there are millions who are feeling the way we are..." I "know" now I am part of all because what I can feel and think is what others can feel and think. I wish for myself to be free of confusion and limiting habitual reactions.

Recognizing my own confusion with compassion makes it possible to extend that compassion to others who are equally confused. The practice of Bodhichitta (Chitta means 'mind' and also 'heart' or 'attitude'. Bodhi means 'awake', enlightened' or completely open'.) provides us all with tremendous insight, clarity, and peace. "Even at times when we feel most stuck, we are never alienated from the awakened state." Buddha

"Those who train in awakening unconditional and relative bdhichitta are called bodhisattvas or warriors (nonagressive), these are men and women who are willing to train in the middle of the fire. Training in the middle of fire can mean that warrior bodhisattvas enter challenging situations in order to alleviate suffering." This connects directly to an aspect that Martha Beck describes in her book "Steering by Starlight", she calls it "the ring of fire". I'll get back to that in a next posting.

"In joy and sorrow all are equal,
Thus be guardian of all, as of yourself."
Shantideva

All is well, MO

GOT TIME?

PFFFF! I have so much to do...and I love it! I am working on a new very exciting website, logo's for my new businesses, jewelry for my shop YOXOMO at Etsy.com, writing articles for my 5 blogs and currently reading 6 books!

So hopefully I'll have several new book reviews for you in the coming days and weeks. I am reading: The Places That Scare You by Pema Chödrön, Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, Teaching Meditation to Children by David Fontana and Ingrid Slack, and The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain. In case you were wondering: yes I always read several books at the same time, one by one of course! :-)

EAT THIS NOT THAT?

I know it's kind of a challenge to push your cart, read your shopping list, hold on to your coupons while trying to keep your child entertained and choose the best food possible. Well this guide might be your best shopping assistant. I bought Eat this Not That including the version for children and my 6 year old (oops 6.5 year old) started to "read" it right away and assists me now during shopping telling me we should not buy this cereal because it was on the bad list. I am sure that the cereal makers will be competing to get on the green list of next years edition.

Its handy, but I do have a concern. See, these are just suggestions for when you want to buy a certain food or drink, yet in many cases it would be even better to indicate: WORST-BETTER-BEST. for example fruit drinks...my daughter rather drinks water, tea or milk (items in the BEST category) and it would be great if this book would suggest an even better alternative. It is helpful guide and a positive step in a healthy direction.

Your choice! ;-)

XOMO

INFINITE POSSIBILITIES?

A few years ago Mike contacted me because he wanted to use one of my leaf pictures on the cover of his book 'Totally Unique Thoughts: Reminders of Life's Everyday Magic'.

Later I assisted during one of his workshops here in DC, working with Mike is an intense and very rewarding experience I am very grateful for. When I found out he is realeasing his new book Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams I really wanted to share it with my readers. Below is a small description of this gem.

A profound exploration into the mysteries of the Universe. Infinite Possibilities is bestselling author Mike Dooley’s manifesto, revealing that we are literally the eyes and the ears of the Divine. He enlightens that our dreams are not accidental but serve rather as invitations to understand the truth about ourselves, hinting at the lives we can create. Dooley shares that our “default settings” are abundance, health, and harmony, and he explains that once we grasp the truth about our heritage, thinking far beyond what spirituality has traditionally meant, it becomes evident that life, itself, is the ultimate adventure—filled with unending opportunities that day-by-day lead us to rediscover how powerful we are, how much we deserve, and why we’re here. With recognizable insight, lighthearted wit, and striking sincerity, this new work by the much-celebrated author elevates the lessons learned in The Secret, Choose Them Wisely and his Notes from the Universe trilogy to a whole new level. Prepare to be challenged and excited with this unique guide to living the life of your dreams—purposefully, lovingly, brilliantly.

XOMO

WHAT WAS I THINKING????

Research has shown that we have between 45,000 and 51,000 thoughts a day.
That is about 150 to 300 thoughts a minute.
Research has also shown that 80% of those thoughts are negative.
It gets worse. Whatever you are thinking about, 90% gets carried over to the next day's 51,000 thoughts.

Think about this for a minute...

Which thoughts are worth thinking?

"Thoughts are free and subject to no rule. On them rests the freedom of man, and they tower above the light of nature...create a new heaven, a new firmament, a new source of energy from which new arts flow."
Paracelsus (1493-1541)


You'll become much more aware of your thoughts after reading "The Jackrabbit Factor" by Leslie Householder.
In her story Leslie describes a man "who wanted to give up on a dream, but decided to take one more step." This beautiful story takes you on a journey about thought and how it shapes your reality.

It also became clear to me why you can't time the arrival of your "wants". Leslie calls this the "gestation period", most things on this planet experience this gestation (without even thinking about it). When the time (or thought) is right...

I thought I was aware of most of my thoughts, but now that "I" am monitoring them closely I see certain patterns and a relation between my thoughts and beliefs and I can imagine how this reflects in my subconscious. The scare has turned into acceptance of my own reality and inspiration. I can think new thoughts and be more involved/empowered in the creation of my own reality.

"Great men are they who see that spiritual thought is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Progress of Culture

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. ~Voltaire

One more food for thought:

Invest a few moments in thinking. It will pay good interest. ~Author Unknown

You are in my thoughts,

Love, Mo

PS: After I posted this blog I went to pick up my daughter from school, as I walked to my car I saw my only bumper sticker I bought a few months ago, it says: "Don't believe everything you think"...