Green Communities Around the World
	Many are awakening more and more to a fuller awareness of the suffering and degradation of the animal kingdom, nature, and our earth. We hear their cries for healing, freedom, and renewal. As each of us in our journey of conscious living acknowledge the deep moaning of their suffering, we are compelled into action on their behalf as well as for ourselves. We are all interconnected in this web of life. If there is suffering anywhere, then we are still in our suffering, too. Sustainable human settlements are currently evolving and providing a model and solutions to human and social needs, while at the same time working in partnership with the environment to offer an enhanced quality of life for all.
An ecovillage is what many call this type of human settlement; they are also described today as Green Communities. Green communities are urban or rural communities of people who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life. In ecovillages you will find ecological building, renewable energy systems, biological waste water treatment, organic food production, sustainable economics, complementary currency and LETS (local exchange trading scheme), inclusive decision-making processes and more. The health of our communities, our planet, and ourselves depend on how we plan, design, and construct the world between our buildings for a more sustainable future. A green community conserves its land, offers multiple options for transportation, provides open space for recreation and cultivation, and uses its natural and cultural resources wisely.
Green communities aren't a new idea. In fact, for most of human history, "green" wasn't something special--it was simply how people lived. We arranged our days around the rising and setting of the sun and our years around the seasons. Healthy land resulted in healthy crops, which resulted in healthy people. Living in cooperation with nature wasn't a matter of choice; it was a matter of survival. Previous generations may not have used terms like "sustainable development" or "smart growth" but they knew that healthy places had clean air, fresh water, fertile soil, and viable ways to move goods and people around. As people invented new technologies, we changed how we live.  Without the old constraints of nature, we can
travel the world easily, use electricity to light up our nights and extend our days, and keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. These conveniences, however, have had consequences for our personal health--and for the health of our civic spaces and our planet. It turns out that living in cooperation with nature is still a matter of survival. Humans, however, are still inventive and many communities are now investing in new technologies--as well as relooking at some old ideas--to create greener approaches to modern life. Earth, air, fire, and water are the sources of our food, fuel, and shelter--people have extracted, harvested, and cultivated these resources since the beginning of time. With each new technology, we redefine our relationship with nature.  Earth From the land we live on and build with to the soil we cultivate to the energy we extract from below the surface, sustainable planning and design begins with weighing the benefits and consequences of different uses of Earth. Air Air is all around us and inside us; our health depends on its health. Communities are exploring a variety of ways to improve their air and take advantage of its energy-producing capabilities. Fire The sun’s radiation is the source of all our food and fuel, which we have mined, extracted, burned or harvested throughout history. Combining innovative technologies with older strategies, we can actively harvest the sun’s fire. Water In the face of our consistent need for clean water amid changing environmental conditions, communities today are focusing on innovative conservation and purification technologies and on new forms of hydropower. People are looking for something like ecovillages … green communities, even if we don’t know it yet, where we can practice a way of life most of our species yearns for on a deep level — sustainable living in human-scale community. These ideas inspire me profoundly. I hope it inspires you, too. We are taking a look at how communities are coming together and using sustainable strategies. Maybe it’s time more and more of us update how we live in relation to our earth and "all" that we share it with. We’ll research and feature an alternative sustainable green community until we have about 6 to give us a greater awareness of how others have forged a new way to live in more harmony and peace. *** Below we will add a link to each GREEN COMMUNITY AROUND THE WORLD as we explore them together.  AUROVILLE is open for public veiwing.  Click the other communities and the link will take you to this online community:    http://serreal.ning.com/group/greencommunities ** *Note: We are not connected to any of the following communities or organizations in any way. We are only presenting them in the spirit of getting to know how other people are living in a spiritual community and making Mother Earth green again. With this in mind please enjoy the following presentations. GREEN COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD researched by Debbie Magee, M.A. DAMANHUR: An United Nations Award-winning Sustainable Community This one is in Northern Italy and famous worldwide for its elaborately decorated subterranean temples constructed by its citizens. Damanhur is an eco-society and UN award-winning sustainable community. "Damanhur cannot be foreseen. Inside the hill is an architecture and series of rooms that defies description. Imagine New York City’s entire Metropolitan Museum of Art taken apart and then reassembled in underground chambers leading up through a mountain…The temples at Damanhur are a living organism that is so massive on an astral plane that it dwarfs the Metropolitan or any other terrestrial museum…Damanhur is a gallery meant for visitors five hundred thousand years in the future or from other solar systems and time-space continua." AUROVILLE THE CITY OF DAWN in SOUTH INDIA  (view on this website now) Auroville (City of Dawn) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India near Puducherry in South India, whose stated purpose is to realize human unity in diversity. It is a popular tourist destination, and has been described as a "New Age metropolis conceived as an alternative exercise in ecological and spiritual living." The township starkly stands out from the surrounding traditional Indian villages and farms. Auroville is a small town 6 km north of Pondicherry. This town was a vision of The Mother from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. She envisioned an international town where unity will be celebrated and all will have a spiritual vocation. At this time, the city has about 1,500 people from over 35 different nationalities, from which about one third are Indians (more than 15% are French and another 15% are German). ZEGG - Center for Experimental Culture Design near Berlin in Germany Engaged in: * Living in community * Understanding among men and women * Sustainable living * Regional empowerment * Support of international peace projects The information on the website suggests that there are no ready recipes for the building of new ways of living. The challenges of our time are too complex. What is needed, besides the necessary changes on the outer level in the form of sustainable technologies, is a supportive context for inner growth. In 1991 they founded ZEGG with the intention to bring together these two aspects of change. What does the earth need, what do humans need? With their programs they are creating a space for new experiences in the area of love, community, and communication -- hoping to encourage taking the future into their own hands. A new society can only be based on a wide network of multifaceted new models. This is one model. The FINDHORN ECOVILLAGE in Findhorn, Scotland   Eckhart Tolle has a DVD called, Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World.  The small book that comes with two DVDs features photographs taken personally by Eckhart and selected quotations from the retreat.  In the Foreword it reads.  "In the spring of 2004, Eckhart Tolle lead an extraordinary weekend retreat at Findhorn, Scotland, a spiritual community on the leading edge of personal and global transformation. In the Introduction, we learn a little more about the magic of Findhorn, Scotland.  "The Findhorn Community in Scotland came into existence in the sixties, based upon a deepening relationship between humans and the realm of nature.  A new relationship with nature is an essential aspect of the awakening of human consciousness.  In our ego-based civilization, alienation from nature is normal and goes hand in hand with alienation from ourselves and each other." --------------------------------------------------------------------- You can't miss viewing these intriguing communities.  They are so promising.  They are experimental, human-scale, eco-communities supported by the United Nations to lead the way for our future.  Damanhur is a federation of eco-communities.  They even have a tree-house community and one of their projects is to create and use technology that's able to listen to music made by the leafs of plants and trees.  There's so much more to see in all the communities.  It would take more than a few days at each community to experience all they have to offer. These communities are eye-openers and just researching them has impacted me in a very postive way, giving me much hope for our future.  Each community we've reasearched around the world have redefined community life and living in harmony.  They have faced tremendous obstacles and criticism but their determination to find a healthier, more cooperative and authentic way to live and commune on earth keeps them on their path.  We see what they are accomplishing, and we know we can do the same when we come together, and that may be sooner than we think.  Each community offers training. As we go on this world adventure together, Debbie @ The Feminine Whisperers www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net www.SerReal.ning.com/group/greencommunities

HI EVERYONE! Once again, we are back with another Green Community for your viewing. This one, in South India, is more of a spiritual community that grew up around the teachings and Yoga of Sri Aurobindo. We are not connected to this community or organization in any way. We are only presenting it in the spirit of getting to know how other people are living in a spiritual community and making Mother Earth green again.

With this in mind please enjoy the presentation.

Debbie and Luis
http://serreal.ning.com/group/greencommunities

Auroville – The City of Dawn

Auroville (City of Dawn) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India near Puducherry in South India, whose stated purpose is to realize human unity in diversity. It is a popular tourist destination, and has been described as a "New Age metropolis conceived as an alternative exercise in ecological and spiritual living." The township starkly stands out from the surrounding traditional Indian villages and farms. Auroville is a small town 6 km north of Pondicherry.

This town was a vision of The Mother from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. She envisioned an international town where unity will be celebrated and all will have a spiritual vocation. At this time, the city has about 1,500 people from over 35 different nationalities, from which about one third are Indians (more than 15% are French and another 15% are German).

  www.auroville.org

Model View of Auroville - South INDIA www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in

CLOSE SPIRITUAL COLLABORATORS Sri Aurobindo's close spiritual collaborator, Mirra Richard (born Mirra Alfassa), was known as The Mother. Together they guided the Ashram, its Education Centre, and later a city - Auroville.                     Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) Sri Aurobindo’s teachings are reflected in this quote: "The yoga we practice is not for ourselves alone, but for the Divine; its aim is to work out the will of the Divine in the world, to effect a spiritual transformation and to bring down a divine nature and a divine life into the mental, vital and physical nature and life of humanity. Its object is not personal Mukti, although Mukti is a necessary condition of the yoga, but the liberation and transformation of the human being. It is not personal Ananda, but the bringing down of the divine Ananda -- Christ's kingdom of heaven, our Satyayuga -- upon the earth."  ~ Sri Aurobindo

This quote reflects the spiritual presence of The Mother:

"I belong to no nation, no civilization, no society, no race, but to the Divine. I obey no master, no rules, no law, no social convention, but the Divine. To Him I have surrendered all, will, life and self; for Him I am ready to give all my blood, drop by drop, if such is His will, with complete joy, and     nothing in his service can be sacrifice, for all is perfect delight."     ~ The Mother

Mirra Richard known as The Mother (1878-1973)

 
A Little Background Information

To get a clear picture of the development of Auroville, The City of Dawn, we need a little history. Sri Aurobindo settled in Pondicherry to practice his yoga with several friends. Soon a larger group began to gather around him mainly to practice yoga under his direction.

In the very early years, Sri Aurobindo was a freedom fighter for India, then he settled in 1910 in Pondicherry with some of his friends, sheltered away from the revolution. He lived like this until the Mother met Sri Aurobindo in 1914. She and her husband spent some time there but did not come to permanently live in Pondicherry until 1920. At that time Mirra, later referred to as the Mother, began to give some organization to the group that had settled around Sri Aurobindo.

The interesting fact is that the Mother had a vision early in her life of a man she thought represented Krishna. As it turned out, it was not until the fateful meeting with Sri Aurobindo, that she realized it was he whom she had seen in her vison. Thus began the close spiritual collaboration between the two and all that were with them.

For years after his arrival in Pondicherry in 1910, Sri Aurobindo was unwilling to speak of his household as an Ashram. Not that the term would have been inappropriate, for an Ashram is simply "the house or houses of a Teacher or Master of spiritual philosophy in which he receives and lodges those who come to him for the teaching and practice. "It is true that in the early days Sri Aurobindo took no disciples as such. He once wrote, "With the three or four young men who accompanied me or joined me in Pondicherry, I had at first the relation of friends and companions rather than of a Guru and disciples; it was on the ground of politics I had come to know them and not on the spiritual ground. Afterwards only there was a gradual development of spiritual relations." But even as more and more aspirants gathered around Sri Aurobindo specifically to practice yoga under his direction, the grouping remained informal, and was not referred to as an "ashram".

It was only after the Mother finally settled in Pondicherry in 1920 that an attempt was made at collective organization. "The number of disciples then showed a tendency to increase rather rapidly." And as thus "the Ashram began to develop, it fell to the Mother to organize it." She had to see to the outward lives of the disciples, whose "numbers began so much to increase that it was thought necessary to make an arrangement for lodging those who came, and houses were bought and rented according to need for the purpose.

It is important here to understand the vital energy driving the Mother. You will understand it from this quote:

"At the beginning of my present earthly existence I was put into touch with many people who said they had a great inner aspiration, an urge towards something deeper and truer, but were tied down, subjected, slaves of that brutal necessity of earning their living, and that this weighed down upon them so much, took way so much of their time and energy that they could not engage in any other activity, inner or outer. I heard that very often."

"I was very young at that time, and always I used to tell myself that if ever I could do it, I would try to create a little world - Oh! quite a small one, but still - a small world where people would be able to live without having to be preoccupied by problems of food and lodging and clothing and the imperious necessities of life, to see if all the energies freed by this certainty of an assured material living would spontaneously be turned towards the divine life and inner realization."

The Entrance to the Ashram
The Ashram, Education Centre, Sri Aurobindo Society and Auroville The Ashram has grown from an informal grouping of two dozen sadhaks into a diversified spiritual community with 1500 members. There is, besides, a significant number of non-members living in Pondicherry who take part in the Ashram's life. They establish many areas of responsibilities to manage the Ashram along with an Education Centre the Mother established in 1952 where much research is done.        Sri Aurobindo left his body in 1950 and The Mother carried on the work of the Ashram and in 1960 established the Sri Aurobindo Society. Today, the Sri Aurobindo Society is a registered society with its chief administrative office at Puducherry. It has about 350 centres and 75 branches in India and outside. The Mother is the founder and the permanent President of the Society. In 1964 the Mother launched the project of Auroville, the city of human unity, "the City of Dawn" named after Sri Aurobindo. It is a city for 50,000 inhabitants and is hailed by people from all over the world. In 1968 the foundation stone of Auroville was laid and the Mother read out the charter herself. It was the manifestation of her dreams realized. In 1973 on November 17th, after a brief illness, the Mother left her physical body. She was ninety-five. Nolini Kanta Gupta, a senior trustee of the Ashram made the following declaration: "Mother once told me - `If ever I leave my body, my consciousness will remain with you.' Mother is present amongst us and Her work continues. Let us once more dedicate ourselves for Her work of transformation with utmost sincerity and faithfulness."

We hope you enjoyed this little vacation to the southern shore of India as much as we enjoyed researching and writing it. We'll be back next month with another interesting destination of a Green Community. 


If you have an interest in a certain community like this or are very knowledgeable of a community, please let us know. Please feel free to add any comments or discussions or research that you have done to give us a more comprehensive and reliable view of these communities.

 
Returning to Our Original Light

by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee


Clips 1 through 11

Within the heart is the spark of oneness, our deep connection to the divine
and to all of life. How can we awaken this connection that belongs to our soul
and the soul of the world?

How can our primal knowing of oneness come alive within ourself and within
the world?

Mysticism awakens us to our real power and potential, so that we can contribute
fully at this time of global transition.

It connects us with what is real: the Oneness of Life.





Feminine Mysteries of Love
by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

The pain of love became the medicine for every heart, the difficulty could never be solved without love.
~ Attâr

Love is the most powerful force in the universe, and for centuries mystics have understood the transformative potential of divine love. Love draws us back to love, love uncovers love, love makes us whole and love takes us Home. In the depths of the soul we are loved by God. This is the deepest secret of being human, the bond of love that is at the core of our being. And yet we have forgotten this essential nature of our being; we are hidden from our own deepest love. The mystical path is an uncovering of this love, an awakening to our own capacity to love and be loved.

Like everything that is created, love has a dual nature, positive and negative, masculine and feminine. The masculine side of love is "I love you." Love’s feminine quality is "I am waiting for you; I am longing for you." For the mystic, it is the feminine side of love, the longing, the cup waiting be filled, that takes us back to God. Longing is a highly dynamic state and yet at the same time it is a state of receptivity. Because our culture has for so long rejected the feminine, we have lost touch with the potency of longing. Many people feel this pain of the heart and do not know its value; they do not know it is their innermost connection to love.

Longing is the sweet pain of belonging to God. Once longing is awakened within the heart, it is the most direct way Home. Like the magnet, it draws us deep within our own heart where we are made whole and transformed. This is why the Sufi mystics have always stressed the importance of longing. The great Sufi Ibn ‘Arabî prayed, "Oh Lord, nourish me not with love but with the desire for love," while Rû mî expressed the same truth in simple terms, "Do not seek for water, be thirsty."

The feminine mystery of longing belongs to the nature of the soul, which is always feminine before God. In the innermost chamber of the heart we look toward God, receptive and attentive, needing God’s nourishment. The mystic knows that only God can make us whole, only God can heal the sickness of the soul. The ninth-century mystic Râb’ia, one of the first Sufis to stress the importance of devotional love, expressed this mystical truth:

The source of my grief and loneliness is deep in my breast.
This is a disease no doctor can cure.
Only union with the Friend can cure it.

The heart longs for God, and seeks to find its true Beloved. If we follow our longing, if we allow ourself to be pierced by the pain of separation from the source, we will be drawn back to God.

Longing is the central core of every mystical path, as the anonymous author of the fourteenth-century mystical classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, simply states: "Your whole life must be one of longing." Yet our present Western society is so divorced from this mystical thread that underlies every spiritual path that we have no context within which to appreciate the nature of the heart’s desire for Truth. Many people who feel the unhappiness of a homesick soul do not know its cause. They do not realize the wonder of their pain, that it is their heart’s longing that will take them Home.

A friend had a simple and powerful dream in which she was alone in a landscape howling at the moon. There was no reply, no answer to the anguish of her calling, and when she awoke she felt a failure. She had called out and there had been no answer. But the tradition of lovers has long known that our calling is the answer, our longing for Him is His longing for us, "it is You who calls me to Yourself." The longing of the heart is the memory of when we were together with our Beloved. The pain of separation is our awakening to the knowledge that somewhere we are united with God.

Longing draws us from separation back to union, from our fragmented sense of self to the deeper wholeness of our true being. The longing of the heart is the sign of the deepest fulfillment, and yet it terrifies the mind because it does not belong to this world. There is no visible lover, no one to touch or to control. It is a love affair of essence to essence that was born before the beginning of time. Sadly, we have forgotten its potency; our culture has no place for this desire for what is intangible. In the Christian tradition, this relationship is embodied in Mary Magdalene’s devotion for Christ. After the crucifixion she stood at the empty sepulcher where he had been buried, weeping. And when Jesus, risen from the dead, came and spoke to her saying, "Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?," she first mistook him for a gardener until he called her by name, "Mary," and then she "turned herself and said ‘Rabboni,’ which is to say, Master."

In this meeting there are longing and devotion and the ancient mystery of the relationship of teacher and disciple. It has been often overlooked that Mary Magdalene was the first to see the risen Christ, but it is deeply significant; for it is this inner feminine attitude of the heart, of longing and devotion that she embodies, that opens the lover to the transcendent mystery of love in which suffering and death are the doorway to a higher state of consciousness. The lover waits weeping for the Beloved to reveal His true nature.

Our culture has forgotten and buried the doorway of devotion, and the lover is often left stranded, not even knowing the real nature and purpose of the longing that tugs at the heart. It is easy to think that this discontent of the soul is a psychological problem, to mistake longing for depression or identify it as a mother complex or the result of an unhappy marriage. We need to reclaim the sanctity of sadness and the meaning of the heart’s tears. For the longing of the lover is a longing to return to the source in which everything is embraced in its wholeness. The suffering of His lovers is the labor pains that awaken us to this higher consciousness, in which love joins this world with the infinite, and the heart embraces life not from the divisive perspective of the ego but from the eternal dimension of the Self. From within the heart the oneness of love becomes life’s deepest wonder, for, in the words of Hildegard von Bingen, "It is the heart that sees the primordial eternity of every creature."

If we can create a context of longing, then those whose hearts are burdened with this quest will come to know the true nature of their pain. They will no longer need to repress it, fearing it as an abnormality or a psychological problem. We need to be able to collectively affirm this inner secret: that the heart suffers because it has not forgotten its true love.

If we follow the path of any pain, any psychological wounding, it will lead us to this one primal pain: the pain of separation. Being born into this world, we experience being separate from oneness, from God, from our heart’s Beloved. We are banished from paradise and carry the scars of this separation. But if we embrace the suffering, if we allow it to lead us deep within ourself, it will take us deeper than any psychological healing. Love and suffering are powerful transformative agents because they embrace the mystery of being human. Longing is love’s call to "return to the root of the root of your own self," to the place within the core of our being where we are always whole.

We are conditioned to avoid pain, but for the mystic the pain of the heart is the thread that leads us, the song of the soul that uncovers us. Meister Eckhart said, "God is the sigh in the soul," and this sigh, this sorrow, is a most precious poison. How love heals us from the sufferings we inflict upon ourself is always a mystery. Love cannot be understood by the mind just as it cannot be contained by the ego. Love is the power that opens and transforms us, that intoxicates and bewilders us. Love leads us deeper, away from the prison of our limited self to the freedom and wholeness of our divine nature. In the words of the Sufi saint Jâ mî, "Never turn away from love, not even love in a human form, for love alone will free you from yourself."

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D., is a Sufi teacher and the author of several books on Sufism, including "Sufism, The Transformation of the Heart," "The Face Before I was Born," "Sufism," "Dreamwork" and "Jungian Psychology." Sounds True has also published sets of his audio tapes, "Love is a Fire," "I am Wood," and "The Sufi Path of Love." He was born in London in 1953 and has followed the Naqshbandi Sufi path since he was nineteen.


Here's to returning to our original light!


Debbie @ The Feminine Whisperers



www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net 
www.BeingReal.ning.com
www.SerReal.ning.com/group/greencommunities

It's beyond the beyond the beyond!



This is a true Love Story made into a book and movie. 

 

"...we are not much different in fact to many other forms of animal life; and it is because of subtle human conditioning not the actual facts that we are raised to believe there is a wide gap between what is human and what is animal."
-- Gareth Patterson, Last of the Free (1994)

Christian, the lion, was separated from his parents at an early age and put up for sale in a London department store. Christian's parents were zoo lions, the father came from the Rotterdam zoo and the mother from Jerusalem, and they lived at the Ilfracombe zoo. When they had cubs, the zoo sold them, and two cubs went to the department store.

Two men, Anthony Bourke and John Rendall, found him there and immediately fell in love with him and determined to buy him. They scraped together the money and brought the little lion home when he was only a few weeks old. They named him Christian.

Tony and John dedicated themselves to giving Christian the best life they could, and the bond that developed between them is a joy to behold. Christian was a remarkable lion, obviously very intelligent and loving, and gentle to everyone, both human and animal.

As he grew, Christian began to need bigger facilities than Tony and John could provide. Thanks to a chance meeting with Bill Travers (who had starred in the movie Born Free), they hit upon the idea of sending Christian to Africa to live as a wild lion.

Bill Travers contacted George Adamson to set up the project, and came up with the idea of making a documentary movie of it all, to fund the project. Christian is an absolute joy to watch in this movie. The love he shows, his intelligence, his joie de vie, are beautiful.

George Adamson was the bridge between the worlds of humans and animals. The first step when Christian arrived at George's compound, was to introduce him to Boy, a lion who had been in the movie Born Free and who George had already sent "back" to the wild, without losing his relationship with him. Christian and Boy eventually became best friends, and within a year Christian was living as a wild lion.

When that year had passed, Tony and John came to Africa to see Christian. After a year of struggle, tragedies, and life with a pride of lions in the wild, the relationship Christian felt with Tony and John was as strong as it had always been. In fact, Christian's wonderful relationship with Tony and John caused the other lions in the pride to accept and be at peace with them as well.

A bridge existed, and it withstood the separation and the learning of a new way to live. Christian was another lion of two worlds. Ace and John saw Christian again, the last time was in 1974 when Christian was twice as large as he was in the movie, and had cubs of his own.

The question that eludes us is how to enlarge the scale. How can a bridge be built that encompasses all life?

Today, Ace Bourke is a museum curator in Australia. John Rendall is a trustee of the George Adamson Wildlife Trust, an organization actively involved in preserving African wildlife. The organization, according to Rendall, is part of Christian's legacy. (For those in the US, Rendall recommends the site WildlifeNow.com.)

Read more and see more video clips at MSNBC


Here's to beyond the boundaries and crossing the bridge!

Debbie @ The Feminine Whisperers


www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net
www.meetup.com/Mindshift
www.BeingReal.ning.com

 

	PEACE IS EVERY STEP:  the Path      of Mindfulness in Everyday Life                       by Thich Nhat Hanh "Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand new hours to live." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh "To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order;  to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right. ~ Confucius
Peace is Every Step is a beautifully designed book with detailed instruction in conscious breathing, mindfulness and walking meditation. Based on Zen Buddhism (his teachings are beyond any particular philosophy or religion), Thich Nhat Hanh's method of teaching is simple, easy to follow, and focuses on everyday activities and situations. By using anecdotes, personal stories, and meditation techniques, Hanh shows how meditation in the small acts of our daily lives, using conscious breathing, can remind readers to be conscious of their present existence. In doing so, readers can improve their relationships, lower their anger levels, and increase overall feelings of peace and joy. Practicing mindfulness helps us transform and heal difficult psychological states. Peace is Every Step takes you on a personal journey through awareness in an effort to obtain the inner peace necessary to work towards peace on a worldwide scale.
	The following description is written on the back flap of the book. "In the rush of modern life, we tend to lose touch with the peace that is available in each moment. World-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and author Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how to make positive use of the very situations that usually pressure and antagonize us. For him a ringing telephone can be a signal to call us back to our true selves. Dirty dishes, red lights, and traffic jams are spiritual friends on the path to "mindfulness" -- the process of keeping our consciousness alive to our present experience and reality. The most profound satisfactions, the deepest feelings of joy and completeness lie as close at hand as our next aware breath and the smile we can form right now. Lucidly and beautifully written, Peace Is Every Step contains commentaries and meditations, personal anecdotes and stories from Nhat Hanh's experiences as a peace activist, teacher, and community leader.
It begins where the reader already is -- in the kitchen, office, driving a car, walking a part -- and shows how deep meditative presence is available now. Nhat Hanh provides exercises to increase our awareness of our own body and mind through conscious breathing, which can bring immediate joy and peace. Nhat Hanh also shows how to be aware of relationships with others and of the world around us, its beauty and also its pollution and injustices.  The deceptively simple practices of Peace Is Every Step encourage the reader to work for peace in the world as he or she continues to work on sustaining inner peace by turning the "mindless" into the mindFUL." (-publisher's)

In awareness to first set our hearts right,

Debbie @ The Feminine Whisperers
www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net
www.BeingReal.ning.com
www.meetup.com/MindShift

President Obama's Inauguration Oprah-Style!

If we can’t be there in person, this is the next best thing.  It is just
beautiful, the energy of Hope.  Enjoy the Celebration!   ~ Debbie


 

Oprah is very gracious to add so much more to this momentous event for home viewers.

Beyonce at Inaugural Opening 'We Are One' Concert 18 Jan 2009




There’s no place Oprah (or I) would rather be! On Monday, January 19th, Oprah will be at The Kennedy Center featuring surprise guests and a world premiere performance. The celebration continues Tuesday, January 20th. It's a two-day event for America! It's the moment Oprah's been waiting for—and she's counting down the hours in Washington, D.C.  Join Oprah this Monday for a star-studded two-day event. Mary J. Blige, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Will.i.am, David Foster, Faith Hill, Seal, Forest Whittaker, Usher, Scarlett Johansson, Anderson Cooper.   And many more!  The stage is set for a world premiere musical performance you won't see anywhere else.







Beyonce Sings "At Last" for President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama at The Neighborhood Ball after the Inauguration!




Oprah's bringing us 24/7 coverage you won't see anywhere else.  Live from D.C., get exclusive blogs, videos, surprise interviews, twitters, photos and more! Plus, don't miss the once-in-a-lifetime Oprah Show premiere!

* Just a few hours left…download Will.i.am's new song!

* It's the moment Oprah's been waiting for!

* Read Lisa Ling's blog from D.C.


Former President George Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush will fly into Midland, TX where I live. There's a big celebration welcoming them home to West Texas. Then they will be on their way to their ranch in Crawford, then to Dallas where they bought a home for their new residence.  My deepest gratitude and respect goes out to them for serving our country!

In Gratitude for both Presidents!

Debbie @ The Feminine Whisperers
www.BeingReal.ning.com
www.meetup.com/MindShift
www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net

Entering the State of Consciousness called Presence

"The main endeavor is to allow you to enter that state of consciousness we may call Presence, here and now. There is no need to wait. We are at a critical time in the history of humanity. This current state of consciousness is no longer working. Just read the history of the 20th century and see how destructive the collective state of humanity has become.

If there is no shift in consciousness at this time, then humanity may very well self-destruct.  So, the question for us as a species is, ultimately, do we want to evolve or die? There is an enormous power now, an evolutionary impulse pushing us into this new state of consciousness. There is a deeper reason why we are here. It goes far beyond the personal dimension. It is an expression of an evolutionary impulse in the collective consciousness of humanity. It wants to evolve. It wants to reach a new evolutionary stage of consciousness. This is the power of Consciousness itself. It is working through us. Something in the collective wants that change. All we need to do is be open to this evolutionary impulse so that we can cooperate with it. Part of this teaching here is to show you the possibility of opening yourself up more and more to what wants to happen on this planet. It is much bigger than the individual person but it can only happen through the individual person."  ~ Eckhart Tolle

Welcome to Eckhart Tolle TV!  Your Source for New and Original Teachings

In Thanksgiving                             by Debbie As the year embraces a time of gratitude, I'm aware of a downtrodden corner In my mind that still shows an attitude. It tingles, jingles and blurts out a platitude Of such words that come from a scorner. Yet, in considering heart's past, I find latitude. With understanding of this flow of thought, I tuck light into the folds so dark with pain And my chin trembles as release is sought. I usher in this season with pensiveness in fraught And reconcile all that is for pity's gain, Giving way to love, in thanksgiving, I am taught.

      Change Not Easily

  All That Is, flowing through me.
         I have always loved you, 
        What I envision you to be.
 All That Is, please, whisper of thee.

          by Debbie

I’ve not been writing for awhile. I’ve made some changes in my personal life, once again, to try to find some kind of fit. It seems I cannot depend on any of my former survival-mode tactics I’ve used over the years of my life. I’ve always tried so very hard but, over and over, I find these tactics just get me by and are not really working for me. I almost decided not to publish this article because of its content.  It didn't seem to be supportive of our spiritual path, yet, in a paradoxical way, it even furthers me along on my journey deep within.  I feel that my struggles are the same as other's struggles, and other's struggles are mine as, in oneness, we come to know who we truly are.  So, with that said, on I will go with my story.

Lately, I’ve heard so much about Joe, the plumber, in the American political scene, and I thought … you know, I’m Debbie, the school teacher, in this American scene. I’m not so different from Joe. I’m not so much in tune with the politics of everything as I am with the spiritual journey, but I am very concerned just like Joe. Joe’s concerned about his small business in this economy. Debbie’s concerned that she is losing the stamina to do what she has to do to survive in any economy. Debbie, like Joe, wants more than mere survival, but it’s at a point now where a well-known depressive energy is looming at the edge, waiting to befriend her again.

As part of my quest on the spiritual path, I read Eckhart Tolle’s books A New Earth and The Power of Now. I became engrossed in the teachings back in March of 2008 while following Oprah and Eckhart in the 10-week live webinar covering all 10 chapters of the book, A New Earth. From there I’ve facilitated book clubs and a silent local group. I’ve watched DVDs of Eckhart’s teachings and listened to audio CDs and still do to this very day. I started a blog and write inspired comments about the New Earth spiritual journey I am apart of with my friends online, in the book club, and in the silent group. I spend time in the silence in meditation and use my breathing and inner body awareness. I’m heartily working to integrate these teachings into my psyche but still find myself at this place I’ve known so well before Eckhart’s teachings, on the edge of depression.

I thought to myself, if I can’t live the teachings in my life and truly integrate them, then what good is sharing in a blog or facilitating a group. I’m a fake and just riding a high from the wave. I have to be able to deeply integrate these spiritual practices into my everyday life. I go online and read my own blog and what I’ve written over the past several months. It is even inspiring to me as if I’m reading something someone else wrote. How could I have written all this and still feel such familiar looming depression. Am I fooling myself? Have I not really been in touch with that deep place of Stillness, of Presence within? Why is it so damn elusive? Is this the human condition and why is it the human condition, for what higher purpose? There should be a more direct way to Love, Joy and Peace. What’s the point of all this, if there really even is a point!

Oh, the teachings have profoundly changed my life, but in such a drastic way that I cannot function in my day-to-day life with all the drama. I felt so constrained in the behavior work I did with the public school system, and now that I’m in the same town with my children, I am so close to their drama.   What a predicament - to come in such close and continuous contact with such stress; I find I’m quite unable to be with it all or to be without it. I love being close to my family and in my work I can express such passion, and yet the stress of it all bears down so hard it's suffocating. I can’t seem to "be the space for it," as Eckhart puts it.  (Listen below to Eckhart go into detail on "Can I Be the Space for This?"  This really helps me!)

As I try my best to fit somewhere with my family and work, I become more and more despondent that it is not easier to do with this spiritual insight at hand. I find myself thinking, at least with the egoic-state of the survival-mode intact, I could work.  Now, I won't tell myself that contentment and peace is somewhere out there in work, intimate relationships and material possessions. I know it is within and so then without.  There is a balance but the equilibrium has not set in yet.  This is where I cling to the present moment.  I ask myself, in this moment is there anything wrong?  Each time I can tell myself, in this precise moment I am fine.  It's only when I think about the unsureness of the future that I feel panic.   

I feel my life shifting in a direction that looks very unsteady to onlookers such as family and professional colleagues. I have resigned my position with the public school system and moved close to my children and grandchildren. I gave away most of my things to make the move from a big city to a small town and into a very small one-bedroom apartment. I sold my van with high payments and paid in full for a 1995 car. As I said, I made drastic changes. I had already turned off much of the noise in my life. I’ve gone almost two years without cable television. I purchase my own music, so no radio. I’ve become very comfortable with silence, living alone and going places alone. The changes were not hard to make. I felt compelled to do them.  Now, waiting for the flow of the Universe to bring in the NEW for which I have made space is daunting. It’s such a new way of being in the world. At times, I feel like I’m challenging the Universe to show me there is some kind of validity to all this.

My children and grandchildren are the love of my life, and I devoted my two degrees and my certifications to a professional career in education. Now, I find it almost unbearable to be in the drama of it. I’ve become so sensitive to the energy that this kind of day-to-day surviving produces that I hoped Eckhart’s teachings would point a way to ground me in Being.

Yet after immersing myself in the teachings and being so hopeful, I feel this looming depression coming around me again. I observe it. I shine the light of awareness on it. It dissipates somewhat. I write about it and immerse myself in the teachings and silence. Aloneness, maybe I should not be so alone. I should move in with someone. Discussed it. Won’t work. The dark energy returns. Still no job and now problems in my daughter’s life. She has two of my grandchildren, six-years-old and five-months-old. Protective order, her and the kids have to move. I help her as much as I can. The physical part of moving her is over. Go into the Silence. Be aware of the emotions. Observe. Breathe. Stay with it, breathe. Feel your inner aliveness. Be with the energy of the Universe, and with Mother Earth.

Sleep, eat, breathe. Have pleasant conversations if there’s contact. Don’t alarm them. Go into the Stillness, into the no-thinking mind. Just be. The light, don’t forget the light of consciousness. It’s there. Where are you, are you there? Refreshing sleep. I feel better. How do I go on like this without diversions? I need diversions. Walk in nature and let it love you and love it back. Stretch your body and feel it relax. Think I should go live with someone. I can’t be so alone. Oh, the smell of rain. It renews me. Go to your inner place, on the shore where the huge rock stands. Crawl up there and feel the warm of its surface. Look out over the ocean to the small island on the horizon. See the waves and hear the rush of the water onto the shore. No phone, it is turned off. I want to drive to the ocean. Just stay here, with this energy. Transmutation. How long? Days if you have to. See it through. You’ve not done this before. It will be okay. Breathe.

I ask myself questions like: Are the structures of the ego in my mind too ingrained at this point in time? Do I have some kind of organic brain damage keeping me from solidifying a shift in my consciousness?  Then I find a dark corner of my mind saying things like, what do I have to lose if I don't make it, I don't make it.  How cunning of the ego to make me think I’m on a spiritual journey, only to be disappointed again. The energy and momentum I’ve given to this teaching, all a waste of enormous energy just like all rest of the efforts you’ve given to new beginnings all your life. Oh, my ... how dark it can look, but I remind myself, things are not what they seem!

For the book group I’m in now, we are to the discussion of the Pain-body. I’ve studied the Pain-body before with the other study group when I first read Eckhart’s books. Now, I am going deeper into the teachings of the Pain-body. Recently I researched and reread on the subject of the Pain-body as well as delved into my own dealings with my Pain-body. We were to discuss it three weeks ago. I missed two discussion groups and then the others could not come this last week. So, I thought I’d write something. Sometimes, I think even my reading and writing are diversions.

At this time, for further investigation, I'm drawn to the writings of Katie Byron as well.  I think The Work process, described in her book Loving What Is, will address my belief in the stressfulness of my life situations. I've watched some of her videos and began reading her book.  I know Oprah claimed, in her interviews with Byron Katie, that she felt it took the spiritual journey to the next level.  I especially love what Katie says about Heaven.  Below is a link to the interviews.



Click here for Oprah's three-part interview with Byron Katie.






Also, I've been drawn to Peter Russell's work on consciousness for quite some time. He has many articles and free downloads on his website.  I recently ordered his new meditation CD.  His calm, soothing, gentle voice teaches you to go deeper into yourself wherein lies your own inner wisdom.  The last meditation is a treasure!   

New Meditation CD by Peter Russell

The 2012 Mindshift: Meditations for
Times of Accelerating Change

Five meditations to help you stay cool, calm, and collected—no matter what the tides of change may bring. Listen to online preview. 

Be sure to read Peter Russell's articles:

Accelerating Change   Stress of Change   A Singularity in Time

 

Below Eckhart Tolle teaches a group in Seattle, WA - Feb. 23, 2008.  It is truly fascinating and liberating!  60-minute clip teaching the mantra - "Can I Be the Space for This?"

For my blog I envisioned the name, The Feminine Whisperers, because I
knew, deep within, I was one who would greatly benefit from the whisperings.

May love, joy and peace
Become states of our Beingness
Which have no opposites!

 
Debbie @
www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net
www.meetup.com/MindShift

Welcome to Our Reading & Discussion Group Doing the MindShift  ... "In the Power of Now"

                
THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY WITHIN ... aware of a
calling; a push or pull forward.

This is a weekly reading group for men and women sharing
their spiritual path! Want to experience a sense of adventure
in taking the hero’s journey within to discover a more
harmonious balance of life within and without? That is
what this reading and discussion group is all about.

Take this journey with us! We are discussing the teachings
of Eckhart Tolle at this time. After that, we will continue to
study other authors that follow the same spiritual teachings.




Join us every Thursday evenings for enlightened discussions.
The location will be emailed to you. If interested in attending our
reading group's discussion beginning Thursday, September 4,
from 6:30-8:00 PM please join at:

www.meetup.com/MindShift

We are beginning the book A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle. 
The first chapter is an introduction to the teachings. It ends with
his belief that the Bible prophecy describing "the collapse of the
existing world order and the arising of a new heaven and a new
earth" seems more applicable now than at any other time in
human history.  Eckhart Tolle goes into great detail within the
first six chapters of the book describing who we are not and
how to understand this and break free from it.The chapters are:

Chapter 1  -  The Flowering of Human Consciousness
Chapter 2  -  The Current State of Humanity
Chapter 3  -  The Core of the Ego
Chapter 4  -  Role-playing: The Many Faces of the Ego
Chapter 5  -  The Pain-Body
Chapter 6  -  Breaking Free

The "final four" heart-warming Chapters 7-10 bring us home
to who we really are.  We will discuss them after we finish
Chapters 1-6.

Again, be sure to join so we know who to expect at the
discussions and for access to our message board and
calendar. 

Here's to Enjoying the Now!

Debbie @ Doing the MindShift "In the Power of Now" Reading & Discussion Group Midland, Texas USA www.meetup.com/MindShift www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net

The Spirit of Now "The crisis facing humanity today is, at its root,  a crisis of consciousness. We are being  called to put into practice the perennial  wisdom of the ages." ~ Peter Russell ~
Eckhart Tolle's comment on From Science to God by Peter Russell "Peter Russell's book is not only eminently readable but also a vitally important contribution to the awakening of human consciousness." ~ Eckhart Tolle Peter Ressell's comment on The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: "If there is one book everyone should read, this is it.  One of the clearest guides to being in the present moment that I know. His focus is on being aware of the sense of presence in one's "inner body," and through that stepping out of the egoic mind with all its worry and fear. I've found his simple tips invaluable.  Plus he brings enlightenment down to earth in a healthy way."  ~ Peter Russell

"If the faculty of consciousness is universal, then consciousness is not something that emerged with human beings, or with vertebrates, or at any particular stage of biological evolution. What emerged over the course of evolution was not the faculty of consciousness, but the various qualities and dimensions of human experience--the contents of consciousness."  ~ From Science to God by Peter Russell  please visit his website

               

The Primacy of Consciousness (7 clips)   The Global Brain (4 clips)   2008 Interview for Leap! movie (5 short clips)  From Science to God (1 short clip)  Interview with Conscious Media Network (1 short clip)  Dolphins Swim, Hawaii (1 clip)  Pilot Whales Swim, Hawaii (1 clip)

Peter studied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge supervised by Stephen Hawking. As he became increasingly fascinated by the nature of consciousness, he changed to experimental psychology, gaining a first class degree in the subject. He also has a post-graduate degree in computer science and conducted some of the early research on 3-D displays and what is now known as “virtual reality.”

He was one of the first people to introduce human potential seminars into the corporate field and for the last twenty years has been lecturing and consulting to major corporations on creativity, quality management and personal development. His books include The Brain Book, The Global Brain Awakens, The Creative Manager, The Consciousness Revolution, Waking Up in Time and From Science to God. He also created the award winning videos The Global Brain and The White Hole in Time.

     Disc One - Accessing Inner Wisdom (40 mins)

   Disc Two - Meditating with Ease (56 mins)

      Cost -    CD $19.95    MP3 Download $9.95

                 For More Information   

 

Keynote: The Return of Natural Mind (past conference by Peter Russell)

 "Natural mind" is one of the many names given to the spiritually awakened mind. Some call it the unconditioned mind, others the state of presence. We have lost contact with this ground of our being because our attention easily gets caught up in our thoughts and feelings.

As human beings, we are self-aware, we know that we know. Yet most of us are not fully awake to the true nature of the self, or the nature of consciousness itself. We have gained vast knowledge of the world around us, but the nature of the knower, and of knowing itself, remains largely unknown.

This inner ignorance lies behind many of the crises we are now facing. More often than not our decisions are based on a derived sense of self and mistaken assumptions about what we really want and need. We have reached a point in human history where we need to fully awaken to who and what we are, to regain our connection with "natural mind".

The great mystics and saints of human history are men and women who have transcended the thinking mind and found liberation in the natural mind that is the core of our being.

 Goal: To appreciate the value of spiritual awakening in the contemporary world.

Learning Objectives:
• To develop an alternative view of self,
• To reconnect with natural mind, and
• To know how we get caught up in our thoughts.

Workshop: Back to the Present (past conference by Peter Russell)

Be here now. It is an eternal call. In the present moment, we find true freedom; we can enjoy the peace and love that is the essence of our being.

To be more present, we need to let go of our fears, judgments, assumptions and attachments that keep our minds locked into the past and future. But letting go never seems easy. That is because we usually approach letting go as something to do. We may know it is the opposite—an undoing—but that does not make it any easier.

We often look outside for help, but our perfect teacher is our higher self, which already knows precisely what we need to let go of, and how to let it happen. Just below the threshold of consciousness, the quiet voice of our own inner knowing beckons to us, showing us the easiest, most direct way to return to the present, and find the peace and joy that we yearn for.

Goal: Learn new ways of becoming more present.

Learning Objectives:
• To learn how to let ‘letting go’ happen,
• To distinguish the inner voice from that of the ego, and
• To access the wisdom of your higher self.

To Enjoyment and Enthusiasm!

Debbie @
The Feminine Whisperers 
 
www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net
www.meetup.com/EckhartTeachings

                         

Expressing oneself intimately through the genre of
multi-media creations and digital storytelling impacts
our heart in a mighty profound way for both the
writer and the watcher. A deeply inspiring expression
of who we are in the essence of our being connects
with that same essence in the watcher, and surrounds
us with love and peace and meaningfulness. I truly felt
cradled in the arms of love after watching these three
short movies by Kate Nowak, a Texas author. I also
posted them on my school website for co-workers,
students and parents to watch. Pass them on!

Kate combines soothing music with soul-stirring
messages of love and inspiration. Her movies relax
your body, rejuvenate your soul, and renew your
spirit.  She calls them ...

Virtual Therapy for the Soul


MAY YOU BE BLESSED

"Soothing meditative music combined with
inspirational photographs and words that
reach out to touch the soul, May You Be
Blessed has been viewed over 3 million
times. Imagine a world where everyone is
blessed by the presence of everyone else.
Just imagine how beautiful the world would be."

 

          

   


A HOLY SPLASH OF TIME

Kate describes this movie as "a
visual meditation that draws us
away from our current illusion of
time into the joy and peace of the
present moment. A beautiful and
soothing way to remind us of the
sacredness every moment brings."

 

         
 
   


HAS ANYONE TOLD YOU?

"There is more hunger for love and
appreciation in the world today than
there is for bread." ~ Mother Teresa

 

         

   


To Enjoyment and Enthusiasm!

Debbie
The Feminine Whisperers
& The Hero's Journey Within
San Antonio, Texas


www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net

Hi To All The Feminine Whisperers!



This is a weekly Oprah.com Reading Group in San Antonio, Texas for women interested in furthering their spiritual path and diving especially deep into the teachings of Eckhart Tolle.   We came together during Oprah's live 10-week webcasts of A New Earth with Eckhart Tolle and continue together to experience the changes we all want to see and feel on this planet!

We finished our first study of A New Earth and now we are studying The Power of Now by the same author, Eckhart Tolle.   Last week in Silent Group we viewed the DVD, Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World, Part 1 by Eckhart Tolle.   Along with studying The Power of Now, some are finding time to read other highly recommended books by Oprah and listen to some of Eckhart's CDs. 

A couple of the other books are:

1)  My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

   

Jill is one of Time magazine's 100 most influential
people of 2008.  While she worked to uncover the
differences between the brains of people born
with mental illnesses and those who were not,
something remarkable happened to Jill's own
brain—it went silent ... well one side did!

On December 10, 1996, at age 37, Jill awoke
with intense pain behind her left eye—a blood
vessel had exploded in the left hemisphere of
her brain, and within hours, Jill could no longer
walk, talk, read or write.  She was suffering from
an arteriovenous malformation—a rare type of
stroke.  She lost function of the left hemisphere
of her brain and her right hemisphere became
dominant.  It took her 8 years to recover.

After experiencing the Nirvana of the right side
of her brain, Jill would not allow certain
characteristics of her left hemisphere to be
part of her new-found life after recovery. 
She didn't like how they felt in her body.  A
truly fascinating look into the hemispheres
of the brain and how they color our world.



(click here for Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's 18-minute presentation)



(Click below for Oprah's 4-part Interview with Dr. Taylor)

http://event.oprah.com/videochannel/soulseries/oss_player_980x665.html?guest=jbt&part=1


2)  A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers
Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink



(Click below for Oprah's 2-part Interview with Dan Pink)

http://event.oprah.com/videochannel/soulseries/oss_player_980x665.html?guest=dp&part=1

The era of "left brain" dominance, and
the Information Age that it engendered,
are giving way to a new world in which
"right brain" qualities (inventiveness,
empathy, meaning) predominate.

Oprah gave the commencement
address at Stanford University recently. 
She distributed Daniel  Pink's "A Whole
New Mind" along with Eckhart Tolles'
"A New Earth" to every graduate.  She
wrapped the two books together with a
ribbon, and they were placed underneath
the seats before graduation.  At the end
of the graduation ceremony, Oprah asked
the graduates to look under their chair for
her gift to them.

The teachings of Eckhart Tolle help to quiet the ego chatter and excessive preoccupation with the past and future found in our dominant left hemisphere and shift to living predominantly from the perspective of the right brain ... in the present moment.  The two books I just mentioned support these teachings in a very dramatic and powerful way. 

Jill Bolte Taylor's book, MY STROKE OF INSIGHT, has really helped me with feeling my inner body more than anything, I mean anything, I've come across.  When her left-hemisphere went offline due to a stroke, her right-brain becomes totally mesmerized with her own physiological make-up as a human being.  It is just a fascinating account of what she experienced as the left-hemisphere of her brain flooded with blood and became mostly unavailable to her.  I've listened to and read several interviews, and now I've finished her book.  It is very exciting and validating, for the inner knowing we all have within us, regarding our miraculous encounter with life on Planet Earth. How Jill depicts her right-hemisphere's take on what it means for humans to be ALIVE and with the AWARENESS of it ... now that really feels like “the good road home” (p. 41) which is what Jill says about her blissful experiences when online with only her right-brain.

One of my many favorite parts, is on page 42, at the bottom in italics, where she says, "Wow, what a strange and amazing thing I am.  What a bizarre living being I am. Life! I am life! I am a sea of water bound inside this membranous pouch.  Here, in this form, I am a conscious mind and this body is the vehicle through which I am ALIVE! I am trillions of cells sharing a common mind.  I am here, now, thriving as life.  Wow! What an unfathomable concept! I am cellular life, no - I am molecular life with dexterity and a cognitive mind!" 

Then she goes on to explain, "I was both fascinated and humbled by how hard my little cells worked, moment by moment, just to maintain the integrity of my existence in this physical form ... I was proud to see that I was this swarming conglomeration of cellular life that had stemmed from the intelligence of a single molecular genius!" (p. 43)

And toward the end of Chapter 4, Dr. Taylor profoundly exclaims, "In the wisdom of my dementia, I understood that my body was, by the magnificence of its biological design, a precious and fragile gift.  It was clear to me that this body functioned like a portal through which the energy of who I am can be beamed into a three-dimensional external space.

This cellular mass of my body had provided me with a marvelous temporary home ... a three-dimensional perception of this environment that actually appeared to be not only seamless and real, but also safe.   Here in this delusion , I was mesmerized by the efficiency of this biological matrix as it created my form, and I was awed by the simplicity of its design.  I saw myself as a complex composite of dynamic systems, a collection of interlacing cells capable of integrating a medley of sensory modalities streaming in from the external world ... I wondered how I could have spent so many years in this body, in this form of life, and never really understood that I was just visiting here." (p.45, 46)

I was totally blown away by all the revelations made in Chapter 4. My tears welled up as I fathomed the living words of her experience.  The tears finally overflowed as each exhilarating exhortation of living life … in this body, on this earth, at this time … became so resonant in my mind that I might just explode. 

I first encountered Jill watching the TED.com clip as many of you did. (click here for Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's 18-minute presentation)  I was totally enthralled along with everyone else.  She's a great speaker, so talented … just the right human form for this understanding to come through to all of us.

Now, when I go within and focus on my breath and inner body and Presence as I've been doing since Oprah's webcast with Eckhart Tolle, I have a much more enlightened understanding of the energy of who I am; this energy that projects itself, beams itself, into this three-dimensional space ... a biological matrix that makes up my form and all that is around me.  I feel this tugging to understand that instead of humanity incessantly searching the outgoing portals through which to know ourselves and our universe, we mainly need to acknowledge and realize how deeply Consciousness is trying to coming in through us … in this human form … to this physical realm.  Somewhere I read, we are the bridge ...  probably from Eckhart Tolle.  Wow, that was a big Ah-Ha for me!  

And with this unfolding Conscious Awareness, what am I going to do with it?  What I was beamed into this three-dimensional space to do, transcend my initial slumber and enjoy "all that is" while in this precious and fragile dimension of molecular life with dexterity and a cognitive mind.  And as you see here, I'll be sure to tell others about it!

Thursday, July 3, we are discussing The Power of Now, Chapter 4 - Mind Strategies for Avoiding the Now.  Join us for an enlightened discussion.   We meet at Barnes and Noble Booksellers  at Hwy 281 North and Loop 1604 in the Northwoods Shopping Center.  The address is 18030 Hwy 281 North.

 

Click to Barnes and Noble for Book Club Details and Directions!

You are invited to come every Thursday evening from 6:30-9:00 PM except the last Thursday of the month and that is when we meet with River City Silent Group.  As you enter the bookstore start looking to your right and you will see us before you reach the customer service desk. 

Isn't this a great location.  Thanks Barnes and Noble.

To Enjoyment and Enthusiasm!

Debbie
The Feminine Whisperers
Oprah.com Reading Group
San Antonio, Texas

www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net
Feminine Whisperers Yahoo Discussion Forum

River City Silent Group meets to share the Stillness and view a
DVD by Eckhart Tolle.  Eckhart is noted as one of the most
original and inspiring  spiritual teachers of our time. We get
together the last Thursday of each month from 6:30–9:00 PM
in my home.  I live in the Henderson Pass and Thousand Oaks
area in North Central San Antonio.  This is very close to Hwy
281, just inside Loop 1604. 

We are viewing Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the
World. The small book that comes with two DVDs features
photographs taken personally by Eckhart and selected quotations
from the retreat. In the Foreword it reads, "In the spring of 2004,
Eckhart Tolle led an extraordinary weekend retreat at Findhorn,
Scotland, a spiritual community on the leading edge of personal
and global transformation. When Eckhart came to Findhorn, true
magic happened. The whole retreat was captured on video and
carefully edited to create two deeply moving two-hour DVD
experiences." 

We will watch the first DVD Thursday evening, June 26.
 

In the Introduction, we learn at little more about the
magic of Findhorn, Scotland, "The Findhorn community
in Scotland came into existence in the sixties, based upon
a deepening relationship between humans and the realm
of nature.  A new relationship with nature is an essential
aspect of the awakening of human consciousness.  In our
ego-based civilization, alienation from nature is normal and
goes hand in hand with alienation from ourselves and each
other."  For more information regarding Findhorn
EcoVillages go to:

www.ecovillagefindhorn.com

Eckhart goes on to explain in the book, "When we came
together for the weekend retreat in the magical environment
of Findhorm, the birds, trees, flowers, the wind, the sea, the
forests and rivers became our teachers.  Teachers of what? 
Teachers of stillness. Teachers of present moment living, of
surrender to Now. Teachers of Being."

We look forward to spending time together this Thursday.
I will email you directions.

To Enjoyment and Enthusiasm!

Debbie
River City Silent Group
San Antonio, Texas

www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net

Hi To All The Feminine Whisperers!

   

This is a weekly Oprah.com Book Club in San Antonio, Texas for women furthering their spiritual path and interested in diving especially deep into the teachings of Eckhart Tolle.  We came together during Oprah's 10-week webcasts of A New Earth with Eckhart Tolle and continue together to experience the changes we all want to feel and see on this planet!

We finished our first study of A New Earth and now we are studying The Power of Now by the same author, Eckhart Tolle.  Leading into the discussions of The Power of Now, we watched the DVD by Eckhart titled, "Freeing Yourself from Identification with Your Mind."  Many of us are also listening to the CDs "Practicing The Power of Now" read by Eckhart Tolle. 

What truly potent teachings we are discovering, and ones that make such a difference in our lives!

Thursday, June 19, we are discussing Chapter 3, Moving Deeply Into the Now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

The Power of Now

Chapter 2    Consciousness: The Way Out of Pain

Some highlights of the discussion centered around how the mind seeks to cover up the present moment with stuff from the past or focusing on what can happen in the future.  When this happens it creates more time outside of the present moment, so that "... your true nature becomes obscured by the mind.  An increasingly heavy burden of time has been accumulating in the human mind.  All individuals are suffering under this burden ..." (p.34). 

This cover up of the present moment is like "... an opaque screen of concepts, labels, images, words, judgments, and definitions ... It comes between you and yourself, between you and your fellow man and woman, between you and nature, between you and God.  It is this screen of thoughts that creates the illusion of separateness, the illusion that there is you and a totally separate "other."  You then forget the essential fact that, underneath the level of physical appearances and separate forms, you are one with all that is" (p. 15).  

     

Yes, we are one with all that is and if we don't create any more time than that which is only necessary for practical purposes, then the illusion of the past and future dissolves and we "Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have" (p. 35). 

Eckhart calls this the "timeless now."  He reminds us to have "... your dwelling place in the Now and pay brief visits to the past and future when required to deal with the practical aspects of your life situation" (p. 35).

     

In dealing with past pain, we can use the "Process of Transmutation" to dissolve the past residue of pain that has built up and lodged in our body and mind "... as trapped life-energy that has split-off from your total energy field ... and turned on itself and become anti-life, like an animal trying to devour its own tail' (p. 39). 

We can be the ever alert guardian of our inner space by using the "Process of Transmutation" which is sustained conscious attention.  Eckhart calls it "... the esoteric meaning of the ancient art of alchemy: the transmutation of base metal into gold, or suffering into consciousness.  The split within is healed, and you become whole again.  Your responsibility is then not to create further pain" (p. 40).  

     

     Process of Transmutation = Sustained Focus + Know + Accept + Stay Present

                                        THEN SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

On page 39, Eckhart quotes Paul from the Bible, "Everything is shown up by being exposed to the light, and whatever is exposed to the light itself becomes light."  Eckhart explains that the light of our consciousness exposes the unconscious and transmutes it into itself.  

          

The last sentence of chapter 2 states, "The secret of life is to "die before you die ..." (p. 46).  He gives further details of a powerful meditation using "die before you die" in his CD, Practicing the Power of Now, disc 3.

During our book discussion, we had our pens and highlighters out, and we were writing in the margins.  Chapter 2 is a short chapter but each of us felt the power of its teachings.  We welcome several new to the group this month.  It is such a blessing to share our journey with each other.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Chapter 3, Moving Deeply into The Now, is a longer chapter and takes us to a much deeper level of the teachings.  Join us for enlightened discussions.  We meet at Barnes and Noble Booksellers at Hwy 281 North and Loop 1604 in the Northwoods Shopping Center.  The address is 18030 Hwy 281 North.



Click to Barnes and Noble for Book Club Details and Directions!

You are invited to come every Thursday evening from 6:30-9:00 PM
except the last Thursday of the month, and that is when we meet
with River City Silent Group. As you enter the bookstore, start
looking to your right; you will see us before you reach the customer
service desk.

Isn't this a great location.  Thanks, Barnes and Noble!

To enjoyment and enthusiasm!

Debbie
Oprah.com Reading Group
The Feminine Whisperers
San Antonio, Texas

www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net
Feminine Whisperers Yahoo Discussion Forum

Hi To All The Feminine Whisperers!

    

This is a weekly Oprah.com Book Club in San Antonio, Texas for women furthering their spiritual path and interested in diving especially deep into the teachings of Eckhart Tolle.  We came together during Oprah's 10-week webcasts of A New Earth with Eckhart Tolle and continue together to experience the changes we all want to feel and see on this planet!

We finished our first study of A New Earth and now we are studying The Power of Now by the same author, Eckhart Tolle.  Leading into the discussions of The Power of Now, we watched the DVD by Eckhart titled, "Freeing Yourself from Identification with Your Mind."  Many of us are also listening to the CDs "Practicing The Power of Now" read by Eckhart Tolle. 

What truly potent teachings we are discovering, and ones that make such a difference in our lives!

This Thursday, June 12th, we are discussing Chapter 2, Consciousness: The Way Out of Pain. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Power of Now

Preface, Introduction and Chapter 1:  You Are Not Your Mind

In the new preface to the paperback edition in 2004, the author emphasizes there is, "... no doubt in my mind  that an unprecedented shift in consciousness is indeed happening on our planet" (p. xiii).  Letters and emails Eckhart received as a result of reading The Power of Now,  "... mention a lessening or even a complete disappearance of suffering and problem-making in people's lives as a result of reading The Power of Now and putting the teachings into practice in their everyday lives ... the amazing  and beneficial effects of inner body awareness, the sense of freedom that comes with letting go of self-identification with one's personal history and life-situation, and a newfound inner peace that arises as one learns to relinquish mental/emotional resistance to the "suchness" of the present moment" (p. xiv, xv).  Readers say the book's transformative power intensifies with each subsequent reading.



Eckhart reveals that Time Magazine called it "Mumbo Jumbo" as many are still deeply entrenched in the old consciousness and find the book meaningless.  In many still deeply entrenched in the old consciousness, they demonstrate an almost volatile reaction toward those who embrace its teachings.  Eckhart warns, " ... any teaching that puts the spotlight of attention on the ego will necessarily provoke egoic reaction, resistance, and attack" (p. xv).  Now, the book is a global success and "... continues to make a vital contribution to the arising of a new consciousness and a more enlightened humanity" (p. xvi).



There are many repetitive passages purposely included because of their potent spiritual power.  In writing the book, Eckhart addresses the book "...to the knower in you ... the deeper self that immediately recognizes spiritual truth, resonates with it, and gains strength from it" (p. 8).  He goes on to say, "... there is and always has been only one spiritual teaching, although it comes in many forms" (p. 9).  That is why he occasionally quotes from different sources such as the words of Jesus or from other teachings, to draw attention to their spiritual essence, but mostly the teachings come from the one true Source within ... from inner experience.



In Chapter 1, the teachings expose the greatest obstacle to enlightenment ... and that is identification with your mind and its incessant mental noise.  Eckhart points out that the mind is a superb instrument if used rightly, but we don't use the mind - it uses us ... and we believe we are our mind!!!  We learned how to free ourselves from our mind (the phantom self) and rise above thought by accessing the present moment to go more fully into the expansiveness of our consciousness of which thinking is only a small aspect.  To connect with the much vaster realm of consciousness, Eckhart describes how to oscillate back and forth between thought and stillness, between mind and no-mind.  "When the mind reconnects with that, it becomes a most wonderful tool.  It then serves something greater than itself" (p. 25). 

Furthermore, Eckhart addresses that our mind not just made up of thought processes but includes our emotions as well as all unconscious reactive patterns. "An emotion usually represents an amplified and energized thought pattern, and because of its often over-powering energetic charge, it is not easy initially to stay present enough to be able to watch it.  It wants to take you over, and it usually succeeds --- unless there is enough presence in you" (p. 27). 



Even positive emotions are fleeting without freedom from mind-dominance.  (Recall the experience I describe in in the last entry, The Feminine Whisperers 6.5.08 - the story told by Dorothy, the 77 year-old woman, who found herself in the gap with the birds.)  We can experience glimpses and gaps of positive emotions such as love, joy, and peace but in the mind-dominant egoic state of consciousness, we soon feel the same love, joy and peace as their polar opposites.  Love can turn to hate, joy can turn to pain, and peace can turn into turmoil with any unforeseen change of events. 



This is the dualistic nature of our current thought processes, our current consciousness.  We are subject to the law of opposites determined by what our unenlightened, mind-identified egoic state of consciousness tell us.  So, in this dualistic state ... love, joy, and peace are only short-lived glimpses derived from something outside of ourselves, and therefore not the love, joy, and peace that have no opposites found in a much more expansive level of consciousness derived from the deep Source within. 

Eckhart states, "Love, joy, and peace are deep states of Being, or rather three aspects of the state of interconnectedness with Being.  As such, they have no opposites.  This is because they arise from beyond the mind" (p. 29). 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The next discussion is on Chapter 2, Consciousness: The Way Out of Pain.  This chapter helps us to cease creating pain in the present and to dissolve pain from the past.   Join us for enlightened discussions.  We gather at Barnes and Noble Booksellers at Hwy 281 and Loop 1604 in the Northwoods Shopping Center.  The address is 18030 Hwy 282 North.



Click to Barnes and Noble for Book Club Details and Directions!

You're invited to come every Thursady evening from
6:30-9:00 PM except the last Thursday of the month,
and that's when we meet with River City Silent
Group.  As you enter the bookstore start looking to your
right.  You will see our group before you reach the
customer service desk.  Or, you can ask at the customer
service desk where we are meeting.  Isn't this a great location!

We really looking forward to seeing all of you. 

Enjoy!

Debbie
The Feminine Whisperers
Oprah.com Reading Group
San Antonio, Texas  

www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net
Feminine Whisperers Yahoo Discussion Forum

Hi To All The Feminine Whisperers!

 
This is a weekly Oprah.com Book Club in San Antonio, Texas for women furthering their spiritual path and interested in diving especially deep into the teachings of Eckhart Tolle.  We came together during Oprah's 10-week webcasts of A New Earth with Eckhart Tolle and continue together to experience the changes we all want to feel and see on this planet!

We finished our first study of A New Earth, and now we've started the book, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.  We began with the Introduction and Chapter 1, You Are Not Your Mind.  The DVD we watched in Silent Group, "Freeing Yourself  from Identification with Your Mind" by Eckhart, leads us so poignantly into our next discussions of The Power of Now.

Celeste wrote:   

Thanks for hosting the gathering. I really enjoyed it despite being late. When we concluded with the silent meditation, I looked to you and Wanda thinking - okay where's my instructions for what to do - then I realized just look within....It's quite liberating to stop looking for that "authority" in every step of our lives.  Thanks!



Debbie wrote:    

Ah, yes, Celeste, that is what we are all learning to do - turn within! Our next study, The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, will more fully help us to look within.

In the very first chapter under ... Enlightenment - what is that? (p. 11), Eckhart tells the parable of a beggar sitting on a box for 30 years on the side of the road. When he asked a stranger for money, the stranger asked the beggar what was in the box on which he sat for all these years. The beggar did not know. As it turns out, the box within was filled with gold.

Eckhart goes on to comment on the parable, "Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant joy of Being and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security or love, while they have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer." (p. 12)

Wow, when he describes it as "looking outside for scraps" it sounds harsh but in the Introduction, Eckhart explains that he is forceful, at times in the book, " ... to cut through heavy layers of mental resistance and reach the place within you where you already know all this." (p. 10)

I’m looking forward to discussing Chapter 1 in our reading group. Thanks for all your comments on here, Celeste. You voice many things all of us are discovering.

Enjoy, Debbie

Reply 1. Re: We Are Awakening! - Music Video - Awesome  Jun 5, 2008  5:39 PM

Hi Debbie,

Thanks for your message; it's so nice to hear that groups of people that came together for the webcast have continued on together, and are all seeking to live more in Presence, together.

I am also in a book group that formed with A New Earth, and we have decided to stay together as a book group, reading titles about awakening, growth, expansiveness.  Not all spiritual per se, but books that provide meaningful discussions in that direction.



Keep up the great work and I hope your groups continue to thrive and strive, for the changes we all want to feel and see on this planet!

Best,
Andrea
N. CA

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Reply 2. Re: We Are Awakening! - Music Video - Awesome  Jun 6, 2008 11:05 PM
in response to:  andrea

Hi Andrea,

Thanks for your reply.  It's a joy to hear from you and about your book club.  We had our meeting tonight and it was just so uplifting to be with others in this way.  We had 8 attend and discussed the new Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1 in The Power of Now.  The book is so meaningful after reading A New Earth.  I am also very inspired by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's book, My Stroke of Insight.  We meet from 6:30 - 9:00 PM and it flies by.  All the women are so thrilled to have this group to talk about all the teachings and how they are impacting our lives as we practice being more Present and the Acceptance of What Is.

One lady brought her 77 year-old mom, a simply delightful lady.  She described a recent experience of watching some birds in her backyard for about 20 minutes.  It was such a beautiful story.  And when she added her own visual effects of the birds fluttering in place just above the baby birds, she was herself a glorious vision to behold.  She said after watching the birds, she went back into her home and started laughing from the pure joy of Being with the birds in that way.  She said she experienced it in such a profound way that she felt she had visited "a place you would go on vacation."  It was an Ah-ha experience for her.



We related that to page 29 in Chapter 1 of The Power of Now, where Eckhart says, "Glimpses of love and joy or brief moments of deep peace are possible whenever a gap occurs in the stream of thought.  For most people, such gaps happen rarely and only accidentally, in moments when the mind is rendered "speechless,"  sometimes triggered by great beauty, extreme physical exertion, or even great danger.  Suddenly, there is inner stillness.  And within that stillness there is a subtle but intense joy, there is love, there is peace."

In this 77-year old woman's vivid story of the birds' playfulness and caring for their babies, she took all of us into that gap created by great beauty, and for a moment, we had a glimpse of love and joy and a brief moment of deep peace.  Then one of us said, that is what Eckhart is talking about on page 29.  It was a beautiful time of sharing that stood out from the rest for me.  I even felt a little over-whelmed by the magnificence of it.

Being together and sharing with each other in this way is well worth coming together in groups.  Eckhart states, "The world can only change from within."  It is one of my favorite quotes from his website.

Thanks for commenting and sharing about your reading group.  It's so interesting to hear from others who are actively involved in a reading group and/or Silent Local Group.

Enjoy!

Debbie
TheFeminineWhisperers.net
San Antonio, Texas

* I was out of town with my new baby granddaughter and did not forward the message to the rest of the group.   Later, as I was reading my emails more closely, I realized that a wonderful opportunity was missed.  I hope we will be invited to more gatherings like this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Join us for enlightened discussions.  You're invited to
come every Thursday evening from 6:30-9:00 PM except
the last Thursday of the month, and that's when we meet
with River City Silent Group.  For the book
discussions, we meet at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at 281
and Loop 1604 in the Northwoods Shopping Center.  The
address is 18030 Hwy 281 North. As you enter the bookstore
start looking to your right.  You will see our group before
you reach the customer service desk.  Or, you can ask at the
customer service desk where we are meeting. 

Isn't this a great location!
Thank you, Barnes and Noble Booksellers!



Click to Barnes and Noble for Book Club Details and Directions!

We really looking forward to seeing all of you as always.

Enjoy!

Debbie
The Feminine Whisperers
Oprah.com. Reading Group
San Antonio, Texas 

www.TheFeminineWhisperers.net

                          A note from Eckhart

                                  ~ Eckhart Tolle         

          

The River City Silent Group meets to share the stillness and connect with
that state of awareness. We gather together the last Thursday of each month
from 6:30 – 9:00 PM in my home.  All are welcome to attend this Silent Local
Group.  I live in the Henderson Pass/Thousand Oaks area of North Central
San Antonio.  This is very close to Hwy 281, just inside Loop 1604.

When I registered on Eckhart Tolle's website to facilitate a Silent Local Group,
he provided a format for us to follow.  Once everyone arrives, we will begin with
ten minutes of silence (silent meditation), then watch an Eckhart Tolle DVD
lasting about 1 1/2 hours or listen to one of his CDs, and end with another 10
minutes of silence (silent meditation). Eckhart states that it's best not to engage
in discussion, as it tends to stimulate the mind and ego.

We can visit before and after this format.  I say this because, when I first read
about Silent Local Groups, I envisioned going into the meeting in silence and
leaving in silence.  I thought how in the world can I not say hello to everyone,
but Wanda set me straight.  She has been to a Silent Group Meeting before. 
I think it's funny that I thought that but, hey, you never know! 

Below are a few photos we took Thursday evening at our first Silent Group.
         

As everyone arrived, we excitedly anticipated the evening.

 All are welcome to Silent Group.  Randy, there will be more men next time!

No, Kate is not still meditating!

It was such a great time of sharing the stillness and the teachings of Eckhart Tolle.

Debbie
River City Silent Group
& Oprah.com Reading Group
The FeminineWhisperers
San Antonio, Texas