The Anne Report, The Journey of a Lifetime, in 2-1/2 days, tells about some exciting events over this past weekend. The Main article, A TV Guide for the Mind, is a guide to the changes that happen in our minds as we move toward enlightenment. The Healthy Living article, Food for Thought, emphasizes the importance of the statements we make when eating our food. The Anne Talk is EZosophy for Crisis Living. The Featured Product This Month highlights Anne's second book, EZosophy: The Art of EZ or at Least EZier Living. Click for Anne's Books. Click for What is EZosophy? Click for Abundance Affirmations.

The EZ Mantra: "Everything can be EZ or at least EZier." -- Anne Sermons Gillis

Living EZosophy, February 27, 2017
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

Phone: 281-419-1775
Email: anne@annegillis.com

Anne's Websites:

  The Anne Report

The Journey of a Lifetime, in 2-1/2 days

Dear ,

This past weekend was action-packed, contemplative, and thought provoking. I may have had ten spiritual experiences rolled into a brief timespan. My friend, Sheila Blake, and I headed out Friday evening for Austin. Purpose: to visit a 27-acre tiny house community designed to house the disabled and chronically homelessness in the Austin area. If you are in Austin, the tour is a must.

We were like the The Three Princes of Serendip, who started out on a journey and found unexpected gifts along the way. We sang, affirmed, and laughed during our drive up. If we only had those three hours together, it would have been enough, but there was more. We spent the first night at a friend’s home and did yoga, Tai Chi, and energy work in the morning. We met two young people who lived alternative lifestyles, and I interviewed them for my Facebook Abundance Affirmations page. We ate at some great restaurants that served my kind of food. Typical American restaurants do not support conscious eating, and it’s always a treat to find one that does. I don’t eat out frequently, so it was fun to indulge. We went to Barton Springs Pool. People were swimming this time of year. Yikes! Then we went to a lovely lake, where I interviewed my new friends.

We slept in a tiny home one night. I interviewed a man who lived in the community. He was a missional. I asked what he did as a missional: "I treat people with respect. I’m nice to people. I make them feel welcome. I make friends. We don’t fix people here; we give them a space to heal." He and his wife sold their 3,900 sq. ft. home and guest house to live in the Community First community, in their quest to serve others. There were many more who gave up their posh lifestyles to become humble servants. He still works as the head of a high-tech firm headquartered in Austin. I met him in the community laundry; he was washing clothes. I met a vet who was formerly a musician. He opened for name bands like Jefferson Airplane. He was homeless before he moved to Community First. His guitar had been stolen, and he was hoping to get another one and get back into his music. I asked how he paid his $300 rent. He was on disability, but this month was tough. He would fly a sign at HEB grocery store so he could have money for food. "The people there are real generous." He was working at the property for wages, but his money just didn’t stretch far enough this month. I gave him a little money for food. He didn’t have teeth, so his food choices were limited. We offered nuts; he couldn’t eat them.

I went to the Austin Hindu Temple and paid my respects to Mahalakshmi and we attended at contemplative Christian service at the Church of Conscious Harmony. I was in tears almost the whole time at these sacred spaces. We met an old friend for lunch and headed home. We arrived home in the late afternoon, I pulled together some food for a fundraising event, and off we went to a Roy Zimmerman concert that my husband spearheaded, with the help of a lot of friends and supporters. The event was a grand success. I worked concessions and was the head of a small cleanup crew. I got home at about 11 AM.

It was a joy packed week-end and one that requires integration. I must walk softly for the next few days to steep in the blessings of the past few days. How close these spiritual adventures lie, yet how far off they seem, when we speed through our lives trying to be successful, helpful, productive, or important. Stillness calls us, whether we are adventuring or in full production. Life is always EZier when we listen to the call of Stillness. And that’s it for the Anne Report.

Anne

  Main Article

A TV Guide for the Mind

Our minds are permeated with thoughts. We have life-enhancing thoughts and depressing thoughts. We have knowings that are wordless, unexplainable, insights and revelations. Some thoughts can be classified as ah-ha's, while others are transcendent, illuminated thought. Thoughts have levels, as they move from the formless into the manifest word. We can move from level to level, but until we awaken, we are stuck at the lower levels of expression.

What are these levels?

• Unaware Thoughts – Thoughts flow through us, but we are unaware of their flow. The thoughts can be neutral, but they can also be emotional and reactive. Emotions are thoughts with feeling. This is the fight or flight level of thought.
• Choiceless Awareness – We are aware of what we are thinking, but we are still reactive. At this level we judge some thoughts; we are scared by others, and we are happy with our good thoughts.
• Choiceful Awareness: Thought Changing – This is the level of positive and negative thinking. We learn that we have thought choices, so we set about on a word quest to clean up our thoughts and language. There are two ways to go through this level. (1) We can change with grace. We naturally choose a higher thought when we realize we are affecting our lives though our limited and habituated thinking patterns. (2) The path most traveled is not so gracious: we are afraid that each negative thought dooms us to an unhappy life. During this level we correct our thoughts and words and tend to call out others on how they are saying things. We become the Word Police. Correcting is something we do from a right/wrong, almost moralistic perspective. Changing with awareness is done with gentle grace. It's a space where we feed our hearts with gentleness and support, and we provide a safe space for others to speak freely. We don't have to show them a better way.
• Neutral Thought Awareness – We are the observer and the observed. We watch our thoughts. We don't try to change them. We are centered in ourselves. We are not in charge nor lost in the reactivity, or the creativity of words. We are at the level of thought emancipation. We master all by mastering none. The mind begins the process of surrender.
• Integrative Thought – The awareness that observes and that which is observed, merge. At this point, there is no "two-ness." This is the place where the Supreme Okayness is the dominant and there is a restful quality. There is no place to hide, but there is now no reason to hide. The person expressing at this level lives in a state of radical acceptance and vulnerability.
• Enlightenment – This is the no thought zone. The mind serves as a surrendered servant. There is no seeker who works for enlightenment, nor is there a path. What is ultimate cannot be understood with the mind. There are no promises at this level, nothing to do, and there is no control. This place can be threatening to the seeker part in us, because seeking includes a high level of control. Seeking can be doctrinaire, but none-the less-entertaining. Seeking gives us a full-time job.

Enlightenment can be permanent, as with masters, or fleeting, but when we encounter this level, the seeking dissolves and there not only is nothing to change, the carpet of the past rolls into a neat bundle that no longer touches us. Maybe enlightenment is not a destination, a place of ultimate transcendence, but we do reach enlightenment points during our lifetime. These moments can be long lasting or fleeting, but the experience is not to be sought after. Enlightenment comes and goes, through grace, not through effort. We are commissioned to taste the grace, not to manufacture it.

This is not a self-help nor a how to do anything article. It's a discourse to help us recognize what is going on in our minds. It's a TV guide for the mind. We do what we can to move through life, but the more aware we are of our thoughts and how the mind works, the more enlightened moments we experience. We can live a life of awareness, as we traverse the different levels of thought, or we can reside at the level of unaware thought or unconsciousness. Some people never move out of the first level, but for those reading this, we are called to a higher level of examination. We are called to consciousness on our pathless journey home. We become restless when we are not homeward bound, and, regardless of the mistakes we make or the detours we take, we cannot go back. We cannot escape our destiny; we cannot escape our Selves. We are safe. We are life in motion, headed to the Source of Being. Our lives are a seamless perfection of manifestation, and when we have this realization, everything is EZ or at least EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

Anne Quotes

"If you are tripping over your life, regardless of all your meditations, your affirmations, and your assertiveness classes, you may need a spiritual reboot. The ground on which we stand must be filled with common sense, the ability to live in the world, and the capacity to take care of ourselves. Take care of these or you will fall all over yourself."

"Expect your good today. Know that it will come through as emotional emancipation and freedom from struggle. Hold onto each moment, as your expectation of good permeates your consciousness. When you move through the day in delighted expectation, you drop the drama and surrender control. Control creates struggle: it requires an unnatural kind of effort. Anticipation requires letting go."

"We are standing in the midst of what we are looking for, but, like two-year olds, we don't stay still long enough to see what's before us, what's in us, and what is operating through us. Fortunately, unlike some religious teachings, the Truth and Unconditional Love hold no animosity toward those who don't wake up. Just like parents wait patiently for their children to finish playing, the Universe stands by with open arms, ready for our awakening."

  Shareables from Anne

The World's Best Weight Loss Secret

Thought Freedom

40 Days to Abundance

  Featured Product This Month

At last, the reprint of EZosophy: The Art of EZ or at Least EZier Living, is out. If you've been wanting an EZier life, this book provides a clear path toward EZ.

EZosophy:The Art and Wisdom of EZ or At Least EZier Living is a simple philosophy that radically changes lives. It is a book for the spiritually-based reader who no longer values the ego driven struggle of contemporary life.

EZosophy will help readers:

• Give up Hard Attacks. Hardaholic no more.
• Drop the drama.
• Make your life EZier. Ease is not indolence. Rather, ease is the art of accomplishment without struggle.
• Learn to identify ego driven suffering (EDS).

Click here to learn more about Anne's book, EZosophy.

  Anne's Books

Click to learn about Anne's books.

  What is EZosophy?

Click to learn about EZosophy.

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  Healthy Living

Food for Thought

Almost everyone, except a few who struggle with food, loves to eat. Food is nourishing and comforting, and cooking can be a creative art. When traveling in our RV, stocking up on food takes a lot of time. I take care to bring healthy foods. We have a refrigerator, an oven, and a crock pot. Besides getting gas, food is a major part of our travels. Each night, when we are at home, I head toward the kitchen, in the late afternoon, excited to cook something to eat that's simple, yet incredible. Food shopping, preparing our food, and eating happens daily. This food thing takes time.

Regrettably, many of our foods are not as healthy as they used to be, and, even given wonderful choices, we don't always make the best food selections. While that is unfortunate, it is important that we enjoy our food, regardless of what we eat or the quality of the food. When it's headed for our mouths, we need to imbibe it with reverence rather than fear. Our cells are clever, and they listen to what we say and tune into what we feel. Can you imagine a cell hearing us say, "I shouldn't be eating this. It's not good for me. I'm so bad for eating this. This will make me fat. I am out of control." I do think it's wise to eat healthy food, but once it's headed toward our mouths, pronouncing the act as harmful, is more harmful that what we are eating.

Some swamis drink poison and are unaffected. They do that through the power of their minds. I don't suggest we drink poison as a test of our spiritual prowess. Even though we haven't developed this power over poison, we can recognize that the power does exist. Some religious groups handle snakes, and members get bitten. Snake bites kill some, but don't kill others. What makes this difference? Is it the power of the mind? Maybe their beliefs are so strong, that, when bitten, their bodies manufacture the antidote.

Our feelings, thoughts, and emotions toward our foods are important. The next time you eat, think conscious eating affirmations as the food comes toward your mouth. Probably best to pick healthier foods, but once it's headed into your mouth, it's time to bless it!

Eating Affirmations

• I am so happy to eat this. I love eating.
• Every bite I take nourishes my body.
• I am grateful that I can buy food. What a privilege.
• I am grateful for those who grew and transported this food.
• Send a blessing backward. "Bless all who grew, transported, and cooked this food."
• Every cell in my body is happy to receive this food, and each cell reacts in a healthy way.
• This food creates the perfect fuel for my body.
• This food is a blessing.

It's easier to believe that a salad is healthier than a sundae, but if the sundae is headed into your mouth, do the wise thing. Make it okay to eat it. Tell the body it's getting the best stuff, not the junk. Notice the breath when eating. Stay calm. We have powerful minds. Our thoughts can sentence us to death or to life. Let's wise up, so that the food we eat supplements our health. We got this. Now go forth and eat!

If you have any healthy living tips for the newsletter, send them to me at anne@annegillis.com.

  Anne Talks

EZosophy for Crisis Living

In EZosophy for Crisis Living, Anne shares ways to retain your EZosophy spirit even during trying times. Time: 2:20

  Anne Art

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  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time
unless otherwise specified.

Sunday, March 18, 2018
10:30 AM: "Synchronicity"
After service: "Synchronicity Workshop"
Centers for Spiritual Living, Clearlake, TX
18096 Kings Row, Suite D
Houston TX 77058
The Center opens at 10 AM for community, in the Common Room.

Sunday, April 8, 2018
10:30 AM: "Synchronicity"
Unity Circle of Light
25817a Gosling Road
The Woodlands, TX 77389
281-681-8883

Sunday, April 22, 2018
11:00AM-12:00PM: "Emerge and See"
Unity of Brazosport
507 S. Brooks St. (Hwy. 36)
Brazoria, TX 77422