The Anne Report, Being in Nature as a Spiritual Practice, reminds us of the value of being in nature. The Main article, Consciousness Rising, describes some of her experiences on the awakening journey that all of humanity is now traveling. The Healthy Living article, ­Loneliness as a Health Risk, emphasizes the societal importance of being part of your tribe. The Anne Talk, The Unfamiliarity of Doing Things the EZ Way, reminds us that "suffering about things" is a choice we can unchoose. The Featured Product This Month highlights Words Make a Difference. Click to read What is EZosophy? Click for Anne's Books. Click for Shareables From Anne. Click for Abundance Affirmations.

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

Living EZosophy, July 17, 2018
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

Anne's Websites:

  The Anne Report

Being in Nature as a Spiritual Practice

Dear ,

The other day I went body surfing. The surfers were out, the waves were high, and I joined them. I wasn't in their midst, however. After all, I didn't have a death wish, but I was in the same vicinity. I dived under wave after wave until I found the perfect one. I'd swim out ahead of the crashing wave and catch a ride. I enjoyed diving under the waves more than riding them. The surface of the water was fierce, but just a couple of feet under, there was calm. It was so easy to avoid the turbulence.

My afternoon adventure offered encounters with the elements. There was the sun or fire, the wind or air, the water, and the sand or earth. The elements are healing. It's like they wash the spirit clean. I felt refreshed and slept deeper that night than most nights.

Last fall we took a trip to west Texas. We camped in several places with clear streams and rivers. We spent as much time in the water as possible. Water is magic. I had a teacher who advocated swimming in natural waters as a spiritual practice. He said going under water is a baptism. It clears you out. I think he's right, because when I get in the water, I feel better.

Once I was in a relationship. We were fighting over something. We were headed to the lake, and when we got there, we went swimming. All the anger disappeared and soon we were laughing and having fun. We both marveled and recognized how the water cleared away the fight.

Here's my sage advice: go swimming. Swim often. Swim in rivers, lakes, and oceans. All the other elements are present when one swims. It is a spiritual practice. I'm sure of it. I believe that when you swim more, your life will get EZier and EZier. And that's it for the Anne Report.

Anne

  Main Article

Consciousness Rising

Theology is the study of the nature of God and religious belief. It is taught in schools and in seminaries. It's like U. S. history. Good stuff to know, but traditional theology doesn't provide the warm and fuzzy comfort and possibility that spiritual dissidents seek. Those who oppose official policies, especially those of an authoritarian institution that holds up hoops we must jump through, have no interest in such things.

Fortunately, there is a different brand of theologians. They seek the truth through experience, not through hand me down knowledge. Spiritual seekers and finders, mystics and saints, are process theologians. And we are fellow theologians. We are no longer satisfied with being spectators in the play of consciousness.

Even though we are theologians, it's easy to discount what we know and what we've experienced. Most likely, we have each had a unique spiritual awakening. It may have been the gentle hand of God giving us strength that we didn't know we had, a sudden realization, or a life-changing event. It may have been the slow awakening to that which is loving and benevolent.

In the mid-'70's I was emotionally starving. I was disconnected from something. I didn't even know what that something was, but I knew there was more. I was a seeker and a doubter. I did not want to surrender to whatever I hoped there might be, because that was my ace in the hole. If I surrendered to an Infinite Intelligence that didn't exist or respond on a personal level, I didn't want to know that it wasn't there for me. I preferred holding onto a likelihood, rather than bringing my possible fantasy to conclusion. I finally became so desperate that I surrendered. I played my last hand. And it came to pass: I had a jaw-dropping, breath-taking, jump-in-the air, yell and shout, experience of the divine. A veil lifted, and I could see for the first time. Life was extraordinary. I was relaxed, relieved, and safe.

Years passed, and I became sheepish about my experience. "How naive I'd been." I had a wise friend who said, "Anne, don't discount that. It was powerful for you. Don't let that die." Something clicked. The same force that pulled me over that emotional divide was alive, and that experience was the bridge; that encounter carried me across the divide. The rooster need not crow the fourth time; I got the message.

What has died in us? What direct experiences of life, of love, of God have died?

This is not a moral question. Oh, I'm a bad person because I've forgotten the good in my life. This is a wake up call. What needs to wake up in me right now for me to experience this good?

Consciousness is waking up, and it needs us. Consciousness sleeps in rocks, wakes up in plants, gains emotions in animals, and awakens to consciousness of itself in humanity, and it is still waking up. This is not an intermission for consciousness. Consciousness is on a mission, and we are a part of that mission.

We are moving from learning to maintain our lives and learning practical spirituality, to an awakened state of consciousness.

Jesus woke up. Buddha woke up. But now the masses are waking up, and we are a part of that stirring.

Every day, we need to ask, "What am I to do today in the great awakening? What is my part? Who do I need to see? What do I think?"

The answers might be direct, specific, long-term, but the Universe may only provide the next lighted step. Let's live with a bold expectancy that we will be guided at every turn. "Here I am. I can't wait to see what you are going to do through me today! My schedule is open in this very moment."

As consciousness awakens, we need to hold tight during this upheaval of mental traditions and beliefs. We minimalize our part. "There's not anything for me to do. I'm nobody." We are wrong, because we are the hand of consciousness.

It's exciting. We are moving, for the first time in evolution, to a place where we are not driven by old events and old pains, to a time when we, as a global culture, can be creative, not reactive. This shift is the evolution of consciousness. We are changing from individuals who are waking up, to the human species making another quantum leap in consciousness. The planet is moving toward operating from the love of power, to operating from the power of love.

We are moving from learning lessons to being fulfilled. Why learn lessons? To gain wisdom, peace, fulfillment. But when we sit at the feet of wisdom, we rest in the peace of being. We don't need to learn anything.

America's favorite poet, Rumi, sensed this evolutionary change, this awakening.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

The door is open. Let's leap from the doorsill together and join in the great awakening.

Anne

  Quotes

Anne Quotes

Click the image to see a larger view.

Click the image to see a larger view.

Click the image to see a larger view.

  Featured Product

"Books are waiting to be written. Thus, it was my privilege to bring this book to the world. It brought with it such grace and love. Words Make a Difference sparkles with aliveness and blessing and delivers the perfect information under perfect timing. We are called not only to heal ourselves and those around us, we are destined to hold a vision for the world. This book commands us to be architects of a brave new future and lights a path for us to follow." Anne Sermons Gillis

Order Words Make a Difference from the website or call me at 713-922-0242 to order directly from me. The price is $16.95 plus $3.99 shipping, for a total of $20.94.

Click for the Kindle version on Amazon for $5.99.

Click to hear Anne talk about Words Make a Difference.

"Some people use affirmations to reprogram the mind. Certainly we have reams of questionable material in our subconscious mind, but I prefer to think of the affirmations in the book as commands for more compassionate living, openings to greater possibilities, and templates for a brave new world." Anne Sermons Gillis

  What is EZosophy?

Click to learn about EZosophy.

NOTE: If you are viewing this on a cell phone, be sure to scroll to the right to see the other column.

  Healthy Living

Loneliness as a Health Risk

What is one of the greatest health risks? If you guessed eating unhealthy foods or the lack of exercise, you guessed wrong. Dr. Lissa Rankin says that loneliness increases mortality rates by 45%. It is the number one issue health issue that doctors don't talk about.

There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Loneliness creates longing. It's the lack of feeling connected, while being alone and enjoying the solitude of the moment can be very intimate. When we begin to love who we are, we cherish the alone moments, but to stay healthy, we still need a tribe.

While being a hermit might sound campy and perhaps desirable, most people decide to be hermits because they have been so wounded in relationships, especially early childhood relationships, that they find being alone is easier and less painful than dealing with others.

The first place to heal loneliness is within ourselves. We must forgive ourselves, nurture ourselves, and protect ourselves.

Dr. Rankin's TED talk offers startling statistics as to how loneliness affects health and she suggests steps one can take to heal their loneliness.

Click image to watch Dr. Rankin's video.

My poem, I Know You, speaks of the need to connect with our human family.

I Know You

To me you are stranger, but I know you just the same.
We run in different circles; we go by different names.
But our hearts long for blessing and our souls cry for grace.
We need one another to form a healing space.

So, when I hear you shouting across the great divide,
I'll remember that I know you, that our Source is unified.
I'll see your sweet tears falling and the thoughts that drive your fears.
And hold you deep inside me, with reverence and prayers.

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

  Anne Talk

The Unfamiliarity of Doing Things the EZ Way

In The Unfamiliarity of Doing Things the EZ Way, Anne reminds us that "suffering about things" is a choice we can unchoose. Time: 5:10

  Anne Art

Click the image to see a larger view.

  Shareables From Anne

The World's Best Weight Loss Secret

Thought Freedom

40 Days to Abundance

  Abundance Affirmations

Join Anne's Facebook Group

This group is a place to post uplifting affirmations and thoughts about prosperity and abundant living. Let's create a right relationship with money so that we feel comfortable about money. Let's use money as it's meant to be used, and not as a way to accumulate power or to fill a void. We don't need money to buy more stuff. We need it to create a world that works for everyone. We want to cast off old beliefs of lack and reclaim our natural state of abundance.

  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time
unless otherwise specified.

Friday, August 10, 2018
Workshop: 9:00 AM-3:00 PM EDT
"Reducing Stress by Connecting With the Body" 5 CE credits $50.00
Bring Your Lunch or Purchase for $11
Location: "The Cottage," 122 Alicia Drive, Summerville, SC
Must Register by August 7, 2018
Click for Flyer & to Register Online
To Register by Mail, send Name,
Address & Contact Info to
Anne S. Gillis, c/o Elizabeth Wann
574 Chimney Bluff Dr.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Make Checks Payable to Anne S. Gillis
Refund Requires 48 hrs. Notice

Friday, August 17, 2018
Workshop: 9:00 AM-3:00 PM EDT
"Handling Life's Biggest Challenges:
Body, Relationships, & Money"
5 CE credits $50.00
Bring Your Lunch or Purchase for $11
Location: "The Cottage," 122 Alicia Drive, Summerville, SC
Must Register by August 14, 2018
Click for Flyer & to Register Online
To Register by Mail, send Name,
Address & Contact Info to
Anne S. Gillis, c/o Elizabeth Wann
574 Chimney Bluff Dr.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
Make Checks Payable to Anne S. Gillis
Refund Requires 48 hrs. Notice

  Anne's Books

Click to learn about Anne's books.

Contact Anne to book your event:
281-419-1775 or anne@annegillis.com.