The Anne Report, Conscious Eating, shows how consciously choosing when and how often we eat could be a healthy practice. The Main article, Waking Up to Reality, discusses the process we may take in moving toward awareness of our true self. The Healthy Living article, Humming for Your Health, discusses the benefits of this easy and joyous task. The Anne Talk, It’s Your Party EZosophy, reminds us that life is our party, so we should make the very best of it. The Featured Product This Month highlights Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic. Click to read What is EZosophy? Click to join Anne's Abundance Affirmations. Click for Shareables From Anne.

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

Living EZosophy, March 5, 2019
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

Phone: 713.922.0242
Email: anne@annegillis.com

Anne's Websites:

  The Anne Report

Conscious Eating

Dear ,

Last week, in the Healthy Living section, I wrote about fasting. This past week I decided to water fast for three and a half days. My husband was the one who wanted to fast, so, in solidarity, I fasted too. I used to fast frequently, when I was in my thirties and forties, but now it seemed like a challenge to pick it up at 70. However, my recent one-day fasting had been easier than I thought, so I was in.

The first day I continued my regular work, but the next two days, I laid low. My zest for creativity dissolved and I was left in a semi-lethargic space. This gave me some well-needed down time. I slept a lot.

One thing stood out in this experiment: much of my time is spent around food. What to eat, when to eat, buying things to eat, and food preparation. Americans, in general, overeat, and after this latest experiment, I am sure I am one of them.

Fasting puts me in touch with food and with my food habits. Most of us want to eat what we want, when we want it, but practicing health disciplines might be as important as practicing spiritual disciplines. Overeating is like hoarding and cluttering. It’s valuable to clean up our health act, so that as we age, we remain fit and healthy.

I’m not sure what’s best for you, but fasting is good for many people. We each must make choices that complement our individual needs. I’m proud of myself! I didn’t think I had it in me. My plan is to continue to fast one day a week, and to do a three-day fast quarterly.

What is yours to do, when it comes to your physical house-cleaning? Will you challenge yourself to take the next step in your physical well-being? If you do, I’m sure your life will be EZier and EZier.

  Main Article

Waking Up to Reality

Most everyone wants the same things. While our surface preferences might differ, our heart desires are universal. Two desires top the list: to be happy and to be loved. When we were younger, we looked for life to answer those needs, but as we age, we move into a higher knowing. We figured out, through trial and error, that happiness and love don’t come from outer circumstances. We are the ones who must go deeply into our inner worlds, to heal the emotional climate that keeps love and joy at bay. Our inner climates are usually a cross between a tornado and a hurricane, submerged in an intellectual and illusory fairy tale.

Masters tell us to wake up. Why? Because of our fairy tales. The tale that defines us is the one that limits our spiritual destiny. We are destined to be who we are, but when we are expanding our personal folk lore, realization takes a grand detour. The grand detour becomes a part of our story, as we continue to delude ourselves into believing our own propaganda.

Abraham Maslow popularized the concept of self-realization. I wrote a thesis about self-realization during my college graduate years. I thought I was spiritually sophisticated. I could speak with confidence about the hierarchy of needs, but the reality of self-actualization was beyond my grasp. My understanding was a part of my intellectual and illusory fairy tale. I’m not down on myself; I just came to realize, without self-malice, how really messed up I was. It was a wonderful recognition, because keeping up spiritual appearances, even when I didn’t know I was doing it, was a burden. Each time I gave up a concept that supported my perfectionism and holier-than-thou concepts, I became more human, more divine, and wiser.

There is a fine line between putting ourselves down and recognizing our character defects or current limits. I can say I’m terrible when I’ve done something unkind, forgive myself, and make amends to the one I’ve hurt. This is a healthy realization, but if I carry around in my heart the self-diagnosis that I am a terrible person, I sentence myself to a life of despair and desperation. Burying the idea that I believe I am a terrible or bad person takes much energy and a complicated system of denial.

Oddly enough, we must raise our self-esteem in order to realize the subtlety between making a mistake and believing that we are a mistake. When our self-esteem is low, when we have no faith in ourselves, we can’t face our demons. We can’t handle one more blow to our precious, but discarded, selves.

Most spiritual journeys begin with raising our self-esteem. From mirror work, therapy, and affirmations, to compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude, we strike out on the most important journey of our lives. It is one that will redefine our relationship to God. Our relationship with God is based on our self-concept. If we think we are bad people, we will be attracted to a denomination that kicks butt and tells us we are worthless sinners. There is little forgiveness or compassion available there.

As we raise our self-esteem, we not only transform our relationship with God, we also transform our concept of God. Shattering beliefs that were not to be questioned, and moving into a healthier relationship with the divine, can be scary, especially when we leave our family behind. If a devout Catholic leaves their denomination, her parents might not only reel, they might be afraid that they will lose their daughter. The daughter might be afraid of losing her parents’ love. Some parents will shun their child if they turn away from their religion. This is often prevalent in fundamentalist sects. It’s tricky, undoing our demons, our misbeliefs, but necessary, to move away from the religion or spirituality of our parents. We must have our own beliefs, not ones we’ve borrowed, and we have to let go of a the concept of a punitive, jealous God.

Many people are moving from religion to spirituality. While some people say there is only one way, others recognize the heresy of calling unconditional love, conditional. It’s like saying only one path can lead you up the mountain. Churches, as we have known them, are dying. A poll reports that only 37% of Americans attend church regularly. This compares to other countries’ claims, such as 15% of French citizens, 10% of UK citizens, 8.8% of Australian citizens, and 5.6% of Dutch citizens. Some think that we have embarked on a moral hell, while others believe we are escaping one.

Shattering the shell that holds our beliefs together is necessary, when we want to self-realize. It’s our life’s mission to know who we are. We are familiar with our bodies, our preferences, and our emotions, but when we discover or realize that we are not those interpretations of who we are, then the journey begins. Be advised that when we begin to raise our self-esteem and work through our damaged emotional repositories, that it is disconcerting, if not terrifying to take this journey.

It’s weird to think that letting go of our demented self-concepts would cause such a stir, but we would rather bask in the familiar, than to move toward reality. We would rather decorate the prison, than to escape it. So we do it: we decorate and redecorate our mental prisons, until we realize the uselessness of trying to fix up things. Regardless of how we dress up a turd, it’s still a turd.

The Universe wants us to know that we will always be breaking our paradigms. We will be moving in a direction that will not allow us to get comfortable. We may learn how to be contented, but comfortable is out. Just when we figure out something, another something will present itself, that we must address.

Life is movement, and as we grow and change, we will move to an open concept life. We will be grateful, knowing that the river that moves our lives can be counted on. Many have taken the journey of self-realization, and, while it might not be to our liking, this journey is the essence of life, and when we chose to actively become a part of that movement, our lives become EZier and EZier.

  Quotes

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  Featured Product This Month

Order Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic from my website or call me at 713.922.0242 to order directly from me. The price is $15.95, including shipping. Click to order the Kindle version on Amazon for $4.99.

  What is EZosophy?

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

  Healthy Living

Humming for Your Health

We all know how to hum, but how many of us actually hum? Only occasionally do I hum, but I’m thinking about doing more humming. Maybe I’ll become a humdinger!

Humming is good for our heart, reduces blood pressure, and relieves stress. Humming brings clarity to the mind and it slows down our thinking. When your mind races, try a little humming. It can settle you down.

Humming tends to lift our moods and often puts a smile on our faces. It helps clear our sinuses. It slows our breathing. Humming takes the focus off our problems.

You can create a humming meditation by putting your hands over your ears while humming to the m sound:  “MMMM.”

We live in such a stress filled culture that we have to be intentional about caring for our bodies, minds, and emotions. People rarely sit and watch waterfalls, but millions watch the news. And there’s rarely good news! We face traffic, pollution, and weather challenges. Humming provides a fast and easy way out. Don’t just read this. Try humming to one of your favorite tunes. Humming is a rejuvenating practice. I know you’ll love it.

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

  Anne Talk

It’s Your Party EZosophy

Today's Anne Talk, It’s Your Party EZosophy, reminds us that life is our party, so we should make the very best of it. Time: 6:37

  Anne Art

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  Abundance Affirmations

Click to 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.

  Shareables From Anne

The World's Best Weight Loss Secret

Thought Freedom

40 Days to Abundance

EZosophy Vows

Vows of Seriousness

Anne's Conscious Carols

  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time
unless otherwise specified.

Sunday, March 31, 2019
10:30 AM Service
Lesson: "Wisdom"
Unity of the Woodlands
25817 Gosling Road, Spring, TX

Contact Anne to book your event:
713.922.0242 or anne@annegillis.com.