The EZ Secret: Tips on Living in EZ, from Anne Sermons Gillis, 04/16/2013
Published: Tue, 04/16/13
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The
EZ Secret Newsletter
Living EZosophy: Volume 72, April 16, 2013
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| In This Issue | |
| Left Column: | Right Column: |
| Experience
Who You Are |
Anne's Services |
| Health Tip: Energy and Focus |
Schedule Anne |
| Anne's Book: Standing in the Dark | Anne's Schedule |
| Quotes | Ask Annie G |
| Video Bits | Video Tip |
| What is EZosophy? | Anne Art |
Contact Information:
Phone: 281-419-1775
Email: anne@annegillis.com
Anne's Websites:
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Experience Who You Are
I believe we are divinity incarnate. We are spirit in the flesh.
That means that we maintain the same qualities while in a body
that we had before we entered the body and after we leave the
body. Those qualities can be described as our true nature. Our
true nature is love, peace, compassion, abundance, and joy. The
list goes on, but this gives a picture of our true nature.
When we live in harmony with our nature, we tend to be healthier,
wiser, and satisfied with life. When we live outside our nature,
we are forced to go on a journey to find ourselves. We call this a
spiritual journey. It's ironic that we quest to find what we think
will restore us to our original state of love, peace, compassion
abundance, and joy. Why ironic? Because we are always
intrinsically immersed in what we are. Regardless of whether we
experience our true nature or not, we are already that. Can you
imagine an elephant going on a quest to find out what it's like to
be an elephant?
The Great Question
The seminal question in the spiritual journey is "Who am I?” Most people think the question points to our roles or preferences. I am a mother. I am a wife. I am single. We use these phrases when we communicate with others and use them when we think of ourselves, but none of these responses answers the question. As we spiritually mature, we answer the question differently. We respond, "I am spirit. I am joyful. I am unlimited. I am abundant." however, as we move along in our journeys, we discover that the question is not to be answered in words. The question calls us to still our minds and directly experience who we are. That experience is not to be mitigated by thoughts or beliefs. The question calls us directly to experience the reality of who we are.
Once I spent three days asking that question as often as I could
think of it. "Who am I?" I took the task literally. I figured that
if I asked the question, that at the very least my mind wouldn't
keep spinning in its usual endless psychodrama. On the third day
"I" arose. That inner voice rose up, saying, "Everything after 'I'
is a story." It was a beautiful revelation. Maybe as you read this
you are not touched as I was, but to me the implications were
profound. To me it said that reality could not dwell in any story,
and everything we talked about was a story or virtual reality.
That's why "Be still and know that I AM God" is the most important
axiom of Christianity. That statement tells us to stop the inquiry
and rest in what is. Most religions offer comforting thoughts to
those who want to feel better, in psychological hell realms, but
to leave these hell realms we must go beyond beliefs, words, and
concepts. Fortunately, the mystical aspects of every religion
guide the earnest seeker back home. Unfortunately, most people
approach their religion as if it were a "to do" list. If I do
this, this, and this, then I will be safe. Karl Marx said,
"Religion is the opiate of the people." Too often people see
religion as offering something in the future. That keeps them
hoping things will change, therefore putting up with untenable
circumstances, so they can just make it. That idea might have more
relevance if you are a slave or prisoner, but the promise of
things changing in the future is a dangling carrot that keeps up
arranging and rearranging our lives in the hope of fixing a
problem that does not exist. All along, we are who we are, and
when we try to fix the discontent caused from false identification
with ourselves or lack of identifying with ourselves, we miss the
mark.
The Great Answer
When I communicate with others about being who we are, as we are, this is where I get stuck. The mind wants techniques. I love to hear how to do things, yet the whole idea of techniques is an impediment to self-actualization. It really keeps the idea of the direct experience of self off in the future. If I do enough of this, then sometime in the future, I will be okay, feel safe, be enlightened. This is not to say that I don't exercise, meditate, eat well, and question my insane thoughts. Techniques are like preparing the meal, and most of what spiritual seekers do is constantly prepare the meal; they never actually sit down and eat it. We've got to quit preparing the table and just sit down and eat. Just for a moment we must drop our need to do something or think to make things better and just rest in what is. The more we eat of the present, as it is, the less need we have to effort, cajole, and complicate life. When we rest in life, in its own terms, and stop fixing things, we free up so much energy. And this energy allows us to enjoy life. This brings us back to our true nature: joy, and that joy, as it exists as our true nature, is now. I wish I could tidy this up in a neat package so we could know our true nature and live it now, but all I can say is stop, just for a moment, and look, and then do it another moment, and keep doing it and see what happens. Be curious. I can't lead you to yourself, but I do know that when we stop the mind's agenda, even for just a moment, and do this repeatedly, we make our lives easier and easier.
Health Tip: Energy and Focus
It’s probably best to rest when you feel tired, but it’s often not practical when you have work to do. Do you find yourself staring into space or looking blankly into your computer screen, fingers stalled at, “I’m too tired to do this.”? For instant energy, apply pressure to that little groove under your nose. Hold for five seconds and repeat five times. It’s the Governor Vessel 26 and it’s connected to the brain. It improves mental alertness and concentration.Peppermint oil is also a strong brain activator and it smells yummy. It feels good just to smell it. Keep a bottle at your desk and sniff the opened bottle when you need a picker upper. Because it's a very strong oil, be sure to keep it away from your eyes.
Keep a live plant or live flowers on your desk to reduce stress and put you in a better mood to work. If you work in an office, you might want to consider disinfecting your computer keyboard. Shared office keyboards have more bacteria growing on them than toilet seats.
To make a natural disinfectant, “Add 20 drops of tea tree oil into the water bottle. Tea tree oil is a naturally-occurring essential oil with anti-fungal properties that can kill staphylococcus, e-coli, shigella, and salmonella. Tea tree oil is usually found in the beauty department of health food stores.” Add to that 2 tbsp. of household white vinegar and combine 1/2 tsp. of liquid dish soap to complete the formula. Read the details in the source article: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Natural-Disinfectant
Anne's New Book: Standing in the Dark
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Anne's Newest Book 
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Anne’s new book, Standing in the Dark, is a salve for the out-of-control mind. In a high-speed society that forces time to do double-time and stuffs minds with inestimably complex information, we need mental medicine. Popular mind-bending methods encourage us to come up with the highest thoughts, to be positive and powerful, and to live our passion. Yet That Which is The Highest is beyond what words can touch. |
| One may use thoughts in
constructive ways and think higher thoughts, yet one
must be aware that the mind plays little tricks on
itself to calm itself down. Trickery is okay, but the
whole idea of choosing our thoughts and our lives is an
intermediary step. Through choice we learn to gain
control of our minds and lives, so that at some point we
can surrender the mechanism that chooses. Standing in the Dark explores the deep issues of life, which include relationships, health, money, loss, mission, and making life easier. This is not a positive thinking book. It looks at uncomfortable topics such as losing your best friend or being robbed at gunpoint. It points out that life can be bumpy, even when we live in the flow. You will leap from the practical to the possible, and hopefully land in the mystical. Standing in the Dark turns ordinary moments into sacred moments and lights the darkest corners of existence. The words hold hands with the human heart and allow the readers to embrace their humanity. This book heals the heart by letting you know it was never really broken, you are fine the way you are, and life itself is as it should be. Relax. All is well. Get Standing in the Dark in pdf edition or in a Kindle edition. PDF
Ed. | Kindle
Ed. | Get
Kindle Cloud Software If you don't have a Kindle application for your computer, phone, or tablet, you can download the free Kindle software from this link or connect to the Kindle Cloud Reader in your browser. Your reviews of the book on the Amazon website would definitely be appreciated. If you like the book, please share it on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere else you socialize. |
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Quotes
"We experience who we really are in any moment when we pour
our love into the universe."
– Marianne Williamson
"We are always preparing for something. Isn't it time to reap
the harvest? Time for acceptance and allowing; time to receive
and drink in. It's time to gather - at least part time.
Sowing, without reaping, leaves the harvest rotting in the
fields."
– Anne Sermons Gillis
"We need more insight and less excite."
– Anne Sermons Gillis
"If now is more than enough, then change is not necessary."
– Anne Sermons Gillis
Video Bits of Wisdom
A while back I recorded a series of 21 short inspirational videos on a wide range of topics. Most of them are under 2 minutes. I'll be spotlighting a different Video Bit each week in this space, with a link to it below this message. When you go to that page, click the Play button to start the video.
This Week: "Exercise"
Click
Here for This Week's Video Bit
Click the graphic above to see all of the Video Bits.
What is EZosophy?
What is EZosophy? Click the graphic above to find out.
NOTE: If you are viewing this on a cell phone, be sure to scroll to the right to see the other column.
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Anne's Schedule
April 27, 2013
"Buddha
at the Gaspump"
Interview by Rick Archer
http://batgap.com/
We will post a link when it's online.
May 26, 2013
"Celebrating Life"
11:00 AM
Unity of Webster, Texas
Ask Annie G
Dear Annie G,
What would be the best response to someone who is accusing
you of something that is not true?
SB, TN
Dear SB,
First, I would take the emotional climate into consideration. When a person is upset, they are not too interested in facts; they are trying to get rid of uncomfortable feelings. So if you can say nothing until they lose steam, it would probably help the situation. Just let them vent.Then, after they calm down, I might repeat what they said to me. For example, if they said, “I think you always take the other side,” I would reply, “So you think I always take the other side?” I need to let them know I heard their complaint. Then I might say, “It doesn’t seem like that to me, but I can see it is real for you. In a perfect world, how would I be when I’m with you?” Or I might empathize and say, “It must be frustrating thinking I never take your side. Is there a particular situation in which you haven’t felt supported by me?” And if I were really feeling centered and calm, I would listen to what they had to say and then, when they finished, ask, “Other than that, is there anything else you are upset about with me?” If they have something else, I would say, “So you are upset because you think I never take your side and (repeat what the second upset entailed).” Then say, “Is there anything else you don’t like about me?"
Once a boyfriend broke up with me. He yelled and said, “You are a cruel, heartless bitch.” I was deeply in love with this man, and even though his leaving hurt to the core, I knew it was his guilt speaking. I replied, “So you think I am a cruel, heartless bitch? Other than that, is there anything else that bothers you about me?” He was so taken aback that he stopped in his tracks, looked at me, and we both laughed. I consider it one of my best moments. It was a time where I just didn’t buy into his upset about me. His breaking up with me was not about my being a bad person; it was all about this family of origin issues. I could never have changed in any way that would have made a difference in our relationship.
When someone accuses us of something we didn’t do, they are many ways to reply. If you have been a doormat all your life, then stand up and set a boundary. If you have worked through a lot of your personal issues, you can become a calming influence in the middle of the storm.
Thanks for asking.
Make it Easy.
Anne
NOTE: Send your questions on life, health, food, spirituality, and relationships to Annie G.
Video Tip
Alan Cohen, in his latest newsletter, pointed out Emmanuel Kelly on The X Factor 2011. I had to share it. This man tugs on your heart and shores up your soul. It’s a musical tear-jerker.
Click the image to view the video.
Anne Art
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Editor: Charles David Heineke of TheDoorway and TheDoorwayBlog