A Note From Anne

Dear ,

No rats showed up this week. It seems when we practice good mousekeeping and keep all food in the refrigerator, we have a rodent free life. So all I can say now is rats to the bats. Bats? Yep, we have a small colony of bats living somewhere in the walls of our house. We discovered them this week. They fly into the tiniest crack imaginable and disappear from sunrise until dusk and then wiggle back out and go hunting. The good news is they eat mosquitoes. The bad news is – well, I’ve hesitated doing a search on this. I’m not ready for the bad news. For now I’m resting in the comfort that we have a local, sustainable, mosquito catching system. Have a great week and remember to make it easy.

Anne

  BE Cause

My cause is a BE cause. I don’t want to be all that I can be. No army for me. If I spent my life being all that I could be, would I have any time left to live my life – to enjoy life?

We live in a productive society. Indolence is not a virtue, but many of our values, those get-ahead, make-somebody-of-yourself, make-a-difference values, are not conducive to life itself.

I am not trying to make a difference because who I am is the difference. In living and being open to the next encounter, a difference is made. If I weren’t here, in this place, in this moment, life would still be open, compassionate, supportive, and mysterious. Difference is everywhere, with or without me. Life itself is full enough. It is arranged in perfection, so I don’t have to get in there and clean up the mess. Life is not a mess.

If there are any messes around, maybe I’d be the mess. But even saying that I am the mess is another attempt by the mind to create a problem. The mind constructs its value and meaning by fixing our messes.

We love messes. It’s the mind that messes with life. We act like our messes are tragedies; our messes are our messes and we guard them closely. We intellectually and emotionally guard our stash of drama and mayhem. Our mess makes us special. To us, our drama defines who we are.

Wake up. It’s time to drop the drama; it’s time to drop the pain. You’re not broken, you’re not wrong.  Life is perfect. Sing its song.

There is something right with us. Get in there and look for that. Life is beautiful; hunt down the beauty. Hunt with the same ferocity that you normally use to uncover the drama. Start with the first thought of the day. Assume you will have a good day and when a bump comes your way, don’t be sucked into the drama. Bad things can happen without churning up drama.

Pathology (Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease and I use this word to describe our mental states) is not all it’s cracked up to be. The psychological, pathological slant on life is a lie. Lives are not pathological; they are mythological. We are a part of a grand story. We don’t need to be reduced to the “what’s wrong, fix it” activity when we can tune into the presence of what’s right. And in the words of songwriter and singer, Tim Bays, “life has many speed bumps, its detours and its sorrows, but a thousand things went right today and will again tomorrow.”

The externals of life are the entertainment, while the inner looking is the action that delivers the goods. The deeper we go into ourselves, the more exciting and adorable we find the outside world. Drop the idea in this very moment that life is serious and that it’s a burden.

Don’t resent your work, don’t resent having to cook, or clear your desk. Don’t resent your job. These are all forms of drama. Even though we have the right to live life as if each breath were a burden, being a solemn martyr will not help anything. If you suffer from e-motion sickness, you might want to take some of my new EZ formula – it’s called drama-mine. (That is a joke. I have no such anti-drama potion.)

Opening to the moment, letting life be as it is, and dropping judgment is the catalyst to the eternal moment of stillness that is always with you. Life as it stands, uncluttered by interpretation, is a better deal. When you get out of the way, life as the real deal, will assert itself, things will settle down, and you may even glimpse heaven on earth. Could happen. But regardless of what happens, life is easier when you drop the drama.

  Health Tip: Nature's Wisdom

Many of us are familiar with the protective coating on raw nuts. The coating deters insects, but may not be too healthy for humans. Raw food advocates suggest soaking raw nuts for eight hours and then eating them raw or dehydrating them. I have a $40 dehydrator that really works. I soak my nuts in salt water for the prescribed eight hours and then dehydrate them for 10 hours or so. The genius in this method is that the nuts are still considered raw, their enzymes are intact, and they are more nutritious.

My friend, Liah, ate some on her recent visit and was captivated by their mouth-engaging crunchiness. She took some nuts with her and shared them with a friend who proclaimed, "These are the best nuts I've eaten in my entire life."

I am not sure if this is a health tip or just a tipsy fact. Nuts may be healthier for humans when pre-soaked; it also makes them more digestible, but what about vegetables? Do they have a built in immune response to insects? Rice University discovered that cruciform vegetables have a circadian rhythm and they put out glucosinolates during a certain time of the day to deter insects. Based on this research, our vegetables are alive when we purchase them, and they continue to maintain a rhythm to fight insects. They respond to the night and day cycles. Some researchers think that these glucosinolates actually fight cancer, so if you eat the vegetable at the right time of day, you may get an immune boast. Other non-cuniform light-trained vegetables put out other kinds of insect repelling chemicals.

"As more research explores how combinations of light cycle, temperature, and other variables could increase the health benefits of eating our vegetables, the refrigerators of the future might have light and dark cycles you could set so your broccoli would be at its nutritional maximum just when you are ready to cook dinner." Click to read the article

We always knew those vegetables were smarter than Monsanto. They know when an insect is coming and they have a natural defense system. You may not be able to walk away with a heath tip from this article, but you must admit – it's intriguing to realize that we aren’t the only form of intelligence in the universe!

  Anne's Books

Standing in The Dark

EZosophy Book

Offbeat Prayers

Click here to see all three of Anne's books

What people are saying about Standing in the Dark:

“If as you said, it is not a positive thinking book, then, however, it is a positive being book, because positive has its own rewards. You wrote very eloquently, and gracefully about very hard to cover topics. More than that, your shadow is a light unto us, Anne, and your night is like a day. I thank you."
  – Veronica Nannee, Houston, Texas

“Someone asked me how you could be spiritual and live in the world. Your book spells it out perfectly.”
  – Helen Hutchison, Nacogdoches, Texas

  Quotes

"Just as road lamps at regular intervals light up the whole road, small Centers of focused spiritual energy can influence for the better the tendencies of time for all humanity."
  – Fali Engineer

"I am inviting you to discover that, deeper than any pattern, deeper than personality, deeper than success or failure, deeper than worth or worthlessness, there is a radiance that is undeniable, always present—the truth of who you are"
  – Gangaji

"I  can read your eyes. The eyes tell many stories. When your eyes are in love/God, I cannot read them. They are limitless love meditation."
  – Guruji Mohan

That last quote came from a healer from India. He would look into our eyes and see what needed emotional healing. He healed hundreds of people a week. I was fortunate to study with him for a week. – Anne Sermons Gillis

Guruji Mohan

Here's a response to the June 11, 2013 newsletter:

Anne, thank you for your good wishes on Father's Day.

When you  brought up emotions in this excellent newsletter, I recall a short talk I had in mind to give called It's Our Emotions, Stupid! With left brain thinking being dominant, the intellect has taken center stage with little attention to our emotions. Its time this was reversed as emotional energy is as powerful and destructive as the mental. This is proved by the fact that our emotional body (astral) survives physical death, while the brain/intellect (lower mind) does not.

I suspect that a lot of so called mental disease/disorder has its roots in emotional imbalance generated from childhood that grows and goes unnoticed/repressed until it spills over into the physical and mental. While the negative effects of stress on our physiology have been well documented with preventive measures available, the same is not true for preventive measures before the onset of emotional stress.

This may be because our fragmented medical science is more at home with the physical including the brain, which it equates with thinking and the mind. The emotions are not amenable to the precise tools of science and have been largely left to family and friends to deal with, along with psychologists and psychiatrists.

All this calls for a major upgrade in our understanding of right living by recognizing that unfolding the spiritual in us is the only basis for the balanced well-being of body, mind and emotions. It is only then that all the sciences including religions, will promote self-development first and everything else afterwards. 

Fali Engineer

  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 two 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, you'll need to click the Play button to see and start the video.

This Week: "The Power in Other People"
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.

Click the Subscribe button above to get your own copy of Anne's newsletter sent to your email inbox every Tuesday morning. You'll receive a free MP3 on the principles of EZosophy when you confirm your subscription. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you can UNsubscribe by clicking this link. Click the Archives button above to read past issues of this newsletter.            FOLLOW Anne. Help Spread the Word. SHARE Anne by sharing this issue.      Like the newsletter? You can support it through your donation via PayPal. It's certainly not necessary, but it is greatly appreciated. It's not tax deductible, but a small $8 donation helps defray our costs. Thank you in advance.   Anne's Services Need a Coach or a Rent-a-Friend? Interested in getting ongoing support? Try life coaching with Anne. Anne offers options for both short-term and long-term coaching. Contact her for details. Click here to contact Anne by email or Click here to view information on Anne's One Year Seminar.   Schedule Anne You may reach Anne by phone at 281-419-1775 or click the button below to contact Anne by email. Anne is also available to officiate at weddings and funerals.

  Anne's Schedule

September 11 & 13, 2013
Wed. & Fri., 10:00–11:50 AM CDT
“EZosophy”
Lone Star College
Montgomery Campus
Conroe, TX 77384
936-273-7000
Offered as an ALL Class

October 1, 8, & 15, 2013
Tuesdays, 1:00–2:50 PM CDT
“Alive, Awake, Aware”
Lone Star College
Montgomery Campus
3200 College Park Drive
Conroe, TX 77384
936-273-7000
Offered as an ALL Class

Recorded Interviews:

Click here to hear a recording of Keith Anthony Blanchard interviewing Anne Sermons Gillis on June 3, 2013.

Click here to hear a recording of Dennis Tardan interviewing Anne Sermons Gillis on May 30, 2013.

Click here to listen to a recording of Rick Archer interviewing Anne Sermons Gillis on April 27, 2013.

  Ask Annie G

Dear Annie G,

I am a 49 year old single male and I want to know how to meet women. Where do they hang out?

Single and Looking

Dear Single and Looking,

I’m not sure what your motivation is, but before I answer, I invite you to think about partnering. Looking for someone to complete your life is a losing game. Being single has its ups and downs, and having a partner has its ups and downs, and both have their benefits. One state is not better than the other; they are just different. When you are ready to attract a partner, there will be an inner calm about the whole situation; you will know it is going to happen or you will not be looking for a relationship at all. When you least expect a relationship, it will mysteriously show up.

The easiest way to attract a partner is to not need one. The spiritual approach is to be all the things that you would like a partner to be. If you want a partner that is well-read, you should read. If you want a partner who loves to go to movies, then you should go to movies, even if you go alone. If you want a compassionate partner, then rigorously practice compassion and generosity of spirit. As Gandhi might say, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world."

Statistics show that men tend to need relationships more than women. Women, even when they want a relationship, can adapt easier to single living. They “tend and befriend.” They feel satisfaction in their relationship with other women. Men tend not to share emotions or private matters with their buddies; they need a woman.

Keeping all that in mind, I’m going to share the big secret. I know where the women are. I am speaking of a male/female relationship in particular. All relationships have validity, but this conversation is about men meeting women.

Here’s the big secret. If you want to meet women, LEARN TO DANCE. There are women everywhere, standing on the sidelines, waiting for you to ask them to dance. Find a dance class, sign up, and then attend the class. The first thing you will notice is that there will be more women in the class than men. Here’s your first chance. If you meet someone you like in the class, you can invite them out socially to dance. If there’s no one you click with, fear not. Once you learn how to dance, you can go to places where people dance and there will be plenty of single women, just hoping to dance.

Find a dance place. There are all kinds of dance clubs and many non-smoking bars. Okay, maybe that’s not your thing, so here's a final suggestion. If you meet a woman you like, you don’t have to say, “Would you like to go out with me?" You can say, “I am learning to dance. Would you be willing to go dancing with me to help me practice?” Dancing is fun and it brings out a playful side. A woman is more likely to say yes to a dancing invitation than to a plain date.

Once you meet a woman, here are a few tips:

1. Bring flowers. Even if it is only one rose. Grocery stores sell inexpensive bouquets of flowers. Women love, love, love romance. Why not try it?
2. Touch her on the arm from time to time.
3. Be sure each of you has equal time in your conversations. Don’t be a compulsive talker, telling non-ending stories and going on and on about yourself.
4. Ask her questions about herself and listen to her answers without interrupting.
5. DO what you say you are going to do. If you say you are going to call on Tuesday night, call on Tuesday. If something comes up that will not allow you to call, e-mail or text that you are tied up, but that you will call at a specified time.
6. Do not trash others when you are with your date. The last thing a person wants is an opinionated, angry-righteous partner. If you don’t like Obama, you will drive even the most conservative woman away if you go off on these talking tangents. It’s really a date stopper to rant about anything.
7. Don’t talk about conspiracy theories. It’s not good place to go when you are getting to know someone. Maybe later, but in the beginning, the woman may end up thinking you are negative or paranoid.
8. Tell the woman you love her thighs. Most women do not like their thighs. Don’t do this on the first date; they will think you are weird, but when you get closer, it’s a good thing to say. Trust me.

These guidelines may not be fool-proof, but they will help you learn how to better be a more considerate partner. And maybe learning to dance won’t land you the woman of your dreams, but you will meet a lot of people this way and have a lot more fun than if you sit around hoping for someone to knock on your door.

Thanks for asking,

Annie G

NOTE: Send your questions on life, health, food, spirituality, and relationships to Annie G.

  Anne Art

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Editor/Publisher: Charles David Heineke of TheDoorwayBlog and TheDoorway.

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