A Note From Anne

Dear ,

Some of my newsletters are light because there’s always a side that needs to lighten up. Yet there is a side that needs to face and accept certain realities that don’t fit into our plans – things that are here none-the-less. We face loss, gain, pressure, and inflexibilities. We scale the mountain of consciousness, but we also reach the end of the rope. Maybe you are at the end of your rope. We think of that as a bad place to be, but maybe that old rope just has to go, and when we reach its end, we need to stop hanging on and let go.

I think I’m in a place of letting go. I had a number of physical challenges and there’s been a great deal of stress, but I always know that underneath the fury of the ocean wave, there’s a peaceful place. Being sentimental, I call it the Land of Ease.

It’s not always easy on the surface of life, but there is an ease that lies beneath, and I count on that to make my life easier and easier. Join me.

Anne

  Can We Let Go?

Our biggest subconscious fear is the terror of experiencing a state of nonexistence. It sounds complicated and even a little weird, but at some level we feel like we will disappear unless we have a reference point that says we are here. We fight nonexistence by trying to be important, noticed, accepted, appreciated, and by trying to feel like we belong. We seek out anything that will validate our existence. When we show up to others, meaning when they see and notice us, we feel our existence. It’s a warm and glowing feeling. Unfortunately it is only a temporary fix. Typically, we chase after others' attention and affection, not realizing that ultimately it is our own attention to and awareness of ourselves that authenticates our existence.

This is not to say being a hermit, being narcissistic, or nonproductivity will wake us up; it’s the deep looking at ourselves that breaks the ego’s quest for recognition.

When we stop for just a moment and center in the present, we experience a small whiff of ourselves. At this point we're on the trail of realizing we exist. Self-realization is really the discovery of the truth who we are. It’s when who we think we are gives way to the experience of who we really are.

In the stillness of thoughts and in the looking inward, we find ourselves. This can only happen in the now, and as we stay present to the time-defined now, the infinite now opens its doors to the presence of self. It is only this direct experience that stops the mind, stops the ego, and stops the search for existence and the fleeing from death.

There is not really a “how to” to awakening. It’s like that 3-D art. One can give how-to hints that point to a process so your vision can go from 2-D to 3-D, but ultimately, it is a letting go and allowing that brings about a shift in vision.

In 1997 I had my third awakening. It didn't invalidate my previous experiences; it illuminated them. It was as if the final nail in my coffin dissolved and my past notions of living fell away. The hopes, the fears, and my well-defined, personally constructed dogmas gave way to something intimate, sweet, and simple. There was a release, and the search for enlightenment ended. There was a humility and love present that was easy and natural. It was still me, but the me was a part of an inclusive reality that dissolved the past and put my mind to rest.

Life after awakening is often thought of to be happy, wisdom-filled, healthy, and sprinkled with angel dust, but that’s not always the case. There are periods when life flows, but there are bumps as well. We can wake up to ourselves and still become ill, not have enough money, or have an accident. Enlightenment is not about the perfect arrangement of the external world. Enlightenment and success are not synonyms. Enlightenment doesn’t necessarily exclude success, but it doesn’t guarantee it either.

I use the word enlightenment loosely. I don’t see it as this sacred state, even though the word may be used that way. It means waking up from the illusion. The world is illusion-based and filled with formulas on how to do and achieve anything. There are some incredible formulas, but the illusion is that the formulas for success, peace, health, or peace will wake us up. Doing is not wrong; we just need to be clear why we do what we are doing. If we work to make money to pay our bills, so we won’t be a drag on others, and we can keep our financial agreements, that is cool, but if we overwork and produce in order to be noticed, we might kill ourselves or at least create stress related diseases.

I like life’s how-to formulas and I’ve taught them for many years. I teach them because the deep truth of existence can’t be taught, so I just teach what I can. And I am fairly good at teaching on the ground level, but on the inner realms, words stop, because these realms are wordless, sightless, and without sound. When we hit the wall of self-exploration, self-improvement, and trying to make our worlds fit our idea of perfection, we can either give up or give in. Giving in means allowing a new life--one not managed by the mind--to emerge. Some say we are on the new edge of consciousness. We are collectively waking up. If you find nothing is working for you and what you used to count on is gone, you might be waking up. The beginning of something is the end of nothing. Nothing seems very scary, but it might be the greatest space of your life if you allow it to be. It might be the beginning. When you find that you can drop the old, drop the past, and be out of control, you might find that your life can be easier and easier.

  Quotes

"Wanting to take care of another adult and fix their problems is not valiant; it's codependent."
– Anne Sermons Gillis

"It is natural and effortless to let go and be open to the freedom that transforms the distracting influences of separation, guilt, fear, and abstraction."
– Tony Parsons (idea reworded)

"Enlightenment is absolutely beyond my effort to change the way I live, or even changing life at all. It has to do with a total shift and the realization of who it is that lives."
– Tony Parsons

  Anne's Books

Standing in The Dark

EZosophy

Offbeat Prayers

Click here to see all three of Anne's books

What people are saying about Standing in the Dark:

"Standing in the Dark, by Anne Sermons Gillis, isn't just another positive thinking book. It's a book about the difficult times in life and what we can do to make it through them. It does, however, give us positive ways to make life easier. It's a short book, but it's one that may just turn your thinking on its head, which will probably be the best thing that's happened to your thinking in a long time. It's about how to bring more ease into a life that isn't easy all of the time. Anne discusses six main areas of life: Ease, Mission, Health, Relationships, Money, and Loss."
  – Charles David Heineke

Now available on Kindle. Click for details.

What people are saying about EZosophy: The Art and Wisdom of Easy or at Least Easier Living:

"Although most conscious people understand that life doesn't have to a struggle, the "how to" has been missing... until now. Anne's book makes it "easy."
  – T. Harv Eker - Bestselling author and Founder of Peak Potentials Training

Now available on Kindle.
Click for details.
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What people are saying about Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic:

"I love your book. It is filled with much wisdom, humor and heart. Really beautiful."
  – Alan Cohen author, Enough Already, mentions Anne and EZosophy on page 99

Now available on Kindle.
Click for details.

  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.

  Anne's Services

  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.

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  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time.

Wed. & Fri. Sept. 17 & 19, 2014
10:00 AM-Noon, “Synchronicity”
Lone Star College ALL Program
Montgomery Campus
3200 College Park Drive
Conroe, TX 77384-4500
936-273-7000

Wed. & Fri. Sept. 24 & 26, 2014
1:00-3:00 PM, “Alive, Awake, Aware”
Lone Star College ALL Program
Kingwood Campus
20000 Kingwood Drive
Kingwood, TX 77339-3801
281-312-1600

Wed. & Fri. Oct. 29 & 31, 2014
1:00-3:00 PM, “EZosophy”
Lone Star College ALL Program
Kingwood Campus
20000 Kingwood Drive
Kingwood, TX 77339-3801
281-312-1600

  Healthy Living

Homemade Deodorant

Many of us know the dangers of conventional deodorants, but it's hard to find a substitute. I recently found this recipe for a deodorant that works well and, good news--no toxic ingredients.

• 1/4 cup of baking soda
• 1/4 cup of non-GMO cornstarch
• 6 tablespoons of organic coconut oil
• Essential oils of your choice (I like patchouli and tangerine oils)

Mix and store in small glass jar. Apply as needed.

Affirmation: I know what to think, how to act, and want to do, to maintain, nourish, and support my physical and emotional well-being.

  Anne Talks

Like Everyone. Short one minute video. Move pointer to the right to display the video player and press the Play button.

  Anne Art

Click image for a larger view

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Editor/Publisher: Charles David Heineke of TheDoorway.org.

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