A Note From Anne

Dear ,

I’m supposed to be taking it easy. Aren’t vacations supposed to be about taking it easy? Even though vacations can be refreshing and restorative, travel takes its toll on the body. I’m home. I’ve been on the go for about 6 weeks. I’ve been a consciousness explorer, a grandmama, and a mountain climber. I’ve been in hot springs and have seen deer, a bear, chipmunks, prairie dogs, and a snake. I’ve pitched tents and stayed with relatives and in hotels. Now, I’m taking it easy from taking it easy. A good friend of mine gave me sage advice. “Anne, know your limits and honor them.”

Infinity is real and infinite possibilities exist, but when it comes to the physical world, there are limits. I think George Bernard Shaw wrote about being all used up when he died, but I think it’s better not to be all used up when I’m living. Just a thought.

I hope you are well and that you are exploring the possibility of being an EZ explorer. It’s on my “to be” list. Be EZ, take it EZ, and make your tasks EZier.

Anne

  Mind Your Glasses

I recently read a mystery novel entitled The Forbidden Book. It was recommended as a metaphysical “Who done it?” and was written along the lines of The Da Vinci Code. As the pages disappeared, it was me on an Italian adventure, then one look away and I was drinking in the beauty of a mountain or a river. The shift from the book to my surroundings was profound.

The book became a part of me, and even though I finished the book a few days ago, when I close my eyes I find myself returning to the story. It’s like waking up and having a dream on the tip of my mind, with rumbling unformed words hovering beneath my perception.

How much of what I see and read lingers on? Are the words and concepts I read stored in my mind, like letters in a circling bingo cage, and then spit out at random by my subconscious mind? Brain experts say we store everything in our minds. Those same brain people do not make a distinction between the mind and the brain, but many of us know that the mind and the brain are not the same. We know that what we see, touch, and feel are recorded, but it is not our senses alone that form our minds. Information comes from places other than the brain. Who hasn’t had an intuitive hunch, a dream, or vision that turned out to be spot on?

What is our responsibility when it comes to feeding our brain? Does the old adage “garbage in; garbage out” hold true? Yes, it does hold true. Even though we access information and wisdom from spaces and places other than outside external input, it is still important to feed ourselves a good mental diet.

Imagine you have on a pair of glasses whose lenses are not only scratched, but they are cracked and smudged to the point you can barely see through them. No matter how much wisdom you have or inner vision you hold, your life would certainly be easier if you could just see where you are going. What we feed our minds serves as our life lens, and if we smear the lens with harshness, drama, and intrigue, we are sure to stumble in the dark.

I used to be almost addicted to mediation. I may have been running from reality, but one gift I received from my arduous inner journey was the ability to observe minute details from the inner working of the mind. What revelations - thoughts are not reliable and my mind is vulnerable and impressionable.

It takes about an hour of meditation to neutralize an hour of violent scenes, dramatic music, and the juice of being on the edge of my seat that came from an intense movie or TV show. The thrill, intrigue, the movement, the lights, vibrant colors – my mind thinks they are real. It takes a minute of peace to erase a minute of drama. You might wonder why I would watch violent movies or feast on intrigue, but it is hard to avoid violence in the movies. I could avoid movies, but I am not going to do that. I loved Avatar, but I closed my eyes or held my fingers in my ears for much of the movie. And what about Harry Potter or Robin Williams' amazing movie What Dreams May Come? I want the good parts of a movie, but I don’t want to expose my body, my cells, my heart, and my mind to the drama.

That’s how I handle movies. I close my eyes and put my fingers in my ears when the drama revs up. If I’m watching a program alone that is DVRed, I fast forward through the fight and chase scenes.

I also ask people who are on an angry righteous tear to tone it down. I tell them I have a nervous condition, and reveal that when they talk with such intensity, it disturbs me. I just can’t listen. And it is true for me. Emotions are contagious.

I find it easier to read news than to listen to it on TV. It’s less impactful. Local news sounds like a rerun – murder, robbery, rape, flood, explosion, or shoot outs. The characters change, but the news stays the same. How many times can one listen to drama reruns? A recent fact checking survey on the three top national news channels found the most popular channel lied or had pants on fire lies, 60% of the time. The second most listened to news station lied or had pants on fire lies 40% of the time, and the third channel had lies or pants on fire lies, 20% of the time. That means that 60% of the time, people who listen to the number one listened to news station are upset over things that are simply not true. News can be a drug for the mind. It gives the mind license to go crazy and be upset and promotes hard attacks. Drama is a drug.

If we want the things we say we want, such as peace, happiness, and ease, we will have to make some choices that will clear the lens of our lives. We must be able to see that path to peace. We are influenced by everything we read, think, and see. To ignore that is ignore-rants. Feeding our mind drama and expecting inner peace and self-realization is like lighting a match while standing waist deep in gasoline. It’s not a pretty sight.

There are many things we don’t have control over or choice about, but there are times when we are at choice. We can’t avoid all drama, but for the most part we can mentally walk away from the raciness of life. We don’t have to expose ourselves to second hand violence via movies and TV. We are blasted by news at the airport, in waiting rooms, everywhere. Our high tech culture has turned us into voyeurs and drama addicts. It takes courage to choose another way, but when we do, we find that our lives become EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

Young African, Nkosi Johnson, inspired millions with his simple message. He died from AIDS at age 12 . "Do all you can with what you have in the time you have in the place you are."
– Nkosi Johnson

"You don’t have to die to rest in peace."
– Anne Sermons Gillis

"We all have our thoughts and we love them. They seem so unique and comfy cozy to our belief systems. And our thoughts are so well thought out, so methodical. Again and again they trip along on the same words. Our minds use us to look for evidence that our limits are real and our perceptions are valid. Our thoughts rely on inequality. I am smarter than she/I am dumber than she. I am a good person/he is a bad person and therefore he is not on the same level as I. We put people down or raise them up or we put thoughts up or put them down. We try to get closer to what we look up to and avoid what we perceive as less than."
– Anne Sermons Gillis

  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.

Thu., Aug. 28, 2014
Anne interviewed by Robin Blanc Mascari in Wise Woman Series. More details later.

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

Fragrance

This is such a beautiful word, but it is not an innocent word. Not anymore. It is a word that manufactures hide behind; they cover up toxic ingredients by using the word “fragrance.” Why? Due to a loophole, manufacturers are not required to disclose the ingredients in fragrance.

Environmental Working Group research showed up to 14 undisclosed chemicals hiding under the word “fragrance” in popular brands of perfume. These chemicals included endocrine disruptors, cancer and asthma triggers, and chemicals that damage the male and female reproductive systems.

These fragrances, with their toxins, show up in household cleaners, laundry detergents, perfumes, air refreshers, soaps, toilet bowl cleaners, and scented candles. Fragrance is in lotions, sunscreen, soap, and body wash.

Recently, while on an airplane, the woman across the aisle sprayed cologne, or perhaps perfume, before we landed. It hung in the air and even though I tried to breathe through the sleeve of my sweater, I felt my eyes tearing up. Remember, when you fly, wait until after you deplane to put on hand cream, perfume, or anything with fragrance. Even though it usually takes repeated use of any fragrances to build up in the body before they have a noticeable effect, some people are very sensitive and will have an allergic reaction. The odors in airplanes seem to stand still and dissipate at a slow rate.

Personally I avoid everything that lists the word “fragrance.” And the good news is that essential oils provide a wonderful aroma. I use them for perfume and I buy organic body lotion which uses essential oils.

I don’t think a little bit of anything will hurt us, but the modern world is full of toxins, so we have to take care. With a little education on toxins and label reading, we can learn to live healthier lives. So read those labels and avoid products with fragrances. Your liver will love you!

  Anne Talks

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

  Anne Art

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

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