Anne's Note talks about Living EZosophy. The main article is about how to handle Modern Living. Healthy Living asks us How Much Soap is Too Much?. The Anne Talk is Collective Will. The Featured Product this month is Anne's book, EZosophy: The Art and Wisdom of Easy or at Least Easier Living.

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

  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

It’s EZosophy time. What time is EZosophy time? Time to make our lives EZier. No matter what the challenge, life can be easier. You may remember the article I wrote a few weeks ago on asking for help: Install the Help App. Help from a more informed inner source may be just what you need to make things EZier.

We are so quick to press the Hopeless Button in our lives that we forget that a turnaround is ALWAYS possible when we face a dilemma. Why even think about EZosophy if we are not going to live the main principle? That principle is, “Everything can be EZ or at Least EZier.” Don’t try to make your life more hopeful; just make it emotionally and physically EZier. It’s the right thing to do, and when we do, other things seem to fall into place.

Anne

  Modern Living

Sunday (2/22/2015) I went to the Texas Yoga Conference as a vendor. Three members, including myself, represented the Houston Lodge of The Theosophical Society. We handed out brochures, secured e-mail addresses, and tried to seduce people into checking out the Society.

It used to be that a yoga conference was the home of hippie Rastafarian want-a-be's; now a yoga conference is just plain hip. Eastern culture is a staple in the west. The convention aisles were filled with yoga clothing wear, essential oils, body workers, and wellness advocates. What was once obscure is now front and center in our stores, our stock markets, and our lives. Alternatives are mainstream and the stream is getting so wide you can’t even walk across it.

In 1986 an event called World Healing Day, the World Instant of Cooperation, World Peace Day, brought together 500 million people from around the world in an unprecedented healing event – a moment of oneness to dissolve the sense of separation and return human kind to its true nature. Some say this event marked a turning point. We stepped onto the road to sanity.

What came with this turn around, this creative opening? Open-mindedness, cooperation, and networking. We were near the beginning of a people friendly Internet. Then, in what seemed like overnight occurrence, the world connected by an electronic global brain. And this net wasn’t just for geeks; it was for grandma and toddlers too. That main stream just keeps getting wider.

We are so connected that we are run ragged by our connections. The times are exciting, filled with possibilities, more and more information, and anything imaginable to satisfy any kind of desire, but we are not getting more peaceful; we are getting more fragmented. For the first time in human history, we must tend to deeper psychological and emotional needs of contemporary living so we won’t go crazy. Jean Houston says we are 50 times more psychologically damaged than our ancestors. They had to run from a bear for safety, but we are assaulted by so many invisible threats that we don’t know who to defend against or what to defend.

No wonder yoga conferences pull in more people than ever. We need calm bodies and peaceful minds. What can we do the guard against the fragmentation of present-day living?

How about this answer, “Simplify and quit being so busy.” The answer to complexity is simplicity. Here’s some ideas to get you started.

• Say “no” to doing five things this week. Call this your “no” week. Be strong. Try one week of not overcommitting.
• Throw away or give away five things from your home every day for a week. This means you will give away 35 items.
• Make a list of five easy tasks you’ve been putting off, such as writing a thank you note, or calling over a bill dispute, and do them all five tasks this week.
• Clean out one drawer. Match those socks, get rid of the old makeup you will never wear, or the cologne that your aunt Sadie gave you 10 years ago. You will feel more in control when one small area is in order.
• Get grounded. Stand in place and bounce your body up and down gently while tapping on your lower belly. Tap 300 times.
• Take a daily five minute music break every day for one week. Use calming music. Sit and wrap your heart around the music. Relax. (Baroque music is calming music and recommended to sooth the nerves. Pandora has a great station for Baroque. Just type baroque in the station box there.)

The above list provides a starter kit for EZier living, but we have to intentionally have a plan for our sanity and peace of mind. We live in such fast-paced, information fueled society that we have to carve out time for relaxation and time to keep our lives in order and then take action sometimes and inaction at other times. If we don’t have a plan for simpler EZier living, it could get very messy. Then we have to clean up the mess. Most people have a plan for success but few people have a plan for peace of mind. Let’s get a plan and follow through, and when we do, life gets EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Anne Art

Spiral
Click image for a larger view.

Rain
Click image for a larger view.

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to learn more.

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

  Healthy Living

How Much Soap is Too Much?

Much is written about the use of antibacterial soap. We are creating a strain of superbugs by using these powerful chemicals on our bodies. It’s the same with the sanitizers and their neurotoxins. But suppose you have the most natural organic innocuous soap on the planet? It can still be bad for you.

Our skin has natural bacteria and oils. These form the immune system for the skin. Taking long hot showers washes the natural oils off our bodies and soap interferes with the immune system bacteria or microbes. Soaping the entire body on a daily basis puts the skin at risk. I know someone who lathers profusely in the shower. He has all kinds of weird outbreaks, itchy spots, and inflammation on his skin. Too much soap on the body, any kind of soap, is like taking antibiotics is to the gut. When we are forced to take an antibiotic, we normally take care to repopulate our friendly bacteria by taking plenty of probiotics, or we should. Yet we don’t replenish our friendly skin bacteria when we wash them from our skin.

How can we keep our skin healthy?

• Use very little soap.
• Use a natural organic soap. Dr. Bronner's soap, which can be purchased at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and many grocery stores, is a terrific choice for body soap and it’s inexpensive. A dab can clean your whole body.
• Do not put soap on areas that are not dirty. If you have dirty feet because you’ve gone barefoot, by all means use soap on your feet. If your feet are not dirty, using a washcloth and scrubbing them is probably enough.
• Use a modest amount of soap on your genitals and underarms. Normally those are the only areas that need soap. If you wear makeup, you will want to wash that off with soap as well, but many people have a face washing routine separate from their bodies.
• Use rubbing alcohol for nothing on the body. It’s one of those chemicals we used profusely until we discovered its harmful potential. Babies were rubbed down with alcohol to reduce fevers, until the babies started dying!

When we use very little soap, we save money, have healthier skin, and reduce our effect on our eco systems. Happy, healthy washing.

Anne

  Anne Talks

This week's Anne Talk is Collective Will. It's a presentation given at the Unity Church of Webster, Texas.

  Quotes

"Awaken to this startling news: you are the supreme superintendent of a vast measurable domain that holds the secret of a perfect life, and the fulfillment of all your needs and wants is the true destiny of your whole personality."
— James T. Mangum

"You can only go so far in the darkest forest. Then you are coming out the other side."
— Chinese proverb

"The Universe does not condone stupidity. Use your common sense."
— Anne Sermons Gillis

Consider sharing this newsletter with someone who would appreciate it.

Want to subscribe to Anne's weekly newsletter? Click the button below to do so. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you can UNsubscribe by clicking this link. Follow Anne:            Share Anne:      If this newsletter inspires you or touches you in some way, please consider donating to help keep the EZ message going out to the world. Donations may be sent to: Anne Sermons Gillis 52 W. Tallowberry Dr. The Woodlands, TX 77381 Or sent via PayPal.   Anne's Services Need a Coach or a Rent-a-Friend? Interested in getting ongoing support? Try life coaching with Anne. Anne offers 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 and other training too.   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 All times here are Central Time. You must register with Lone Star College to attend these classes. Sunday, March 29, 2015 12 noon – 3:00 PM "The Golden Rules of Conscious Relationships" Unity Circle of Light The Fountains Center 25811 Gosling Road Spring TX 77389 Phone: 281-681-8883 Snacks Provided. Conscious Giving Appreciated, $10.00 - $50.00 Wed. & Fri., Apr. 8 and 10, 2015 10:00 AM-Noon, "EZosophy" Lone Star College ALL Program Montgomery Campus Tue. & Thu., Apr. 14 and 16, 2015 1:00-3:00 PM, "Alive, Awake, Aware" Lone Star College ALL Program Kingwood Campus extension in New Caney (LSC-EMCID Center) Sunday, April 19, 2015 9:30 and 11:30 AM services "Living in Ease" Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church, 1370 N Millbend Dr. The Woodlands, TX 77380 Phone: 281-298-2780 Sunday, May 3, 2015 10:15 AM service: "EZosophy" Unity of North Houston 11738 Grant Road Cypress, TX 77429 Phone: 281-374-7085 Wed. & Fri., May 6 and 8, 2015    10:00 AM-Noon, "Alive, Awake, Aware" Lone Star College ALL Program Montgomery Campus Disclaimer: Some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links and may pay a commission if an item is purchased. Do your own due diligence to determine if a product is appropriate for your use. Editor & Publisher: Charles David Heineke of TheDoorway.org.