Anne's Note reminds us to Listen for the Music in life. The main article, Post-Positive Stress Disorder, emphasizes the need for time to "come down" after very positive experiences. Healthy Living looks at Sound as a way to heal and calm our bodies. The Anne Talk is Dennis Tardan's 5th interview of Anne. It features Anne's latest book, Standing in the Dark. The Featured Product this month is The I AM Affirmations Downloadable MP3 Audio.

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

Living EZosophy, October 27, 2015
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

Phone: 281-419-1775
Email: anne@annegillis.com

Anne's Websites:

  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

Now that I’m home from the mountaintop, I’m settling down to ordinary life. The laundry, the changing season, the computer, and the rain cradle me. Each element serves, as if on duty, to provide a context for my life.

I ponder the ills of the world; Isis kidnapping women and children and selling them as slaves, environmental degradation, and poison flowing in the veins of Mother Earth. There’s life robbing everywhere, yet something bigger softly calls. There’s a song that speaks of killing Christ to stop the music, but the lyrics go on to say that in spite of the murder, the sound of music lives on.

I just watched an episode of Oprah’s “Belief.” A mother met with her son’s murderer so she could forgive him. As long as she hated the murderer, she fed the pain. She had to release the hurt in order to reclaim her life. She took pictures of her son and showed them to the young man. As she showed him pictures she said, “If you had known my son, really known him, I don’t think you would have killed him.” The young man cried, told her that he was not that same man. He showed deep remorse for his deed. The mother showed him a picture of her son’s tombstone. Words of hope were etched at its bottom, “Everyone’s future is spotless.” She told him she wanted him to know that the future was up to him. He cried as she spoke, “I forgive you.”

Since I was young I have lived with the stories of mass destruction and many of the stories have come true. Katrina, the tsunami, earthquakes, senseless wars, increasing incidences of cancer – tragedy rears its head everywhere, yet living from story to story, tragedy to tragedy is not really living. In this world of mass reporting and seemingly insurmountable ills, we have to focus on the music. If we don’t we become jaded, angry-righteous, and cynical. Being informed is a part of the process, but if we use the information as fuel for drama and depression, we walk the ego’s path. When panning for gold, it’s not emotionally profitable to focus on the dirt and water; it’s best to keep one’s mind on the goal.

If there are no accidents, and life is designed to foster our awakening to our higher good, then we must listen closely and be open to the essence of life, not all the devastating forms it takes. Living life with a “Why bother” attitude is inexcusable. Today is the day to listen to the music, not the drama, because the drama kills, but the song heals.

This old Bill Gaither song clarifies the source of the music or of the will to flourish rather than wither.

“You ask me why my heart keeps singing;
Why I can sing when things go wrong.
But since I found the source of music I just can’t help it.
God gave the song.”

Anne

  Post-Positive Stress Disorder

We’ve all heard of post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a syndrome of trauma, but is there a syndrome called Post-Positive Stress Disorder (PPSD) for occasions where love, peace, power, and good activity come, day after day, in rapid succession and high intensity?

PPSD describes my experience at the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Ten thousand people attended hundreds of sessions and keynote talks, danced and painted, were videoed, and called to the highest standards, as they took a stand to heal the world and foster awakening humanity.

The air was electric with excitement. Christians, Muslims, Jains, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Indigenous Nations, Pagans, and many more religions and spiritual paths were hand in hand, heart to heart. They held the highest of intentions for Mother Earth and her inhabitants. We prayed, danced, sang, pledged ourselves to a higher cause.

But I have to admit, all this grandeur wore me out. PPSD. It’s like having to rest up after a vacation. Now I watch Lucy, my dog, sleep and scratch occasionally as I bang out a few words on my computer.

The word reorientation describes what happens when we return to our normal routines after there’s been a mountaintop, life changing, or traumatic experience. In earlier times, when indigenous populations returned from war, they didn’t go home immediately. They lived near the center of the village with other veterans and returnees until they were deemed ready to resume normal lives. They articulated their experiences, received validation and support for their ordeals, and participated in healing ceremonies. What a wise and wonderful way to transition from trauma. Is this a model for returning from a mountaintop experience?

Our nervous systems are not designed to stay at high stimulation levels for long periods of time. Maybe we can’t live in the center of the village when we come down from the spiritual elevator, but it is important not to throw ourselves back into the workplace immediately. It is wise to rest our bodies, minds, and souls after a wonderful experience. Our bodies want to settle down and our hearts need to integrate the majesty. Wonderful experiences plant seeds in our souls that we must nourish and give time to grow. If we keep going full speed, it’s like hot sun on the seedlings. They wither with no water or shade.

It is time for wisdom to supersede our need for constant activity. Everyone needs down time, and after an amazing experience, we need extra care, rest, and time away from normal activity. Hoping you can land softly from your best experiences and remember that when we make life EZier on ourselves, we not only blossom; we bear fruit. Take it EZ, make it EZ, and have an EZ day.

Anne

  Quotes

The first three quotes came from speakers at the Parliament of the World’s Religions meeting I attended last week. Sometimes it was hard to get their names, when they were introduced. I knew of Dr. Bolen, so it was easy to know her name.

"I do not stand above you. I do not stand below you. I do not stand beside you. I stand with you."
— Author Unknown

"I have deep roots in the human race, but my blood lines are scattered to the wind."
— Author Unknown

"You are not a victim if you survived: you have strength."
— Author Unknown

"Religion divides; spirituality unites."
—  Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen

  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

Sound

Last week at the Parliament of the World’s Religions I attended a session on sound and mantra. I was prepared for a lecture; fortunately the presenter sang mantras and engaged us in dance. He was accompanied by drums and a stringed instrument. We picked up a few of his words and sang and gyrated to mantra and music. How refreshing. My body loved the sound and the dance. Power Point pictures, with brightly colored diagrams, flashed as we danced, proclaiming the miraculous healing and whole-ing power of sound.

Later I passed by a booth that had a three minute video on the “HU” sound. It’s pronounced “hue.” Since I’ve talked about humming, the “aum” sound, and the “e” sound in previous newsletters, I couldn’t resist bringing you another message of the power of sound to heal and calm our bodies. You can chant/sing the sound HU or perhaps you will want check out what others say about HU.

Note – I am not recommending this group or their beliefs. I’m commenting on the use of this sound. It may be that any simple vowel sound, or seed sound, when sung or hummed, produces healing and calming results.

Anne

  Anne Talks

This week's Anne Talk is Dennis Tardan's 5th interview of Anne Sermons Gillis. In it Anne discusses her latest book, Standing in the Dark.

  Anne Art

Click the image to see a larger view.

Click the image to see a larger view.

   Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time.

Call Anne to Schedule Your Meeting.

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.