Anne's Note shares happenings related to Birthday Week at her home. The main article, Meaning Is Now, reminds us that meaning often shows up in the synchronicities of life. Healthy Living looks at The Dō – In Way, a way to do easy and gentle exercises for better health. The Anne Talk is an interview of Anne by Rich Archer of Buddha at the Gas Pump. The Featured Product this month is Anne's latest book, Standing in the Dark.

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

Living EZosophy, November 10, 2015
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

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  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

There’s a chill in the air and it’s a good chill. It marks the end of summer and heralds new activities, fresh pumpkin pies, and fall festivities.

My husband’s birthday was this week. We call it birthday week. The birthday boy or girl gets special consideration during his or her birthday week. Jim skipped some of his chores and I fixed pies. He loves pies. He had a cherry Garcia chocolate crusted pie and a pumpkin pie made with honey, freshly ground spices, freshly cooked organic pumpkin, coconut milk, eggs, and honey. The pie fest ended with a chocolate chip pie. Even though most of the ingredients were relatively benign, with Fair Trade 61 percent chocolate chips, coconut oil, organic brown sugar, and so forth, I’m pretty sure there is no such thing as a healthy chocolate chip pie, unless you count the emotions. He loved them.

We do not exchange presents on our birthday or on holidays because it’s easier and neither of us is under the illusion that a special gift will make our lives better. I am not disparaging gift giving; it’s just when we feel like we want something, we discuss it and if the other agrees to the purchase, we buy the item. It takes the stress out of gift giving for us, and since we are not children anymore, it just makes sense. Of course, if you have to give me a gift, send money. I’ll know exactly what to do with it. I will not look a gift horse in the mouth!

Anne

  Meaning Is Now

Years ago I read a novel entitled The Trick of Light. The heroine hired a private detective to find God. There were many adventures that eventually led to their grand discovery. The quests were laced with synchronicity. The mystery of God was unlocked coincidence by coincidence. When coincidence serves a purpose, we call it synchronicity.

I became the characters in the book; I lived in their sense of awe. The book reminded me of The Celestine Prophecy, and while I remembered the story line, the content of the book was long forgotten, so I reread it.

The book narrative centers on a quest for and discovery of nine insights. The first insight focuses on meaningful coincidences. It says as the collective consciousness of humanity awakens, people become more aware of synchronicities. It is easier to see what is happening personally than to see changes in the collective consciousness, but it is comforting to know that the ability to have and notice guidance from the universe is increasing for everyone. Even though the insight came from a novel, I believe this to be true. We are waking up. People believe the end is near; but I believe the beginning is not only near, it is ever always here.

The universe flows in a perfectly orchestrated harmony. Some refer to this as Divine Order. The flow provides a moment to moment individual plan for our lives. The plan is always available, alive, and active. The plan is often referred to as dharma in eastern philosophy. It is the path of right action. When the mind is clear and alert, the plan surfaces. Our actions are frequently sourced by the plan, but the urges are subtle and feel so natural, we are not aware that our behavior and actions are dharmically aligned.

Even though we are romantically linked to the idea of individual free choice, it appears that our minds and choices are not as individual as we think. We have access to an expanded mind that has more knowledge and information than our local mind has experienced or accumulated.  Why do we turn down a street we don’t normally travel and later find out there was a traffic jam that would have held us up for an hour? Most of the time we have no idea the consequences of our actions, but theorists say that if even one thing changes in the past or present, the future is modified in numerous ways.

When people think of the plan for their lives, they look toward setting goals to achieve that plan. They look to the future for what will bring meaning and purpose into their lives. They work hard to make their dreams come true. There’s no problem in doing that – it can be somewhat effective, but most people don’t figure out what will make them happy and, after years of following a dream and accomplishing their goals, they feel even less fulfilled.

Lady Gaga stopped by Yale’s recent Emotion Revolution Summit. She talked about giving up music because she had lost herself and was doing too many things she didn’t want to do. She found that the more she said no to the things she didn’t want to do, the more she liked herself. She chose to be in line with her path of right action rather that doing what would further her career.

What if we truly inhabit the present moment, tuned into our emotions and bodies and not just our heads, and live from that space? There would be more synchronicities and a greater awareness of meaningful connections.

In thinking about what to write for my column, I decided to look through some old journals. I found a folder that held blank paper and opened it. I was surprised to find that the first piece of paper had writing. The journaling took place at the time I was reading the two books I mentioned earlier. I would normally not look in that particular folder, but I followed my path of right action and found within, a topic for my article. I was excited, a little blown away, and felt that mystery stir.

There’s a song that puts it nicely, You are old enough not to know anything. (Terri Hendrix) The lyrics call for us to live from the mystery of our lives rather than from the mastery of it. We need to give up trying to do important things and trying to be important; we need to try being present, alert, and aware. When we do, we find that not only do we discover more adventure and satisfaction than our intellect could have planned for or manufactured; we find that life becomes EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

"The wound is the place where Light enters you."
— Rumi

"The source of love is its own reward."
— Gangaji

"I have been with men in prison doing life, and I have watched them weep in the fulfillment of their own hearts."
— Gangaji

"You cannot perpetuate constant sloppy, random, or even negative ways of thinking and feeling, and call it unfair when the universe responds with mediocrity or worse. You don't have to work hard at all, but you do have to WANT to feel good and you do have to tend to your vibration often throughout the day. Prioritize how you feel, alter how you think until it feels good or amazing, and learn to shift entire frequency-domains at will, and all things and understandings will come to you beautifully, effortlessly and filled with love"
— Bentinho Massaro

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

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  Healthy Living

The Dō – In Way

When I was in my late thirties, I purchased a book on self-massage. The book focused on rubbing the different meridian points, stretching, ritual, sound, and some theory. I devoured the book and still use it as one of my favorite reference books. I practice the morning and evening exercises recommended in the book and know that they keep me healthier, help me sleep better, and give me emotional stability.

I packed my book when we planned to move, thinking it would only be a short time before I was unpacking it in our new home. That not being the case, I decided to see if I could find an online copy. Yes, there was a free PDF copy which you can download from this link. The book is The Dō – In Way: Gentle Exercise to Liberate the Body, Mind, and Spirit, by Michio Kushi.

1. Lie down, put your feet in the air, and rub the soles of your feet together. Then rub other parts of your feet with your toes and the sides of the feet. Do this until your feet are warm. I count to 100.
2. Holding your feet up in the air, flex them three times to the center, three times to the right, and three times to the left.
3. Massage your lower abdomen in a circular motion. Go around about 15 times. Refer to the referenced book to get the complete instructions. This is an amazing exercise that increases our longevity by keeping the stomach area soft and flexible and innervating our internal organs. It is a truly amazing exercise when you combine the massage with the pressing of power points in this area.

I love the exercises so much that I taught a six week class leading the exercises. Older people tend to be less active, but as we age we need to move more. Physical stagnation builds unless we are active; inactivity leads to degeneration. We have to keep moving. No excuses. These exercises are easy. There are a few I cannot do, so I skip them. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have and that it will get your energy moving.

Anne

  Anne Talks

This week's Anne Talk is a Rich Archer (Buddha at the Gas Pump) interview (1:48:44) with Anne, recorded on April 27, 2013. Scroll down below the article to see the video. There's also a downloadable .mp3 file if you want to take it with you.

  Anne Art

Make It Easy
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Life
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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.