Anne's Note reminds us how to have a Joyous Christmas. The main article, The Hidden Blessings of Christmas, reminds us that sorrow can reveal a hidden blessing. Healthy Living provides some good tips on Candle Safety. The Anne Talk is Anne's Christmas poem, Twas the Day Before Christmas. The Featured Product this month is Anne's Special December 2015 Offer.

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

Living EZosophy, December 22, 2015
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

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  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

’Twas the day before never, and I can’t remember
what all the fuss is about, during the last of December.

I’ve studied and fretted, but now I am sure,
that life is for happiness, not to endure.

So if you are tempted to forget that you matter,
tune out the ego and all of its chatter.

Turn on some music and hum a sweet song,
and soon you’ll be joyful and away for all harm.

When it comes to holidays, I think I get a case of the sillies. I rewrite Christmas songs, poems, and think of this time as an adult playground. Christmas is recess, and it’s time to play. Here’s wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas, if you celebrate that holiday, and much happiness if you don’t.

Anne

  The Hidden Blessings of Christmas

During the holidays people often experience an underlying sense of sorrow. Is this sorrow a false prophet? Is it useless? Sorrow creates longing and a wish that past choices be undone. Sorrow and longing are uncomfortable and we try to buy them out or eat over them.

But what is its real gift? Can sorrow serve us and teach us? Whatever calls our lives into question has merit. Whatever makes us realize that much of what we do is inconsequential to relevant living is valuable. Relevant living requires living in an ongoing flow of harmony, loving, and peace. Relevant living not only erases fear, it creates an anticipatory style of being that turns each choice into a wonder.

Sorrow offers great possibility because it brings up a feeling that occupied our lives, but was so layered under busyness that we only experienced it as a far off rumbling. When we see suffering at its root, we can start the healing process. When we face our pain, we can move past it, and the good news is that it shouldn’t take forever. We can move into a more powerful place moments after we acknowledge our pain. A Course in Miracles calls it “the holy instant.” Once the pain is acknowledged, we have the ability to move on.

Try some of the following activities to jumpstart a more meaningful holiday.

1. Create your own holiday traditions. Cooking holiday foods is a tradition for me. When I make some homemade cheese straws, I know it’s Christmas. One can attend a Christmas eve candlelight service, or hear Christmas music concerts. Do not make your tradition about buying things for yourself. Holiday seasons should not be an excuse for additive shopping or binge eating.
2. Help someone you wouldn’t normally help. It’s a season to serve others. This is a heart gift. One couple I know is having a concert, providing the main dishes for a pot luck meal, and inviting all the members of our spiritual fellowship to attend on Christmas day. The concert will feature an award winning song writer and singer.
3. Take the holiday pledge. Until we activate the Christmas within, it doesn’t exist in our world.

The Holiday Pledge

I, _________________, will use this time of year to renew my experience of life. I commit to life. I inspire myself each day through nourishing and loving activities. I will not feel sorry for myself, indulge in longing, nor feel guilty about anything. I will tune into peace, joy, magic, and generosity and discard cynicism, impatience, and jealousy. (The mind generates jealousy though an inner dialogue. “They have it so much better than I because they are healthier, younger, wealthier, slimmer, have a better car, have a better house, are smarter, more successful, have a functional family, etc.”). I allow my childlike qualities to flourish and my ego dominance to recede.

I will remember the good times, not the bad. I will not romanticize the past. Rather, I will live in the pristine present. I will do whatever it takes to be fully alive, awake, and aware.

So Be It.

Longing and yearning create opportunities for another level of awakening. When they tap our guts we can face them, then embrace them, and finally love them out of existence. The end of the year is a perfect time to put our desires to rest and to rededicate our lives to That which we are. We are not our bodies, our preferences, our status, our careers, or our roles. What we are can only be experienced. Holidays give us time away from the normal trails of thought and allow us to tap into life. Real life is the ongoing expression of who we are.

While the lyrics of the following song don't permeate the deep sacredness of life, they do point in that direction. Humor creates an insight that reaches deeper than words. Humor is the soul's sword that commands the surrender of the ego. While the ego takes life as serious, a problem to be solved, the soul celebrates the quiet, still reality of love. This holiday season may we allow the spirit of who we are to guide us.

It Came Upon My Mind to Clear, by Anne Sermons Gillis
from her book, Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic
Tune: It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

It Came Upon My Mind to Clear
Those pesky thoughts of doom;
to cancel all the shame and guilt
and give God’s love more room.

A good thought here
and good thought there,
an affirmation or two;
and I can join with my Happy mind
and keep love shining through.

I thought my mind was doing fine.
I loved my inner child.
I loved my neighbor as myself
and had stopped acting wild.

But then the bottom fell out.
I acted like a jerk;
projected fear and blame on friends
and focused on their quirks.

The ego thoughts were rampant;
the loving thoughts were gone;
and I forgot my sacred self,
felt lost and all alone.

I wanted to find a way
to restore love and light,
to sing with angels' heavenly choir,
and sleep real good at night.

I prayed, affirmed, and asked for peace
in every way I could.
Then love came down and pulled me back
and transformed ego’s shoulds.

A flash of light, the sound of joy
came flooding in my mind,
and love’s pure innocence took my thoughts
and I was no longer blind.

The love of Source had pulled me out
and taught me how to sing.
It kept me safe and far from harm,
clutched tightly in angels’ wings.

A sane thought here, a sane thought there,
the happy mind marched on.
Now I can rest and feel God’s love
’cause I have found my home.

There’s peace inside where stillness lies,
there’s joy deep within,
and I am blessed in many ways
with abundance, health, and friends.

You can see Anne sing this on Youtube.

Anne

  Quotes

“What is the difference between change and transformation? You can be a better caterpillar or you can be a butterfly.”
— Dr. Jesse Jennings

“Thoughts race to and fro, sourced from previously cataloged information.”
— Anne Sermons Gillis

“Deep inquiry is not for the fainthearted. It is for those who are ready and willing, regardless of fears and discomforts.”
— Gangaji

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

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  Healthy Living

Candle Safety

During the winter’s cold, candles provide a warm spot. Candles are hypnotic. Some people use candles as a focal point for meditation. When I walk into a room full of candlelight, my mood shifts. There’s a sense of mystery and awe.

I was surprised to find that there was a downside to candles. If they are made from petroleum or contain fragrances, they release carcinogenic soot when burned.

This was bad news until I found that one can purchase candles made from beeswax, soy, and other vegetable oils. These candles burn clean and don’t pollute our lungs and the air like petroleum based candles. The down side is that they are pricey.

If you have old candles with lead based wicks, you’ll want to toss them. Even though lead wicks were banned in 2003, you might still have some old lead wicked candles left. Lead is something you do not want floating around in your air. The following test from Green America will help you determine if you have lead wicks in your candles.

The No-Lead Test

To find out whether a candle has a lead wick, follow these steps:

1. Look for a “lead-free” label when shopping for new candles.
2. For unburnt candles, rub the tip of the wick on a piece of paper. If it leaves a gray mark, like a pencil, the wick contains a lead core. If you’ve already purchased the candle, take it back to the store and tell the manager why you’re asking for a refund.
3. For candles that have already been burned, you should just throw out any that have metal cores as a precaution. Simply look at the tip of the wick and see if it has a metal core. If you still can’t tell, peel back some of the cotton.

Not everyone has a fireplace, but we all have access to candles. Use thoughtfulness when you purchase your safe candles and then burn, baby, burn (disco inferno).

  Anne Talks

Take a few minutes to watch Twas the Day Before Christmas, a poem by Anne from her book, Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic. Time: 3:43

  Anne Art

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  Anne's Schedule

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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.