Anne's Note shows us how she is Going with the Flow. Anne's main article, Rules for Living in Integrity and Peace, provides four principles for living a less stressful life. Healthy Living's article, Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies, provides a healthier recipe for your sweet tooth. The Anne Talk is Anne's short video, Reality Check. The Featured Product this month is Anne's book, Offbeat Prayers for the Modern Mystic.

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

Living EZosophy, February 9, 2016
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

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  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

We had a showing this week, but the people didn't like our house. They thought it was too choppy. We do have two sets of stairs on the second level and for them it was choppy, but for me, it is interesting. When the house photographer saw our bedroom, with its two sets of steps, he was wowed. I guess that's why we say that one person's trash is another's treasure.

I am teaching our dog, Lucy, to retrieve and return a ball. She's doing fairly well. We’ve been fortunate to have a string of sunny, warmish days. Those days seem like a gift in the winter.

I'm hoping you are still discovering EZosophy. It a body of work that helps us bypass the ego's strategies and demands. If you haven't yet read my book, EZosophy, you might want to purchase a Kindle copy or buy a paperback copy from me. It's on my web page. Scroll down a bit to learn about it.

Stay warm and remember to make life EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Rules for Living in Integrity and Peace

The following four principles were written long ago. I heard them from a friend more than 30 years ago. She was just passing them along. I have no idea who to credit for their origin. They have been called Rules for Success, Guidelines for Living, and Rules for Conscious Awareness. I call them Rules for Living in Integrity and Peace. Living these principles not only makes our lives EZier, it makes our lives less stressful. Stress is the genesis for emotional discomfort and unhealthy living habits. Stress eventually leads to all kinds of body blowouts – heart disease, ulcers, indigestion, cortisol elevation, cancer, respiratory disease, adrenal burnout, and accidents. The U. N. calls stress the 21st century health epidemic.

The following four principles move us away from stress and into EZier living:

1. Show up – When we are only half present, we have more accidents, discount our friends, and have less energy for living. We need to focus our energy and attention on what is going on presently and who we are with. It is so disconcerting to be with someone who acts like they are not at all interested in me. It hurts. Once, when I had finished doing a talk, I stood at the exit and spoke to people as they left. I wanted to show up completely and made a special effort to be fully present. I spoke briefly with a young woman. I shook her hand, looked her in the eyes, and really listened to her. Later I got feedback from someone about how deeply this young woman was touched. It seems that not many people had listened deeply to her. This young woman received a meaningful spiritual up lift from a brief encounter. Showing up is a ministry. It is a calling, but most people are so wrapped up in their own worlds that they fail to show up. It's a part of the 21st century disease.
2. Pay attention – If we pay attention to the signs around us, we can get all the information we need to make good decisions. People often remark that they knew getting into the relationship was a bad idea, but they didn't pay attention to how they felt and the signs that were present. When we pay attention we know what job to take, what relationships to pursue, and the direction our lives need to take. The universe places information and clues at every turn of our lives.
   
3. Tell the truth – Staying in integrity is vital. When we lie we have to use a lot of energy to remember what we said to whom so we can keep up with it. Even the small lies are harmful.
   
   We tell lies about how we feel – emotional lies. "I'm good," we say, even when our world is falling apart.
   
   We have preferences we don't express when asked. "Anything is fine with me." These are lies of unimportance; I don't want to be a bother.
   
   We tell lies when we don't have the courage to say no. "I don't feel good. Maybe next time." These are lies of convenience. "I really feel fine and there will never be a next time because that's not the sort of thing I like to do, but I won't tell you that."
   
   Then there are the outright intentional lies we tell so we won't get in trouble or lies to make us look better.
   
   While most of us are basically honest people—we don't rob people, break into houses, or cheat people, we often participate in unconventional forms of lying. Integrity requires a direct and basic honesty that covers not only our actions, but our intentions and emotions.
4. Don't be attached to the outcome – Life is not always a smooth road, but for some outlandish reason we have this idea that when life doesn't go like we want it to go, it is a personal injustice. Therefore we can vigorously complain and or feel sad or surly. If 50% of our lives go as we want them to go, we are lucky. That still leaves 50% of things not going the way we’ve planned. You might not think things don't go your way more than 50 percent of the time, but if you listen carefully to the egoic mind, you will find it wants you to be dissatisfied all the time and it will point to everything with an accusing eye. Don't let that 50% of the time become a bargaining tool for the ego. Let it serve as an opening into flexibility, creativity, and non-attachment.

We aren't bad people, but we do get into bad habits. Living our lives in honesty, integrity, and with full attention and non-attachment is not an idea just for crooks and criminals. It is an idea for even the most avid spiritual advocate to examine. The egoic mind has a habit of using our creativity and intelligence against us. The Rules for Living in Integrity and Peace provide a path away from the ego and into the essential elements of spiritual living. Try them out, and when you do, your life will become EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

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  Healthy Living

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you just can't do without your favorite, chocolate chip cookies, here's a great recipe that is healthier than most. Jim and I love them.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup rolled oats (I use organic, the kind that take 45 minutes to cook.)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat.)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup organic butter, softened
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (Trader Joe's organic brand is $5.99 a pint. Spectrum's is $9.99.)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (I use organic Fair Trade evaporated cane syrup – that way children slaves are not used to harvest it. Costco has it.)
• 1/3 cup organic brown sugar
• 1 large egg, free range organic. Most chickens are feed GMO corn and so the eggs are therefore genetically modified too.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips (50% or higher chocolate content. I used Fair Trade 52% chocolate.)
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. My baking sheet is well-seasoned and I don't have to spray. If you do use spray, use organic olive oil spray.
2. Grind oats in a blender or food processor. I use my little coffee bean grinder. I do it one half at the time. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
3. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, at least 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies 1 sheet at a time, until firm around the edges and golden on top, about 15 minutes. (Okay. I put both sheets in there together and I did have burned cookies on one end.) Cool for a few minutes before jumping in and having a chocolate chip feast.

  Anne Talks

Click to watch Anne's short video, Reality Check. Mouse over the black line to show the player and click to start the video. Time: 0:31

  Anne Art

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  Anne's Schedule

Thursday, February 18, 2016
10:30 AM-12:30 PM, "EZosophy"
Thomas A. Glazier Senior Educ. Center
16600 Pine Forest Lane
Houston, Texas
For information contact:
Lisa Rice at lrice@pct3.com

Saturday, March 5, 2016
10 AM-12 noon, Free Lecture
The Houston Theosophical Society
1550 Heights Blvd.
Houston, Texas 77008

Sunday, March 6, 2016
10:15 AM, "Spiritual Freedom"
Unity of North Houston
"Alive, Awake, Aware" Workshop
After the service; light meal served.
Conscious Giving $10.00 - $25.00
according to your ability to give.
11738 Grant Road
Cypress, Texas 77429 - 281-374-7085

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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.