Anne's Note shows us how she has an EZosophy Winter. Anne's article, Affirmation of Being, provides exercises for affirming our existence and permission to thrive. Healthy Living's article, Dry Cleaning, encourages us to use alternative methods of cleaning. The Anne Talk is Anne's video on Take Five - Guided Meditation. The Featured Product this month is Anne's The One Year Seminar.

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

Living EZosophy, January 26, 2016
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

Anne's Websites:

  A Note From Anne

Dear ,

I have on three layers of clothing. We keep our heat on 68°, so it does take a few layers to warm up. When it’s cold, I bundle up and just keep going. The walking paths near our home are thinly populated. Jim, Lucy, and I stroll along our private walkways. When the weather warms up, the path will be alive with bikes, runners, and strollers, but, just for now, we move from place to place by ourselves.

People forget to go outside. They rush from house to car, car to store, or stay perched at their desks or on their couches. While it’s easy to get trapped in the warm comfort of our homes and offices, there’s something invigorating about getting out in the winter. I realize it’s relatively warm where I live, but even so, when it’s on the cold side, my neighborhood looks abandoned. I often eat lunch outside even in the winter. I open the garage door and sit in a sunny spot that’s wind-protected. I guess my neighbors think it’s funny to see me eating in the garage, but, as I say, they are not outside.

I’m taking it easy here in The Woodlands, Texas and hoping that you are having an EZosophy winter. If you find yourself making life harder than it needs to be – you’d better check out the EZosophy Vows.

Anne

  Affirmation of Being

Are you really present? Do you often times feel like you are not here? When we are born it is important that we receive an affirmation of being. An infant receives his/her affirmation of being when his/her mother gazes into his/her eyes. This looking conveys an acknowledgment that they exist and matter. If we were neglected as infants and didn’t receive much face to face time or, more specifically, eye to eye time with a loving caregiver, we oftentimes feel like we have to struggle to exist. We seem invisible to others and we are frequently passed over even when we were the best person for a job or task. We have to fight to be heard while others seem to have no problem with others listening to them. People who received very little affirmation of being often end up on a stage, because it takes a lot confirmation for them to feel as if they are real. They languish without an audience. They try to be the center of attention, but until the inner wounds are healed, no amount of attention will be enough.

If this is the case for you, consider doing “Affirmation of Being” exercises. When I was in private practice it became apparent that most clients had existence issues to varying degrees. When I held their hands and gave them verbal and physical recognition, they often collapsed into tears. The hand contact comforted them and made them feel protected and not alone. They wept because they finally felt seen and heard.

While you may not feel that you have this particular problem, the affirmation of being exercises feel nurturing and life-affirming for anyone.

Exercises for Affirmation of Being

Exercises to be done with a partner. The first three exercises are also intimacy building exercises.

• Get a trusted partner or friend to support you. Get two chairs, sit down, and face each other. Hold their right hand with your right hand and their left hand with your left hand. Your arms will be crossed; notice: it is comforting to hold hands this way. Look into each other’s eyes and have your partner say, “I see you.” Respond with, “I am here.” Do this slowly and maintain eye contact. Repeat the exercise 20 to 30 times. Then change and you start with “I see you.” and have your partner reply with “I am here.” Fully seeing others reinforces our ability to be present.
• Ask your partner to place their hands gently on each side of your face and then have them say to you, as they gaze into your eyes, “I am here for you.” Reply with a simple nod. Again, do this 20 to 30 times. If you desire, you may do the same for your partner. This is not a promise to be there for life for anyone. it is about reprogramming the inner child to feel love and support.
• Lie down and have your partner sit above your head and place a hand on each side of your neck and head. They should be firmly supporting your head from behind. Have them say to you, “I support you.” 20 to 30 times. This helps you get the physical sensation of support. If you desire, do the same for your partner. Sometimes giving feels as good as receiving.

Exercises to be done alone.

• Lie down in a fetal position with your arms crossed and your head down. Maintain this position throughout the entire exercise. Imagine that you are in utero and your mother is saying to you, “I want you.” See her smiling. If you are adopted, make up an image or gentle form like an angel. Repeat this invitation to life several times. Next, see your father saying “I want you.” Several times. Then see your father with his arms around your mother and both of them are saying, “We want you.” Next, see your mother looking at you and saying. “I want you to be happy.” Do the same with your father. Drink in their love. Regardless of whether your parents were loving or not, be sure to make up a loving image. This exercise is not about repeating what really happened during your development; it’s about recreating what happened. The best time to do this exercise is in the morning, when you wake up and are still in bed, or in the evening when you retire.
• Look at yourself in the mirror and say “I love you unconditionally.” Do it for 5 minutes daily for a month or anytime you feel down.

Have fun with these exercises. They can make a big difference in your life. They offer more than affirmation of being; they offer praise to the source within.

Anne

NOTE: This article is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Magic Words: Affirmations, Visionary Thoughts, and Revolutionary Ideas for the Individual and the Collective Good.

  Quotes

“I see my thought stream as an actual stream. When I sit on the side of the stream, like Buddha sitting under the banyan tree, I am the observer. When I identify with my mind rather than my I Am Presence, I immerse myself in the stream of thought and get whacked around by the rough waters.”
— Liah Holtzman

“Even though I am not my thoughts, I have thoughts. So I take care of my thoughts by guiding them gently toward a higher and higher Purpose.”
— Anne Sermons Gillis

“My mind is like a tool and I have to keep it sharp.”
— Anne Sermons Gillis

  Featured Product This Month

  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to learn more.

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  Healthy Living

Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning is not really dry cleaning. It involves the use of a chemical called tetrachloroethylene. It’s nasty stuff to smell, to wear, and to rub against your super absorbent skin. There are new “green cleaners” popping up that claim to clean with alternatives to tetrachloroethylene, but they often use a substitute that is no less harmful.

What can you do to avoid dry cleaning chemicals?

• If you just have to have that suit dry-cleaned, take it out of the plastic sleeve and hang it outside to air out. This allows the fumes to dissipate. Never store the item you had cleaned in a plastic bag. If you reuse the bag for anything, turn the bag inside out so the fumes can evaporate.
• Stop buying clothes that require dry cleaning. This is the very best solution.
• Use your head – A lot of garments that are marked “dry clean only” can be hand washed in cold water using Woolite or a mild detergent. I say use your head because, of course, you would not want to hand wash a wool tuxedo.
• Wear your clothes longer. Spot clean the area that gets a splatter. Again, use common sense. Silks do not do well with spot removal – it leaves a ring.
• Clothes have an odor? Fill a spray bottle with vodka and spray the garment. Let dry. The alcohol kills odor causing bacteria. Freezing an item also kills the bacteria and the odor.
• Use a steamer. The heat kills the bacteria and the odor as well. Or put a wet cloth in your dryer with your garment and run the dryer for 5 minutes – odors gone.
• Green Dry Cleaners. There are some green dry cleaners that use a nontoxic process, but check out their process before you use them, because some of them still use toxic chemicals. Some dry cleaning companies use water to clean and then reshape the garment when its drying. This is a real “green dry cleaning method.”

  Anne Talks

Click to watch Anne's video Take Five - Guided Meditation. Time: 8:40

  Anne Art

Anne's Video Art
Click image to download and watch Anne’s art video.

Anne's Video Art
Click image to download and watch Anne’s art video.

  Anne's Schedule

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

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

Call or Email Anne Now to Schedule Your Next Meeting with her.

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.