The Anne Report, Week of Connection, reminds us to connect with nature. The Main article, Relationships, shows us how we can use our intuition and guidance to improve our relationships. The Healthy Living article, Happy, reminds us that we can quickly and easily change our attitude if we don't like it. The Anne Talk is an Inception Radio Interview of Anne about her book, Words Make a Difference, by Keith Blanchard of Center of Light Radio. Learn about Anne's newest book: The Living Book. The Featured Product this month highlights Anne's second book, EZosophy: The art of EZ or at Least EZier Living. Click to read What is EZosophy?  Click here to learn about Anne's newest book, Words Make a Difference.

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

Living EZosophy, July 25, 2017
Published Weekly on Tuesday Mornings

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

Anne's Websites:

  The Anne Report

Week of Connection

Dear ,

What a week it's been. I attended the Theosophical Society’s 131st National convention. I had mountaintop experiences. I connected with nature, in a more expanded way, and had the privilege of listening to some wonderful truthsayers. I've heard good things about Pope Francis, but after a Pope Francis presentation by a Franciscan nun, I was blown away. It is refreshing to see a highly positioned man of the cloth who dares to break tradition, who risks the fury of conservative Catholics, and who brings compassion and love to everyone he touches. I'm going to quit making fun of the papal office. I've used words like "Pipus Popus" to poke fun at past popes, but this pope deserves great respect. Maybe there is a God! One wonders about persistent genocide, war, famine, and drought, but just as hearts start to droop and spiritual fatigue sets in, we get a Martin Luther King, a Mandela, or a Pope Francis.

Peace Pole

The Theosophical Society's 40-acre campus is filled with trees, birds, creeping vines, and a large vegetable garden. As I communed with nature I began to see how I've often only seen the outside of a plant, pond, or tree. It would be like a person looking at an attractive woman, appreciating her beautiful body, but never looking into the person herself. I looked into and communed with insects, trees, shrubs, and a wonderful pond, and now, as I walk past the greenery in my neighborhood, I feel a deeper connection. This feeling or sense of connectedness to nature is called eco-spirituality. I am happy my relationship with nature is more intimate than before, and I experience, more than ever, the nature of life itself that extends to all of creation.

That's it for the Anne Report.

  Main Article

Relationships

Dear Spirit,

Our culture sanctions the intellect. We value logic and control as if they were the gods of interaction. We like to know what's going on and how to fix it, but some things cannot be fixed using the logical approach. They need the intuitive approach, along with massive doses of compassion and inner reflection.

While at the Theosophical Society National Convention last week I reveled in several meaty conversations. Here's the scene. I'm seated between two men at dinner. One is an author and healer and the other an older volunteer. Man number one: "I don't understand women. I can't find a good relationship." I shared my thoughts and asked man number two to share his thoughts. He was quiet and I expected him to deflect the question, but he rose like a master and spoke softly but powerfully, "I make the things that are important to my wife and son important to me. I listen to them and don't try to talk them out of what they are seeing or saying." Man number one continued, "But I can only find shallow women. They like to shop and only want to eat out and go to the movies." This time I stayed quiet and looked at the master: "That's because they don't know any other way. Show them another way. Take them to walk in the park. Go to an art opening or to a museum. Attend a concert or walk in the historic district of town. Go for a ride and take pictures of wildflowers." Man number one seemed reflective and had an "aha" expression on his face. Man number two took the conversation from the perspective of "What can people do for me?" to "How can I serve others and create a situation that benefits everyone?"

We don't serve others to the exclusion of getting our needs met; we learn to come from a space of giving to others, that fills us up, rather than giving from a place that depletes us. I read a Quora inquiry that asked the question. "I'm in a new relationship with a man who was recently jailed. How long should I wait for him?" I shook my head and chuckled. The relationship suggestions I give about being of service to do not preclude using common sense. I would suggest the woman not wait at all.

All problems do not have the same solutions, so be careful in taking relationship advice. There is no absolute solution, and that's why our intuition, rather than our intellect, is usually most important in dealing with relationships. I say usually because the woman who considers waiting for a man in prison, when he's not her husband or son, needs to use logic and intellect. She needs to make a smart move and not place herself in harm's way. The person who desires more closeness and happiness in a relationship needs an inner approach, the heart tools, to bring about harmony and intimacy in a relationship.

Relationship Awareness Process

The following suggestions invite us to use our intuition to align with friends and loved ones.

• Do this process at a time you will not be disturbed. Don't try to squeeze this into a busy schedule. It is important you are relaxed and not on a strict schedule. Get paper and pen to take notes. Then sit in a comfortable, private place.
• Light a candle and/or put on some soothing music. If you have a picture of your friend,  relative, or partner, place it beside your candle. This is your relationship altar. You may want to put a peace symbol on it or the picture or image of a spiritual figure. Be creative. You can leave this up or wrap it in a cloth and put it away for use in the future.
• Go to your quiet space with a sense of relaxation. Watch your breath, let go of tight muscles, and clear your mind of worries or expectations. Close your eyes.
• Ask your Higher Power, Angels, Guides, spiritual Master, or Self:
  "What can I do to make our relationship better?"
  "How can I serve this person?"
  "What do I do that harms this person? What bad thoughts do I hold?
  Do I hold them to a standard of perfectionism?"
  Write down any thoughts you might have. (And with eyes open, of course!)
• Next, bring up an image of your loved one. Ask him or her:
  "How can I best serve you?"
  "How can I honor you?"
  "What do you need from me?"
  "What do I do to you that is harmful?"
  "Am I sarcastic or harsh? If so, how?"
  "How can I show you more compassion?"
  "Do I need to give you more support or do I need to encourage you to stand on your own two feet?"
  "Am I too much in your business or am I too detached?"
• Again, write down the answers.

This process allows us to tap into our intuition and to our connection with others. We can use it often, in times of trouble, or any time, to improve our relationships and to develop empathy and compassion.

We often ask what we need to be doing on this planet. How can I be of service? How can I help others? The above process provides a framework for doing the deep work. Sometimes we do others' service when we uncover the disservice we do them through our actions and expectations. We become their humble servant when we have the courage to make changes in the habitual ways we relate to others. We find that humility, compassion, and caring are not weaknesses; they are the foundations of strength.

Relationships deliver endless opportunities for service and growth. We can disengage from others and keep our hearts behind a wall, or we can go inside and free ourselves and others from the loneliness stimulated by the egoic mind. Relationships can serve as a stepping stone to higher states of well-being, but we must go on the daring adventure of opening our hearts and serving others in order to step out on the path. Let's step more fully into our relationships and enjoy them as the privileges they are, because when we do, we find that life becomes EZier and EZier.

Anne

  Quotes

Quotes

"We have a process mind and a project mind. Life is a process, not a project. When we live life as a project, we see problems. Then we have to then fix everything. When we live life as a process, our problems disappear."
-- Fali Engineer

"Be like the soil. Different seeds fall on its soil. They grow. Some are red flowers, some blue, but the soil supports all the different flowers equally. It doesn’t withdraw water or minerals because one is different. It feeds the vines, the briars, the grasses. Be like the soil."
-- Fali Engineer

"Your mental currency buys your life. Spend it wisely."
-- Anne Sermons Gillis

  The Living Book

The Living Book, by Anne Sermons Gillis

• Suppose someone told you that you could change your life radically, for the better, if you spent just three minutes a day doing inner work? Would you believe it? Maybe not, but wouldn't it be worth an investment of three minutes a day to try it?
• The Living Book offers just this. Devote three minutes a day to this process and your life will become a living testimony to the seed principle. A tiny seed can grow into a mighty tree, but it must be planted. Plant your daily seed for three short minutes and notice both subtle and miraculous changes in your life.
• In addition to the daily practice, one can use the process when they are stumped or afraid or angry. This process transforms anger into love. When we plant seeds of light into our thoughts and emotional bodies, we move into higher frequencies of well-being.

The Living Book, by Anne Sermons Gillis
PDF Book Download $0.99. Kindle Book: $2.99.

  Featured Product This Month

Click here to check out Anne's newest book, Words Make A Difference, a book of affirmations, action plans, and deep insights into the human consciousness that transforms and heals the soul, the local and global community, and the planet. Travel with Gillis on a journey through deep psychology, metaphysics, and nondualism.

  What is EZosophy?

Click the graphic above to learn about EZosophy.

NOTE: If you are viewing this on a cell phone, be sure to scroll to the right to see the other column.

  Healthy Living

Happy

While at my conference this weekend, I introduced myself to as many people as possible. There was one woman who seemed to be busy each time I approached, but when an opening occurred, I took it. "You have such a peaceful and happy countenance. I want to meet you." We exchanged names. Then she replied, "I was born happy." I thought, then spoke, "I'm going to claim that for myself: "I was born happy." Then I thought, "Maybe I could be born again happy?"

Pharrell Williams - Happy video.

What we tell ourselves influences us, even when our thoughts are not true. Why not use that to our advantage?

I spoke with my friend Mary and told her she sounded different, lighter. "What's up?" She told me she decided to be happy again. "I just forgot to be happy. I was irritated all the time. Then I thought, 'Why was I irritated when the phone rang?  Why wasn't I enjoying my life?'" The question called her life back into relevance. Her thoughts were relevant to her experience and her experience was not what she wanted, but she had the power to change it.

The idea that we can change our minds and be happy is radical, but we certainly wouldn't apply that ability to choose happiness in each situation. If our friend just lost a close relative and needed comforting, we wouldn't sit around smiling like a ninny! No, we'd adjust our thoughts and provide a space for appropriate feelings.

Even though life is hard, and many things are tragic, life is not hard all the time. We get used to believing life is solely a school of hard knocks, and we even take pride in our hardships. Let's take a moment to examine how much of our lives is built on borrowed societal irritation and angry righteousness, and re-decide. We can remember to be happy, rather than to drag our minds and hearts through the mud. Are you willing to join me and be born again happy? Now is the perfect time.

If you have any healthy living tips for the newsletter, send them to me at anne@annegillis.com.

  Anne Talks

Inception Radio Interview of Anne:
"Words Make a Difference"

  Anne Art

Mixed Media Collage
Click the image to see a larger view.

NOTICE: Here are two shareables from Anne. Feel free to pass them along.

The World's Best Weight Loss Secret

Thought Freedom

  Anne's Schedule

All times here are Central Time
unless otherwise specified.

Saturday, August 5, 2017
Workshop, 9 AM - 3 PM EDT
"Ending the Suffering Syndrome:
The EZosophy Philosophy" $45.00
5 hours LPC, CE credits for LPC
Location: "The Cottage"
122 Alicia Drive
Summerville, SC
Click Here for Registration

Friday, August 11, 2017
Workshop, 9 AM - 3 PM EDT
"Building Self Esteem and Courage"
5 hours LPC, CE credits for LPC
Location: "The Cottage"
122 Alicia Drive
Summerville, SC
Click Here for Registration

Sunday, August 20, 2017
12:30 PM to 3 PM
"Synchronicity"; Cost $25.00
Bring a sack lunch, light snacks provided.
Creative Life Spiritual Center
5326 Spring Stuebner Rd. Ste. 200
Spring, Texas 77389
Phone: 281-350-5157

Friday, October 6, 2017
Workshop, 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM EDT
"Building Self Esteem and Courage"
5 hours LPC, CE credits for LPC
Location: "Phoenix Center"
1400 Cleveland Street
Greenville, SC
Click Here for Registration

Call or Email Anne Now to Schedule Her for 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.

  Anne's Services

Need a Coach or a Rent-a-Friend?

Interested in getting ongoing support? Try life coaching with Anne. Anne offers both short-term and long-term coaching. Contact her for details. Click here to contact Anne by email or Click here to view information on Anne's One Year Seminar and other training too.

The EZosophy Bracelet