A Canadian friend today forwarded me an e-mail with this beautiful appeal by Clarissa Pinkola Estes:

My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.

You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet, I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement.

I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able vessels in the waters than there are right now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind.

Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a greater forest. That long-grained lumber is known to withstand storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance, regardless.

In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency, too, to fall into being weakened by dwelling on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind without raising the sails.

We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear. Didn’t you say you were a believer? Didn’t you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn’t you ask for grace? Don’t you remember that to be in grace means to submit to the voice greater?

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.

What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.

One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these – to be fierce and to show mercy toward others; both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.

Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.

There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it. I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate.

The reason is this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours. They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here. In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.”

Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D (c)

Author of the best seller Women Who Run with the Wolves – Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

Epiphany – liquid protein varnish and glue on silk and cardboard, 36×36 cm, 1985

A friend sent me today the link to this video with a wonderfully presented message, conveying the state of affairs of the world we live in.

“This is a non-commercial attempt to highlight the fact that world leaders, irresponsible corporates and mindless ‘consumers’ are combining to destroy life on earth. It is dedicated to all who died fighting for the planet and those whose lives are on the line today. The cut was put together by Vivek Chauhan, a young film maker, together with naturalists working with the Sanctuary Asia network. The principal source for the footage was Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s incredible film HOME. The music is by Armand Amar. And extracts from Greenpeace and Timescapes“.

Some meditative thoughts I received today from an Indian friend:

I Believe…
That just because two people argue,
It doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.
And just because they don’t argue,
It doesn’t mean they do love each other.

I Believe…
That we don’t have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.

I Believe…
That no matter how good a friend is,
they’re going to hurt you,
every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe…..
That true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I Believe…
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I Believe….
That it’s taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.

I Believe…
That you should always leave loved ones with Loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe…
That you can keep going long after you think you can’t.

I Believe…
That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe..
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe…
That heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I Believe…
That my best friend and I
can do anything or nothing
and have the best time..

I Believe….
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re
down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe…
That sometimes when I’m angry
I have the right to be angry, but that
doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe…
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had
And what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I Believe…
That it isn’t always enough,
to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn
to forgive yourself.

I Believe…
That no matter how bad
your heart is broken,
the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I Believe…
That our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are, but,
we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe…
That you shouldn’t be
so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.

I Believe…
Two people can look at the exact same
Thing and see something totally different.

I Believe..
That your life can be changed
in a matter of hours
by people who don’t even know you.

I Believe…
That even when you think
you have no more to give,
When a friend cries out to you,
you will find the strength to help.

I Believe..
That credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe…
That the people you care about
most in life are taken from you too soon.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything they have.

(Author unknown)

Autumn morning light seen from the bathroom, 2 weeks ago – now all the leaves are gone

Before evening meditation my wife and I normally exchange some thoughts about the day. The last days she had felt some pain, some inflammation of nerves or the like after having worked a lot in our little garden planting flowers for next spring. Last weekend she had been at a seminar with Anton Styger about using the pendulum and there she heard him say: “You can ask the body, he knows best.” This was a thought she had been pondering upon the last days:

Our body is not just a machine or a “bag” into which we have been put at birth, but a highly intelligent being which communicates with you if you listen to it. With pain it says, pay attention, something is going the wrong direction. You can feel its needs, and you can even talk to it. (Of course, with serious problems you should talk to a doctor….)

Anton Styger uses prayers where he addresses the body intelligences and the guiding angels of organs. They have received lots of wrong commands from our side and have received shocks and experienced hardships in the past. These memories are stored in the subtle structure of the body and can be released. We also might have collected “astral waste” from other persons / the surroundings, which keep clinging to us. Clairvoyants can even see that in a number of cases earth-bound entities / deceased persons who didn’t believe in a here-after or were surprised by their death cling to the body and cause feelings of dullness or strain.

My wife and I talked about observations we had in this regard and our discoveries how to deal with them. She said: “I have discovered a new relation with my body.” And she had also been working with others helping to release pains and subtle burdens.

A famous drawing of Leonardo da Vinci

A friend from Posadas, Argentina, sent me an MP3-file of the very beautiful “Blessings of a Mother” by Snatam Kaur, sung in Spanish. I found it also on YouTube, here it is:

He also added the Spanish text – though I only understand it vaguely, it is beautiful. If you also don’t understand Spanish, you can copy it into Google translator, if you want to get more of the meaning.

Bendición de mi madre –  Mother´s Blessing

An inspiring video on changing one’s perspectives by considering others’ troubles when we are troubled by others. You can also see here the Spanish version.

A friend send me the following nice story:

A teacher decided to let her class play a game. She told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates. So the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates.

When the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had two potatoes; some three while some upto five potatoes.

The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for one week. Days passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having five potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After one week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

The teacher asked: “How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for one week?” The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they went.

The teacher then said: “This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine what it is like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for lifetime???”

So, let it go…. and refresh your mind for nice and happy things and thoughts to embrace life.

Potatoes – from Wikipedia

A beautiful timelapse video of petals opening like ballet dancers – graceful movements visualising the work of the devic world.

I today came across the “Unify Earth” initiative (URTH), which is planning to organize “History’s largest synchronized gathering” on December 21, 2012: simultaneous TV, internet & mobile streaming, with a duration of 4 to 6 hours live feed from around the world. It is meant to celebrate humanity’s journey through the ages in an epic musical media spectacle that brings fantasy and reality together to inspire a new chapter for human civilization: “URTH is about us – where we’ve been and where we’re going.”

The celebration wants to be a counter-pole against all soothsaying about doomsday prophecies. So the motto is “On December 21, 2012 experience the beginning of a new story for humanity. The End is the Beginning. The hero is you.”

Among the founding team is Violaine Corradi, one of the three main composers at Cirque du Soleil.

People from all around the world are stepping up to become a part of the unify earth movement. Quotes of current featured luminaries:

“There are a lot of negative prophecies about 2012… but prophecy is questionable. I think the future is what we make it to be.” (Sting)

“Outside of Fear… A Moment in Timelessness.” (Carlos Santana)

“Currently, there is an emphasis in our consciousness that places the highest regard on money, competition, and materialism. Maybe we can open our minds to consider and realize other models and ideas focusing on the whole of our planet, enabling us to move forward, in a way that is beneficial to all of us.” (Rob Garza, Thievery Corporation)

I added the Circle of Good Will on the map of this inspiring global initiative. – You can join as an individual, an organisation or as a host of a get-together on December 21, 2012

A friend sent me this nice story, which started with: “Don’t let the “Nay”Sayers hold you back.”

Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs….who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants….

The race began…. Honestly: No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as:

“Oh, WAY too difficult!!” “They will NEVER make it to the top.” “Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!”

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one…. Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher….The crowd continued to yell, ”It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up….

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher…. This one wouldn’t give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out…. That the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is: Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be negative or pessimistic….because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you — the ones you have in your heart!

Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Therefore: ALWAYS be….POSITIVE!

And above all: Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfil your dream, but always be welcoming to listen to and accept sound advise.
“Achievers never expose themselves but their achievements expose them.”

A tiny frog, from Wikipedia.