Spiritual Life of Trees

Recently in my area our government has created a bypass which connects one area of the county to another. This bypass is a traffic gift. What once took nearly an half hour to drive now takes 15 to 20 tops.

Also noticeable on the drive are all the new subdivisions that have cropped up. New houses, new townhomes and new apartment complexes. What saddens me and should sadden you are all the trees that were cut down to clear the land in order to build new homes.
Why should this sadden you? We simply do not understand how our survival on planet Earth is profoundly interconnected and directly related to the life of trees.

It is no coincidence that one of the main spiritual or religious symbols in the world is the Tree of Life.

First, our quality of air is directed related to the quantity of trees available for purifying the air that we breathe.

What do I mean? Well it is basic biology. Trees take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. We in turn breathe in oxygen and....can you feel the connection?

Judaism there is the holy day Tu'beshvat....which is celebrated as New Year of Trees. Where one can plant a tree or be more ecologically conscious. The meal or seder acknowledges all the trees give to us.

Life should not be about how much money we can earn. How much land can be cleared, how much real estate can be built and how wealthy we can become from the sell of....

My spiritual path includes honouring Trees and what they do for us to sustain our life. All life on earth. Please be mindful of trees. They give us shelter, food, fuel...and air.

image from http://www.innerharmony.com.au/

Just For Today

In my opinion Usui-sensei was a very wise man by leaving us the inheritance of the Gokai & the Five precepts.

Just for Today....is a very simple maxim but profound in so many ways.

It reminds us to Be Here Now... that only Today, only this moment is all that we can
or need to work with.

What issue are you dealing with? What issue causes you to fret, to become anxious about and lose sleep?

Just for Today... tell yourself...

Just For Today....
I will not worry....

or

Just For Today
I will not smoke....

Just for Today....

What ever your issue is when it crops up to hover over you
recite this gokai and add your own precept behind it or just use
the one Usui-sensei our Reiki Master left for us.....

And it is important, while reciting, to remember to BREATHE...Life?energy is truly in the Breath.

>>>>>

JT from one of the Reiki Forums I am apart of posted this in response:

Henry David Thoreau said;

"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment."

and

"Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains."

Full Moon & Affirmation

I could not let this day go by without paying homage to the full moon.

She is beautiful, She is divine.
Without her life as we know it
could not be....

Below is an excerpt from Rabbi Jill Hammer: Jewish Cycles of the Moon....

The Full Moon: Keseh

The fifteenth of the Hebrew month is the full moon. The Psalms use the word keseh to describe a festive time, and some commentators believe this word refers to the full moon. Keseh is like kos, cup, and the full moon is like a brimming cup of abundance. Many festivals of freedom and abundance, such as Sukkot, Tu B'Shevat, Purim, and Passover, fall on the full moon.......

In the Zohar, the full moon signals the time when the Divine womb creates
pure and blessed souls. It is the time when the moon and sun, which in kabbalists thought represent the feminine and masculine faces of God, are most in contact. The Zohar writes that at the full moon the Shekhinah is called field of apples, while at the dark moon She is called field of Anatot (meaning poverty).

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Today is also Tu'beshvat... New Year of Trees...in honour of said festival we will plan Venus fly traps :-)

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Not necessarily connected with the full moon...I'd like to share with you an affirmation...a declaration to remind yourself when ever you may be feeling a little less than...what ever that "than" may be.

I AM

Essential Elements of Spiritual Discipline

Essential Elements Of Spiritual Discipline

1. Be virtuous at any cost-Virtue is the road to immortality

2. Physical Exercise-The body is the temple for the spirit. Keep it healthy through moderate exercise which balances the energies in the body,such as Indian Hatha Yoga,Chinese Chi Kung,or Tai Chi

3. Breathing exercise-breathing properly produces health by proper distrubution of Ra-Sekhem Life Force,Chi,Prana and develops spiritual vitality

4. Silence-2 hours daily -"The abomination of the soul: too much talking it is!"
The mind is fond of indulging in debates,argument and nonsense,curtail its opportunity to develop impure thoughts by keeping it quiet,and thinking before you say anything.

5. Study teachiings-Study the teachings and take time in silence or in a study group setting to think about them and/or discuss them as they pertain to your life,the community,the world and the cosmos.

6. Listen-Keep your ears open to the words of wisdom. Always be willing to listen and to accept the truth,even if it seems to contradict and old teaching you had accepted as truth.

7. Reflection-Think about the teachings every time you read or hear them, it sometimes takes a while for them to be fully understood and accepted by the mind.

8. Meditation-When you are able to stay still in a quiet room or other location,begin the practice of meditating even 5 minutes a day,building up to longer periods.

9. Right action-perform selfless service at least once a day,expecting no reward. Remember Charity begins at home

10. Hekau-Utter words of power in any language but with full understanding of the meaning repeatedly beginning with 5 minutes a day and gradually building up to an hour or more each day. Utter prayers in morning upon waking up and in the evening before bed.

11. Vegetarian Diet

12. Wake Up with the sun

13. Go to bed with the moon

14. Do not use drugs or alcohol

15. Cultivate Contentment-you will be surprised at the number of things you can do without. Unnecessary wants and cravings agitate the mind.

16. Keep a diary-Stick to a spiritual routine.The dairy will help you understand yourself better.

17. Do not speak to much on spiritual matters-Too much debating causes mental agitation;also those who are not ready to understand the teaching may consider you insane. "Speak to those who understand you"

18. If at all possible, keep company and study under a spiritual perceptor

19. Do work that is in keeping with your personality,goals and aspirations

I found the above on Assata Shakur's forum and thought I would share it with you.

DONNA EDEN & Eden Energy Medicine

Donna Eden is doing wonders for Western Humanity and the world for that matter by reminding us of the greatest living medicine out there.

I recommend purchasing her Energy Medicine Introductory DVD kit & Book

Video Clip 1 Intro to Energy Medicine.

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TRACING THE MERIDIANS..... learning your Meridians is VERY important to maintaining your energy level. Part 1

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Tracing the MERIDIANS.... Part 2

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Thank you Donna Eden for all that you have contributed

Find out more by visiting INNERSOURCE.NET

The Japanese Art of Reiki

A new book to add to your Reiki shelf.

A very important book that will add a wonderful and important dimension to your Reiki practice as a personal spiritual path.

Frans and Bronwen of The International House of Reiki will be teaching in the USA in 2008
check out their website for more details.

http://reiki.net.au

THE JAPANESE ART OF REIKI by Bronwen Stienes

2008

May this year be a good one for you.

Full of love, light and spiritual/emotional growth.

May be just what you need to be the best you that
you can be.