Speaking of Spirit

  Nine Muses by Royer   Ever wonder why certain numbers appear over and over in sacred texts?  For our ancient ancestors, certain numbers...numbers found in nature...were sacred and carried with them mystical powers. For instance, the number nine, which is the length of time in a novena, (the word novena comes from the Latin word for nine) was believed by the ancients to represent wisdom, leadership, Universal love, creation, and service to name a few.  These beliefs in the sacred number nine come from many cultures. There are nine muses in Greek and Roman mythology. There are nine forms of devotion and nine treasures in Hinduism. There are the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as the nine levels of Heaven along with the nine choirs of angels. In the Mayan and Aztec cultures, there were nine levels in the underworld. The significance of the number nine as a sacred number can truly be found worldwide. Therefore, when we come to our ninth day of ref...

Filmmaker and artist, Yann Arthus-Bertrand has created a film which is a masterpiece of beautiful images, heart-wrenching stories, enlightened views and difficult questions.  HUMAN is the story of us all.  Real people, real struggles, real memoirs - a story of #WhatMakesUsHUMAN. I watched the entire first volume of this inspirational film,  (There are more volumes.) thanks to Google. Google, along with the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, French TV France 2, and the GoodPlanet Foundation, made it possible for Yann to bring the world these films. I am grateful! In my ministry and in my life, I have found that when we remember we are all part of humanity, magic happens.  Thanks to instant media, we have all been witnesses of this. Our humanity has been present in the various natural disasters that have raced across this tiny planet of ours as strangers help each other survive.  Our humanity has shown in our own communities when we join together to help...

 Photo Credit: via Wikimedia Commons One of the greatest gifts we can give others costs nothing, yet is richer than a king's ransom.  The Gift of Presence is priceless. In today's ultra busy world in which we are constantly barraged by media and technology, the ability to disconnect from all the "stuff," the ability to take a moment to actively listen or hold a hand is most precious .  The Gift of Presence isn't about fixing problems or changing others, but simply to just "be" with someone.   This week, as you go about your daily tasks, I encourage you to be mindful of those around you.  Connect with them, even if it is only a smile - that smile could just save someone from disaster! Together, we can Change the World with Waves of Loving-Kindness !  

When I was asked to contribute to the Gratitude Quilt, I wasn't sure what it was going to look like.  What a wonderful surprise to see the words of so many people patched together into a word quilt. Thank you, Laura Hegfield for creating such a lovely example of Gratitude! http://www.shinethedivinecreativityisaspiritualpractice.com/2014/11/gratitude-quilt-2014.html

   The mountains are God's thoughts piled up. The ocean is God's thoughts spread out. The flowers are God's thoughts in bloom. The dew drops are God's thoughts in pearls.   Sam Jones     *~*~*~*   The Birth of the Flowers   by Mary McNeil Fenollosa    God spoke!  and from the arid scene Sprang rich and verdant bowers, Till all the earth was soft with green. ~ He smiled; and there were flowers.     Nature is the armory of genius.  Cities serve it poorly, books and colleges at second hand; the eye craves the spectacle of the horizon; of mountain, ocean, river and plain, the clouds and stars; actually contact with the elements, sympathy with the seasons as they rise and roll. ~~ A. B. Alcott         *~*~*~* Sympathy with Nature is a part of the good person's religion. ~~ F. H. Hedge  

Photo Credit: Colombe de Noé CC BY-SA 3.0 Modern society often turns a blind eye on anything related to Spirit, which may be why we keep this part of ourselves hidden. However, Spirit is ever present, whether society wants to see it or not.  Spirit is evident in the connections we make with each other and with the world.  We may be in different bodies, in different time zones, working at different jobs, knowing different people, but, we are all part of the same Spirit...God's Holy Spirit. Mary Anne Radmacher wrote, "Courage doesn't always roar.  Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'" Courage is a gift of Spirit. When we are connected to our Spirit, we have courage, we gain wisdom and we have the ability to love. May the Spirit that unites us all, be ever-present in our lives.  May we reap the benefits of the gifts of Spirit and use them wisely to help make the world a better place...