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THIS WEEK'S ISSUE From the Inside Out...
BE the World Since
animals, of all kinds, ~ Chelle Thompson, Editor
| From the Inside Out |
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High in the Himalayan mountains, Sherpas carry unbelievable weights over great distances, laughing as they go. Some have climbed Everest several times, even with physical disabilities. Stalwart guides and porters, they scale the highest peaks, guiding others beyond all self-limitation. They are courageous, cheerful, and willing to put their life on the line. Climbing the highest mountain is their passion. It is in their blood. They embody the maxim, "The trek upward is worth the inconvenience," and their good-heartedness is contagious. Like these Sherpas, we each have our own Everest to climb, and people who count on us to carry them forward. Maybe it's a child, an elderly parent, or coworkers on the job, especially when the going gets tough. How we process the challenges life brings to us directly impacts our journey through life. Are we willing to take the high road, to become a shining example? What are we willing to pledge or to give up? How far are will we go to love authentically and leave footprints for others to follow? Becoming a Sherpa means striving to greet adversity with joy. It means sacrificing the enemy within that would derail our best efforts. It's a little like Jedi training, that impels us to embrace our higher self, to serve others and to surrender to our highest blueprint. Following the Himalayan Sherpas on the best and worst of days boils down to twelve principles. The first principle is to pursue self knowledge. To become radiant Sherpas, we must first get to know ourselves, to be ready to face our dark side, even if this brings temporary discomfort. The more honest we become with ourselves, the more sincerely we can help others. The second principle is to greet crisis as an opportunity. Sherpas understand that every crisis provides an opportunity to come up higher. Likewise, our personal growth is commensurate to our willingness to change. When conflict knocks at our door, we do not hide. We vigorously pursue resolution that brings everyone up a notch or two. The third principle is taking responsibility. We can't hide from what we say and do, or even from what we think. We understand that at a deep level, every circumstance and interaction that come into life, both pleasant and adverse, is somehow a result of a cause that we previously set in motion. Sherpas do not shrink back from that responsibility. They make the best of it. The fourth principle is mastering our thoughts, words, and feelings. Thoughts, words and feelings impact us in many seen and unseen ways, and even affect our overall health. You can't reach the summit of the Himalayas or of the mountain of life if you don't get on top of these three. The fifth principle is leading from the heart. Research shows that our heart has its own intelligence, and that when we ask our heart for guidance, we can actually surpass anything our minds would have come up with. Without fanning the fires of the heart, Sherpas could not succeed. The sixth principle is being a co-creator. Sherpas consult the mountain before heading upward. They do not take unnecessary risks. They are humble before Nature and her divine Spirit. They know that to reach the top, their quest must harmonize with Life. Likewise, we are co-creators. We can do nothing of lasting value, unless we seek out and honor divine guidance. The seventh principle is letting go. The serenity prayer attributed to Saint Francis resonates as a Sherpa way of living. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." As we face the twists and turns in our road of life, we must embrace this wisdom. We will find much solace if we honor the middle way between being a doer, taking responsibility and surrendering to a higher Will. The eighth principle is faith in re-creation. Like the weather at high altitudes, we change minute by minute. If we stubbornly hold onto an idea of the past, we can get stuck. Without forgiveness, there can be no freedom. It is best to learn from the past and move on. We liberate ourselves and others when we give everyone another chance. The ninth principle is to embrace the web of life. Antakharana is a Sanskrit term for the "web of life." It implies that everything we do, both seen and unseen, impacts every other part of life because we are all connected. Sherpas know that as they change, so will others, even if it is imperceptible at first. That is why their goodwill is contagious, and why it has been said that in their presence, dreams of a better life suddenly seem less foolish. The tenth principle is to influence by example. As they lead Westerners up the mountain, Sherpas know that modeling is the only effective way to teach. Truly, we are most effective when we practice what we preach. Knowing that we can't effectively teach what we haven't become, we are goaded to come up higher, not only for ourselves but also for all who depend upon us. The eleventh principle is displayed when the four faces of God shine through us. There are four pathways to our authentic self. As we open these pathways we become chalices for our highest potential. Like the Sherpas, we become self-disciplined ones, expressing God as the Loving Father, the essence of protection and direction. We embrace adventure and courage as the Loved Boychild. We nurture teach and guide those in our charge as the Loving Mother. And we rely on our Loved Girlchild's intuition, caring and finesse to make sure everyone makes it back to camp safely. The twelfth and most important Sherpa principle is to serve others first. Sherpas have gladly laid down their lives for those in their care. They deeply understand what it means to be their brother's keeper. They know that only through helping others can one fulfill his or her reason for being. No matter what your stage on the mountain of life, whether sun rays come to warm you or an avalanche approaches, may you embrace the principles of the radiant Sherpas and keep on keeping on. Therese
Emmanuel Grey leads Radiant Sherpa retreats. She co-authored the books | Far Horizons IRELAND'S GALLARUS
ORATORY
The
Gallarus Oratory (house of prayer) is the most perfectly preserved type of drystone
oratory built entirely without mortar. The technique is called corbelling, which
is a vault formed by piling rocks in horizontal courses, cantilevered inward until
the two walls meet in a pointed arch. The vault is held in place by the weight
of the rocks themselves. Although the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, is exposed
to the fierce winds and rains from the Atlantic Ocean, the interior of the Gallarus
Oratory is perfectly dry and silent, a testament to the skills of its builders.
Of the many heritage sites on the peninsula Gallarus is unique in its setting
and mystique. Gallarus is situated in natural farmland overlooking Smerwick Harbour
and exposed to the winds and Atlantic weather for over 1200 years. The building
of stone without mortar is still waterproof. From the inside you experience the
feeling of time gone by as you wonder at this masterpiece of stone work. Nearby
is the farmhouse where the farm folk who cultivated the surrounding fields lived
in modest settings. Toiling their livelihood from soil was as hard then as it
would be today without farm machinery. But they persisted at their work and prayed
in their oratory and today their culture and language survives. With the passage
of time farming has changed and declined and today the dwellings used by previous
generations are now open to visitors.
COMPUTER-EASE "Help
for Lefties"
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YOUR
Thoughts & Feelings
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| This is a selection from a book called "Then Some Other Stuff Happened: A New History of America, Sort Of" , a collection of short pieces about history written by eighth graders and compiled by Bill Lawrence, a teacher and columnist — "The Pilgrams were a bunch of English wonderers who wanted to worship as they wanted to. They excaped the Church of England and came over here because they heard that American churches were different." "The May Flower was the ship with which they came in. It didn't have a bathroom on board so there was quite an oder. Priscillia Mullins was the captain." "First the Pilgrams had gone to Holland, but left when their children started developing customs there. After a stopover at Williamsbug when a large storm blew them off course they landed on a big, slimey rock in Massatusetts. They spent the winter there." "Before they got off the ship even they drew up an agreement for the people of Plymouth to agree on the voting for governors and congressmen. They kept this hid in the May Flower Compact. Lord Delaware was elected the first governor of Plymouth Rock." "A friendly Indian named Rhone Oak showed the Pilgrams how to plant corn by putting it in the ground. Rhone Oak had been the first Indian to come to America and always wanted a beer. He traveled around with Miles Standy and translated language. He knew enough English to interupt." "Another interupter for the white man was Squanto, who was called that because he was so short. Squanto drew up a declaration to give the settlers freedom of goverment in the new land. The Pilgrams gave the Indians thanks for all this and that's what started Thanksgiving." "The Pilgrams then appointed Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Abraham Lincoln later pronounced it and gave it to them and it soon became a national holiday all around the world." "These
people always wore old shoes with a big buckel on the top of them. The men wore
pants that only came a little ways past the knees and the girls wore funny bonets.
But if these people wouldn't had of come to America the United States wouldn't
be like it is today." ARCHIVES:.. 
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| Fascinating
Facts
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Several
months ago I had lunch with best-selling author Margaret
Paul, Ph.D.. We discovered that we share a love for Santa Fe, New Mexico,
and have very similar philosophies about life. In 1988 Dr. Paul, along with Dr.
Erika Chopich, developed a transformational six-step spiritual pathway that creates
a powerful connection with your core Self and your Higher Guidance. This process,
called INNER BONDING, leads to healing core shame, anger and pain, while opening
a door to the sacred privilege of expressing your love and gifts upon the planet.
In an issue of Dr. Paul's Inner Bonding Journal, she writes: "Being alone is a challenge for many people. This challenge may loom especially large during the holidays if you are single or newly divorced and without family around you. Holidays are a time to share love, and many people end up feeling depressed when they do not have people around with whom to share love. If you are in this situation, what can you do to make the holidays joyous rather than depressing? "The key phrase here is SHARE LOVE. Too often people think in terms of getting love rather than giving and sharing their love. They don't realize that it is the act of giving their love that is so very fulfilling. "Gail had grown up very lonely in an emotionally distant family, with parents who did not freely give their love and relatives who were also cold and distant. She had married an emotionally distant man, and after 7 years of more loneliness, had decided to leave him. This was her first holiday season alone. Gail decided that she was not going to be alone and lonely again this holiday season. She did some research on service agencies that needed volunteers and discovered a women's shelter in her area for women and their children who were hiding from physically abusive husbands. The shelter was badly in need of funds for food, which Gail didn't have. What she did have was the time to help gather food. Each day, after her job as a secretary, Gail went around to the markets in her area until she found some willing to donate Thanksgiving dinners for the mothers and their children. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, she spent her time at the shelter cooking, decorating, serving, and having Thanksgiving dinner with these brave women who had left their abusive husbands to save themselves and their children. It was the best Thanksgiving she ever had! By choosing to share her love with people who needed her, she felt filled with love. Gail had such a fulfilling experience that she found a small part-time job in addition to her regular job so that she could afford to buy presents for the children at the shelter for Christmas. She had such fun buying presents for the children and watching their joyous little faces as they opened them on Christmas day! Gail felt anything but alone and lonely. "Gary was in a similar situation to Gail. He was single, had been an only child to parents who were no longer alive, and had no close relatives. His janitorial business did not give him much opportunity to make friends. Gary had spent many lonely holidays feeling isolated and depressed, and decided a few years ago to do something about it. Gary loved animals. As a child, his dog had been his main connection with love. After some research, Gary discovered that there was a wonderful animal shelter within a half-hour of his home — a shelter that loved and cared for animals and didn't euthanize them. Gary started to volunteer one day a week on the weekends - cleaning, feeding, playing with puppies and kittens, helping to interview people who wanted to adopt a pet, and getting to know the other volunteers. He found that he really connected with the people who volunteered there. Many of them were loving people who were deeply devoted to caring for animals. As his friendships developed, he found he had a new sense of family centered around the shelter. Thanksgiving and Christmas were now sometimes spent with the other volunteers who did not have families, and sometimes with the families of some of the volunteers. Gary's life had become full and fulfilling. The last I heard, he was dating a woman who also volunteered at the animal shelter. "No matter what your life situation is, you can always share your love with others. Instead of feeling alone and lonely this holiday season, open your heart to giving. There are many people and animals out there who would welcome your love." (Dr. Paul is the author/co-author of : Do I Have To Give Up Me to Be Loved By You?, Inner Bonding, Healing Your Aloneness, Do I Have To Give Up Me to Be Loved By My Kids? and her newest book, Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By God?. Visit her website at www.Innerbonding.com )
Thankful
Blessings,
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Thompson
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