Me and Pi...

After seeing there was a movie being made of the book  LIFE OF PI, I decided to reread the book.   It had been a long time but now I’m seeing why I liked it.   The protagonist, the main character, Pi, reminds me of me...  Pi is an Indian boy (That's India not Am. Indian) who grows up in his father's zoo and is intrigued by religion.  He is so intrigued that by the time he is 16 he is a practicing Hindu, Christian and Muslim.  There is an absolutely funny but touching scene when, with his parents out on a stroll, they meet not one of the spiritual leaders of those religions but all three.  The spiritual leaders are all ranting to Pi’s parents that he has to choose that he cannot be all three. 
Pi has done all this unbeknownst to his parents even.  Finally in a pause, Pi’s mother turns to him.  Addressing the question about how he cannot be all three but must choose, 
“Hmmmm Piscine?  (his actual name, Pi is the shortened version) Mother nudged me.  “How do you feel about the question?”
“Bapu Gandhi said, ‘All religions are true.‘  I just want to love God.”  I blurted out, and looked down, red in the face." 
I’m not quite through a third of the novel, and yes it is fiction.  I will finish it before the movie comes out in the middle of November.  
Oh and something else, Pi goes on to grow up and get degrees in zoology and religious studies.  My degrees are in zoology and philosophy. 
LIFE OF PI is written by Yann Martel.  The movie trailer looks spectacular.   In the story Pi’s family eventually moves to Canada but there is a shipwreck and Pi and some of the zoo animals are the only survivors.  Pi survives on a life boat with a Bengal Tiger. 



God is Not Silent...

No matter what some tell us God is not silent.  Words of love are the way that we can tell that it is the voice of God.  You can hear the voice of God and remember it is a voice of Love.  Here is the voice of God as heard by Neale Donald Walsh which he published in his CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD.
“I will not leave you, I cannot leave you, for you are My Creation and My Product, My daughter and My son, My purpose and My ... Self.
Call on Me, therefore wherever and whenever you are separate from the peace that I am.
I will be there.
With Truth,
And Light,
And Love.

and Jesus said: "Peace Be Still"...

Of all the great teachers, probably the one that the people of the west are most acquainted with is a Jewish man known as Jesus.   And yet what do we know?  So much as been added and subtracted to his legacy long after his death and resurrection.
If we look only to the words of Matthew, his follower we can find these:
‘Judge not that you be not judged.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing...
You shall know them by their fruits.’
and,’ Ask, and it will be given to you ; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.’   
And then there is: ‘Love you enemy, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.’
Those are not easy things to do.  But think about them.  Do they feel like they would be the teachings of a great teacher?  From what you know of Jesus, do they sound like they would be his teachings?  Are they worth paying attention to?
And at this time when storms rage in the oceans and over land, remember the story of Jesus in the fishing boat.  He was tired from all the demands of the people who wanted his healing, his attention, just being next to him, and had gone out with his friends on the lake and laid down in the boat to sleep.  It seemed that being out on the water was the only way he could get some time to himself.  A storm came up and his friends that were on the boat with him, who knew him best, became frightened.  They woke him up.  He was a bit upset and called them men of little faith.  Then he stood up and spoke to the storm.   “peace, be still”  The storm quieted.  His followers were in awe.  Who is this man?
If we call ourselves Christians we need to ask that question... of ourselves... Who is/was this man?  Is he God, is he Man?  Does he perhaps teach us that there is god in all of us?  Peace, Be Still...

Take a minute this weekend to pray for the East coast...

If you feel so inclined, consider taking a moment this weekend to send some calming energy and/or prayers to the east coast of the USA as well as the Caribbean where Hurricane Sandy has already hit Jamaica and other areas.   Don't worry about the outcome or how you do it just sincerely send calm and love.  The Hurricane may hit the New York, New Jersey area where it will combine with another storm.   Thank you for your consideration...

Connected to the Mother.... Wow...

The harmonic frequencies of the planet earth in the nineties maintained an average of 7.83 cycles per second or 7.83 Hertz.   These frequencies have only been able to be measured in the last 100 years.  The HeartMath Institute in Northern California began to do some research and found the the Harmonic Frequencies of the planet and the frequencies of the human heart were very similar.   This prompted more research.  From Gregg Braden’s WALKING BETWEEN THE WORLDS, the science of compassion.
“The studies demonstrated that not only is the  human heart ‘tuned’ to this signal from the earth, additionally the earth appears to respond to the changes in the human heart.”  He goes on to say, “Now, an exciting view of our relationship to the earth begins to unfold.  Beyond the flesh, bones, hair and organs of a life form walking upon the world, we have direct knowledge of a resonant link, a relationship based upon our ability to tune to the patterns offered to us by our nearest signal of reference, our earth home.”
When I read this all I could say to myself was “WoW”.  If our bodies have a direct connection to the planet just think what that means and could mean.  “Wow”. 

Attitudes of Godliness...

The Five Attitudes of Godliness

1. Joyful

2. Loving

3. Accepting

4. Blessing

5. Gratitude

From Conversations With God by Neale Donald Walsh

http://www.cwg.org/index.php

This is Compassion...

'If the meeting becomes too much imagine yourself floating above and just observing.'
What a great and timely reminder.   To become the observer in any situation gives one great insight and can lead to compassion.  If you are upset by any situation try imagining yourself as a completely unbiased observer.   Also try observing yourself when something upsets you.  This is not an easy thing to do but you might find it very interesting to be yourself and observe yourself.   Once you can observe your self and others in an unbiased state as possible you can begin to understand what makes you or another do the things you do.  This is compassion.