My friend Katie Randall wrote on Facebook yesterday, “I was going to complain about how hot it is… then I realized that: 1.) it isn’t 115+ degrees; 2.) I’m not 7,200 miles from home; 3.) I’m not dressed in ACUs and helmet and carrying 70+ lbs.; and 4.) there is very little chance that anyone will shoot at me or that I might drive over a bomb in the road today!” Having a husband in the military sure gives you some perspective. Continue reading
Author Archives: Andrea
Some thoughts on hair and spirituality
1987 short hair!
Wayne wirs wrote at The Hair Conundrum (or Why Spiritual Seekers Shave Their Heads) “To most women, hair is an accessory. To most men, hair is a part of their identity. To the devote spiritual seeker, hair can be a real pain in the ass.” I agree. For a few years during the 70’s and 80’s, I lived in communities where 75% of the community shaved their head every 3 days as a spiritual practice. I have an American friend in Korea who is a Buddhist monk, and their practice is to shave on each day with a 3 in it, 3-13-23-30. To the Buddhists, the shaving of the head is a symbolic act of humility, a method for leaving the ego behind, a sign that the being has left the householder lifestyle and entered the life of the renunciate and contemplative. The closest I ever came to it was in 1987 when I cut my hair way, way short after my dad died and I split with husband No. 4. It was an offering in thanks for both of those being easy transitions. I have friends that part of their spiritual practice is to grow their hair long and have it cut for Locks of Love each time they get to 10+ inches.
Rev. Marnie Koski has entered immortality
Rev. Marnie Koski
Beloved Rev Marnie Koski served her community for four decades at Christ Universal Church in Merritt Island Florida, 1960’s – 1990’s. Rev Marnie Koski made her physical transition last evening, July 20, 2011. She had been living at the Carnegie Nursing Home in Melbourne. She will be forever loved by all who knew her. Marnie was truly an ANGEL. We will miss you greatly, Rev Marnie!
A friend and I talk about dying and easy transitions
A friend is dying. She’s ok with it. She’s in her 90’s, she’s had a full and active and happy life. She has some chronic pain she’s ready to be free of, and a recent fall — and 100 extra pounds — has limited her mobility. She says she’s ready to drop her robes and take her final walk, to see what’s on the other side of the veil, to discover what adventures the next chapter holds. And she’s eager for the next chapter. So eager that we spend much time talking about it. She knows that we attract what we focus on, so she wants to put herself in a mental place where she’s happy with where she is and yet eager to drop her body for this Earth walk. Continue reading
I Become the Observer to Fall into Sleep
I stepped outside for a walk at 5:00am after morning meditation and found it was about 70 degrees. The air felt nice and chilly, a relief from the humid 90 degree days we’ve been having. l took a walk around the property and then an hour’s nap in the chaise out under the oaks. I love sleeping outside in nature, it really regenerates my body. Then I raced inside to go to bed for another couple of hours before it became fully daylight. 6:00-8:00am is the best sleep I get. Continue reading
I attract a bad job out of Office Depot
Sunday on my way to church, I ran into Office Depot on Palm Bay Road to quickly drop off a print order. As it turned out, they couldn’t check anyone out. As we stood in line thinking the registers would be up any minute, we all chatted with each other. About 20 minutes later, we learned all the computers were down. The clerk took my print order since no computers were involved, and I was on my merry way. Well, not so merry at that point, since I was now too late to go to either of two churches I was headed. When I miss church, I miss a week’s worth of social interaction in person with friends, so I try to go each week. I stopped by a friend’s place and I told him the reason I was so late. He told me he didn’t like Office Depot and would never go back to them. They’d made a big mistake on a high dollar item he’d purchased, and he did not have a good experience with customer service. We talked about that for a few minutes before I realized since I just put a print order in with Office Depot and wanted to attract a good experience, I’d better get out of that complaining vibe real quick and turn it around. Continue reading
I take 2-3 minutes to prepave my day each time I wake up
Last night I slept in my new bed in my new bedroom and, when morning came, it was easy to lie there feeling comfy and do a few moments prepaving how I’d like my day to go. I do that each morning as soon as I awaken. I bring to mind whatever is the biggest priority, and I flow a few moments of thought energy toward it. Today, since I just finished final layout on the August issue of Horizons Magazine, one priority was to envision a lot of payments coming in. That’s easy to do since everyone pays on time. I just bring to mind how good it feels to see the names of friends and clients and advertisers on the checks they send me and how good it feels to have enough money in the bank to pay for everything. If I don’t have it yet, I remind myself dollars are on the way. On the way from where? Why, from wherever they are right now, of course.
Get diagnosed, or not?
I have a friend who’s having some health issues but she’s afraid to go to the doctor. She knows that once an illness is diagnosed, typically that’s when the disease progresses, and that’s because our focus turns more fully to it. Whatever we focus on grows and expands, period. Below is what Abraham-Hicks has to say on the matter. I suggested she immediately change to a healthy diet and prayer practice, then do as Abraham suggests: “Choose another thought, and get locked back on to your signal — and all of that will go away.” Continue reading
How long from the time you eat food until you excrete it?
QUESTION: Digestion, how long does it take? How long does it take to digest food — from the time you eat it to the time you excrete it in stool?
ANSWER from Michael F. Picco, M.D: Digestion time varies depending on the individual. For most healthy adults, it’s usually between 24 and 72 hours. After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion and absorption of water. Elimination of undigested food residue through the large intestine usually begins after a total of 24 hours. Complete elimination from the body may take several days. More if you’ve eaten a large quantity, or eaten heavy foods. You digest much more slowly with an overloaded system. Water is crucial to keep everything in motion. Continue reading
Clearing out the energy also clears out past ties
I wrote yesterday that my tenant of nine years was moving out of the mobile home I own at Holiday Park in Palm Bay. A friend asked me why that could happen to me since I’m “such a positive thinker.” I always have to laugh when I get that question because why would someone assume that me losing a tenant is a bad thing? And it wasn’t really out of the blue. I always know when things are shaking up for me that I’ve done something to attract it. I’d written earlier this week that I bought a new bed and re-arranged furniture in the bedroom and sitting room areas. I also changed up my spiritual practice, and re-did the altar in the living room fireplace. My life experience tells me that anytime I start moving stuff around like that, that is the butterfly wing that puts the waves of change into motion.
Continue reading