The Story About Savants and Child Prodigies: Grace Outrunning Human Logic!

Eight-year-old Tallan,“T-Man,” Latz was recently stopped from playing the Blues in nightclubs in Wisconsin because he was underage.

The interesting part of the story to me wasn't that he appropriately was not allowed to continue playing in the “dark” of the nightclubs, but that he had inspired jealousy in men who could be his grandfathers! It was one of these “grandfatherly” types who had reported him to the authorities.

It seems that people were showing up to the night club only on the nights the little child wonder was playing his guitar. They loved grooving to his music!

Imagine it: grown men and women “grooving” to the music of an 8-year-old who tried to look like a “dude” in dark glasses and a cool shirt!
Check him out:


Recently, too, nine-year-old Jericho Scott of New Haven, Conn., was considered "too good” to play with others of the same age in the softball league. Scott had a 40-mph-right-handed pitch, so an opposing team chose to forfeit the game instead of going up against him. It seems that no one wanted to go up to bat against this nine-year-old “wonder child!”

T-Man and Scott are two examples of phenomena and people in life we can't explain. We believe as humans we can figure everything out about life.

Everything must fall logically into place for us to truly understand life.
Most of the time, we’re not disappointed. Life does unfold in a predictable way, and we are able to see a natural pattern and everything forming the way we’ve trained ourselves, as humans, to expect.

Life does make sense!

Every now and then, though, life throws us a curve. We experience something out of the ordinary, like special kids and savants.


Suddenly, we’re not so sure of ourselves.

We’re not so sure that we really are in control anymore...when things don’t happen true to form.


I don’t know if you’ve seen the fascinating movie: “ What The Bleep Do We know? Down the Rabbit Hole.”

This eye-opening documentary/movie first came out in 2005, then a revised version with the subtitle: "Down the Rabbit Hole,” came out a year later. This movie “takes you places.”

What the Bleep Do We Know examines the relationship between Church and Science and also between Science and Religion. It examines the questions of “why are we here?” and “what is the purpose of our lives?”

The subtitle of Down the Rabbit Hole asks you how much of your real nature do you want to discover and how really deep do you want to go? If you go deeply down the rabbit hole with this movie, chances are you will not come out the same. It WILL alter your perception of reality.

For one thing, the documentary starts out with our assumption that the physical universe is non-physical. It explains how science would have had us believe that “we’re a lonely mistake” and the only purpose for our time on earth is to procreate. With a new scientific explanation of spirituality, we are now able to see that through “space/time/geometry” we are all connected.

Quantum Physics is what this documentary is all about and it provides a genuine and novel way of looking at the world. We see that consciousness is real and has an impact on how we perceive things and how we live our lives.

The documentary asks: “How do we know what reality is? How do we know our eyes are not deceiving us?" Ultimate reality, according to What The Bleep Do We Know, “is how a person sees it! There is no reality out there, your perception becomes your world. There is more to the world than we’re experiencing and we truly know nothing about reality, as it is filtered through our 'sense organs,' but reality is happening in our brain all the time.”

This is a deep movie that makes you want to become a quantum physicist. For someone who loves the Arts and rarely dabbled in Science, “What The Bleep Do We Know? Down the Rabbit Hole” truly captured my attention.

Taking the explanation of Quantum Physics as a base then, i.e. we really don’t know what is real and true, we can see that with savants and child prodigies, there is so much that we don’t understand.




These child wonders and other extraordinary people defy our human logic and our common sense. Even animals now are doing things that defy logic; the other day Oprah had a dog on her show that could add! He tapped his feet to the correct answer.

We witness the grace of God showing up in places and faces we didn’t expect, i.e. in the very young with talents and abilities beyond our human capacity to understand.



How can someone who can’t add, indeed even show you what the number three is, play hundreds and hundreds of pieces of beautiful music from memory?

How can someone add complicated numbers and do complex mathematics in the matter of seconds? How can the human brain function like that?

What the Bleep DO...WE... KNOW...?

We know very little. This is what we MUST accept when we see anomalies in front of us.

None of these special people will be able to tell us what they know about how they function.

We need to figure it out. And when we do, and as we do, we will put our own “reality” and interpretation to it.

So, the truth be told...we need to leave these matters of the universe to God.

Many of us try to play God by figuring out everything. But with savants, child prodigies and extraordinary and special people, we are left speechless!

Why should we even bother to try? Why do we have to know everything? Why can't we just ACCEPT that life IS a Mystery?

I have a theory that with these savants and child prodigies, God is showing his ability to “live through us as us!" The talents and abilities defy normal human growth. So, God fully can be God through these savants and prodigies, who have not yet built up a strong ego to block the flow of Good into their lives.



Maybe, too, that’s the message he's wants us to receive about many things in our lives that don’t make sense...things we don’t understand why and how they happen.

He wants us to know....that only by getting ourselves out of the way, seeking his guidance and his grace and connecting within... can we move forward.

"Don’t try to figure out everything," he seems to be saying. "Simply release and let go, knowing and trusting that all is well...all will be well...even when you don’t know how and why!"

I know that I know there's a lot I don't know. And I am LISTENING to God tell me this through these special people and animals and things. Are you listening, too?

Namaste’,

Che’
See this profound passage below by David Robert Ord, author of Your Forgotten Self, posted on Namaste' Publishing's blog 10/01/08:

"Who says that stability, comfort, and certainty are a conscious way to approach life?

What if learning to live with questions, instability, and uncertainty—and to be comfortable within such discomfort—is more in line with consciousness? In other words, peace in the midst of turmoil, calm in the middle of the storm.

Over the years, my friend and I, though for the past two decades we have lived thousands of miles apart, have gone through paradigm shift after paradigm shift. Because we continually question, probe, challenge, we have shed belief upon belief. We have learned that simplistic answers simply don’t serve us well.

I suggest that the spiritual life, if it matures, eventually and increasingly draws in the whole person. It requires not just spirit and soul, but also an intelligent, thinking, questioning mind (which is entirely different from useless repetitive thought). Though it is not rooted in logic, it is logical. Though it is not based upon reason, it uses reason. Consciousness never contradicts logic and reason, and both should be used to test its authenticity.

It’s when the whole person acts in concert that life can become its most fulfilling. In other words, to be whole—blending together all of our faculties and senses in a balanced manner—is what it really means to be spiritual."

Book Review: "Dan's Story: One Man's Story of Inner Health Power" by Dr. Ed Dodge

For several summers in the mid-to-late 1990s, I spent at least a week at Unity Village (UV), outside Lee Summit, Missouri. It’s an exciting place to be if you’re a student of TRUTH and if you’re looking to connect with those who are seriously pursuing it.

At UV, I’ve met some of the most fascinating and exciting people. One of those people is Dr. Ed Dodge, a retired general practitioner living in Florida with his wife, Carol, whom I also met. We shared lots of classes and lunches and dinners together during the years we visited at UV.

Ed and Carol are extraordinary people. They work hard to live TRUTH in all that they do, day by day. So, when I heard that Ed’s new book, Dan Story, was being released this month through amazon.com and other outlets, I couldn’t wait to share this book with you.



Dan’s Story is an extraordinary story!

It is extraordinary in that it’s not like many other books about diet and exercise and mental health. It is ALL those things and MORE, because Dr. Ed Dodge put “love” into writing this book!


The love of empowering people with good health, body, mind floats up through the pages, as you realize the extraordinary care Dr. Dodge took in sharing the importance of taking charge of your health through the eyes of Dan.

By using the fictional character,Dan, through whom personal empowerment for his health unfolds, Dr. Dodge takes information that others would make complicated and very “uninspiring” and made it straightforward, real and palatable for us.

Through the eyes of 47-year-old Dan, his wife, Judy, and others on the health “war” path, we are able to clearly see the dangers in ignoring signs of failing health and also in continuing habits that serve no good.

Dan’s Story is an important book about Healthcare! It covers all the angles as to the why, how, when, where and the other nuts and bolts, but what I especially like about it is that the teaching and preaching are so subtle you get caught right up into agreeing to take care of your health. You learn so much about the importance of taking care of your health without much prodding after reading through Dan’s Story.

“Okay...all right...I’m gonna do it!” you find yourself stating as you see the stress that Dan, Judy and others with different challenges, place on their health.

Dan’s Story is a fictionalized version of real happenings in people's health lives. It is the story of many of us or people we know who are intimately connected to us. The characters may be fictional, but the stories are real!

Dan’s Story opens up with an urgent call to visit his brother, Ken, in Atlanta, who had a heart attack. As he flew from his home in Orlando to Atlanta, Dan, is shaken out of his complacency about his health, realizing for the first time how vulnerable he also was to a sudden death. After all, his brother, Ken, was only 51!

When Ken died the same night Dan visited, he made a vow to begin to take control of his health. He visited with a cardiologist soon after Ken’s funeral, and therein begins his story of ill health and the corrective actions he needs to undertake.

*We learn about body mass index, or BMI, and how and why this is an indicator of obesity.
*We learn about Dan’s poor eating habits and what he needs to do to change that and get onto a path of good health.
*We learn what foods carry the most potent vitamins, minerals and fiber and about developing a code system to categorize right and wrong food groups.

Gradually, we’re lead from the most dominant threats to Dan health to the more subtle ones, like his need for exercise, and support from his wife in helping him stay on track with meals and the overall program.

We learn about hygiene, i.e. that smoking is considered “poor hygiene,” and how Judy’s light smoking habit (“less than a pack a day” ) was affecting both her and Dan’s health!

We learn about the effects of medication on our health and the probability of medication errors and the challenges therein.

The most empowering part of Dan’s Story is its bridge to “wholeness.” Dr. Dodge leaves no area of medical care unexamined, suggesting this thoroughness in his introduction:

“The common notion that our medical system will
help Americans be as healthy as possible is fl awed.
Rather, this system’s primary mission is to detect and
treat disease. Instead of a health-care system, it would
be more accurate to call it a disease-care system.
Please don’t misunderstand. In spite of major
fl aws in the system, America’s medical care is superb in
many ways. Physicians are well trained to diagnose and
treat the wide array of diseases prevalent in America
today. Because of their doctors’ skills, thousands of
patients who face death are saved, and millions more
remain alive because of the ongoing care they receive.
With few exceptions, the work of most physicians is
to diagnose, treat, or control disease or disability in
one form or another—and that is fine. If I become
seriously ill, I want skilled doctors taking good care
of me. Yet, treating disease is not the same thing as
enhancing health.”



Dan’s Story is an “extraordinary” look at taking control of your mind-body-spirit! It is a slim, easy to read book, and I highly recommend you get this just-released book from amazon.com or wherever you make your book purchases!

Like me, you’ll be happy to have the power to “heal” your health and your life in your own hands...FINALLY!

Like me, too, you’ll also want to send Dr. Ed Dodge a thank you note...for sharing his medical knowledge, his insights and his Spirit with love!

Namaste’,

Che’
NOTE: You can access Dr. Ed Dodge’s Website at: http://www.passionforhealth.info/book-dans-story

The "Angelic" World of Islam: What It Means To Be A Muslim!

Angels, angels everywhere.

Catholics... believe in saints.

Hindus... believe in gods.

Muslims... believe in angels (malak).

That’s a great start for me!

The second largest religion in the world, with more than 1 billion followers, is rooted in a belief that angels play a very important part in our lives. According to the teachings of Islam, angels, described as “messengers with wings," communicate revelations from God to people and also intercede on man’s behalf when necessary.



Every person’s actions are recorded during his or her lifetime, and the angels take a person’s soul at the time of death.

But do not be misled: Muslims, so named for those who follow Islam, only believe in worshipping ONE God, Allah! This is the Arabic term for God.

Muslims DO believe that God is the creator of all things, and that God is all-powerful and all-knowing.

Muslims also believe that God has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Muslims believe Muhammad, like Jesus, Noah, Abraham and Moses, is God's prophet. Today, the worldwide community of Muslims embraces the people of many races and cultures throughout the world. But Saudi Arabia, with the most sacred shrine, the Ka'abah, located in the Holy Mosque there, is the heart of Islam. It is to this shrine and towards Makkah that Muslims throughout the world turn devoutly in prayer five times a day.


There are four major sects in Islam:
1. Sunni Muslims, often referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h or Ahl as-Sunnah, are the largest denomination of Islam. The word Sunni comes from the word Sunnah, which means the teachings and actions or examples of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Therefore, the term Sunni refers to those who follow or maintain the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad.

2. Shia Islam is the second largest sect in the Muslim world. Shi`a Muslims believe that, similar to the appointment of prophets, Imams, after Muhammad, are also chosen by God.

3. Kharijite (lit. "those who seceded") is a general term embracing a variety of Muslim sects which, while originally supporting the Caliphate of Ali, eventually rejected his legitimacy after he negotiated with Mu'awiya during the 7th Century Islamic civil war (First Fitna).

4. Sufism is a mystical-ascetic form of Islam practiced by many Sunni Muslims. By focusing on the more spiritual aspects of religion, Sufis strive to obtain direct experience of God by making use of "intuitive and emotional faculties" that one must be trained to use.

The Qur’an


The religious text of Islam is called Qur’an, which means recitation. Muslims consider this to be the literal word of God, believing that the verses were revealed to Muhammad by God through the angel Gabriel. The Qur'an was reportedly written down by Muhammad's companions (sahabah) while he was alive, although the prime method of transmission was oral.

According to Islamic legal theory, law has four fundamental roots, given precedence in this order: the Qur'an, the Sunnah (actions and sayings of Muhammad), the consensus of the Muslim jurists (ijma), and analogical reasoning (qiyas).


The Qur'an is divided into 114 suras, or chapters, which combined, contain 6,236 āyāt, or verses. The Qur'an offers moral guidance and is considered the "sourcebook of Islamic principles and values." Muslim jurists consult the hadith, or the written record of Muhammad's life, to both supplement the Qur'an and assist with its interpretation.

The Qur'an spells out punishments for five specific crimes: unlawful intercourse, false accusation of unlawful intercourse, consumption of alcohol, theft, and highway robbery. The Qur'an and Sunnah also contain laws of inheritance, marriage, and restitution for injuries and murder, as well as rules for fasting, charity, and prayer. But, these prescriptions and prohibitions may be broad, so their application in practice varies. Islamic scholars (ulema) have elaborated systems of law on the basis of these rules and their interpretations.

The Qur'an lists several sins that can condemn a person to hell, such as disbelief, usury and dishonesty.

Fiqh, or "jurisprudence", is defined as the knowledge of the practical rules of the religion. The method Islamic jurists use to derive rulings is known as usul al-fiqh ("legal theory", or "principles of jurisprudence").

Muhammad

Muhammad, who lived from c. 570 to June 8, 632, was an Arab religious, political, and military leader. Beginning at age 40 and continuing for 23 years, Muhammad reported receiving revelations from God. He founded the religion of Islam as a historical phenomenon. Muslims view him not as the creator of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original, uncorrupted monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham and others. In Muslim tradition, Muhammad is viewed as the last and the greatest in a series of prophets, i.e. as the man closest to perfection, the possessor of all virtues.


During his time, Muhammad preached to the people of Mecca, imploring them to abandon polytheism. Although some converted to Islam, Muhammad and his followers were persecuted by the leading Meccan authorities. After 13 years of preaching, Muhammad and the Muslims emigrated to Medina, where Muhammad established his political and religious authority.


Within a century of Muhammad's first recitations of the Qur'an, an Islamic empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to Central Asia in the east.

This new polity soon broke into civil war, and successor states fought each other and outside forces. However, Islam continued to spread into regions like Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia.

The Islamic civilization was one of the most advanced in the world during the Middle Ages, but was surpassed by Europe with the economic and military growth of the West. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Islamic dynasties such as the Ottomans and Mughals fell under the sway of European imperial powers.


In the 20th century new religious and political movements and newfound wealth in the Islamic world led to both rebirth and conflict.

Predestination

Muslims believe that God has full knowledge and control over all that occurs. For Muslims, everything in the world that occurs, i.e. good and evil, has been preordained by God. Often, you may hear Muslims quote from the Qur’an “Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector.'"

According to Muslim theologians, although events are pre-ordained, man does have free will to choose between right and wrong, thus is responsible for his actions.

They also believe that any evil that occurs will result in future benefits men may not be able to see. In Islamic tradition, all that has been decreed by God is written in al-Lawh al-Mahfūz, the "Preserved Tablet".

Muslim describe themselves as Sunni Muslims or Shi’a Muslims. The Shi'a understanding of predestination is called "divine justice" (Adalah).

Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic: اركان الدين) are five practices essential to Sunni Islam. Shi'a Muslims subscribe to eight ritual practices which substantially overlap with the Five Pillars:


The shahadah is the basic creed or tenet of Islam: "'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh", or "I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam.(Technically, though, the Shi'a do not consider the shahadah to be a separate pillar, just a belief).

Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed.

Salah, or ritual prayer, must be performed five times a day. (The Shi'a allow the noon and afternoon prayer to run together and the evening and night prayers as well).

Each salah is done facing towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Salah is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship. Salah is compulsory but there is some flexibility, depending on circumstances.

In many Muslim countries, reminders called Adhan, i.e. call to prayer, are broadcast publicly from local mosques at the appropriate times. The prayers are recited in the Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Qur'an.


Zakat, or alms-giving. This is the practice of giving based on accumulated wealth and is obligatory for all Muslims who can afford it.

A fixed portion is spent to help the poor or needy, it is also used to assist the spread of Islam. The zakat is considered a religious obligation that the well-off owe to the needy, because their wealth is seen as a "trust from God's bounty."

The Qur'an and the hadith also suggest a Muslim give even more as an act of voluntary alms-giving (sadaqah). Many Shi'ites are expected to pay an additional amount in the form of a khums tax, considered to be a separate ritual practice.

Sawm, or fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims must not eat or drink, as well as refrain from other pleasure, from dawn to dusk during this month and must be mindful of other sins. The fast is to foster a closeness to God, and during the fast Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy.

Several groups are excluded from participating in Sawm because doing so would constitute an undue burden. For others, flexibility is also allowed, depending on circumstances. Missed fasts usually must be made up quickly.


The Hajj is the pilgrimage during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of Mecca.

Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. When the pilgrim is about 10 kilometers from Mecca, he must dress in Ihram clothing, which consists of two white seamless sheets. Rituals of the Hajj include walking seven times around the Kaaba, touching the Black Stone, running seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah, and symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina.


The pilgrim, or the hajji, is honored in his or her community, although teachers impress the importance of the Hajj as an expression of devotion to God, instead of a means to gain social standing.

In addition to the khums tax, Shi'a Muslims consider three additional practices essential to the religion of Islam.

The first is jihad, which is also important to the Sunni, but not considered a pillar. The second is Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf, the "Enjoining to Do Good", calling for every Muslim to live a virtuous life and to encourage others to do the same. The third is Nahi-Anil-Munkar, the "Exhortation to Desist from Evil", which tells Muslims to refrain from vice and from evil actions and to also encourage others to do the same.

Jihad

Jihad means "to strive or struggle" (in the way of God) and is considered the "sixth pillar of Islam" by a minority of Muslim authorities. Jihad, in its broadest sense, is classically defined as "exerting one's utmost power, efforts, endeavors, or ability in contending with an object of disapprobation."

Different categories of Jihad are defined, depending on whether the object is a visible enemy, the devil or an aspects of one's own self.

Jihad when used without any qualifier is understood in its military aspect. Jihad also refers to one's striving to attain religious and moral perfection. Some Muslim authorities, especially among the Shi'a and Sufis, distinguish between the "greater jihad," which pertains to spiritual self-perfection, and the "lesser jihad," defined as warfare.



Within Islamic jurisprudence, jihad is usually taken to mean military exertion against non-Muslim combatants in the defense or expansion of the Islamic state. The ultimate purpose here is to make Islam universal. Jihad, the only form of warfare permissible in Islamic law, may be declared against apostates, rebels, highway robbers, violent groups, non-Islamic leaders or states which refuse to submit to the authority of Islam. Most Muslims today interpret Jihad as only a defensive form of warfare: the external Jihad includes a struggle to make the Islamic societies conform to the Islamic norms of justice.

Under most circumstances and for most Muslims, jihad is a collective duty (fard kifaya): its performance by some individuals exempts the others. Only for those vested with authority, especially the sovereign (imam), does jihad become an individual duty. For the rest of the populace, this happens only in the case of a general mobilization.

For most Shias, offensive jihad can only be declared by a divinely appointed leader of the Muslim community, and as such is suspended since Muhammad al-Mahdi's occultation in 868 AD.

Religion and State

Islamic law does not distinguish between "matters of church" and "matters of state."

In practice, Islamic rulers frequently bypassed the Sharia courts with a parallel system of so-called "grievance courts" over which they had sole control. As the Muslim world came into contact with Western secular ideals, Muslim societies responded in different ways.

Turkey has been governed as a secular state ever since the reforms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. In contrast, the 1979 Iranian Revolution replaced a mostly secular regime with an Islamic republic led by the Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini.

Etiquette and Diet

Dietary practices fall in the category of adab, or Islamic etiquette. This includes greeting others with "as-salamu `alaykum" ("peace be unto you"), saying bismillah ("in the name of God") before meals, and using only the right hand for eating and drinking.

Islamic hygienic practices mainly fall into the category of personal cleanliness and health, such as the circumcision of male offspring. Islamic burial rituals include saying the Salat al-Janazah ("funeral prayer") over the bathed and enshrouded dead body and burying it in a grave.

Muslims, like Jews, are restricted in their diet, and prohibited foods include pig products, blood, carrion, and from drinking alcohol. All meat must come from a herbivorous animal slaughtered in the name of God by a Muslim, Jew, or Christian, with the exception of game that one has hunted or fished for oneself. Food permissible for Muslims is known as halal food.

Nation of Islam: Black Muslims

The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious/political organization founded in Detroit, Michigan, by Wallace Fard Muhammad in July 1930 and with a goal of resurrecting the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of the black men and women of America. NOI also promotes the belief that God will bring about a universal government of peace.

From 1978 to the present, Louis Farrakhan has been the leader of a reconstituted Nation of Islam, the original organization having been renamed and dissolved by Warith Deen Muhammad. The Nation of Islam's National Center and headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois, and is also home to its flagship Mosque No. 2, Mosque Maryam.




The Nation of Islam preaches adherence to the Five Pillars of the Islamic Faith and that every Muslim who is physically and financially able must make Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in his or her lifetime.

The NOI also teaches morality and personal decorum, emphasizing modesty, mutual respect, and discipline in dress and comportment. NOI adherents do not consume pork, stress a healthy diet and physical fitness, and the consumption of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco is frowned upon.

The State of Relations with Islam and the West

There was a detailed study reported in January 2008 on the state of the relationship between the West and Islam. This can be accessed at: http://www.weforum.org

God is ALL in ALL!

I have a fundamental believe in spirituality vs. religion. This belief transcends any quarrels I may have with any religion and its teachings. In truth, there is more similarity than differences in all that religious teach. The differences, however, are what we most often hear about and see emphasized.

I believe we can learn from each other, if we have an open mind. That's what I try to do. I'm learning even more, as I do research on various religions for this blog.

I truly feel blessed with these new insights.



The start of my appreciation of Islam began with the knowledge of its teaching about “angels,” bearing only benign offerings, and also because of close friendships I had with two Muslims in my childhood: Mezaun Kayum and Mayharool Ali.

More than anything, my relationship with these two people, “angels” in their own right, taught me all I needed to know then...and care to know now...about Muslims!

Namaste’,

Che’
NOTE: For more information on Islam, please go to: http://www.islamreligion.com. In October, we'll take a look at the
Rosicrucian teachings!

Building Your "Noah's Ark": Who Would You Take With You?

NOTE: Today Unity students the world over are celebrating the annual "World Day of Prayer" with this meditation:
"Rejoicing in our oneness with God and one another, we celebrate healing in every aspect of our lives and in the world."

Unity's World Day of Prayer is an important day for me. That's when I connect to people the world over and celebrate our "oneness in prayer."

Despite this sense of "oneness," as I was coming out of my meditation today, a powerful thing happened to me.

I was asked, “Who would you take into your ark, if you were asked to build one?”


Like Noah, I had only a few people to choose to take into the ark with me, sheltering them and me from the “end time.”

I quickly chose five friends who had faithfully and loyally been through the storms of life with me over the years. Despite whatever differences we have had over the years, there was no one of my seven siblings that I could leave behind.

I then had room for three more people. I quickly picked those three more people, getting the total up to 15. (Of course, everyone I brought in the ark was allowed to bring in their family members as well!)

The thing that was interesting to me is that there was no one else “out there” that I truly felt I’d left behind! This was a shocking exercise to me!

We go through life for many, many years, getting to know people and developing friendships. Then, we reach a certain stage in our lives, where we’re tested by life’s trials. It is during this time that we are given the opportunity of building our Noah’s Ark!

Please don’t miss the opportunity!


There are billions of people on earth. You’ll probably encounter a few million in your lifetime, most from a distance. But then of the hundreds of people who come into your space, you’ll reduce that number down to a few dozen. Then, yet down to a dozen.

If you’re being truly discerning, you’ll have a handful at the end of the period of your trials.

The point of the exercise is that you shouldn’t have to think too hard, because if you think too hard, you’d probably never get the ark built.

People fundamentally are decent people, and we all are walking this life together doing the best we can in our daily interactions with each other.

There is no one I’d truly want to leave behind, if it were the “end time.” But then again...if I had to pick, I’d have no problem doing so.

The question for you: Can you build your ark today, or are you seduced and overwhelmed by the many “friends” you have in your life?

If you have not gone through any trying times, so never had to call upon the strength of others, here’s a simple exercise to help you:

If you were (wrongfully) accused of a crime, who would still show up and support you during your trial?

Do you know?


Then try this: If you were (rightfully) accused of a crime, who would still show up and support you during your trial?

By taking a hard and discerning look at your relationships, you will know without a doubt who you would take into your ark, were you asked to build one.

After my exercise, I felt so much lighter in Soul and Spirit!

I am the type who goes through life making “connections.” There are so many people who have come and gone over the years. Some I’ve missed; others not at all.

Today, as we celebrate the "oneness" of all people, it is also important to know those who are at ONE with you in your humanity and your human frailities!

I’m most grateful for the PRESENCE of all the people I've met over the years whose touch has molded me into "me" today. But I'm even more grateful to those 15 people who have served as my bedrock throughout the years.

Start discerning! Start building!

You may LOVE the WORLD. But it's still important to know WHO your friends are!



Happy World Day of Prayer!

Namaste’,

Che’

The True "Value" of Work!

Every time I see the results of surveys done on working, the majority of people would rather not be.


Many people seem to think that work is getting in the way of their LIFE, so instead of experiencing the joys of work, many seem to resent it.

Many people, especially on the spiritual path, also seem to believe that work is taking away from their getting closer to God. Well...that’s a huge fallacy!

We need to wake up to the true value work is serving in our lives!

Yes, we spend most of our days there. And we think we’re there mostly to earn dollars to support our real “life!”

With the recent Labor Day holiday, I got to thinking about the true meaning of work. I want you to go “there” with me.

If you did not have to wake up tomorrow and go to work...what would you rather be doing?


Yes. I can “hear” all your answers and your getting indignant!

“Are you KIDDING?” I hear you say:

*I’d be out walking the beach.
*I’d be out hiking. I’d be out playing in the stores.
*I’d be out getting ready for the guests I have coming.
*I’d be lying in bed later.
*I’d be reading a great book.
*I’d be practicing my Yoga
*I’d be getting into the Silence and meditating
*I’d be...
*I’d be...
*I’d be...


Fast forward to many, many days of getting LIFE your way...

Let’s suppose you have no worries about income and truly can enjoy your days doing only what you want to be doing.

You’re engaged in joy filled activity after joy filled activity. There is NO work to get in the way. Every day is paradise...a utopia...a day of bliss...a day of thinking about God and being a god in the way you walk the world.

Life is good.

No challenges.

No irritating co-workers.

No irritating boss.


But think hard!

Can you honestly live the rest of your life this way?

I know many retirees are forced to do so.

Yes, they get busy with lots of activities. They go places and they do things. They get to enjoy their grandkids.

Bless them. They have earned the right to be "free" from labor.

But think about you...in the prime of your life...20s, 30s, 40s, early 50s...whatever...

Think about living your life away from the pulse of life: THE WORKPLACE!

This is where MOST OF LIFE truly is happening!


This is where MOST OF THE SPIRITUAL experiences are occurring!

This is where you CAN HAVE the greatest spiritual growth!

This is where you CAN SEE God at work in your life...experience God...fully in the moments of triumph and challenges.



Of course, I'm not talking about exploitative work environments or cases of extreme overwork, as with the Japanese worker whose wife was awarded a large sum by the courts because her husband died of overwork, i.e. more than 60 hours every week!

I have NO regrets for opting out of any of the workplaces I've left.

I simply was not “there” in consciousness to appreciate the “gifts” of those challenges. Plus...I had a HUGE angst that needed to be fully addressed!

Without my opting out, at the times I felt led to do so, I would be a sorry...a very sorry...and pathetic soul.

But your story is not my story. Or maybe it is....

If you truly feel called to move out of a troublesome workplace, DO SO! Spirit will lead you through to safety.

Before you go, though, read some of Joel Goldsmith’s work on the spiritual path and those who follow without ANY real guidance from Spirit to do so! (http://www.infiniteway.com)

Those of you who just have a belief that life would be better on the “other side,” I want you to begin to think deeply about the true glory of the “other side.”

Life spent without challenges or exercising our spiritual muscle is not a full life, especially for those who aspire to move along the spiritual path to their next level.

I know a lot of people.

Some of them are blissfully happy not being conscious of God and simply enjoying a good life.

There has been NO awakening to Spirit in their souls, in their consciousness, in their lives.

I’m worlds apart from those people, as I can’t imagine waking up to ANY DAY without an awareness of God being God in my life. Maybe...our worlds will re-connect in another lifetime...in another age.

Some people I know are doing the right thing: they go to work every day, they don’t complain; they control every step they make, leaving nothing to chance; they go to church diligently every Sunday...they are good people! They know about God, though they have no awareness of him but as their “Father,” out in “heaven” somewhere. I bless these “good” people, too, and let them remain undisturbed in their peace!

But those of you who are striving to grow spiritually, yet believe you are not thriving in these efforts because of WORK, I urge you to think again!

Work is giving your life ...PERSPECTIVE!


Work is...Your Spiritual Path!

Work is...Your way to exercise your spiritual muscle...again...and again...and again!


If you had all your days to idle away without work, you would have NO perspective.

Work blesses us by ALLOWING...yes...ALLOWING us the opportunity to truly filter out the things that are important to us in LIFE!

When we have limited time on the weekends, we choose to do only the things that are most urgent.

When we have time off work, we do only the things that would bring joy to our souls!

If you had more time to spend with your friends and family, believe me, you'd probably like them LESS!

The reason you can ENJOY your friends in the “limited” time you have together is...because of WORK... and the diversity it offers to your life!

The reason your vacation is so rewarding...IS BECAUSE OF WORK...making the time away even more special and precious and ...enjoyable!

Work is necessary for our soul’s developments.





Go and talk to those retired people who are busy running around the country in their motorhomes...and ask them...WHY they worked, i.e. was it TRULY only for the money?

Ask those retirees about the perspective they gained on life...even as they worked...with limited time to spare...and how work helped them put parameters around what was, and was not, important to them.

Years ago I did a radio interview with Justine Willis Toms of “New Dimensions Radio” in Ukiah, California. I wish I had used some of the extra time then to ask her about her and her husband’s book, “True Work: The Sacred Dimension of Earning a Living!”

The book, written by Justine and Michael Toms, was published in 1998. The Toms talk in the book about “Unifying Work.”

“The attitude that work is ‘over here’ and spiritual life is ‘over there’ prevents us from engaging life to the fullest. We imagine that we are marking time at work and that life begins when we arrive home in the evening and on the weekends. The result is that work is not fully integrated into our day, and we wind up living at the margins of our lives.”

I especially like this quote in the book, “One reason so many people are dissatisfied and unhappy with their work is that they begin by seeking rather than to be. When being informs our actions, self-assurance and inner strength will permeate what we do. By focusing on being, we can feel the connection to all life! Work becomes a living, moment-by-moment process in which meaning is ever-present.”

The book, “True Work”, provides important and insightful information. It helps you sort through the ways you can find your "passion" in work and also how you can survive work that is below your skill and talent level. I strongly recommend "True Work" for anyone at a crossroads between their spiritual and professional life. Even if you're not looking for information on work, the book is a great and easy read!

Work is work is work is work. Life is life is life is life.

When we realize that work is an intrinsic and important part of our lives, especially our SPIRITUAL lives, then work truly can offer us just rewards that have nothing to do with money.


Think on it! Be Blessed in your Work!

Namaste’,

Che’