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’

Las Vegas and Disneyworld: Are they really "worlds" apart?

I love going to Las Vegas, though I haven't been in recent years. When I've gone I've invested no more than $20, playing a few rounds of Keno, as I'm not a gambler. But I love going for the atmosphere and the shows.

I love going to Disneyworld, though I haven’t been in recent years. In Disneyworld, too, I mostly enjoy the atmosphere and a few of the less challenging rides, like "It's a Small World!"






Yet, I have this urge to visit both soon!

Why?

“I’m forgetting!”

There a story about a little girl named Satchi.

Satchi

Soon after her brother was born, little Sachi began
to ask her parents to leave her alone with the new
baby. They worried that like most four-year-olds, she might
feel jealous and want to hit or shake him, so they said no.

But Sachi showed no signs of jealousy. She treated the baby with kindness

And her pleas to be left alone with him became more urgent. They decided
to allow it.

Elated, Sachi went into the baby’s room and shut the door, but it opened

A crack—enough for her curious parents to peek in and listen. They saw
Little Sachi walk quietly up to her baby brother, put her face close to his and say quietly, “Baby, tell me what God feels like. I’m starting to forget.”

Dan Millman reported in “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”

Similarly, I’m starting to forget the feeling of happy people everywhere, as I turn these days.

People are stressed out about the upcoming elections and who is going to win in November. Each person wants his or her own candidate to win to turn things around.

People are stressed out about high prices everywhere. Even in Walmart, known for lower prices, I saw someone stating that something was too “high” priced.

Life!

Happy people! Joyous people!




People who have high hopes.

People who BELIEVE!

The next step I take.

The next move that I make...

Will be the one.

At the "Black Jack" table in Vegas. At “Craps.”


There’s hope in the next card being the “right” one.


On the rides at Disneyworld.

There’s hope in the ride producing just the right excitement.

The fantasy. The sheer fantasy at Disneyworld takes you...

to a different level.



The same in Vegas.


In both places you suspend your worries. You transcend your life circumstances.

You are able to live in the current reality, i.e. the MOMENT. The Present Moment.



You are able to see JOY in the Moment.



Faith in the next step.


Hope for the future.

Wish I could get back that “feeling” I get in Disneyworld and Vegas.

Wish I can find all those...
"happy" people...everywhere.

Most of the mementos I get from Disney and other vacation places, I give away.

But over the years...many years...I’ve kept one:

“Remember the Magic!”

So, here it is ...the last day of August.

Summer’s almost gone.

Fall's a’coming. Winter, too.

Like Sachi, I’m beginning to forget!

So this morning, I got up and realized.

I’m not like Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz, who isn’t in
Kansas anymore!

I CAN “Remember the Magic!”



I CAN be in Disneyworld NOW! I CAN BE in Vegas NOW!

If both places are just about a “feeling,” i.e. a belief in the “goodness” and “rightness” of the world... then, I CAN BE in both places NOW!

All I have to do to get there ...is to get quiet within...

...before I begin my day.

I can find “Gold” there!

I can find “God.”

If only I can reach in....touch my core...and Let Go!

I got an e-mail from someone today, too, that talked about "Letting Go:"

“When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust him fully and Let Go. One of two things will happen: He’ll either catch you when you fall, or he’ll teach you how to fly!”



Well my pulse is racing...just like at a Craps table... or seeing the roulette wheel move...

My pulse’s a’racing...right here ...right now...

I’m learning how to fly.

I am in Vegas Now!

No...I am in Disneyworld NOW!

I’m...letting go...

...and learning how to fly!

Wanna join me?

Don’t wait to go to Vegas or to Disneyworld to get that feeling!

Learn how to fly NOW!


Then... you’ll say like me:

“I have the MAGIC of the Moment in Me!”

Namaste’,

Che’

45 Years Ago...Today: "I Have A Dream!"

Forty-five years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. In those 45 years, much has changed for the good. Unfortunately, though, not "all" has changed for the good.

Today, many people still are judged not by the quality of their contributions to society and the workplace, but still by their race and the color of their skin.


It would have been unrealistic to expect the world to change to such a point that all people would have advanced beyond race and color. But certainly in 2008, one would expect that qualified men and women could apply for jobs and be considered purely on their qualifications, i.e. they would not be excluded solely because of their race.

Indeed a greater "education" is needed than teaching people about fairness and about following the law! Laws may be implemented to stop people from "trying" to discriminate against others because of race and color. But until the SPIRIT of the law is applied forcefully by all corporations, individual workers will continue to circumvent the laws and skirt the issues of what is right and fair.

Once again...we all have to learn about "SPIRIT"....whether it is within the indvidual or within the corporation.

Until the SPIRIT of the Civil Rights law, too, is promoted by corporations, no real changes will occur.

Please enjoy, once again, MLK's powerful, "I Have A Dream Speech!" by clicking, or cutting and pasting, this link:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Let's celebrate the fact that despite all the work that still needs to be done, we have come very far as a nation!



Tonight as I write this, I await Senator Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. This is the first such nomination for an African-American in either one of the two major political parties in the United Sates.

Eventually, I believe "SPIRIT," too, will triumph everywhere!




Namaste',

Che'

A "Straight" Eye Into the "Queer" World!

Years ago, when I first discovered that the word “gay” was being used to describe a homosexual person, I said "Damn!”

I loved the word, “gay,” and resented that its meaning was now being somewhat subverted to describe a group of people I did not then understand.

Then, when I bought a beautiful glass piece with a rainbow painted on it at a fair and soon after I displayed it found out it was a symbol used for “gayness," I said "S...!"




That pretty much summed up my feelings toward homosexuals for many years: ***"Damns...!"

I just didn’t understand the world of homosexuality...didn’t care to... and didn’t want to know!

But with my growing spirituality and constant striving to be “authentic” in all that I did in my interactions with people, I knew I needed to make it my business to UNDERSTAND!

"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?" Romans 14:10

I MUST have sent up a silent prayer.

One summer at Unity Village, the most beautiful man, the most impactful spiritual teacher I had that year turned out to be a gay man. I began to feel even more uncomfortable with my “damns...!” attitude.

You also can imagine how challenging this “damns...!” attitude was to someone who lived just outside San Francisco, the city known for its openness to the gay lifestyle and one that each year hosts the largest “Gay Parade” through its streets.

"DAMNS...!"

My Spirit was waiting for me another summer at Unity Village when I partnered with a woman in a class on "Discover the Power Within You." We were not assigned as partners; “Spirit” connected us from the first day of class when we said "hello" in not, one, but in two classes that week.

Being partners that week meant that we supported each other in our prayer requests and in our class work together. This blonde, blue-eyed woman was to be my alter ego for the week: “Okay, Spirit!”

My partner must have waited for the right time, on the right day, to share her prayer request with me: I don’t recall WHEN it happened. All I remember so clearly is hearing her words, seeing her tears, feeling her fear and her pain: She had gotten divorced not long before because she was finally being true to herself. She was now in love with a woman but did not know how to come “out” to the world.

She was excited about her bold step, but she was scared about the implications and the way of the future for her.

That week, I cried with my prayer partner. I asked God to guide us in our work together, and I especially asked him to ease her pain and fears.

As the week wore on and the impact of our studies on our Spiritual self became more practiced in both of us, we began to laugh more, relax and “know” that God was being God through both of us.

I was at Unity Village for two weeks that summer, as was my partner. We continued to support each other in prayer even in the second week when no class required it.

We did so because we’d become friends!

That summer at Unity Village changed my perspective on gayness and homosexuality. I thank God for it, and I give glory to the Spirit within me and also operating in the Universe!

No longer do I feel puzzled or troubled by gay people. I am at peace whenever I’m in the company of a gay person, man or woman.

I’ve learned this: The sexual preference of homosexuals is absolutely NONE of my business! The only thing people who are "straight" need to understand about any homosexual person is his or her heart! Once you look into the person's heart, you'll know the TRUTH!... you'll open your heart to love the person...anyway! That's what a loving Spirit...a loving God...wants us to do!

"You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free!" John 8:32

My TRUTH tells me that it is my business to look into the Spirit of a person, gay, or not gay, and love them just as they are!

Beyond this, I’ve discovered a TRUTH that if we all pay attention we ALL can celebrate: Gay people are shining their Spirit and their light into the world, making it brighter, lighter and more loving than when they were forced to hide in the closet!

Just look around and see!

Gay people are now adopting kids, providing a home, security and a future that many kids would not have otherwise, and especially if relegated to the foster-care system.

This lesson was brought home to me a few weeks ago when I was at a friend’s home in San Francisco.

I was visiting with my friend and her sister who lived nearby.
The sister’s granddaughters stopped in, too, after a while to say hello to their aunt.

I hadn’t seen either girl since they were babies. Now, they were 13 and 17 years old, each with a different set of parents.

I knew the younger of the two girls, the 13 year old, was adopted at birth by the gay daughter of my friend’s sister and the daughter’s partner. The 17 year old was the daughter of my friend’s sister’s son.

(Wow! What a mouthful!)

I’m still in awe of the phenomenon that has occurred in both these teenagers’ lives, intersecting now at the home of the gay couple.

The younger girl introduced herself to me with such poise and grace that I was struck by that. As we continued to speak, I realized that this teenager was not your usual little adult coming of age. She was a young woman of Presence and fully in control of herself and her world.

I remarked about this and she said that it was the private school she attended that instilled strong values in the girls there. She also said it was her parents, i.e. her lesbian parents.

Well, I knew that.

I’ve truly been exposed to kids at different levels at different schools, private and public. I knew ONLY parents instilling certain values at home would truly make a difference, such a tremendously powerful difference!

About two weeks later, I was in conversation with one of the parents of this young girl. We spent a long time talking together, as I learned more and more about the lesbian couple’s philosophy towards life and their feeling of duty and obligations to the world.

Truly Solid! Truly Spiritual!

I would have left it there but then I asked why she kept referring to the “girls”, i.e. did they “adopt” a second child?

"Yes and No," the gay woman explained.

You see the second girl, the older of the two first cousins, had moved into their home, too, about a year or so ago.

I was curious about this, as the older teenager was very outgoing and seemed fun loving and carefree. She also was boy crazy!

"We didn't officially adopt her," my lesbian friend explained, "but she's our “child” too.

She had come to the lesbian couple a few years ago and asked them to be her “parents.” She knew she needed guidance and a family where “love” would show her the way to mature fully and properly into adulthood. They had taken her in.

I looked at my friend in awe.

As I walked away, I thought, "A 15 or 16 year old asking for guidance!?"

"Now THAT... is some COOL DAMNS...!!!”

Some REALLY c-o-ol "DAMNS..."of which rainbows are made!

Namaste’,

Che’
***NOTE: I used my original language to keep it all "real!" This also shows how far I've come in my understanding and acceptance of homosexuality.

Book Review: "The Penny," a novel by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford

I’d put off purchasing this novel as long as I could, but eventually my love for “the penny,” overcame me.

I was curious as anything to read this book from the first time I saw it at a Target bookstore shelf. (This is not normally my place for purchasing books, but that’s where sometimes you find hidden “treasures” ). The reason I didn’t want to buy it was simple: I don’t read many fictional books.

Eventually, though, I decided that of the five fictions I allow myself to read each year, THIS, should be one. I squeezed the book in with an amazon.com order. I’m so happy that I did.

As I’ve recounted earlier in this blog, I’ve always loved pennies. They have special significance for me, and when I’d lost my huge keepsake penny after many years, I was beside myself for a few days. I did not settle down, until I finally heard Spirit’s message to me about “the penny” and found peace.

That’s the same level of peace you’ll find as you get to the last page of Meyer’s and Bedford’s “The Penny.”

The novel starts off with Jenny, a 14-year-old girl living in St. Louis, who has a troubled family history. When Jenny finds “the penny” at the beginning of the novel, this sets off a chain of events in her life and in the lives of many others. The unfolding of events continue until the very last pages of the book.

Meyer and Bedford deliver a tale about sex abuse, life’s disappointments and pains, in a compassionate and healing way.

Jenny and her older sister, Jean, live in the shadows of their classmates and friends because of fear and lack of self worth. Slowly, the story about their lives is told. You read of the horror and fear these teenage girls struggle through on a daily basis.

Jenny’s and Jean’s story grips you in a way that you, too, begin to feel helpless and frustrated at the circumstances and conditions that would allow such horror to continue, even as these teenagers struggle to come of age. You will find yourself reading very slowly, i.e. a few pages at most a day, so as to capture each detail and message, but mostly not be wrenched emotionally by what you’re reading... you’re still haunted each time you pick the book up and...long after... you put it down on any evening.

You begin to question, like Jenny, where is God in all this? WHEN...WHERE...is he going to show up?

Slowly, slowly, Meyer and Bedford lead you to Jenny’s developing faith in God in the midst of the crises, even as she encounters greater challenges that must be overcome. Eventually, you begin to long for the mysterious Miss Shaw, Jenny’s Guardian Angel, to appear and keep appearing more and showing up more in this teenager’s life.

With unconditional love and total grace, Miss Shaw is able to melt Jenny’s hard reserve and resolve not to share her pain. As that thick wall starts crumbling, we also witness the transformation and uncovering of the mystery and secrets that Miss Shaw herself carried tightly wrapped up within herself.

For Jenny, the more pennies she found along the way, the more determined she became in spirit!

The more she reached within herself to rebuild the years “the locust had eaten away,” the more her beautiful spirit begins to shine.

With Jenny’s increasing courage, we witness her increasing compassion and love for others around her in her daily walk in life.

There comes a time in this delightful novel, where Jenny begins to fully believe in the “magic” of the penny and begins herself to give them away. As she does, touching more people as her strength of spirit and faith increase, we too are able to see the “penny magic” returned to her in a touching way.

This little thing, “The Penny,” touching so many lives with its magic!

May you find the same magic, delight and joy in this novel, as I did in all its wonderful 243 pages!

Namaste’,

Che’

The FAA has it RIGHT: "Souls on Board!"

In viewing a clip of ABC News’ report of the conversation between the Tower in St. Louis and the Midway Airlines pilot when Senator Barack Obama’s plane had a recent near emergency, I was amazed at the “language” used!

Yes, the FAA uses God’s Language!

That’s an outrage!

The FAA talks about “Souls on Board,” as in “How many souls do you have on board!?”

“51 souls.”

“Roger that!

When the tower controller heard Senator Obama was on board, he said nothing else but “Roger that!”

Diane Sawyer seemed amazed that the controller had said nothing more than ”Roger that.”

She said, “Imagine That!”

Imagine that indeed! A soul is a soul is a soul...to the controllers!

Imagine that!

The controllers think and talk in God's language about people in the air!

That is outrageous!

It’s outrageous because you and I don’t talk like that. We can’t talk like that!

If in the PR field, I were to tell reporters, “There are 10,000 ‘souls’ working for the company,” reporters would think I was crazy.

If in any way, you and I were to begin referring to the number of “souls” in any place, we would be considered crazy.

Can you imagine talking about the number of “souls” in your household, in your family!?

I’m laughing out loud at that one!

Just laughing out loud for the sheer JOY of it!

Because now...we have PERMISSION from the jurisdiction overseeing the “highest" and "freest" place over land, i.e. the air, to use the language. We have permission from the Federal Aviation Administration!

We can now use “souls” to describe people.

In the air, they know the TRUTH!

They know that if that plane had gone down, you wouldn’t be thinking about “bodies.”

You would be thinking of the “souls” that will now disappear from the earth.

Yes, you would know that we will be able to collect the bodies, but the “souls” are not ours to claim.

Only a "soul" in a body has any value as a “PERSON” you see.

Only a “soul” fully functioning in a body has TRUE worth.

The FAA knows this!

Why is it so hard for the average person, i.e. you and me, ...to get this...every day...every time!

Forget the stress level, I now want to become an air traffic controller where I can talk about the “souls” aboard all day long.

I want it so badly.

Imagine that!

Imagine all day long being able to talk and think about “people” as "souls," not as bodies.

I see why the air traffic controllers show up for work every day, despite the high level of stress I understand, and can imagine, is inherent in the job.

They show up every day...with passion...with full alertness...with JOY...Because they have “souls” to save!

It doesn't matter to the controllers whether it's President Bush's soul...or Senator Hillary Clinton's soul...or Senator Barack Obama's soul...or Senator John McCain's soul: a soul is a soul is a soul to the controllers, and the soul must be saved!

They can’t afford to make a mistake.

These air traffic controllers have to be precise...in every word they say...in every instruction they give.

They have got SOULS TO SAVE!

WOW!

Imagine beginning to think about the world like that.

Imagine the way your world... and my world... would change.

Imagine if...

Imagine if...

Imagine if...

Imagine if...we can begin to see people as “souls” every day, instead of “bodies.”

If we can only get past the exterior of the person, where one is not black, white, yellow or pink.

If we can get past the exterior of the personality, where one is not nice, sweet, mean or generous.

If we can get past the exterior...if we can only get past the exterior...to the soul!

Imagine HOW our world would change!

Most of us get so caught up in the things that really shouldn’t matter about a person.

We get caught up in their hair, the color of their eyes, their legs, their arms, their biceps' size, their cup size, their exterior...

We can’t see the TRUTH!

We can’t see that the color, the arms, the eyes, the beauty or lack thereof, as we perceive it, has NOTHING.... NO THING...to do with the “person” inside.

But when we can get into the soul, now we can begin to talk.

Is the SOUL “connected” to Spirit?

Or is it “Lost"?

You see the way I see it is this:

When the soul is connected to “Spirit,” life becomes an effortless passage.

Even obstacles become opportunity, because the ‘soul’ is able to discern the benign intention of “Spirit” for its (soul’s) own good while in the body!

But when that “soul” has lost connection to “Spirit,” it flounders around, looking here and there, everywhere, for itself. It blocks “Spirit” from shining through.

All we see of that "soul" then is its reflection in a body, sometimes so lost to its Power that its TRUTH cannot be discerned by the “naked” eye.

The FAA has taught us an important spiritual lesson:

When you really, really want to know the TRUTH about a person...

Look to the Soul!

Even if we don’t start talking the FAA’s language of “Number of Souls on Board”...we can begin thinking it!

To me, that honestly is one of the critical first steps in understanding the messages of Spirit!

Namaste’,

Che’

The 2008 Summer Olympics: A Useful Guide for Us to Follow!

Staying connected to “ourselves” is perhaps the greatest challenge for many of us as we move along the spiritual path. It’s extremely difficult, yes, sometimes downright challenging. To stay connected to Spirit and to keep on believing when the rest of the world seems so oblivious to Presence, well, sometimes it does seem pointless. Added to this: we just have to look at ourselves, i.e. the outside, and we can see so much that is missing or lacking in perfection!

Day by day we’ve got to get up and start over, connecting to Spirit and trying to stay connected. It’s not an automatic connection. In order for the power to be realized, we need to stay plugged in. Sometimes, it’s downright discouraging. Sometimes, it takes more commitment...much more commitment...than we seem to have or the “stuff” of which we’re made.

This spiritual journey, we wonder, why bother? What’s the point of it all?

WAIT!

Before you get too carried away with my line of thinking, believing that, ”yes, she’s so-o right...I’m gonna chuck it in.”

Stop.

I need you to go and watch something now on television, NBC: The 2008 Summer Olympics!

As you do, suspend all judgment about anything. Just watch a few competitions... take a pause in between...and think about what you just saw on the television.

Yes. Physical Prowess!

It doesn’t matter what sport is currently under way in Bejing when you decide to watch, you’ll still see a phenomenon!

You’ll see strength, power, courage, determination, perseverance and true grit!

Now, go beyond this and think:

*What is making these athletes do what they do?

*What is the power behind them, allowing them to reach such heights in Sports?

*How can these athletes become so focused and determined?



On a local talk show recently, I saw Dominique Dawkes, an Olympic Gymnast in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Games. Dominique is now a poised 31 year old woman who is doing newscasting from the Bejing Olympics for Yahoo! On the talk show, she said that she learned three important things from her years in in Sports:

1. Believe in Yourself.

2. Use failure and/or setbacks to build strength for the future.

3. Reach the Power within you.




Seeing Dawes and the serenity she displayed about the new path of her life reinforced for me the TRUTH that I continue to reach for on a daily basis:

The Spirit within us is our greatest weapon against life’s odds. It is our greatest power!

It is our very being! It is our strength and our Peace.

It was Presence within Nancy Kerrigan that allowed her to continue to victory in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. In January of that year, companions of Tanya Harding, her chief rival at the Olympics tryouts, set out to eliminate Kerrigan from the Games by clubbing her in the knee. The tactic made Kerrigan unable to continue competing, thus allowing Harding to secure a place on the Olympic team. But the U.S. Olympic Committee allowed Kerrigan to continue onto the Olympics, and we learned some important lessons in strength.

Kerrigan taught us about believing in yourself when people would hate you...just because you’re you. We also learned how to never, ever doubt yourself and become discouraged... when people would choose to...disrespect , dishonor and disparage you.



Kerrigan rose to new heights in her skating after the attack. She was able to transcend the negatives, and she not only survived the knee injury, she thrived! She brought home the Silver medal in Skating for the U.S. in 1994.

Names of other Olympians remain with us through the years: the late Florence Griffith-Joyner (Flo Jo), Jackie Joyner Kersee, Evelyn Ashford, Mary Lou Retton, Mark Gastino, Bruce Jenner, Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Edwin Moses, Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Sergey Bubka, Brian Lewis, Kristi Yamaguchi, Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci and Oksana Bauil.

We can remember all the stories written about these athletes, i.e. the ones that are written about them when they’ve made history, but also the ones they wrote themselves when they overcame their own personal challenges and made their way to center stage. Stories like Oksana Bauil’s, an orphan in the Ukraine, when she was saved from a life of destitution with her tremendous skating abilities. It’s the stories about the Spirit within them.




The lessons from these Olympic athletes should serve to teach us more than about the individual sports in which they excel and should have much greater meaning beyond the medals they bring home for the United States and other countries.

If we choose to look, we can see these athletes serve as useful models for a way of life those of us not in Sports can emulate. They model for us...

...the discipline and determination to keep getting back up when you fall down.

...getting back in the Game when you’ve felt such shame.

...not giving up when the going gets tough and the competition is on your heels.

...Keep on believing in yourself.

...Keep on reaching and moving and pulling out all the stuff that you’ve got.

Who could forget Kerri Strug,the gymnast, in 1996? It was her second trip to the Olympics, at age 18, when she made a name for herself! So determined was Strug to help her team win Olympic Gold that year, she sprinted on an injured foot, risking even more serious danger. The picture that will forever remain in our memory is when Strug lifted her injured left foot in the air, balanced herself fully on the right foot, obtaining a score of 9.71 to ensure the U.S. Gold!

Who can forget that moment of courage, determination and strength!
Every day serious athletes get up at the crack of dawn to begin practicing their sport. They often work through the day, into the night, to perfect their routines and to fine tune their performances.

Once an athlete gets recognized as being able to reach the Olympic track, the intensity of training becomes even harder. How do they find the will to keep on going and believing in their abilities when experiencing a period of total and absolute failure?

Is it just their coaches’ words and his or her expertise that help them reach perfection? Is it just a drive within them that you and I don’t have?

...Or it something else at work, enabling them to fully unleash the Power within them to do its work? Watch the athletes closely and see how they are moving through...gliding through...to victory. What you’ll see is that they seem to get out of their own way...and just follow the guidance coming to them and through them!

Athletes don’t have time like you and I to ponder or wonder whether they have “it” within them. They reach in and they grab hold of it...and they keep on moving forward.
There’s no debate...no thinking no...doubting.


They just do it!

Observe the following winning attributes in the Olympian athletes:

Individual Competitions--A strength and power emanating from within, even when they falter, helping them to continue on and make it through to victory.

A time that they absolutely cannot doubt themselves...but simply BELIEVE THEY CAN DO the task before them!

Team Sports—Reaching beyond our own needs and goals and working for the good of all.

There must be a coming together as ONE, i.e. ONENESS in Spirit, in order to experience victory!

Track and Field—Strategy for going the distance, even when the “opposition” is at your heels, trying to close in!

Today...tonight...tomorrow...and over the next two weeks, as the Olympics play themselves out in Bejing, watch the sports with new eyes. Despite the recent stories about athletes and their “habits,” there still is substance there.

Get past your disappointments of those athletes who may have fooled you and the world and try to see the “Spirit” within the various competitions.

And if you’re feeling off-track spiritually, don’t ponder your issue.

Just get out of your own way and let the guidance come from within!

Relax your mind. Open your heart.

If there is one particular athlete whose style touches you at this year’s games, take the “Spirit” of that athlete with you...even when the games are over.

That Spirit within your favorite athlete is the same one within you! Let that Spirit be your guide.

Like all the Olympic athletes know to be TRUTH, let it be your truth that you cannot do or be anything without the Power coming from within.

Namaste’,

Che’