What's Missing

Speak few words, but say them with quietude and sincerity, and they will be long lasting, for a raging wind cannot blow all morning, nor a sudden rainstorm last throughout the day.

Tao Te Ching


This quote from the Dao reminds me of the passage from Saint Francis’ prayer, “Let me not so much seek to be understood as to understand.” I see it also as a reminder to be still and observe life around me with a mind to understand its abundance.

Sometimes I get caught up in talking about what is missing and what is wrong with life, and I forget to pause and remember the power of my interaction with life. I try to gently redirect my thought and word towards a vision of a prosperous living. Sometimes that means I have to be a little less talkative, in my head and with my words.

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President Kennedy

On May 29, 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, American 35th president , was born. After his death on Nov. 22, 1963, his obituary appeared in The Times:

"Mr. Kennedy's inaugural address was only 1,355 words long--one of the shorter introductory messages of recent American Presidents.
"Now the trumpet summons us again," he declared, "not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as a call to battle, though embattled we are--but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle year in and year out, 'rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation'--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself."
And in what probably became his most celebrated passage, he implored:
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what America will do for you--ask what you can do for your country."
Polls showed that his popularity declined somewhat as a result of Administration support for militant civil-rights leaders. President Kennedy himself said he expected a close race in 1964."

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Spiritual Substance is all around us, waiting to be formed. Thus we see what Jesus meant when he said; “And I say unto you, ask and it shall be given unto you.” The Law must work in compliance with our demand.
Ernest Holmes
Science of Mind



Science of Mind has helped to radically changed people’s lives by introducing the awareness that there is undoubtedly a relationship between the way we think and the way we experience reality. In an overly simple form that idea translates to – it is done unto you as you believe. This statement is a summary of a teaching from Jesus who showed the relationship between our faith and our experience of answered prayers.

This is why creating a vision of a prosperous life is so important. Create images that reflect prosperous living and surround yourself with people who will support your vision. Let your mind dwell on prosperity not to force anything to happen, but to let the way of the natural order of things come through.

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Any attempt to live from the outside, in is fruitless. We must first change our inner thoughts---and then the outer experience will automatically reflect those thoughts. A change in consciousness is always a prerequisite to increased prosperity. Without it, you are just “fund-raising.” And any increase in funds will automatically be wasted or lost without the consciousness to support it.

Chris Michaels
Your Soul’s Assignment


In what ways have you measured your worth by what you own? Can you imagine what value you would bring to a group of people stranded on an island with no money and assets? Can you imagine what your best qualities are and why they are so valuable to the world?

If you haven’t already done so, consider making a list of characteristics in you that are valuable.

There is nothing in the universe that wishes evil to anyone; indeed, it is only as we experience good that God is expressed through us. The more completely we realize good, happiness, and success, the more perfectly do we express God and the more of God we become; that is, the more does God become personified through us.
Ernest Holmes
The Hidden Power of the Bible

As time goes by, if you continue dwelling on this idea of a friendly universe that works for you, slowly your understanding of your place in the universe grows and you become aware that you are home, exactly where you are supposed to be.

There isn’t anywhere else to be. There is only this place and time and the opportunity to express it as fully and as richly as possible. What does it mean to you to more fully express Life?

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Your World

The best way to put the Law of Giving into operation---to start the whole process of circulation---is to make a decision that any time you come into contact with anyone, you will give them something.

Deepak Chopra
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
One of the most important ideas that have to do with prosperity is that of the apparent reciprocal nature of the universe. Giving is the other end of receiving and one without the other is a dead end. In what ways have you been generous with your time, money and attention this year?

Prosperous people give and look for new ways to give. They also have a comfortable and easy relationship with receiving.

Eric Butterworth wrote in Spiritual Economics "There is no way you can really begin to understand “spiritual economics,” or make it work in your life until you are free from the sense of God, “up there,” and on fire with the awareness of the Presence."

Your relationship to the world around you and its holiness is the starting point to your Spiritual awakening. As you look deeper into the role you play in life, you begin to notice that there is no power over you, but a power within you.

It is the source of the ideas for a Prosperous life. It flows outward from within you. It is what makes you dream and grow. It is your own life wanting to express itself.

For a personal interactive journal to track your own thoughts and reflections about prosperity, click here.

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A Vision of Happiness

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.
Denis Waitley

A Vision is the ability to have an idea, a picture of how you see yourself a little down the ways. Not a picture of what is going on right now, but of how you might see your world and yourself in your world living prosperously. For example, you would try to imagine what is going on in such a vision. How do you see yourself and who is present.

Here is something to consider about developing such a vision. It is not so much about simply imagining what you want, or how much money you think you need or what kind of objects, cars and houses you might have. There is nothing wrong with that kind of vision, however, taking an expanded definition of prosperity can introduce something new into the vision.

Try this. Ask yourself: When I am feeling generosity of spirit, and when my heart is open to receiving, and when I’m having an experience of connectedness to all life, THEN what does my world look like? What am I doing? How do I feel?

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Seriously

Er…

We’re doing it.
We’re going to go for it.
We’re going to try new service times.
Seriously.
Starting First Sunday in June.
That would be June 1st, 2008.
Yup.
We are.

New times:
8:30 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
11:30 a.m.

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Where are you getting your images?

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.
Brother David Steindl-Rast

Where are you getting your images and ideas about living a prosperous life? Every day we are bombarded by millions of images of how we are supposed to live, look, eat and think. Television, radio and magazines project the items we are supposed to desire and the lives we are supposed to aspire to. What impact do you think these messages have on your prosperity awareness?

It is possible that you may find yourself from time to time having an idea of not being enough, of needing to change, or of having to get and own more if you pay too much attention to media messages around you.

A valuable prosperity practice is to imagine that you are being featured on prime time television as an example of a life lived prosperously. What would your story be? What in your life right now is an inspiration to live prosperously? How would you advise others to develop an abundance awareness?

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Inifite Value

Every second is of infinite value
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In his famous “Sermon by the Sea” the founder of Religious Science, Ernest Holmes, said these words: “Our religion is not something to be lived merely here at Asilomar, as much inspiration as we receive from it, but rather to take that consciousness which we have arrived at here back with us into whatever activities we may be engaged in. I do not believe Life is separated from Its living, anywhere.”

This is a reminder that thinking about something such as “abundance” during study or meditation is valuable, it becomes even more valuable when that thinking carries with us into the ordinary activities of our day. Taking one single idea, such as “The Universe is Infinite” and using it as a guide through one day of activities, you could devise a question such as “How is what I am doing right now an example of the idea “the Universe is Infinite?” and apply it as frequently as you remember it.

I have experimented with a timer set at random times to remind me to consider the idea I am working with for the day. When the timer goes off, I pause in my mind to see how close or distant my thinking is from “the Universe is Infinite.”

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William and Choeleen

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Yay, I love having my own blog...... :)

Gay marriage ban rejected by state Supreme Court
By GUY KOVNERTHE PRESS DEMOCRAT

(Comments in green from Ernest Holmes' Creative Mind - added by me for interest)

The California Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the state ban on same-sex marriages, a ruling hailed as a victory by gays, lesbians and their advocates.

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080515/NEWS/859358414/1033/NEWS&temp

“I am proud of the court for realizing and honoring the commitment that gay people have to each other,” Santa Rosa City Councilman John Sawyer said minutes after the ruling was announced.At the request of Sawyer, who is gay, the city filed a friend of the court brief in the case.Sebastopol and Cloverdale also were among the 15 cities and four counties that filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting same-sex marriage.

This little book is an attempt to explain what each soul must discover for himself, that he stands in the midst of an eternal creative power which presses itself around his own thought, and casts back to him glorified all that he thinks. If it awakens within the consciousness of one single individual the realization that the mind of the Universe (which is the only mind that there is) is his own mind; that the creative power of this mind is his also; that the manifestation of this mind is his own individuality; that the love and power and peace of this mind is within himself, it will not be written in vain. May it then do much in simplifying and bringing to light some of the deeper mysteries and meanings of life.
ERNEST SHURTLEFF HOLMES,
October 1, 1918.

The high court ruling said “we cannot find that retention of the traditional definition of marriage constitutes a compelling state interest.“Accordingly, we conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional.”

Never struggle, Mind makes things out of Itself, there is no effort made. Don't think that there is so much to be overcome. Have only a calm sense of perfect peace as you realize that God is all, and that you are using the perfect law and that nothing can hinder it from working for you. Many people are learning to do this, and no one has yet failed to demonstrate who has been steadfast, using the law in a consistent and persistent trust.
All that we have to do is to provide the right mental and spiritual attitude of mind and then believe that we already have, and the reward will be with us. We shall see it.
ERNEST SHURTLEFF HOLMES,October 1, 1918.

The court’s ruling came on a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn a voter-approved law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.It makes California the second state after Massachusetts where gay and lesbian residents can marry.“What happens in California, either way, will have a huge impact around the nation. It will set the tone,” said Geoffrey Kors, executive director of the gay rights group Equality California.

The cases before the California court were brought by the city of San Francisco, two dozen gay and lesbian couples, Equality California and another gay rights group in March 2004 after the court halted San Francisco’s monthlong same-sex wedding march that took place at Mayor Gavin Newsom’s direction.The state Legislature has twice passed laws to make gay marriage legal. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed them both times, citing the ban approved by voters in 2000.

A coalition of religious and social conservative groups is attempting to put a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine California’s current laws banning gay marriage in the state constitution.

WE find that in the Universe every separate idea has a word, a mental concept behind it, and as long as that word remains the thing is held in place in the visible world; when the concept is withdrawn the idea in the visible melts away, disappears; it ceases to vibrate to the word, which is the law behind it, for when the word is withdrawn the condensation of the ether that forms the word melts again into the formless.

The secretary of state is expected to rule by the end of June whether the sponsors gathered enough signature to qualify the marriage amendment, similar to ones enacted in 26 other states.

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Are You A Caring Person? For your consideration

Are you a caring person?  For your consideration, try journaling to discover your answer.  Write the question on the top of a blank page "Am I a caring person?" and before you start writing, sit for a moment and consider following suggestions as a starting point to explore your relationship to caring.

• Imagine that you have just won a million dollars. What would you do with it, and why? Does your choice for using your money determine whether or not you are a caring person?
• Describe the most caring thing anyone has ever done for you. What effect did that have on you? 

Here is something else you can do to exercise you caring for others:

• Write a thank you note to someone who did something very caring for you or someone else.

Journaling has the effect of slowing down our thought process to a speed more appropriate for investigating such questions as Am I a caring person?

For additional articles on this site about caring, click here

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Are You A Caring Person? The Golden and Platinum Rules

· The golden rule: Treat others as you would have them treat you.

· The "platinum" rule: Treat others as they would have you treat them.

The golden rule requires no awareness of how the other person experiences caring, the platinum rule requires a commitment to listening and discovering what is needed, wanted and cherished.

• How do you feel when people show that they really care about you?
• How do you feel when you do something really caring for someone else?
• To what extent would you inconvenience yourself for another person?
• Is “activating caring” a choice, or are some people more naturally inclined towards caring behavior?

For more articles on this blog about Are You A Caring Person? click here

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How do you know when people really care about you?

Dr. Gary Chapman, author of “The Five Languages of Love” has the following 30 Second Assessment on his website:

· I feel especially loved when people express how grateful they are for me, and for the simple, everyday things I do. (Words of Affirmation)
· I feel especially loved when a person gives me undivided attention and spends time alone with me. (Quality Time)
· I feel especially loved by someone who brings me gifts and other tangible expressions of love. (Receiving Gifts)
· I feel especially loved when someone pitches in to help me, perhaps by running errands or taking on my household chores. (Acts of Service)
· I feel especially loved when a person expresses feelings for me through physical contact. (Physical Touch)



It's tricky just chosing one category. Sometimes different modes in different situations, don't you think?

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Are you a caring person?

Caring is both a feeling and a way of acting. What makes a caring person is not so much what s/he talks about or knows, rather it is what s/he does and how s/he does it. Caring people have a style of being and acting in the world that probably includes kindness, generosity, compassion, etc. How does caring feel to you? How does a caring person act in the world?

Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education, Second Edition, with a New Preface  

Try completing these sentences:

• Sometimes I am caring when I …
• I contribute my time for the well being of others in the following way(s)….
• Sometimes I am uncaring when I….
• I can be insensitive sometimes when ….
• Sometimes I can be generous when I….

What did you discover about yourself and your ideas about caring from these questions?

On Caring by Milton Mayeroff

To read the following articles related to caring, click here.

• Are You A Caring Person? Contributing to Well Being.
• Are You A Caring Person? Affection
• Are You A Caring Person? Imagine a world like this....
• Are You A Caring Person? For your consideration 
• Are You A Caring Person? The Golden and Platinum Rules
• Are You A Caring Person? A Gentle Touch
• Are You A Caring Person? Happiness

For information about caring, kindness and spirituality in the workplace, click here.

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Another One

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Satisfied Customer

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Susan and Petra

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Firsts

Here is a photo of the dance I mentioned in an earlier post. The lead woman offered dance lessons to our group and her son and daughter are accomplished dancers and her husband a famous dancer.



We met the entire family the day after the debut when they stopped in on our morning gathering to bring gifts to each person in the group. We each got an extra carry-bag - much appreciated by those who had by then thoroghly indulged the shopping demon.



I am previewing a facility in a central location, for a potential first or last night stopping place. It is exquisite and it's in the heart of the popular spots.



Last night we had cocktails and snacks in what could have been a club anywhere in the world. Same people same planet same same same different different. Know what I mean? And there I was right in the middle of it all just like I used to be when I was 21 or so and its the same - boof boof boof - heads are gonna hurt in the morning.



It helped a lot to visit the bar because it helped me appreciate the remote areas our journey took us and the emphasis on learning about the culture. Then I remembered this bar is part of the culture too and I started to notice how easily it is for me to slip into either or thinking



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Coming Home

Jim Cramer displays heartfelt joy at the prospect of heading home!
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yoga at tanah lot

And it rained
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What happened?"

I promise there really is a world famous temple in this photot, I am just standing right in front of it.

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yoga at tanah lot

Seven a.m. In heaven
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Kecak

The scene was too dark for photos. I'll have a video later capturing some of the mysterious figure moving around the central fire.

What we saw tonight was a world first, a Kecak dance performed by women. Instead of the usual Ramayana story of Sita's rescue, the troup performed an episode from the Mahabaharata.

In the dark courtyard lit mostly by flame, one hundred women appeard on the vast staircase desencing to the central dance area. It was spell binding as they produced all the sounds, song and words of the epic story.

When the central figures joined them they seemed to glide rather than walk or dance. Flickering flame light and flashes from audience cameras turned the whole scene into something intoxicating and unreal, transporting me to the middle of an ancient story.

The chanting and endless vocal percussion had a hypnotising effect and I still feel kinda high from it all.

Wow.

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Ketut Purna

Our Agent checking in with us before the historic all-women Kecak Dance! First time ever in the world! News to follow.
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Paradox in Paradise

Extraordinary attention to decorative detail is everywhere, and at the same time disorder and garbage can't be ignored. Temples and people are clean and kept while town main streets decay and are broken.

There don't seem to be any building codes. Just build it seems to be the way of things.
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The Many Faces...

i
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Buddha

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Wednesdays Buddha

The reclining Buddha. The second to last incarnation of Vishnu. The last will usher in the end of this age.

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Ganesha

The remover of obstacles, and some say he provides them too, Ganesha is often depicted with one tusk as a reminder of his role as a scribe. When he realized he was witnessing the recitation of epic scripture, rather than go to look for writing utensils, he broke off his own tusk to take down the words of Lord Vyasa.

Sometimes tourists think they are looking at a faulty Ganesha, missing a tusk. So - balinese artisans carve him with two tusks too - just in case....
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Hanuman

One of the most beloved characters (after Rama and Sita) in the epic Ramayana would be Hanuman, I am guessing, for his role in recovering the Princess from imprisonment in Lanka under the demon lord Rawana. A symbol of service, self-sacrifice, devotion and spiritual love, Hanuman can be found everywhere.
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Wood Carvings

Each village specialises in a craft or industry. Wall hangings carved to reveal birds, heros, animals and lotus blossoms hang in restaurants, homes and hotels.
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Flowers

Plumerias fall constantly to the ground and the locals make use of the abundance of blossoms by arranging them in urns of water or in small pots placed under a massage table so clients have something wonderful to gaze at.

In hotels they are arranged in patterns on beds, stairs and baths. It's a dramatic display of beauty and appreciation for natures mesmerising display of color and fragrance.

Flowers are part of every ceremony, greeting and function.

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Wood Carvings

Each village specialises in a craft or industry. Wall hangings carved to reveal birds, heros, animals and lotus blossoms hang in restaurants, homes and hotels.
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Snapppp!

Just in case you think its all fun and games....I snapped my exercise bands in a frenzied fit of repipetipppptions.

Yoga every morning at 7 am - and I think I am ready for shopping.

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Bintang

You can't visit Bali and not encounter Bintang Beer, literally "Star Beer" the best selling brand of beer in Indonesia.

It has a watery, malty, hoppy flavor, similar to Heineken. It is sometimes mixed with lime juice, although I wouldn't know why when it is perfectly delicios and refreshing already.

Wikipedia says that "Construction of the brewery began in Surabaya in 1929 during Dutch colonial rule of Indonesia. In 1949, following Indonesian independence, the brewery was renamed 'Heineken's Indonesian Brewery Company'. In 1957, the Indonesian Government appropriated the brewery, and retained control for the next ten years."

Elements of Dutch occaption are everywhere, in common words such as Kantoor Pos, which means post office and is practically the same in Dutch. Balinese often say "permisi" when trying to get someone's attention, another word quite similar to Dutch.

But almost nobody in Bali of our generation remembers or speaks Dutch and I'm guessing most would prefer to forget the days of colonization and the massive toll on lives and culture it took.

Sound familiar?


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The Dancers

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Jim Cramer

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The Dance

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Bramara Anglayang

Expression of heartfelt joy
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Gadung Melati

This is the scene for a dance by a troup of beautiful young girls who are welcoming guests.

Later Jim Cramer will dance the Topeng Tua, literally 'old mask', an ancient dance depicting an aging man's struggle to accept his body. Jim is dancing with Anom, famous on the island for his mastry of the classical art.

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Celestial Music

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Hey!!!

Is that a bird in your drink???
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Reed and Laura and Ubud

Ubud is a vibrant village-town in the middle of Bali and is the cultural hot spot of the island. The not so distant history of back packing universe seeking tourist days still lingers among the wifi cafes and designer shops - you can still find a home-stay or an old style room with breakfast next door to a world class boutique hotel.

Sprawling mansions stand on the outskirts in the midst of rice fields, ducks and geese. Tour busses clog the narrow streets and adventure companies create excursions, elephant rides and treks.

But Ubud stays the same to me as it was the first time I met it. Warm, friendly, authentic, silly, fun, mystical.

It is our second base on this tour and it's central location makes it easy to get from Ubud to the temples on our itinerary or if we wanted......mountains, beaches, and major towns.

Tonight Balinese Dancing - porcelain faces, unmoving-unsmiling mouths with all the passion, fun, romance and drama in the eyes only. Darting eyes, just like the fingers and their mesmerising lateral dance movements. Spectacularly slow body movements in postures that look like a back ache trying to happen!

But first, Bebek Tutu - traditional smoked duck lunch.


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Fruit Bearing Trees and Sin Removal

The day of th full moon in Bali is caled "Purnama" and is a very special day. In addition to the every-day dozens of blessings and offerings that families get to perform to maintain the balance of spiritual energies in the Universe, extra full moon day offerings are placed on the ground at the home entrance

The village temple also receives a tower of fruit, flowers and other items and some kind of festivities ke place.

Purnama is the day to plant an apple tree, if you were ever going to plant one, or any fruit bearing tree for that matter because the fullness of the moon is certain to assure successful harvest.

And if you've been sinning recently, a bath in perfumed water (frangipani petals to be exact) under the light of the full moon wll wash your transgressions away. Sounds kinda sinfully nice all by itself.

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Temple Guards

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I almost forgot....

I got a $2 hair cut in candi dasa, Dr. Petra behind me in the van is amuzed!

We're headed to Mount Batur and the temple dedicated to the goddess of the lake to ask for and receive insight into our lives since recently bathing in holy water, washing away our burdens.

Later we're headed to Ubud, the cultural center of Bali where we will experience an historic event. I can't tell you what it is because it is a surprise.

E
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Comments?

Howdy,
Thanks for leaving comments! If they do not appear immediately it's because they have to be approved by me and I am in a slightly different time zone :)
I appreciate very much knowing someone is reading and enjoying this blog
Tiramakasi!

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tirtaganga

Stepping stones thru the sacred waters
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Rama Ocean View Candi Dasa

Today clouds massed suddenly and emptied rain on us. Ten minutes later it was hot and clear again.

The group has gone off to Tirtagangga a water garden gifted by a past King ti the people. The water is considered to be as blessed as Gangaji in India. Locals bathe in it for recreation and ceremonial cleansing.

The group is going on a pilgrammage loaded with everything they wish to have washed away from their hearts and minds.

It's a tender voyage and people are wide open and grateful and loving every moment.

I am staying at the hotel today to prepare my message for Sunday May 11 - topic is 'the Architect of fear'

I need a nap instead.

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Everything Possible

Edward,

After last Sunday's sermon, I went on the Internet and got the lyrics for Fred Small's song which contains the lyrics "and the only measure of your words and your deeds will be the love you leave behind when you're done." I discovered that I have a children's CD with the song on it.

The song is called Everything Possible. It's such a sweet song of compassion and tolerance. I'm taking guitar lessons from Ron Atchison and he's helping me work out some some new chord arrangements for it. I've been singing it all week!

Thank you so much for the inspiration. I'd thought I'd let you know what an impact your sermon made on me...

Cathy Urbanus


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