Merlian News March 2015 Newsletter
This Month’s Recommended Merlian News Articles:
The last several weeks of winter have seemed particulary snowy, dark, and icy. It’s been a struggle for many, with virulent viruses abounding, exacerbated by the bitterly cold weather. What has kept me going is the discipline of my daily routines: Qi Gong , meditation and exercise. My spirits are always lifted and I realize anew how rewarding is the ability to control one’s mind and body. Most recently, I have thought of the Buddhist monks who practice tummo , the art of controlling one’s body temperature through meditation .
Liminal Moments by Cheryl Shainmark
Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It
I just finished reading “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It,” by Kamal Ravikant. I have to say that this slim volume completely jumpstarted a whole new spiritual practice for me. I don’t usually rave (in print, at least)… but this is one of the most accessible, transformative books I have ever read — and at 57 pages, you’d have to be in a coma not to get through it. Actually, if you are in a coma I will come and sit by your side and read it to you, because I want “Love Yourself” to be the earworm that gets stuck in your head. You’ll thank me later.
Animal World
Circus to Phase Out Elephant Acts
Earlier this week Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that they would phase out using elephants in its circuses . The elephant, an iconic symbol of the American circus, also has long been a symbol for the cruelty and mistreatment of all circus and other performance animals. Citing changing public attitudes and financial concerns, the parent company, Feld Entertainment, said the animals would be phased out and retired to farms by 2018.
Spirituality
The God Search is Over by Don Mordasini
In this new essay Don Mordasini writes, “ Imagine for a moment you are hurtling through space at 30,000 miles an hour. You look out a window and see a sliver of the moon, planets, stars, and in the distance earth. You are completely surrounded by a dark emptiness punctuated by these celestial bodies…. You gaze out the window again and you realize the tiniest speck of matter, let alone the earth, the sun, the celestial bodies, everything you see, is being sustained by something more than chance. You intuit that the cosmos is in harmony. Some unknown intelligence is orchestrating the universe….”
Books
Space Creatures by Barbara Weisberg
Space Creatures , by Barbara Weisberg, is an enchanting addition to children’s literature. Ms. Weisberg, author of three previous children’s books, has perfectly captured the whimsy of a child’s view of the world — in this case, the role of being an “Earthling” on this wonderful planet. Part science and part a study in self-awareness, Space Creatures tells a story of exploring the world, our Earth, and also introduces the idea of being part of a larger whole — the grandness of the Cosmos and our place in it.
The Making of a Mystic by Paddy Fievet, PhD
In an excerpt from her fascinating new book, The Making of a Mystic, author Paddy Fievet writes: “Just as I walked beyond the base of the Mary Magdalene Tower, I noticed the plethora of blooming wildflowers in front of me. Most of them were of a light shade of purple splattered with touches of the color of an early morning sunrise. Each stalk had many flowers upon it, bending and swaying slightly in the easy spring breeze flowing up and down the mountainside. Meandering slightly off my path, I eased down among those wildflowers. For a while, I just sat there, noticing intricate details about each leaf, each stone in the walls, and each flower stalk….”
Conscious Eating
Many people know about the healing benefits of turmeric: with the active ingredient curcumin, it is a potent anti-inflammatory, a digestive aid, a powerful anti-oxidant and may help to prevent cancer and other diseases. Turmeric is available loose as a spice, in pill form and as an extract. But did you know that one of the most effective ways to take turmeric is as a tea? Served hot or cold, turmeric tea is a refreshing addition to your daily routine.
WEBSITE OF THE MONTH:
www.mossdreams.com
Dreams
Serial Dreams and Parallel Lives by Robert Moss
Robert Moss writes, “Serial dreams, in which we find ourselves returning, again and again, to a life that is not our waking life offer an invitation to gather first-hand data on the possibility that we are leading parallel lives in alternate realities that may also be parallel worlds. Some serial dreams may reflect that fact that one or more of our soul-selves is “out there”, leading its own life in an alternate reality that is separated from that or our dominant personality…”
Thank you once more, for your positive feed back and support!
Merryn Jose – Editor In Chief & Publisher