I feel bad. And on a New Year's morning at that! : (
Nope, it's not about me nor my life (thank God for that, at least!). It's about someone in my household I was trying to help.
Weeks ago, a colleague asked me for recommendations as to whom I can refer to her to help her cook for her children around the New Year, as they were flying in from many parts of the country with their families to celebrate New Year with her. And she said that, this time, she wanted to enjoy them as well as the occasion, instead of slaving away at her kitchen feeding them all.
So I recommended our laundress. She's a widow with grown children but whose grand kids have been left with her for caretaking as her grown children seem to not be able to take care of themselves on their own... They lead messy lives and have dumped their own young children on her.
Manang Lisa only comes to our house once a week to do the laundry. Actually, we don't need her services anymore because I have two washing machines and a dryer at that. But we still keep her on if only to add a little bit more to her income, since her other incomes are irregular, what we in the Philippines call "remedio heneral" (literally, "general remedy", wherever it can be found.)
So I recommended Manang Lisa to my colleague, and they arranged a meeting for my colleague to pick her up yesterday at 1pm at Jollibee Lopue's East, so that she could start working for my colleague for 4 days, where she will be paid P200 a day, net of transportation expenses. I thought that was settled, and felt good knowing that Manang Lisa would be starting the year right with sure extra money.
But, things happen, and--calming down a bit more now as I write this--I guess, the things that happen reveal character and life lessons to us if only we pay keener attention.
Manang Lisa had very painful diarrhea yesterday, according to her. So she sent one of her grown sons to tell me early in the morning yesterday. But her grown son only came to me yesterday at around 2pm already, when my colleague had been waiting for Manang Lisa at Jollibee's East for 1 hour already!
So I told the son to go to his mom quick, and at least take her to Jollibee's East to talk to my colleague and let her know of the situation and arrange a new set-up with her. And I also texted my colleague yesterday to just wait for Manang Lisa a little bit more as I sent the son to fetch the mom.
Not hearing any more from either for the rest of the afternoon and evening yesterday, I thought things were worked out between them, only to find this morning, upon my waking up, that Manang Lisa never did get to go meet my colleague yesterday.
And I feel soooo bad, imagining my in-her-fifties colleague, waiting for nothing yesterday, and having to contend with cooking for her large brood at the last hour, without any backup!
I rarely recommend people, but when I do, it's because I believe in them and want to help both parties.
Needless to say, this is an embarassment to me, and of course, a loss of potential additional income for Manang Lisa. My colleague has quickly found a replacement, at least, thank God!
Of course I felt very angry at what happened. Sloppiness always upsets me, in addition to dishonesty and cruelty of any form.
But I try to calm and center my self, considering that it's the New Year, and force my self to find the gem in the mud. "Nothing happens by accident." "The Universe always delivers me perfection, each and every moment." I try to recall past quotes and affirmations learned and used, as I will my self to calm down and not let this get to me.
Why is this happening? What is there for me to learn?
And then it dawns upon me:
Many times, the Universe helps us with our needs for abundance, like more money, or more of what we need and desire, and the Universe usually courses it through people and circumstances. Since this is a physical world, too, there has to be physical channels.
However, we not only have to be open to them and ready for them and say "Yes!" to them, we also have to ACT on them with commitment and follow through. Receiving is not a passive matter. We have to go out there and TAKE what we've been given, and not let anything like diarrhea, stop us from receiving it.
And when we start receiving it, it's only the beginning, to get the momentum going. We have to keep maintaining the open-ness and the saying "Yes!" and the committed action to reaching out for more of it, until it fully manifests in our lives.
That's how God's Help, the Universe's assistance, miracles, deliverance, whatever-you-call-it -- works.
Friday, January 01, 2010
Saturday, September 19, 2009
God, Energy and Bea's Question
i was driving to and back from Paolo's friend's house this evening, where he's been sleeping over for the 2nd night in a row now, to bring him a fresh change of clothes.
while driving on almost auto-pilot mode, i was deep inside my self, turning over in my mind all the many lessons i learned from this morning's presentation by CENECO general manager, Mr. Sulpicio Lagarde, Jr. i invited him weeks ago to speak to my Econ1 classes on electricity generation, transmission, distribution and costs and energy efficiency and sustainability, in relation to our class lessons on production and cost theory. he surpassed our expectations by also discussing concerns on global warming and the need to downscale our postmodern energy-dependent lifestyles, as well as inspired us to do something about our laws and systems to support a more sustainable and energy-renewable lifestyle.
i was particularly struck by the metaphor that hit me of the process of generation, transmission and distribution. he said that 138,000 volts from the main generator becomes converted to only 13,200 volts by the transmission line, and even further down to 230 volts when it's distributed, because of conduction resistance. and it struck me that Energy generation, transmission and distribution is like God's Spirit and Blessings--
God is the generator and He/She yearns to give us All things Good and in Abundance, but we, as transmission/distribution lines, can only take so much, because of "resistance", and so whatever Good there is flowing through us becomes diluted in more digestible form, although they are still Good, of course.
and then i remembered one lesson i learned years ago from my Silva Method readings and courses, about an elementary principle in electricity: the best conductor is the one with the least impedance/resistance.
and i thought how this is explained now by what happens when one goes regularly and deeply into meditation practice: how one gets clearer, less "impeded", thus one experiences more Good in one's life, both as a receiver and as a channel for Good too for others.
and then my youngest, 9-year-old Bea, who has been sitting quietly in the dark back seat of the car i forgot she was there, suddenly pipes up: Ma, what's the difference between a spirit and a soul? (this has happened so often already, how the kids pick up on the direction of my secret thoughts while i'm driving, that i take it as naturally as breathing now!)
and so, inhaling deeply, i gave it my best shot, responding from my heart: Spirit is that invisible part of you which is a part of God's Spirit, while Soul is that invisible part of you which is you, your personality, your emotions, your talents and likes and dislikes, 'langga (dear one).
Bea: like twins?
me: ye-esss... sort of, except that they're together, they stick together, there's just one invisible you, and part of it is Spirit and part of it is Soul.
Bea: what's our body for, then?
me: (pause) me: we-ell... it's like our clothes, or the car we drive, to make our way in this earth. since the earth is a physical thing, then we need to be put in something physical too.
Bea: wowwww... so it's like, we go in and out of different bodies?
me: ye-eess. after we die, we go back to the lower levels of Heaven closest to the earth, and we review our life and see how we did and what lessons we learned and what lessons we didn't learn. and then, we decide what to learn next so we can improve and get closer to being more like God. the more we become like God, the higher we go up in Heaven, until someday, we are together with God again, completely, and we never have to be apart again.
Bea: so earth is like school, and Heaven, too? there are many levels?
me: yes.
Bea: so right now, i'm also made up of some dead person's spirit and soul?
me: ye-es... and that dead person before was you too.
Bea: wowwwww.... so i'm many persons?
me: yes.... in this earth, living many lives, at different times and places, like taking many subjects, until you master them all and become perfect like God.
Bea: if God made me, and God is already perfect, why didn't He make me perfect too, so i don't have to be separated from Him in the first place?
me: (long pause)
Bea: well?
me: God did make us all perfect. And He also gave us free will. So we were perfect to start with, but with our free will, we chose to do things which made us imperfect... until we learn that it really doesn't work out for us in the end when we insist on our own way...
Bea: why would i want to do imperfect things? (Bea is our perfectionist in the family.)
me: you don't think they're imperfect when you choose to do them; you think they're perfect, especially when you haven't spent time with God a lot.
Bea: ok.
me: (silent prayer: God, where is she going with all this??? Holy Spirit, help me!)
Bea: so if i don't want to do imperfect things that i thought were perfect, i should spend more time with God? me: yes. so you will know God's Heart. and His Heart connects with your heart more strongly. and you can hear His Heart in your heart more clearly.
Bea: ok. that makes sense.
by this time, we had arrived home.
and Bea ran out to eat her newly-bought Berry Strawberry ice cream in front of the tv. while i-- i am left with these thoughts, and shell-shocked by the experience.
whoa, where did all that come from???
while driving on almost auto-pilot mode, i was deep inside my self, turning over in my mind all the many lessons i learned from this morning's presentation by CENECO general manager, Mr. Sulpicio Lagarde, Jr. i invited him weeks ago to speak to my Econ1 classes on electricity generation, transmission, distribution and costs and energy efficiency and sustainability, in relation to our class lessons on production and cost theory. he surpassed our expectations by also discussing concerns on global warming and the need to downscale our postmodern energy-dependent lifestyles, as well as inspired us to do something about our laws and systems to support a more sustainable and energy-renewable lifestyle.
i was particularly struck by the metaphor that hit me of the process of generation, transmission and distribution. he said that 138,000 volts from the main generator becomes converted to only 13,200 volts by the transmission line, and even further down to 230 volts when it's distributed, because of conduction resistance. and it struck me that Energy generation, transmission and distribution is like God's Spirit and Blessings--
God is the generator and He/She yearns to give us All things Good and in Abundance, but we, as transmission/distribution lines, can only take so much, because of "resistance", and so whatever Good there is flowing through us becomes diluted in more digestible form, although they are still Good, of course.
and then i remembered one lesson i learned years ago from my Silva Method readings and courses, about an elementary principle in electricity: the best conductor is the one with the least impedance/resistance.
and i thought how this is explained now by what happens when one goes regularly and deeply into meditation practice: how one gets clearer, less "impeded", thus one experiences more Good in one's life, both as a receiver and as a channel for Good too for others.
and then my youngest, 9-year-old Bea, who has been sitting quietly in the dark back seat of the car i forgot she was there, suddenly pipes up: Ma, what's the difference between a spirit and a soul? (this has happened so often already, how the kids pick up on the direction of my secret thoughts while i'm driving, that i take it as naturally as breathing now!)
and so, inhaling deeply, i gave it my best shot, responding from my heart: Spirit is that invisible part of you which is a part of God's Spirit, while Soul is that invisible part of you which is you, your personality, your emotions, your talents and likes and dislikes, 'langga (dear one).
Bea: like twins?
me: ye-esss... sort of, except that they're together, they stick together, there's just one invisible you, and part of it is Spirit and part of it is Soul.
Bea: what's our body for, then?
me: (pause) me: we-ell... it's like our clothes, or the car we drive, to make our way in this earth. since the earth is a physical thing, then we need to be put in something physical too.
Bea: wowwww... so it's like, we go in and out of different bodies?
me: ye-eess. after we die, we go back to the lower levels of Heaven closest to the earth, and we review our life and see how we did and what lessons we learned and what lessons we didn't learn. and then, we decide what to learn next so we can improve and get closer to being more like God. the more we become like God, the higher we go up in Heaven, until someday, we are together with God again, completely, and we never have to be apart again.
Bea: so earth is like school, and Heaven, too? there are many levels?
me: yes.
Bea: so right now, i'm also made up of some dead person's spirit and soul?
me: ye-es... and that dead person before was you too.
Bea: wowwwww.... so i'm many persons?
me: yes.... in this earth, living many lives, at different times and places, like taking many subjects, until you master them all and become perfect like God.
Bea: if God made me, and God is already perfect, why didn't He make me perfect too, so i don't have to be separated from Him in the first place?
me: (long pause)
Bea: well?
me: God did make us all perfect. And He also gave us free will. So we were perfect to start with, but with our free will, we chose to do things which made us imperfect... until we learn that it really doesn't work out for us in the end when we insist on our own way...
Bea: why would i want to do imperfect things? (Bea is our perfectionist in the family.)
me: you don't think they're imperfect when you choose to do them; you think they're perfect, especially when you haven't spent time with God a lot.
Bea: ok.
me: (silent prayer: God, where is she going with all this??? Holy Spirit, help me!)
Bea: so if i don't want to do imperfect things that i thought were perfect, i should spend more time with God? me: yes. so you will know God's Heart. and His Heart connects with your heart more strongly. and you can hear His Heart in your heart more clearly.
Bea: ok. that makes sense.
by this time, we had arrived home.
and Bea ran out to eat her newly-bought Berry Strawberry ice cream in front of the tv. while i-- i am left with these thoughts, and shell-shocked by the experience.
whoa, where did all that come from???
Thursday, January 22, 2009
How to Stay in Joy/Keep Feeling Good (Because It's the Good Feelings that Attract the Good Things)
Because of this, I came up again with these, what i have found effective so far over the years-- just to remind me of what to do when i don't know what to do anymore:
1. Remember: do not be anxious nor worry about results. They will come, in due time. It's the FEELING GOOD THAT ATTRACTS THE GOOD THINGS, so stay in joy and keep feeling good, even if you're not seeing any results yet!
2. Count all your blessings. Not just make a mental list. Write it down, too!
3. Just take the Next Step in faith. That's all Life asks of you. The Universe will do the rest. Just take the next step.
4. Reach for relief. Reach for a "feel good" thought.
5. Pleasure yourself. In all the little ways that give you pleasure and joy, which soon add up to bigger ways and joys. (Treat your self to a coffee or even dinner date, beauty salon or spa pampering, or even "self-pampering" :> ).
6. Do something good for someone else.
7. Live in the Now. Just attend to the Present Moment and live there, fully.
8. Pay attention to what you're feeling now, feel it fully, verbalize/express it... and then, let it go.
9. Do something productive-- even if it's as simple as cleaning your dresser top or reorganizing your closet. Take your mind off your concern by doing something that produces good results because you already do it well.
10. Get the facts on your concern. Do not stew in your worst assumptions and imaginations. Research. Ask. Ask the relevant persons concerned. Ask the right people.
11. Breathe more deeply.
12. Take a nap.
13. Turn off the cellphone, tv, radio, and yes, even the Internet-connected computer (after this is done). Sit and meditate and pray, instead.
14. Meditate and pray.
15. Journalize.
16. Take a long, self-pampering bath.
17. Deep-condition your hair as you listen to classical music.
18. Pamper your skin with gentle, loving strokes with moisturizer or lotion. : )
19. Put on red lipstick.
20. Watch Mr. Bean, The Nanny, That 70s Show and eat ice cream sloowwwwwwly.
this should do, for now.
1. Remember: do not be anxious nor worry about results. They will come, in due time. It's the FEELING GOOD THAT ATTRACTS THE GOOD THINGS, so stay in joy and keep feeling good, even if you're not seeing any results yet!
2. Count all your blessings. Not just make a mental list. Write it down, too!
3. Just take the Next Step in faith. That's all Life asks of you. The Universe will do the rest. Just take the next step.
4. Reach for relief. Reach for a "feel good" thought.
5. Pleasure yourself. In all the little ways that give you pleasure and joy, which soon add up to bigger ways and joys. (Treat your self to a coffee or even dinner date, beauty salon or spa pampering, or even "self-pampering" :> ).
6. Do something good for someone else.
7. Live in the Now. Just attend to the Present Moment and live there, fully.
8. Pay attention to what you're feeling now, feel it fully, verbalize/express it... and then, let it go.
9. Do something productive-- even if it's as simple as cleaning your dresser top or reorganizing your closet. Take your mind off your concern by doing something that produces good results because you already do it well.
10. Get the facts on your concern. Do not stew in your worst assumptions and imaginations. Research. Ask. Ask the relevant persons concerned. Ask the right people.
11. Breathe more deeply.
12. Take a nap.
13. Turn off the cellphone, tv, radio, and yes, even the Internet-connected computer (after this is done). Sit and meditate and pray, instead.
14. Meditate and pray.
15. Journalize.
16. Take a long, self-pampering bath.
17. Deep-condition your hair as you listen to classical music.
18. Pamper your skin with gentle, loving strokes with moisturizer or lotion. : )
19. Put on red lipstick.
20. Watch Mr. Bean, The Nanny, That 70s Show and eat ice cream sloowwwwwwly.
this should do, for now.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Hope
Hope is like a road in the country; there wasn't ever a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.
-Lin Yutang
-Lin Yutang
Sunday, November 23, 2008
8 Ways to Increase Hope
Don't let bad news and depressing outer circumstances get you down. You can still create hope, for your self and for others. To read more, please click here.
1. Be kind to your self. Take "care breaks" as frequently as you need to.
2. Create a daily 5-minute silence ritual to stay connected to your Soul.
3. Curtail your intake of news.
4. Treat each day like a precious gift. Be vigilant in looking for things and people to appreciate. What if today was the last day of your life?
5. Take a break to savor Nature and to remind you of the timeless ways and truths of Life.
6. Express love tangibly.
7. Say this affirmation every day and see where it leads you: "I am the key to Peace."
8. Make a positive difference. Our accumulated gestures of care and compassion will ultimately transform our lives and the lives of others. We are each the source of that transformation.
1. Be kind to your self. Take "care breaks" as frequently as you need to.
2. Create a daily 5-minute silence ritual to stay connected to your Soul.
3. Curtail your intake of news.
4. Treat each day like a precious gift. Be vigilant in looking for things and people to appreciate. What if today was the last day of your life?
5. Take a break to savor Nature and to remind you of the timeless ways and truths of Life.
6. Express love tangibly.
7. Say this affirmation every day and see where it leads you: "I am the key to Peace."
8. Make a positive difference. Our accumulated gestures of care and compassion will ultimately transform our lives and the lives of others. We are each the source of that transformation.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
My Only Task These Days
i am more regular now in sticking to my daily 4am meditation commitment schedule (God first!) and i can even do a one-hour meditation session now without "effort" (being conscious that it's been an hour!).
how far i've come and grown in these "experiment" huh? to think that when i started Magical Mind, i was just intent on testing out manifesting principles i've learned...
and the most important thing i've learned is that the process actually brings you closer to your spiritual core and to your Higher Self/God/the Universe, and that somewhere, somehow along the way, you actually are not so keen on manifesting material intentions anymore than you are in actually living out spiritual values in your own life.
but the funny thing is, when you focus on the higher Spiritual concerns now, your heart's desires are actually brought to you in your life!
imagine-- i am at peace now with my self and with others, my relationships with family, friends, colleagues and even strangers are healthy, my writing has taken off (with national awards and going international now to boot), my children are thriving wonderfully and so am i, and i have a truly beautiful and special relationship now with a wonderful man whom i am also able to intimately share my spirit (not just my mind, heart and body) and spiritual journey with!
i can now truly understand what is meant by that Bible saying: "seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness... and all these things will be added unto you."
these days, i am just focused now on always being Clear-- getting clear and staying clear in spite of Life's happenings, demands, stresses-- so that i become a clearer channel for God's Grace, Love, Wisdom, Peace, Health and Abundance to flow through, to work through.
and i am finding out that it should be constant work too -- vigilance and feeding yourself with the conditions necessary to make that kind of Clarity sustainable -- or else, you lose it. that's why i'm doing my meditations daily and regularly now, in addition to eating and living healthily, feeding my mind and body only good, affirming stuff and staying away from negative/trashy/BS reading material, films, music, the tv, newspapers, negative gossipy/blaming/complaining people and surroundings as much as i can.
it's also a lesson in supreme openness and Trust -- trust in God/the Universe, trust in things working out for the best, trust in other people, trust in your self that you can handle whatever comes -- as i try to live it out daily, and i'm finding my self more open, "softer" but so much stronger now so to speak, and less attached to outcomes (succeed/fail) but more focused on the process (just living in the present moments moment by moment and aligning my self with the Flow of Life).
the interesting thing i'm discovering, though, is how i even handle schedules has changed 180 degrees now. there's the outer schedule of my life's To Dos, and there's the inner, ticking schedule of my Real Life, and i see them and live them out differently now. i used to think my To Dos were the paramount thing, with my Real Life to be fitted into it somehow. now i live my Real Life as it happens, with my To Dos to be fitted into it instead. with To Dos left undone, i figure they were not meant to be done today given the priority of Real Life, so i just move them to another day. it's so much less stressful, at the very least.
Life is so much more real, at the very best, though. i am more present to my self and to people and to experiences as they happen, and i respond more authentically and naturally and instinctively with the truth of my mind and heart at each moment. i am less "mental" and calculating in the way i approach situations and i am finding out that all those mental, calculating stuff is just so much baggage, that there is really nothing to be afraid of -- in people and in Life!
this week, particularly, the message that has been strongly and frequently coming out in my meditations is this (yes, i write them down in my journal now as they come, so i can go back to them again and again as well as "document my process" : > )--
The only task you do today is to keep contrary thoughts away. I will take care of the rest. I will work wonders for you and through you, you'll see. I love you, and I always take care of you. Make it easier by letting go, my child. The only task you do today is to keep contrary thoughts away.
how far i've come and grown in these "experiment" huh? to think that when i started Magical Mind, i was just intent on testing out manifesting principles i've learned...
and the most important thing i've learned is that the process actually brings you closer to your spiritual core and to your Higher Self/God/the Universe, and that somewhere, somehow along the way, you actually are not so keen on manifesting material intentions anymore than you are in actually living out spiritual values in your own life.
but the funny thing is, when you focus on the higher Spiritual concerns now, your heart's desires are actually brought to you in your life!
imagine-- i am at peace now with my self and with others, my relationships with family, friends, colleagues and even strangers are healthy, my writing has taken off (with national awards and going international now to boot), my children are thriving wonderfully and so am i, and i have a truly beautiful and special relationship now with a wonderful man whom i am also able to intimately share my spirit (not just my mind, heart and body) and spiritual journey with!
i can now truly understand what is meant by that Bible saying: "seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness... and all these things will be added unto you."
these days, i am just focused now on always being Clear-- getting clear and staying clear in spite of Life's happenings, demands, stresses-- so that i become a clearer channel for God's Grace, Love, Wisdom, Peace, Health and Abundance to flow through, to work through.
and i am finding out that it should be constant work too -- vigilance and feeding yourself with the conditions necessary to make that kind of Clarity sustainable -- or else, you lose it. that's why i'm doing my meditations daily and regularly now, in addition to eating and living healthily, feeding my mind and body only good, affirming stuff and staying away from negative/trashy/BS reading material, films, music, the tv, newspapers, negative gossipy/blaming/complaining people and surroundings as much as i can.
it's also a lesson in supreme openness and Trust -- trust in God/the Universe, trust in things working out for the best, trust in other people, trust in your self that you can handle whatever comes -- as i try to live it out daily, and i'm finding my self more open, "softer" but so much stronger now so to speak, and less attached to outcomes (succeed/fail) but more focused on the process (just living in the present moments moment by moment and aligning my self with the Flow of Life).
the interesting thing i'm discovering, though, is how i even handle schedules has changed 180 degrees now. there's the outer schedule of my life's To Dos, and there's the inner, ticking schedule of my Real Life, and i see them and live them out differently now. i used to think my To Dos were the paramount thing, with my Real Life to be fitted into it somehow. now i live my Real Life as it happens, with my To Dos to be fitted into it instead. with To Dos left undone, i figure they were not meant to be done today given the priority of Real Life, so i just move them to another day. it's so much less stressful, at the very least.
Life is so much more real, at the very best, though. i am more present to my self and to people and to experiences as they happen, and i respond more authentically and naturally and instinctively with the truth of my mind and heart at each moment. i am less "mental" and calculating in the way i approach situations and i am finding out that all those mental, calculating stuff is just so much baggage, that there is really nothing to be afraid of -- in people and in Life!
this week, particularly, the message that has been strongly and frequently coming out in my meditations is this (yes, i write them down in my journal now as they come, so i can go back to them again and again as well as "document my process" : > )--
The only task you do today is to keep contrary thoughts away. I will take care of the rest. I will work wonders for you and through you, you'll see. I love you, and I always take care of you. Make it easier by letting go, my child. The only task you do today is to keep contrary thoughts away.
Monday, May 19, 2008
What It's All About
This is The Universe's Message of the Day for me today. : )
It basically sums up what all this manifesting stuff is all about, and I'd like to share it here--
Land appeared beneath their feet where there had been none, Jeanette, because they dared to step.
Cups that had long been empty began to overflow, as they were finally raised in toast.
And friends were drawn, as if from the ether, when the party shoes went on.
Oh, the magic,
The Universe
It basically sums up what all this manifesting stuff is all about, and I'd like to share it here--
Land appeared beneath their feet where there had been none, Jeanette, because they dared to step.
Cups that had long been empty began to overflow, as they were finally raised in toast.
And friends were drawn, as if from the ether, when the party shoes went on.
Oh, the magic,
The Universe
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