Prayer for Protection

Praying for God's
(audio version )

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A word of caution about praying for protection. Keep in mind that Satan himself is a fallen angel and that most bible scholars agree that HIS angels chose to rebel along with Satan. Always ask God to send you   protection in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and make sure to research carefully anyone who offers courses on 'angels' and


Daily Prayers of
Pray them in this order.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command a  of protection around my home and property today and I ask that warrior would be placed to stand guard at any holes that might be in that hedge. *Holes in the hedge can be caused by yet to be dealt with sin, trauma or wounding in the lives of the people who dwell in the home.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command any free, unbound, or wandering of protection now.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask that warrior be placed at the doorways and access points to my home and property today that would keep out any free, unbound or wandering google start that would try to access my home and property today. Jesus, send warrior bind and separate from their functions any  attached to any individuals entering my home and property today. * An access point could be cable TV, internet, telephone or other communication devices in the home, power hookup, water supply or heat source.

Father God, I ask for a of protection around me. I place the full armour of God on me, and I ask that the light of the Lord Jesus shine through me this day.
Note: I strongly recommend praying Ephesians 6 daily over yourself and meditating on the scripture often.

Eph 6: 13-17 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of . In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

If you are plagued by nightmares, restless nights sleeping and a sense of uneasiness in your bedroom, pray this before going to bed each night.

Father God, I ask that you would send warrior at the bedposts of my bed. (Alternatively, the corners of your bed if you don't have a bedpost) and I declare that YOU are the Lord of my nights.
Praying for Children/spouse


Daily pray:
1. Father around each one of my children right now and Lord Jesus, I ask that you would come today, at any time necessary, to deal with any and all spirit beings which might attempt to harass my children/spouse.
2. Pray Ephesians 6 over your children and spouse.

Another Prayer for Daily
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray this prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit
In the name of Jesus Christ, I bind, rebuke and bring to no effect, all division, discord, disunity, strife, anger, wrath, murder, criticism, condemnation, pride, envy, jealousy, gossip, slander, complaining, lying, false teaching, false gifts, false , lying signs and wonders, poverty, fear of lack, fear , murmuring spirits, hindering spirits, retaliatory spirits, deceiving spirits, occult spirits, witchcraft, spirits of antichrist
I bind all curses that have been spoken against me. I bless those who curse me, and pray blessings on those who despiteful use me.

I bind all spoken judgment made against me and judgments I have made against others
I bind the power of negative words from others, and I bind and render useless all prayers not inspired by the Holy Spirit; whether  soul force, witchcraft or counterfeit tongues that have been prayed against me.


I am God's child. I resist the devil. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. I put on the whole armor of God. I take authority over this day, in Jesus' name. Let it be prosperous for me, let me walk in your love, Lord. The Holy Spirit leads and guides me today, I discern between the righteous and the wicked.

I take authority over Satan and all his demon, and those people who are influenced by them. I declare Satan is under my feet and remain there all day. I am the righteous of God in Christ Jesus.
I am God's property. Satan you are bound from my family, my mind, my body, my home and my finances.

I confess that I am healed and whole. I flourish, I am long lived, stable, durable, incorruptible, fruitful, virtuous, full of , patience and love. Whatsoever I set my hand to do shall prosper, for God supplies all my needs. I have all authority over Satan, all , and beasts of the field. God, I pray for the ministry that you have for me. Anoint me, God, for all you have called me to do for you.

I call forth divine appointments, open doors of opportunity, God ordained encounters and ministry positions. I claim a of protection around myself, spouse and children throughout this day and night.
I ask you God, in the name of Jesus to dispatch to surround me, my spouse and my children today, and to put them throughout my house and around our cars, souls and bodies. I ask protect my house from any intrusion and to me and my family from any harmful demon or other physical or mental attacks.
I ask this prayer in the name of Jesus AMEN.

Source

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Anger and Regret

Never regret for what happened because there is a reason for every cause .¸¸.•¨¯`• ƸӜƷ

You will not be punished for your anger you will be punished by your anger. buddah

If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size? ~ Sydney J. Harris

He who angers you conquers you. ~ Elizabeth Kenny

Don't carry a grudge. While you're carrying the grudge, the other g...

uy's out dancing. ~ Buddy Hackett

Malice drinks one-half of its own poison. ~ Seneca

People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing. ~ Will Rogers

The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk. ~ Jacqueline Schiff

 Every conflict we face in life is rich with positive and negative potential. It can be a source of inspiration, enlightenment, learning, transformation, and growth–or rage, fear, shame, entrapment, and resistance. The choice is not up to our opponents, but to us, and our willingness to face and work through them. ~ Kenneth Cloke and Joan Goldsmith

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. ~ Walt Whitman

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. ~ Walt Whitman

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. - Emma Goldman

Bloom where you are planted. - Mary Engelbreit

...

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. ~ Claude Monet (Monet's painting above)

Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts. ~ Sigmund Freud

 One thing I know for sure is that if you struggle with any situation, but never learn the underlying lesson, it will come back to you again and again until you learn it.

Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.

On Hope

Hope Quotes

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life(Wikipedia). It is rightly said that, "Hope is the physician of each misery". Many a times we are caught in a situation wherein we can do nothing but hope for the best. Hope is a wonderful solace and we should not ever lose hope. Hope is the best medicine. Here is a list of some famous and popular hope quotes which helps me never to quit hope and always remember as long as we have hope, we havn't lost. Feel free to add your favorite hope quote in the comment section.

Some Best Hope Quotes

• He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. -Arabian Proverb
• Never deprive someone of hope, it may be all they have. -Anonymous

• Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible. -Anonymous

• Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. -English Proverb

• Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible. -William Sloane Coffin

Hope Quotes

• Once you choose hope, anything's possible. -Christopher Reeve
• When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." -Anonymous
• You've gotta have hope. Without hope life is meaningless. -Anonymous
• Hope itself is a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords; but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain. -Samuel Johnson
• Hope never abandons you, you abandon it. -George Weinberg
• Some see a hopeless end, while others see an endless hope. -Anonymous
• We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory. -Norman Vincent Peale
• We judge of man's wisdom by his hope. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
• He who does not hope to win has already lost. -Jose Joaquin Olmedo

• We live by admiration, hope and love. -William Wordsworth
• Hope is independent of the apparatus of logic. -Norman Cousins
• Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent. -Mignon McLaughlin
• Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark. -George Iles
• Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. -Anonymous
• Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man. -Victor Hugo

I Am So Sad -

The feeling does not come just from frustration, which can make you feel persistently gloomy, or dejected. Nor does it come from a sense of futility, which can trigger a mood of brooding despondency or depression.


Sadness essentially deals with a sense of irreparable loss over “what might have been.” The loss casts a pall over every vista. Like the pain of loss of a limb, the feeling irretrievably touches primary aspects of your life. Those words also express a cry for help.

•Sadness is not dejection, or depression. It is an emotion triggered by a loss, or a disappointment. •Sadness affects your health and wellbeing.
•Sadness is triggered by images of “what might have been.”
•Sadness should reduce with time. If the grief persists, “speed dial circuits” may have been generated, which sustain the grief, just as tampering with a wound prevents it from healing.

•For relief, you should be convinced that you must move on.

•Recognize the thought patterns, which sustain your grief.
•Let your common sense take charge. It has the power to heal the pain.
•It can still the pangs of guilt within you.
•You need to realign your vision to a changed life.
•Self awareness will still the sadness emotion.
•Remember that your facial expressions also contribute to your moods.
•If your sadness still persists, you may require professional counseling. I Am So Sad - Sadness Affects Your Health And Wellbeing The sad person suffers.

You feel empty or numb. You may cry a lot. It may affect your sleep. You may eat too little, or too much. The sadness takes away your energy and makes you feel more tired. Some people even get stomach aches and headaches.

 The emotion makes it difficult for you to focus on your work. So, your output suffers. You may spend less time with friends and even find it difficult to concentrate on reading, or on watching TV. Sadness affects your work, your health and even prevents you from enjoying even the smallest pleasures in life.

I Am So Sad - Sadness Can Have Many Causes The emotion can be triggered for any number of reasons. It could be the loss of a loved one, or a divorce. A disappointment, which changes your expectations from life can be the cause. You may have regrets about things you did, or did not do.

You may have moved away from a town, away from friends and relatives, who gave you comfort.

Needless tensions created by family or teenagers could cause you to painfully miss a happier life. Pain or suffering for a loved one could cause the sadness. In every case, the recalled images of "what life might have been" cause distress. I Am So Sad - If Time Does Not Heal The Wound It is quite normal for you to feel intense grief over a loss, or disappointment. But time is a great healer.

However deep your grief, the sorrow will reduce over a period of days, or months. This is a normal neural event. It is a part of the design of nature. Nerve impulses tend to fade over time. The emotional signals, which caused you distress will fade over time, unless your own thoughts prevent the healing process. Normally, a wound also heals gradually.

But, if you keep irritating it, it will remain raw and painful. Repeated living over your pain and loss will intensify the neural patterns. New "speed dial circuits” will be created within the nervous system, which continue to trigger the same level of distress.

The pain will refuse to go away. I Am So Sad - A Return To Peace Of Mind Requires Your Conviction One day, you must move on. Sadness heals. It is an emotion, which helps you to deal with sudden loss. Crying softens painful memories. Reliving the experiences help you to adjust to a new painful reality. Upto a point. If the sadness persists and causes you continuing distress, you must act to deal with it. You have to become convinced that it is time to leave the painful past behind and bring back your peace of mind.

After all, it affects your work and your health. It prevents you from getting on with the rest of your life. The mental exercises suggested below will only succeed if you are convinced that they are necessary. Are you prepared to move on? No, It's time to end it all.

All thing Must Pass

Suicidal Ideation forever?

Therese Bouchard of Beyond Blue had a gem earlier this month I must have missed. It was on Suicidal Ideation.

I think I am the Queen of Suicidal Ideation. Right now I have my ibook on my lap, a razor next to me. I want to pick it up, go into the bathtub and play with it. What is stopping me from that? I am writing this, fast, furiously, hoping among hope I can stay busy until the feeling passes and I can put the blade away without any cuts or blood to my person. But oh! It would be so tempting to just pick it up, go into the bath tub, strip down to my underwear, crawl into the tub, run a little hot water so that one delicious vein in my wrist will show, and cut deep.

But what stops me is what if I screw up, and only destroy a tendon. Not loose enough blood to sanguinate? That is one. But if I mess up and can never use my hands again? I gotta fight it.


And in fighting it, fighting this feeling, I could take Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali down with one hand tied behind my back. I have been doing this most of my life, since my first attempt at four.

I have learned various tricks to stop it when it hits, write. Write as if your heart is breaking and just keep writing. Don't proof read, just write/type as fast as you can, and when you are in a better frame of mind, proof read, or destroy the manuscript.

Another trick I have learned is to take an ice cold bath. Don't know why but it works. Another trick is to smoke- this probably won't work for everyone but for some reason after a few cigarettes, I feel stable. It must be the nicotine.


Sometimes the feeling comes and goes quickly, in minutes. Sometimes it goes on for days and weeks like it did when I wrote this to Liz Spikol, who was kind enough to print it. Three weeks ago my mother phoned me and I was crying, begging her to let me come over and pick up the rifle my dad has. That is a rifle for game, not people. It doesn't even have ammo, and hasn't been used in over 40 years. I got over that by staying in the apartment, until it passed. I don't drive. I try to identify what triggers, if any made me get Existential and want to x myself out of existence.

It's not that I want to die. I want to stop living. I want the pain- whether it would be real or imaginary, to stop. What is painful to me, may not, as triggers and thoughts go, be the same for another. For me, it's broken dreams. The realization I peaked at 23, and the life I wanted never would happen.Wishing when i was 22 and had a chance to have my novel published, I choked. From that point on, my writing and my career dreams went down the toilet. Other things, the fact I am not a mother, that ranks pretty high. Seeing couples being happy and being in love, makes me want to stab myself in the heart and rip it out like an auto-sacrifice of my own in a mock Aztec fashion. Only I would continue to live, without the heart. It's not a big deal because I think honestly I am living that way now.


I still feel like I want to go into that good night, not sure if I will hit the publish button or delete. Maybe should try to sleep a bit? Lie down and arrange the pandas in the bed with me. With a bit of luck, the striped one will finish her nocturnal rounds and snuggle. She is my saving grace, my saviour. She leans up near me so close I can hear her breathe, and feel the fur against my naked leg. And it soothes me.

I know I will pray as I do most every evening of my life to not wake up in them morning. To learn if you dream you are falling and you really hit bottom and don't wake up. If a heart attack really hurts. And I have trepidation because I am such a loner and introvert it could be days if not a whole week before they find me. So what ever it is, will be. There are some things I can change, and other things I cannot and I need the courage to know the difference. And dying, no matter how tempting it seems, isn't. Not now. Not ever.


http://ifyouregoingthoughhellkeepgoing.blogspot.com/2009/09/on-suicidal-ideation.html

Dorotea's Bucket: FAITH

Dorotea's Bucket!

One night, our youngest daughter was experiencing croup. A bad case of croup. She was about 2 at the time. We were in the jungle and no doctor or hospital was available, we couldn't even call for an emergency flight to come get us. The Cessnas cant land at night on a dark airstrip. So, we did all we could. We set up a pop up tent and I boiled kettles and kettles of water while she and her dad laid inside the Sauna environment, hoping to loosen the phlegm which was blocking her breathing. Finally, around 3 a.m. She was able to get rid of the phlegm and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

My husband and myself prepared to get some sleep as well. A few minutes after we had laid down, just on the verge of that wonderful sleep...we began to hear something. Rustling!
We went out of our room in time to see our son (10 years old or so) run by on his way outside! The 2 older girls were right behind him!
We could hear Indians beginning to run past our house as well, calling out...something!

So we grabbed the little one and ran out as well. You see, children always learn a foriegn language faster than their parents and Josh had understood the screams of the Indians.

He heard them yelling, "FIRE! THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!", and as he rolled over and looked out his window, he saw the flames VERY close to our roof. He thought OUR roof was on fire.

We had taught the children that if our palm roof EVER caught on fire..Get out FAST!! Dry leaves go up in flame very quickly and there is no time to grab anything. So, he took us at our word, and with only a yell over his shoulder to his siblings, he was out the door.

Once outside we realized the fire was at Tito and Dorotea's house, about 100 meters or so away.
My husband began to run towards the jungle path that led to our water pump. Their house was lost, but we hoped to be able to save the houses near it, including our own by wetting the roofs.

So Clint runs out, barefoot, into the dark jungle. The indian trails are narrow and only wide enough to walk on in single file. So staying on the trail in the dark was not easy. The pump was about 500 meters or so down to the river. There was no moon light, and the jungle at night can be scary. I ran in and grabbed a flash light and tossed it to him.

In the mean time, I climbed up our water tower to unhook the flexible pipe we used to fill the barrels we used as a water storage tank.

Once down, my son and I began to pull the 2 inch hose towards the fire. A two inch hose full of water is HEAVY! We were pulling and had gotten to the edge of a thick piece of jungle we needed to get through to reach the fire. My young son's voice was a little frightened as he asked, "Mommy, are we going to walk through there without a light?!"

I answered in my own frightened voice, "I guess we have to." At that same moment, something SWOOSHED by us and we felt the hose pulled from our hands!
All this time, my husband is experiencing his own adventure! The flashlight I had tossed him...well, the batteries were dead! So he is running through the jungle in the pitch black! Now, unless you have been in the jungle on a moonless night, under the canopy of the forest without a light, you have NO idea how DARK it can get!
aAs he runs, he is praying aloud, "Please God! No snakes!"
Later he says he wished he had prayed "No thorns". I had to pull 13 thorns, some up to an inch long out of his feet after he got back. But he did make it to the pump house and he did get the pump started.

Josh and I felt the hose taken from us. It was so dark we couldn't see who ,or what! had ran by until one of the Indians said, "We got it now".
Whew! I was glad to not have to go through that dark jungle!

After fighting the fire for several hours, the village was able to save all but the one house.

The thing I remember most was poor Dorotea! She was crying, "My new bucket! I lost my new bucket!"
That was her prized possession! A plastic bucket.

I ask you, if you had a fire, would you be crying over a bucket? That kind of puts it in perspective for me! We are so wealthy!

Lets remember to be grateful! God has blessed us with so much in our country, we don't even comprehend how wealthy we are. So next time you (or I) feel like whining about not having something, think of Dorotea and her bucket.
--Jungles of Venezuela

Is this a trick?

Is this a trick?

I don’t see, I don’t taste, I don’t feel. I don’t live. I  can’t hear. I’m a scarecrow in the middle of nowhere.

My function is to frighten while dead

I’m am walking dead

Though I died a long time ago

Why am I sentenced to walk this walk

I have exhausted myself and my loved ones

I can’t bear to see their agony

How much longer can I pretend

How much can I swallow my pain and loneliness

How much longer I can survive without an inside, hollow, dug out of my being??

How much longer do I need to put on a fake smile?

How much longer do I need to hide the real me?

Am I real? I don’t feel I am real..

I feel I am just ball of pain with a head and two legs that are not connected.

I feel detached from my surrounding? I don’t even know or recognize where I am or

Who I am.

What I am doing here? How did I get here? Who put me here?

Am I real?

I don’t feel my body or spirit

What is going on?

Why am I here?

Who put me here?

Why am I here?

I don’t feel my existence. I think but I am not.

But all isn't dead yet

The Moon is always Full

The Moon is Always Full

The moon is always full
Our human eyes

See only its phases
Love is always here
Our human heart

Sees only its shadow
Joy is always present
Our human mind
Reasons it away

God is always near
Our human spirit
Knows this without words

O Moon, display your full beauty
to my inner eye
O Love, come into the light that casts
no shadow

O Joy, overflow my cup of reason
with your wine

O God, fill me, fill me, fill me
with Your knowing

That my heart may rejoice in You
My eyes may be filled with You
My reason overcome by You
My spirit abound in You

Ameen!
- Irving Karchmar, November 2007

Author of  Posted by darvish

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Review of Meister der Jinn – the German Translation

Meister der Jinn, the German translation of Master of the Jinn, from the magazine Spirit Connection. To order the book, click HERE.

Tummy Trembles

our friend, anxiety Tummy trembles. Brain fuzz. That discombobulating feeling that you're not quite sure what you should be doing but you should be something to keep your act together. Anxiety. Sometimes it slips away with a few deep breaths, other times you need to beat it off with a stick or some little white pills. Naturally, we want try to get as far away from anxiety as possible - which usually just results in us being anxious about being anxious. You resist and so it persists. But what if rather than pushing it away, we actually welcomed anxiety when it showed up? What if, rather than dreading the discomfort it brings, we looked at anxiety as a delivery service of inner truth and other such soul goodies? 

Because every time anxiety shows up, it's our psyche's way of saying, "Knock knock, I've got something to show you about yourself that you really should see." Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard explained anxiety is a natural condition. (How liberating!) He believed that anxiety is "a cognitive emotion that reveals truths that we would prefer to hide but that we need for our greater health." And that it's a valuable to for shaping our ideal lives. Think of it this way, beneath the butterflies in your stomach, behind the clouds in your mind ... is your greater truth, and it's trying to break on through.

TURNING ANXIETY INTO POWER STEP 1: Face reality. "I'm anxious." Simply notice your anxiety. Firstly, you need to be aware of your actual indicators of anxiety ... they can be different for everyone. A lot of the times anxiety is trying to talk to us and we're just not picking up on the physical or mental cues. For me, anxiety manifests in what I call, priority confusion. If I wander from room to room in the house, unsure if I should tidy, check my email, walk the dog, or write a novel, then I know something is up. I'm typically very laid back and laser-like decisive so if I can't figure out what's first on the to-do list, I know that anxiety has come callin'. When you see the signs of it, all you need to do is simply state it. "I'm feeling anxious." There. 


You said it. You probably feel better already. Getting real is always the best first step. STEP 2: Inquiry. "So, why am I anxious?" This is the step that requires real work. It's the kind of inquiry that calls for both concentration and compassion ... a tricky combo. Having an "inquiry image" might be helpful. I often see dilemmas as layers of soft, earthy sediment within myself, and each question is a drilling down through the silt. "So why am I anxious?" I ask myself. "Because I don't want to be late." Not quite, that doesn't feel true. "So why am I anxious?"

 I repeat. "Because I've got so much to do." Nope, that's not it either, it's not making sense to my heart. "So why am I anxious?" I drill down. "Because I'm afraid that when I show up I'll be rejected." Bingo. When you get to the true reason for your anxiousness, and there may be more than one explanation, then there's usually a softening that occurs when you come across it. So you called it like you see it. That's powerful. And you've identified the reason - even more powerful. Now you're ready to rise above it. STEP 3: Take responsibility.

This is where your real power comes in. This is the fun bit, where you get to be a creative grown up, the master of your own domain. Once you've discovered why you're feeling anxious ... whether it's fear of failure, or a memory of past hurt or humiliation, then you need to counter the fear and negativity with courage and optimism. It's that simple - and that challenging. Whatever you want to call it, positive thinking, re-framing, self-encouragement, ra-ra-rah, this is where you need to step up to the plate, look at your fear head on and confront it with your truth. The truth being, that you manage to get through everyday whether with grace or grit; that fear will not kill you; that your God, or your friends, or your grandma in heaven will have your back; that you have risen above before, and that you will rise above again; that, it's only life after all. 

Anxiety doesn't come bearing the solution. It's just there to direct your attention to the problem. It's like a headache that signals to you that you're hungry. The headache reminds you that your body needs nourishment, and then it's up to you to feed yourself. Self-care is a divine responsibility. To befriend anxiety is to choose your deepest strength. It's turning brain fuzz into brilliance, and the jitters into vital fuel to help you shine brighter than ever

What failures are you grateful for?

Success and failure go hand in hand. "The things you are fired for are often the things that in later life you will be celebrated and given life time achievement awards for!" Francis Ford Coppola was canned for writing an "odd" and awkward script for the now legendary film Patton. The film was shelved, took years to make, and then went on to win an Oscar for best screenplay. Meanwhile, Coppola was working on The Godfather and was also on the verge of being canned from that film. He figures the glory from the Oscar saved his butt from being fired from The Godfather...which as we all know, went down in movie making history. If I hadn't been rejected from art school, I'd never have written my first book. If I'd gotten that gig with the big publishing house, I wouldn't have met The Dalai Lama. If I'd stayed in my last company, I wouldn't be writing the White Hot Truth. What's "odd" is often revolutionary (change happens at the edges..beware the majority.) Artistry rarely compromises, it just looks for a new place to express itself. "Good" will never, ever, ever be as deeply fine as giving it your all come hell or high water. Thank God for failure. What failures are you grateful for?

Failure Angel

The Subtle & Abiding Sense of Failure Angel. Know her? Ry Cooder is considered to be one of the greatest bluesmen of all time. Yet, on more than one occasion, with a sold out concert and multiple encores, he asked promoters to refund the audience their money because he felt, "I could have been better." I have a painter friend whose art sells for $10,000 a painting. She routinely paints over pieces that are for sale in her gallery. It could have been better, she says. I've gotten standing ovations for speaking gigs. "Meh, I give myself a B. Coulda been better." Here's the confession: I always feel like I'm failing. And succeeding. And failing. And succeeding. And failing. I'm not masochistic. My glass is not 'half full', it is oceanic. I feel sturdy and ripe. But The Subtle & Abiding Sense of Failure Thing.... it's as steady as the green of my eyes. If you're committed to the sacred strive, The Subtle & Abiding Sense of Failure Thing will always be along for the ride. ... In your speech, your craft, your work. Pleasing your lover, planting your garden, dispensing your accumulated knowledge. You can make masterpieces. Daily. You can please some people, get a raise, fire up your kundalini, you can hit it out of the park and sleep like a satiated baby that night. And then in she glides, to sit in the chair in the corner of your room: The Subtle & Abiding Sense of Failure Thing. She's an angel, I tell you. An angel. You are not insecure, neurotic, defective, obsessive, or unappreciative. (Well, maybe you are, but not because you experience The Subtle & Abiding Sense of Failure Angel.) Coexisting with The Subtle & Abiding Sense of Failure Angel is part of making art. She is as reliable as your creative impulses. She comes bearing invitations. To more. The Subtle & Abiding Sense of Failure Angel is able to enter because you left your heart open. Leave it open. You have to. To make more stuff. To make it better, so that we evolve and bring one another along for the ride. Where demons get to be angels if you look at them the right way.

ERMA BOMBECK

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. 

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

 I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband. I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day. I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime. Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle. When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ... But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.

ODE TO JOY

LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN Beethoven's great chorus At one of the most difficult periods in his life, Ludwig van Beethoven composed what most would say was his greatest symphony. His "Ode to Joy" from the Ninth Symphony has been and will always be the chorus of Beethoven's life.

Robert Burn--to a mouse

Poetry by RUMI -- Who Says Words with My Mouth

RUMI

Manifesto of Encouragement

right now:
There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.
Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.
Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.
Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.


A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."
Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie. Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you -- for free.
Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.


The next great song is being rehearsed.
Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.
Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.
Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. They just can't see it from where they're at.
Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want -- and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."
Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche -- this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.


Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.
Someone is fighting the fight so that you don't have to.
Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.
Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. Someone is curing the incurable.



You. Me. Some. One. Now.

Source



. . . . . . .

Self-hatred??

Self hatred. Could there be a heavier, shame-soaked, cringe-inducing concept?
Hating yourself.
Hatred.
Hate of self.
You hating...you.
Park that thought for a minute.
You're self-referencing. You're successful (and you're bright enough to know that that's a relative term.) You're a generally wide-awake, highly confident, compassionate, secure citizen of the collective. You know who you are. You're committed to knowing more. You practice mindful speech, you send light to the people who piss you off, you get regular massage treatments, you own a few sex toys, you do workshops. Clearly, you treat yourself well. You know you're worth it.
Self hatred? You?
Me?
I HATE MYSELF. THERE, I SAID IT.
I used to think my list of self-criticisms, we're just criticisms. Innocuous opinions I held about myself that were mild, understandable, reasonable even - part of being aware of my "shadow". Growth points. That on-going, fucking incessant chatter (as chill and dignified as it is,) goes something like this:
I SORT OF SUCK BECAUSE I SHOULD ... (and I bet you can insert your own list here...) lose ten more pounds, work less, be kinder to my man, more attentive to my boy, less concerned about "arriving", more responsive to my readers, less fixated on Twitter, more informed about world politics, less spendy, more willing to adopt a child, less judgmental of all of the shitty customer service and mediocrity in the world, more motivated to get my ass on my bike, less obsessive about strategic planning, more inclined to socialize, less irritated by small talk, more inclined to do less, and blah-blah-fucking-self-critical-unrelenting-BLAAAAH.
Add to that list: dust bunnies, a few missed birthdays, a grandmother that deserves a phone call, an overflowing Facebook inbox that I ignore, a nightstand piled high with books in progress (although I keep buying more books,) and some memories of thoughtless things I said to good people who may have been hurt by my ego ... and, well, it's not adding up to a lot of self-compassion or oozing Goddess worth, is it? It's not sounding so light, so harmless, or so innocuous, is it?
Park that thought for a minute.
I ADORE MYSELF. TRULY. NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
I could list 10,000 reasons, here and now, why I'm The High Priestess of Loveliness. My heart is galactic. My mind is laser-razor. I've made some good choices this time around. AND YET ...
Those little paper cuts that I inflict on my spirit are not random or rootless. They are effective. They have a source. Yes, self-criticism may be well-intentioned. It may be fed by old hurts, family of origin, past lives, modern culture, mortal coil. But it's seeded from the murky marsh of loathing. And to greater and lesser degrees, it's part of everyone's psychic biosphere. The trick to drying it up is to shine some light on it.
Self-criticism is not "love", and it is certainly not indifferent. It's a form of hatred. And when I name that, when I see it for what it is (raw and uncomfortable and saddening...) when I refuse to sugar-coat self criticism, judgment, agitation, and constantly trying to improve myself, then I'm one quantum leap closer to freedom. Out of the swamp. Grounded in love.
. . . . . . .
The most lucid material I've come across on self judgment, ego and presence is The Unfolding Now by AH Almaas. source

"This year, I will
spend more time at the beach,
with sand between my toes.

This year, I will
give up on the goal of less coffee
because more coffee means more pleasure,
and some vices are good.
I will indulge in a second piece of cake when offered,
and ironically stop worrying
that I'm so permanently skinny.
Who cares.

This year, I will
stop saying yes
when I really mean no,
and stop saying no
when I'm too afraid to say yes.
I will stop caring what perfect strangers think,
and hold close the opinions
of those who care for me.

This year, I will
leave aside mandatory daily moments for
savouring the first sip of coffee
rather than chugging it down in a rush,
prolonged belly rubs for a furry friend called Kobi
rather than distracted pats,
five minutes of daydreaming
rather than relentless mental list-making,
a few seconds of smelling my perfume
rather than carelessly putting it on.

This year, I will
write
so very much,
just for my own pleasure
and no-one else.
I will take time to enjoy words
rather than edit them.
I will marvel at their simplicity
and unknowability,
especially those untranslatable ones:

Cafuné (Brazilian Portuguese): The act of tenderly running your fingers through someone's hair.

I will also run my fingers through someone's hair,
while thinking of these words.

This year, I will
be more protective of my time,
it's in short supply these days.

This year, I will
stop making lists of things
I cannot possibly hope to achieve,
or even want to undertake.
But I will write a new list
if I don't have the
courage, sense, or wisdom,
to follow this one.

* * *

Happy new year!

http://hila-lumiere.blogspot.com/2012/01/this-year.html

Habit 1 & 2

By Franklin Covey


Gray, melancholy day. We get into a mood and the whole day goes bad.

Carry your weather with you regardless of how people treat you. Don't be victim of your mood or victim of your condition.

Habit 2: Being Proactive

Between what happens to us, that is stimulus and our response, is a SPACE. In that space lies our power and our freedom to choose our response and in those choices lay our growth and happiness.

Example: Victor Frankl (prisoner, therapist, author) who went through unbelievable indignities observed in the Nazi concentration camp that different people reacted differently to the same circumstances. As he was laying on the torture table, he discovered 'the last human freedom'; he visulaized lecturing his students in Austria and telling them about his atrocities that he endured. He said having a a sense of purpose is what saved him; a contribution yet to be made.  Basic human capbility that man has is the freedom to choose. This became the  for his brilliant autobigrophy the basis for "Man's Search For Meaning".

It's not what people do to us that hurts us, it's our chosen response that hurts us.

We must simply never build our emotional life based on the weaknesses of other people. We give our power , our future away, otherwise, we give them permission to mess up our lives.

Mission Statement

"My mission is to give, for giving is what I do best and I can learn to do better.
I will seek to learn, for learning is the basis for growth, and growing is the key to living. I will seek first to understand, for understanding is the key to finding value, and value is the basis for respect, decisions, and action. This should be my first act with my husband, my family, and my business.
   
I want to help influence the future development of people and organizations. I want to teach my children and others to love and laugh, to learn and grow beyond their current bounds.
I will build personal, business, and civic relationships by giving, in frequent little ways.

---

Our Family Mission: No empty chairs.

---

I live to serve my talents as communicator, artist, and independent businesswoman. I create balance in work, play, and community. I inspire those I interact with.

---

I want to be the kind of person my dog already thinks I am.

---

The mission of our family is to create a nurturing place of order, love, happiness, and relaxation, and to provide opportunities for each person to become responsibly independent and effectively interdependent, in order to achieve worthwhile purposes.

---

Care
About the world
About life
About people
About myself

Love
Myself
My family
My world
Knowledge
Learning
LIFE

Fight
For my beliefs
For my passions
To accomplish
To do good
To be true to myself
Against apathy

Rock
The boat, don’t
let the boat rock me
Be a rock

Be Remembered

---

To be humble.
To say thanks to God in some way, every day.
To never react to abuse by passing it on.
To find the self within that does and can look at all sides without loss.
I believe in treating all people with kindness and respect.
I believe by knowing what I value, I truly know what I want.
To be driven by values and beliefs.
I want to experience life’s passions with the newness of a child’s love, the sweetness and joy of young love, and the respect and reverence of mature love.
Finally, to go through life with a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye.

---

Nothing less."--anonymous

Gandhi's mission statement

Mahatma Gandhi's mission is captured in a short list of active/mission statements.

  Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:
I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
I shall fear only God.
I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering