In The Spirit of Truth

Battle for america’s soul: Wisconsin’s April 6 election

Joe Biden inaugurated his presidency with a bold intention: restore the soul of America.

If the spirit is ailing nationally, it’s code blue in the bellweather Badger State.

Citing Harvard’s Electoral Integrity Project that measures the health of democracies around the world, Wisconsin’s democracy on a scale of 1 to 100 scored a 3—“the lowest in the world”—said author David Daley in a recent public radio interview.

“Wisconsin’s state government is less responsive to its citizens than authoritarian states like Venezuela, which scored a 14.” Wisconsin’s extreme gerrymandered “lines have provided a firewall against politics, against the public will,” said Daley.

Spiritual renewal

Ideally, spiritual renewal happens in hearts and minds—with ideas, pens, and ballot boxes. Wisconsin’s next renewal opportunity comes on April 6 when we choose our new State Superintendent of Schools.

That position hardly seems important—unless seen in strategic context.

Make no mistake: the spirit of America is not just sick, it’s been poisoned.

Fascist Conservatives are out of the closet and openly walking the Halls of Congress, calling for and participating in attempted political assassinations. They’re using the same toxic playbook as genocidal mass murderer Adolph Hitler, with neo-Nazis, and other hate groups.

Attacking education is an old-time strategic move.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/09/us/capitol-hill-insurrection-extremist-flags-soh/index.html

According to historians, political scientists, and communication scholars in The Disinformation Age(Social Science Research Council, Cambridge University Press, 2021) this is part of “decades-long efforts by political and business interests to undermine authoritative institutions, including parties, elections, public agencies, science, independent journalism, and civil society.”

Fascist Conservatives goal: re-write the Constitution

“While the nation has been transfixed by the daily tweets of President Trump, the Koch network has quietly lined up authorizations from state legislatures to convene the first national constitutional convention since the Constitution was drafted,” wrote Nancy MacLean, William H. Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University. “Common Cause has called the effort ‘the most serious threat to our democracy flying completely under the radar.’”

The poisoning of Wisconsin’s body politic began decades ago with nasty rhetoric, demonizing teachers. Then our former governor, Scott Walker, whose campaign slogan was “Spread the Pain”—a clearly fascist goal—decimated teachers unions, claiming school choice to be a superior educational system.

Suppose School Choice is much better, which some studies suggest. Where’s Conservatives’ plan to duplicate what’s working, and improve education for all Wisconsin children? Where’s the plan to fix our ailing infrastructure, health care system—any improvement for all the people?

As Gary Hart once said, “Where’s the beef?”

There is no beef—no Conservative plan to improve anything.

The goal of Fascist Conservatives is to tear down, to destroy, and to decimate public institutions — especially education.

Why?

Because they can’t let people know that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” as Nelson Mandela said.

Education is key to freedom, growth, and progress — and that is a direct threat to Fascist Conservatives whose playbook is control and enslavement through fear and hatred. It’s the same old reason authoritarian “slave legislatures” 200+ years ago barred slaves from learning to read.

“To read and write tends to excite dissatisfaction in their minds and to produce insurrection and rebellion,” wrote William Jay to Congress in 1835 about laws banning education of Black slaves. “Slave legislatures…enslave the minds of their victims; and we have surely no reason to hope that their souls are regarded with more compassion.”

https://archive.org/details/aninquiryintoch05jaygoog/page/n142/mode/2up?q=rebellion Page 136

Questions to start the process

Questioning authority is a time-honored American tradition. Questioning and then listening for the inner answer is also the path to spiritual restoration.

Mr. Biden posed a restorative question: “What are the common objects we, as Americans, love?….Opportunity, Security. Liberty. Dignity. Respect. Honor. And yes, the Truth.”

As an Orthodox Christian, truth is absolutely the path to freedom. As my priest, retired Rev. Fr. Bill Olnhausen reminds us God is a spirit of Truth, while “Satan is “‘the father of lies’, the Destroyer, and all lies are destructive.”

Like Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Biden also quoted scripture to identify unity as our core essence — that a house divided cannot stand.

Remembering the United States of America

To restore the spirit, review, meditate, and journal on each word’s meaning and symbolism in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag:

Republic: our form of government in which power is vested in the people and their trusted representatives. (How are relationships of trust created? How can trust be restored?)
Indivisible: cannot be divided. (Are the costs and consequences of divorce worth it?)
Liberty: freedom to do as you choose. (Are you free to choose your responses?)
Justice: fair treatment. (What do you think is fair?)
Thirteen (13) stripes of the flag for the courage of the founding colonies who declared independence and fought for freedom.
Stars for each of the United States—all equal, originally 13, now 50.
Blue field behind the stars representing vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
White for the values of the purity and innocence—how all children are born into the world, needing love and protection.
Red for valor, bravery, and strength to stand up for what is right and what is good for all. Also, as in red-blooded Americans —that which is common in all our diversity.

Another key aspect of the spirit of America worth meditating on is a powerful virtue Greeks call philotimo, which means to be a devoted, loyal friend and lover of honor and duty. Philotimo is central to our Judeo-Christian Fifth Commandment ethos to love and honor family — the foundation of all functional societies. Philotimo was most profoundedly demonstrated during World War II. Check out this excellent short video (14:36) with many famous people explaining the concept, which deserves to come into the English language.

The Greek Secret of Philotimo (14 min) — https://youtu.be/vyOIgzVKLT4

To restore the spirit of America, we need to do two things:

1) Make choices that glorify, enhance, magnify, and expand upon these values — opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, truth, unity, equality, perseverance, justice, purity, innocence, valor, bravery, strength, what is right, what is good, commonality within diversity, and philotimo.

2) Reject that which diminishes them. Such as slavery and other forms of fascism.

Recognizing Fascist Conservatism

Fascist Conservatism opposes American values as it seeks to enslave. Stir up mistrust. Create confusion. Stoke fear. Provoke anger. Encite violence. Divide into warring factions. Manipulate people to break laws, commit acts of violence, destroy property, kill, and worse.

The end goal of Fascist Conservatives: abolition of representative democracy—which is hanging on by a thread in Wisconsin.

Fascist Conservatives promote the opposite of philotimo: disregard for truth, honor, love, integrity, and family pride.

Fascist Conservatives demonize teachers, public schools, and education. They claim that deregulated, profit-driven industries and free market forces are more trustworthy to deliver great quality at low prices, than government. They manipulate messages and point fingers, promoting destruction of representative government as superior service to taxpayers.

Friends down in Texas: how’s that working out?

Perhaps at no time in history is there a greater need for educated, intelligent citizenry, able to keep up with the blinding speed of advancements in science, expanding understanding of how the natural world works, appreciating advances in medical science. We need as many hands on deck as possible, educated, trusting in each other, to help us survive and thrive through these genuine crises we are facing. Not fake crises.

The final questions

My dear conservative friends about whom I care and know to be decent people who value education: Which side of this battle for the soul of America will you be on?

Will you choose leaders who value education, decency, philotimo, truth, freedom, hope, rolling up sleeves, burying hatchets, working together for the good of all, educating all, rising above the political fray, pulling together in the same direction?

Or will you choose to side with Fascist Conservative loyalists eager to break faith with our ancestors who fought fascism in WWII, tear down the Constitution, and replace it with a Fascist Conservative autocracy?

Your choice will most impact the youngest generations alive today — our children and grandchildren. They will inherit the mess the world is in right now.

Will our children see adults grow up and act like adults? Will they see us all calm down, cool off, shake hands? Will they see us grab the rope to pull together behind wise visionary leaders who care about them? Will they see examples of true servant leaders who speak kindly, value safety, and who love them?

Will the children see us choose effective strategists, analysts, visionaries, thinkers, creators, artists, writers, team builders, team leaders, and executives, who prioritize children and all people of all ages?

Endorsing candidate: Jill Underly

Jill Underly is the candidate I support for Wisconsin State Superintendent of Schools on April 6. Explore her qualifications, see her speak at https://underlyforwi.com/about/ and VOTE!

Let’s start getting our dismal score back up into at least the double digits.

Lyme Disease Awareness Presentations

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and all are invited to attend a free presentation: A Wisconsin Family’s Lyme Journey: A Case For Hope. Laurel Kashinn is a local writer and mother seeking to share her and her family’s experience with Lyme disease following their daughter’s successful treatment. Besides her family’s story, she includes in her presentation:

+ Facts about ticks and the many diseases they can carry

+ Finding peace in the war zone over Lyme disease; how not to become a casualty

+ Resources and natural solutions: how to connect with wellbeing and stay healthy

She will present her story at Cedarburg Public Library, Wednesday, May 8, Noon-1 pm, Facebook live and Zoom online on Wednesday, May 15 at noon, and at the USS Liberty Memorial Grafton Public Library, Wednesday, May 22, from Noon-1 pm.

After navigating the healthcare system, doing extensive research, and helping her daughter who became so sick she was bedridden and had to be homeschooled for the 8th grade, Kashinn has become a wellness advocate, and seeks to share what she has learned. Hers is a message of hope and empowerment.

To learn more or for a link to the Facebook Live Zoom presentation, contact Kashinn at Laurel@BeeJoyful.org or call (262) 376-7777.

Self plagiarism: an unsustainable and ridiculous legal concept

If I write a beautiful sentence in a poem and then use it in a novel, or if I publish an article on my blog and re-publish it on social media, it is a ridiculous idea that I could be committing the crime of “self plagiarism.”

“Self-plagiarism,” explained Robert Cruetz, “is also known as ‘reuse,’ ‘recycling fraud,’ or ‘duplicate publication,’ and consists of a person re-purposing their own written material without providing proper attribution by citing the original content.”

The legal concept of “self-plagiarism” is contrary to the order of the universe, unnatural, and therefore inherently flawed. Think of genetic code as a type of writing. A rule prohibiting “self plagiarism”” would have derailed evolution from its earliest beginnings and planet Earth would still be a hot dead rock without an atmosphere or arable soil.

All life has borrowed “writing” from the prior generation in order to both survive and to thrive in the process of adding to it, improving upon it.

Here it seems to me that the spirit of the law against plagiarism has been lost. The spirit of plagiarism laws was to protect the livelihood of the original author. The ability of the author to support their life their family. Think about that.

Self-plagiarism is ridiculous and foolish legalistic concept.

I hereby confess this is a repost, self-plagiarism, from my original writing on LinkedIn.

Thoughts on prayer: the Trisagion, Ho’oponopono, and more

Some have wondered about the name of this website, In The Spirit of Truth. As mentioned in my Welcome page, the URL is from a line in one my favorite prayers called the Trisagion, which means “thrice holy.”

The Trisagion (tri-SAH-ghee-on) is a set of ancient prayers from the Orthodox Church that are used at the very beginning of most corporate and private prayers. Sort of a prayer before the prayers. Paraphrasing Fr. Bill, the Trisagion is about making sure you’re reaching the right person. It’s like having your friend’s phone number. You wouldn’t key in some random set of numbers and expect to hear your friend answer. Opening prayers with the Trisagion is dialing up the exact right divine nonphysical entity, the Holy Trinity. Once you’ve got them on the line, now proceed with specific prayers, such as traditional Orthodox common morning prayers, special occasion prayers, or your own private personal prayers for any other purpose.

Below is the text of the Trisagion prayer. It is usually spoken but portions are also sung, in the clip below.

The Trisagion

+Glory to Thee, our God, Glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, O Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come, and dwell in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Gracious One.
+Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. [3x]
+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. [3x]
+Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the +Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Usually the Trisagion is spoken, but can be sung or chanted such as this excerpt from the Akathist of Thanksgiving.

The Lords Prayer, I particularly love the way Orthodox sing. The recording below is from an Orthodox wedding. The Lord’s prayer is also part of the Trisagion, but not usually sung at that early part of prayer. (I used to sing it to my daughter when she was a baby, during our prayers at home.) I just love this!

Focus and Practice

What’s most important is focus and practice. When I first started coming to the Orthodox liturgy, I was uncomfortable and critical of how prayers were repeated all the time, the same words used, week after week. I shared my feelings at Intro to Orthodoxy class and Fr. Bill explained that learning how to pray is very much like learning how to play an instrument. Just like practicing scales over and over again until they become second nature, you practice to the point where you don’t have to think about them, and now you can become a conduit for creativity. Then you can start making music. He said it’s the same with prayer. That made a lot of sense to me.

Neurologically, when we practice anything it’s like making a path through the woods, but in our brains. The electrical impulses actually cut a “neural pathway” through our brain. Repeating anything does. Driving to work. Habitual thoughts. Practicing scales. They all create paths of least resistance for neural impulses to travel — over time and with repetition it becomes easier and easier than hacking through thick brush with a machete. Getting good at anything is the same. Walking. talking. Communicating.

Prayer really is a form of communication.

In its simplest most basic form, communication is a sender, a receiver, and a message. The goal of course being the conveyance of a message and connection to another– the very definition of relationship. For connection and communication to occur, both parties need to be speaking the same language, not have any interference or noise, and each party takes turns speaking (sending) and listening (receiving). They are two different modes. One cannot speak and listen at the same time.

Remember the game “Telephone” in kindergarten? Everyone stands in a circle, the starting person whispers a phrase into the ear of their friend on the left (sending), who hears it (receiving) and passes it on by whispering into the ear of their friend on their left, (sending) and so on. Lowering the voice to a whisper represents a form of interference (noise), because there’s not enough amplification for the conveyance of all the nuances of the sounds of the words, thereby interfering with communication. By the time the message gets conveyed to the last person, it is usually quite changed from the original message. Imagine if nobody listened, but everyone talked or whispered. That’s kind of how our lives are these days.

Here’s what I think. People who believe God isn’t there, isn’t listening, is unresponsive — they have it backwards. The Blessed Elder Paisios said God is broadcasting 24/7; out job is to tune ourselves to his frequency. We are the ones not listening.

Truly, in my own experience — and I’m not a pro at prayer like the monks of Mount Athos, are — and in that of concert musicians and painters and anyone creative — it is normal to experience and receive communication a higher Source. To quiet the mind is key: stopping thought, getting into listening mode. It’s not hard, really. You can do it right now, while reading this. Close your eyes for just a few minutes and notice your breathing. Or a meaningless sound like a fan or clock ticking. Notice how as soon as you start listening, your mind shuts off, not thinking. You can focus attention, and shift your focus. Notice your heart beating. Now notice your breathing. Now notice any other sound in the room or outside the room. Tap your foot on the floor and hear that. That ability to focus attention and listen is the key. Focus on listening, receiving thoughts, instead of thinking thoughts.

Another analogy: baseball. You’re either up to bat (sending) or you’re out in the field waiting to catch a fly ball (receiving.) They’re completely separate modes, and you can’t do both at the same time.

Thoughts are like a roaring wind over the pond of the mind. The waters of the mind churn in the wind. But stopping the wind of thought allows the waters of the mind to become still. Once the roar of the wind is stilled–now you can hear a beautiful bird singing or crickets chirping. When the mind is still — that’s when prayer becomes a conversation. Also, if you are worrying, upset, or feeling angry about anything it is virtually impossible to come into real communication, to listen, in prayer.

Recently I wrote about my experience of a very painful injury and how offering a prayer of appreciation at that time was a kind of sacrifice. It’s also a kind of sacrifice to remove overlook –withdraw attention–from what is unwanted, and find things to appreciate and praise. Over the years I have come to find that offering prayers of appreciation are the most satisfying.

I love just reading the text of the Akathist of Thanksgiving. I find it moving. Hearing it beautifully chanted (below), is beautiful. (The word akathist is Greek meaning “standing prayers.” Orthodox stand a lot.)

The Jesus Prayer

I have found great benefit from two other very simple prayers: the Jesus prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me,” repeated while working, is very transformative and comforting. It is particularly effective if having trouble sleeping, feeling afraid of anything, having lack of confidence. I find that the aroma of Frankincense, or a blend containing Frankincense or other wood oils, such as Balance, is also very comforting and calms the mind.

Ho’oponopono

Another very short and effective practice of getting in and out of the modes of sending and receiving, is the practice of the traditional Hawaiian prayer called Ho’Oponopono, which translates into English as “to make right,” or “prayer of forgiveness.” It entails simply focusing upon the following four emotional states in succession:

“I love you. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.”

The key is focus attention, recalling something that evokes the target emotion in a strong way. For example, for “I love you,” I like to think about snuggling with my dog. I just love him and he is so unconditional, I can really deeply feel into the feeling of love.

For “I am sorry,” I think back to the worst offense I ever made to someone I love. Like my mother.

For “Please forgive me,” I thinks about asking with great intention for the forgiveness regarding the above offense. Because I really want to set it right.

For “Thank you,” I feel into the sublime appreciation of receiving forgiveness from that person, or animal, from whom I ask forgiveness.

Besides documented evidence that a traditional Hawaiian practitioner once used Ho’Oponopono to cure the emotional ills of staff and inmates of an entire hospital for the criminally insane in Hawaii, I myself have experienced small miracles with the practice. Such as the time I was catching a 9 am flight from Milwaukee to LA to attend a conference. I made a mistake in putting the wrong time into my phone, and miscalculated my departure from the house to drive through downtown Milwaukee to catch the flight. I raced out of the house a full hour later than needed!

For the entire 30-minute drive from to the airport during weekday morning rush-hour traffic in the rain, I repeated the prayer, over and over, feeling into each expression:
“I love you, I am so sorry, please forgive me, thank you.”

I will never for that drive. It felt like the parting of the Red Sea. The traffic just opened for me, I drove solid freeway times without a single slow-down and arrived 25 minutes before my flight. A pre-TSA boarding pass came out of the machine; I ran through the airport with my bags in hand as it was too late to check them. Security waived me and my bags through. I RAN through the airport and heard my name called out over the intercome twice before arriving at my gate, just as they were the closing the doors and I made it onto the plane.

So…that’s where In The Spirit of Truth comes from, and some of my experiences with prayer. Do you have any experiences with prayer to share? Thanks for reading!

Natural healing from a bad sprained ankle: a sacrifice of praise

On a warm Thursday morning in late June I badly sprained my ankle walking Rocket through an empty lot. I limped home, managed to bake 6 dozen cookies for our church fundraiser, and while changing shoes made an excruciatingly bad move.

I crawled to the couch writhing in pain, unable to find relief in any position. I rated it a solid 8.5 to 9.0 on the pain scale: it was hard to talk and I was unable to bear any weight. Also went into mild shock: teeth chattering with a low-grade fever. Did the standard RICE protocol: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Thankfully, had ice packs in the freezer. My sweet daughter retrieved her old crutches from the attic. My dear husband did a solid Ace bandage wrap.

I considered friends’ advice and offers: get to urgent care/ER for an x-ray, Canadian OTC aspirin with codeine, and prescription muscle relaxants. I declined these options, decided to give my kidneys and liver a break and go natural.

Several people who witnessed the transformation I went through asked me to share what I did.

For a long time I’ve been perplexed that even amongst functional and integrative doctors I know, no one has done any studies adding specific nutritional support to surgical events. Would recovery time be shortened if patients were given extra nutrition targeted to the bodily systems most needing it to repair after surgery? Would patients experience less discomfort and pain? Would complications be reduced? What about scarring and qualitative patient experiences?

I’ve been taking vitamins most of my life and not all vitamins are the same, of course. Many are downright useless, as this Consumer Reports article indicates. But doTERRA’s Lifelong Vitality (LLV) supplements are different. First, they are whole-foods based. Nothing synthetic. That means cells recognize them as food, not synthetic chemicals that have to be eliminated from the body. Second, they under go the same CPTG independent lab testing for purity and potency. Three, in addition to my own family’s amazing experiences with them, there are now more than 7,000 positive anecdotal testimonials published online. That is a statistically significant number. Four, scientists corroborated those testimonials in the first pilot clinical human trial, published in 2017. After two months of supplementation, the following biomarkers of cardiovascular health, antioxidant status, inflammation, and blood glucose regulation were all improved in 100% of the test subjects: HDL cholesterol, LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio, fasting insulin, homocysteine, serum vitamin E, EPA, and the AA/EPA ratio. All outcomes in the 16-item qualitative survey were improved and 12 were significantly improved, with participants reporting more mental clarity, energy, motivation, control, balance, and happiness, with less back pain, muscle pain, cold and flu incidence, anxiety, frustration, and irritation at the end of the two-month supplementation period.

So, my injury gave me a chance to do some citizen science self experimentation: application of natural solutions after an acute injury. What would the results be?

Of course, at the time, I wasn’t really thinking about all this. I was pretty preoccupied with the pain.

R.I.C.E. + N.E.O.M.A. (Nutrition, Essential Oils, Mindset of Appreciation)

From my plant medicine supply cabinet I pulled the following therapeutic-grade natural solutions.

ESSENTIAL OILS: Topical

Deep Blue Rub followed by Copaiba oil.

Applying one oil, waiting a bit and then applying another oil is a technique called layering. It is particularly useful in situations like this where multiple kinds of injuries are present: connective tissue damage, possible bone fracture, and soft tissue inflammation. (The Deep Blue Rub is a cream containing a blend of pure Wintergreen, Camphor, Blue Tansy, Peppermint, Blue Chamomile, Helichrysum, and Osmanthus.)

I repeated layering with every ice pack replacement, about every 2 hours.

Aromatic

After each topical application of Deep Blue and Copaiba I cupped my hands and deeply inhaled the minty woody cooling aromas, in three deep slow breaths. This is a form of aromatherapy and applies the volatile aromatic compounds directly to the limbic center of the brain via the olfactory bulb. This supported my parasympathetic nervous system, and I immediately felt more calm and relaxed.

aroma-therapy-diagram — *Volatile aromatic compounds* enter the body and affect all bodily systems. Volatile means they change state rapidly from a liquid to a gaseous state. Extremely small, transdermal, and lipid soluble, the constituents pass the blood-brain barrier and enter the body through the olfactory bulb of the brain, part of the limbic center. Hundreds of scientific studies have confirmed the natural chemistries have multiple side benefits and virtually no harmful side effects, unlike synthetic manmade chemistries.

Handbook-inside1 — Every year, scientists are discovering unique chemical constituents in the essential oils of plants. While we perceive them as aromas, specific receptors for specific constituents are found in cells throughout the body. Thus the sense of “smell” is considered the first sensory system, as we were “smelling” chemicals long before our bodies were formed. More than 3,000 unique constituents have been identified so far. This is a page from doTERRA’s Essential Oil Chemistry, one of many free ebooks published by doTERRA.

NUTRITION: Internal

Here is what I took:

Lifelong Vitality Pack (doTERRA) Full dose (3 supplements, 4 each = 12 capsules)
Bone Complex (doTERRA) (2 capsules)
Copaiba Softgels (doTERRA) (2 softgels)
Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex (doTERRA) (2 capsules)
D-Hist (Orthomolecular) (2 capsules)
Chlorella (Outpost Foods) (2 capsules)
Purified Filtered Water, from tap with a RO filter system, (30 oz.)

As I’ve written before, hydration is vital for cellular functioning. I knew my cells would be needing raw materials for repair of ligaments, tendons, and possibly bone. I started with a full dose of Lifelong Vitality pack, doTERRA’s therapeutic-grade, whole-foods-based set of three supplements: multivitamin, omega fatty acids, and cellular energy complex. I also took two doTERRA Women Bone Complex capsules containing bio-available calcium, magnesium and other minerals.

I figured my cells could use some anti-inflammatory support. So in addition to the topical and aromatic application of the Copaiba oil, I took two Copaiba soft gels. (Here is an excellent short (1:49) animated video illustrating what researchers have observed at the cellular level, in how Copaiba works. Copaiba comes from a tree in the Amazon rain forest. Copaiba essential oil a far less expensive and 10x-more-therapeutically-potent alternative to CBD botanical oil. Copaiba also does not trigger any drug tests like CBD does, having no THC. Not that I had any concern about that. I digress.)

I also took two Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex capsules for natural pain relief with therapeutic levels of pure turmeric, ginger, resveratrol, and other compounds.

Any time repair work is going on, waste is generated and extra water needed, all of which taxes the kidneys. My kidneys are in need of extra support anyway, so I added two supplements I thought would be helpful: two D-Hist capsules by OrthoMolecular. Containing flavonoids, antioxidants, proteolytic enzymes, and botanicals including quercetin, bromelain, stinging nettle leaf, and N-acetyl cysteine D-Hist, is an amazingly effective natural antihistamine which actually saved my life once. And it happens to also be excellent for the kidneys, which I will write about another time. This article is already way longer than it probably should be!

I decided to throw in two Chlorella capsules for good measure. A blue-green algae known to cleanse the blood of pain-causing cytokines, Chlorella effectively relieved pain from Herxheimer reactions when my daughter was being treated for Lyme disease. I have no idea if cytokines had anything to do with the pain from my ankle sprain (any doctors out there reading this, would love to know about that, please post in the comments.) But I figured it certainly couldn’t hurt.

I took all of these around 6 pm, in multiple small swallows, totaling 30 oz. of water.

My NEO sprained ankle protocol, left to right: doTERRA® Deep Blue Polyphenol Complex, Deep Blue Rub, Copaiba Softgels, Copaiba Essential Oil, Bone Nutrient Essential Complex, Microplex VMz, xEOMega, Alpha CRS+ and an ice pack. Not shown: dHist by Orthomolecular and Chlorella. And 32 oz. of RO filtered tap water.

MINDSET: APPRECIATION

Shivering under the covers, iced leg propped on pillows, I closed my eyes and began to focus my attention on the pain. A line from the Divine Liturgy came to me: “offer a sacrifice of praise.” Theologically this term applies to the sacrament of the Eucharist–that is the essence of the liturgy, the “work of the people.” Suddenly I understood it very personally, another way. In this moment of intense, breath-stealing pain, praise becomes a sacrifice.

I also recalled something Abraham Hicks has said: “Every individual cell in the body has consciousness.” That intrigued me the first time I heard it. Even single-celled organisms, such as we all were just after fertilization, are in close relationship with Source. And the cellular relationship works the same way Christ explained to Matthew and Luke: it is in our persistent asking that the solution comes. The process is simple: “knock on the door…ask and it is given.” Abraham further explains this is how the evolution of all life on the planet functions.

Suddenly I saw pain for what it is: pounding on the door, a clarion call, an alarm calling for help! I could sense that all the cells in my body were on duty, both amplifying the call, and rushing in to respond. Pain not just local to the injury site, but radiating up my leg, far beyond the immediate point of injury. My sympathetic nervous system was geared up, with shivering to elevate my temperature. My heart rate faster so as to send blood, oxygen, and food faster. This was internal triage, communication, a miracle of cooperation! All troops rallying! I could relax! Everything was working as it should, and help was on the way!

I was fully conscious and aware for the first time that I was cooperating consciously with my trillions of cells. Not trying to block or numb the pain— which is what “pain killers” do. Instead, I felt into the pain, riding it like a runaway horse. I spurred it on, adding my own voice to the cellular call for help. I appreciated the pain, and in so doing, tuned myself, as the Blessed Elder Paisios said, to the frequency of God. With clear focused intention, I offered my sacrifice of praise.

“Thank you, Lord, for the trillions of living cells in my body, calling for your help so powerfully. Bless all my cells for calling to you, their Source, so loudly, clearly, and vigorously. Bless this process, this pain, this food I have eaten in these supplements, and the healing oils I anointed myself with. And I thank you, God, for answering this call. Amen.”

I appreciated that I could feel the pain so sharply — for knowing it was a call for help. I appreciated that I was shivering, that all the cells in my body were on alert, rallying to the aid of their injured brethren down at the ankle.

As I started to think of things to appreciate, other things to appreciate naturally flowed into my mind.

I snuggled into and appreciated the warm fleece blanket and the hot water bottle on my lap my daughter had kindly brought me, even though it was a hot summer day. I deeply appreciated her kind offer to finish baking and cooking for the fundraiser. I appreciated comfortable, cool, safe home with clean, running, purified water. Ice packs in the freezer. Having a refrigerator with a freezer. I appreciated my caring husband who ran to the pharmacy for a fresh Ace bandage for me. And my friends who rallied to cover my shifts. My iPhone and texting technology that allowed me to do so so easily.

I deeply appreciated the plant medicines brought to me in their purity, uncorrupted by human hands, by the many people around the world who work with doTERRA. I appreciated myself for the foresight and wisdom of stocking my natural medicine cabinet. What a blessing, to be so equipped and ready, right here at home, to take care of myself. A appreciated God’s wisdom and creativity over eons of evolution to produce the wealth of rich diversity of planetary life, all interconnected, all cooperative.

There is a difference between thinking a thought and receiving a thought. As I quieted my mind, I received a vision. All the nutrition I had just consumed I saw arriving into my stomach like truckloads of supplies. Hundreds of first responders were on the scene, laughing and joking as they worked, offloading the crates, putting them onto barges in a river, sending them downstream to my ankle. I was seeing my own bodily processes in action. It was a beautiful scene and I smiled as I fell into a light sleep, appreciating them all.

I had fully planned to spend the night on the couch. Having heard and felt the popping sound when I initially fell, unable to bear weight on it, swelling and severity of pain, Harvard via Google said this was a Stage 3 of 3 ankle sprain. I expected to be on the couch with my leg iced and elevated for days, with weeks or even months for full recovery.

Results:

Day 1: Around 9 pm I woke up needing to get to the bathroom. I carefully moved my leg and noticed the overall body pain was gone. The shivers and low-grade fever were gone as well.

Crutching to the bathroom over a carpeted floor is challenging and actually dangerous when you’re new at it. I discovered I could now very gingerly touch my injured foot to the floor to help me feel stable in my crutching, at about 4.0 on the pain scale.

Back on the couch an hour later I felt very tired. I had a strong desire for my bed and a good deep rest. It did not feel right to sleep on the couch. With a fresh ice pack on my ankle, I complied with this “asking” from my body and was asleep in bed by 10:15. Slept soundly, with only one midnight trip to the bathroom on crutches.

Day 2: By 7 am Friday, the ankle pain was barely 2.0 if I applied weight. I crutched to the bathroom and continued RICE+NEOMA. I kept smiling, my mind on so many things to appreciate.

Day 3: On Saturday morning I didn’t really need crutches but used them as insurance. I drove to church to take in my daughter’s noon music gig at the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival. Over 100,000 people come for the 2-day festival, shutting down the main 7-block-long thoroughfare of our town of 12,000. Parking in our church lot was the best closest option. I crutched/walked 4 blocks from the church parking lot to the Cedarburg City Hall and the Main Stage behind it.

My husband oversaw video recording on a tripod so I could sit with my foot propped. I was so grateful to be there–Elizabeth and her duet partner, Callie Thurow were the first act of the day. It was lunch time, a large crowd gathered and enjoyed their hour-long set with lots of applause. One man gave a very high compliment calling them “the Everly sisters” for their exceptional harmonies.

Hungry for lunch after, I got into a very long, slow-moving line for That Taco Guy. With temperatures approaching 90 degrees in the sun, the ice pack was no longer cool but ho by the time I got back to the table with my food. My ankle was starting to throb. After eating (it was delicious!) Anthony was able to drive me to my car so I didn’t have to crutch 4 blocks back. Went home, repeated RICE+MNEO. Grateful to have a set of two ice packs, the other in the freezer. So much to appreciate!

Day 4: By 9 am the next day, Sunday, I attended church with a fresh ice pack, crutches on the side, read the Epistle, and visited downstairs with my leg elevated for a bit before heading home. Very mild discomfort, able to walk. More RICE+MNEO rest of the day.

Day 5: By 9 am Monday, zero pain. Kept the crutches nearby all week but did not need them again. I continued RICE+MNEO.

Day 6: By Tuesday I only used the wrap, and walked free of crutches.

Day 8: By Thursday, 1 week post accident, I was done with the wrap. My ankle never felt better.

With this natural protocol, my recovery was shortened to one week. A friend estimated I saved about $500 in x-rays and doctor visit fees.

That is my personal healing through natural solutions.

NOTES

Please be advised that the foregoing is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or condition and to please maintain a relationship with a trusted healthcare provider.

NOT ALL ESSENTIAL OILS ARE THE SAME

What I have stated in this post only applies to doTERRA® CPTG® (certified pure therapeutic grade) essential oils and oil-based whole-food supplements, and not any other brand. doTERRA® CPTG® oils and supplements all undergo strict third-party testing for purity and therapeutic potency of every batch. In 2018 an independent lab, the Aromatic Plant Research Center, conducted laboratory tests on the top 50 essential oil sellers whose oils are all labeled “pure.” The study revealed that 95% of companies on the market, including direct sellers and retailers, are in fact selling adulterated or contaminated oils. doTERRA is one of only 3 out of 50 that tested for 100% of all their products.

Wellbeing Essentials: Hydration

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” –Leonardo da Vinci

One of the simplest things you can do to move towards wellbeing: stay hydrated with pure filtered water, and add just one drop of doTERRA CPTG Lemon Essential Oil.

Think of yourself as captain of a giant aircraft carrier. You’re up in the control room, and down below are your workers. Not just hundreds, thousands, or even millions — but trillions — of workers. Night and day, they are there working for you. They all cooperate, know their jobs well, work for little pay, and thank God, you don’t have to micromanage any of them!

One thing you are in charge of: feeding your crew and providing all the raw materials they need to do their jobs. Water is not only one of those raw materials, it’s also how those supplies are delivered and waste is removed. Every cell is born, grows up, works, eats, sleeps, and poops. And dies and is replaced. If you are are not properly hydrated, you are literally filling up with waste–putting a huge load on the cells of your kidneys, liver, bowel, skin, and lungs: your organs of excretion.

One simple small adjustment you can make in your lifestyle for the good: decide to stay properly hydrated every day. It all starts with that decision, that intention. Focus and understand the many benefits.

Proper hydration:

Increases metabolism & helps convert food to energy
Maintains healthy blood levels & reduces strain on the heart & kidneys
Keeps cartilage and joints lubricated and flexible
Delivers oxygen and nutrients to all cells
Balances electrolytes and maintains muscle strength
Removes waste and toxins
Helps digest food by increasing salivary and other fluids
Moistens skin and other tissues
Increases ability to sweat and stay cool
Helps you feel more full and uplifts your mood

Set the intention to make water intake a priority every morning

Get yourself a good-sized ceramic, glass, or metal mug — something you like. Set a goal and figure out how many refills you need. A simple rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces. Start drinking first thing upon awakening. Aim to consume at least half your water intake for the day by lunchtime. Take a big drink of water before each meal — this better than drinking with or after the meal. Plan to drink the remainder of your water goal by dinner.

Then, put a fresh mug of water next to your bed so you’re ready to take a drink first thing on arising.

When drinking, think of your stomach and digestive system as a garden. Water gently. Always sip–three or four swallows at a time–rather than “slamming” it.

Worried about having to go to the bathroom at night? Hydrate early in the day, stop drinking by dinner time, and you won’t be awakened in the night.

If your work conditions don’t allow you to get away to go to the bathroom in the morning, don’t skip drinking water. This will lead to long-term damage to your kidneys. It is far better to get up earlier, give enough time to the cells of your kidneys and bowels time to do their jobs. If that’s not possible, consider your personal commitment to your long-term wellbeing. You might want to update your résumé and be ready for a chagne to better healthier work conditions.

Why Add Lemon Essential Oil

Adding a drop of doTERRA Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil further aids in the body’s “housecleaning.” Besides an aroma that is emotionally uplifting, the chemistry of Lemon has properties that are energizing, cleansing, purifying, and invigorating. Lemon is one of the most versatile oils in the doTERRA line.

In a study published in the journal Neurosciences, rats exposed just five minutes a day to the vapors of Lemon showed a marked increase in energy, activity, and were able to traverse a maze significantly faster than rats not exposed to the Lemon. In another study, levels of stress hormones were reduced after ingestion.

Lemon has multiple benefits and uses. It is a powerful cleansing agent that purifies the air and surfaces, and can be used as a non-toxic cleaner throughout the home. Taken internally, Lemon provides cleansing and digestive benefits and supports healthy respiratory function.* When diffused, Lemon is very uplifting and energizing and has been shown to help improve mood. When added to water, Lemon provides a refreshing and healthy boost throughout the day. Lemon is frequently added to food to enhance the flavor of desserts and main dishes.

Note: If you had a “bad” day, hydration-wise, and find yourself thirsty late in the day, you may discover that when you drink water you’ll have to run to the bathroom, a lot, and still feel thirsty. Think of it this way. Your aircraft carrier has a lot of waste that’s built up because you were short on liquids to keep things flushed. Now when the water comes, all hands are on deck, getting the place back in order. You’re going to need extra water before anybody can get a drink. This is why a little lemon helps the cleaning work get done quickly!

Lemon is one of the top ten oils found in reduced-price Starter Kits, which is the most cost effective way to get doTERRA CPTG Essential Oils. http://BeeJoyful.org.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Oprah on The Daily Show

Great interview with Oprah on her new book, THE PATH MADE CLEAR!

I love how Oprah answered Trevor’s question: what did she find to be the common denominator to those who have found their path to success in life? We find the path when people ask themselves “what is the truest, highest expression of myself as a human being?” When people find clarity, and focus on their heart’s desire, what they want most deeply and passionately, the path appears. The book is on my “must read” my list.

https://youtu.be/G_kMOVS1qY8

Crutches

by Elizabeth Kashinn

March, 2017

I have romantic notions about crutches.

It begins when I’m 9 with a girl in my 4th grade class who fractures her foot. She can’t walk for a month, and I, in my childish ignorance, envy her. To me, no idea is more fantastic than that of swinging myself around all day, detached from such a mundane task as walking. Why do people even bother with it, I wonder, if crutches exist? Crutches are, in my mind, the best thing man has created, and it simply isn’t fair that they’re only given to the injured and the sick. At 9, I wish to be afflicted by some horrible ailment so that I might be granted use of them.

At 13, being wheeled through Pittsburgh International Airport, I don’t know quite what I was thinking.

In general, lots of things change when you can’t walk. Wherever you go, there seems to be a myriad of people who want to help you, and you’re given perks that you usually don’t want. Airports are no different. I’ve been inside for just shy of five minutes when a member of security sees me and asks me if I want a wheelchair. And I don’t, really, but I say yes, because I need one. Before I know it, I’m being wheeled to the security checkpoint, slinging my crutches across my lap and trying not to draw attention to myself.

The woman pushing me – Carol – is insistent upon engaging me in conversation. She’s an older lady, with gray wisps of hair that catch the light like a halo when she leans over the back of my chair to smile at me. She has the pleasant demeanor of one who’s either perfectly content in one’s life or very, very good at one’s job.

“Were you injured in a sport?” she asks me, and I wish she’d stop talking. “Wait, let me guess. Soccer?”

“No,” I say flatly. I’ve been asked this too many times. “I have fibromyalgia.”

I don’t have fibromyalgia. I also don’t have hip dysplasia or a herniated disc, but if you asked me that’s probably what I’d tell you. It’s easier that way. It shortens the conversation and saves me that confused look when I explain that no, I don’t know what I have, but yes, I’m sure that I have something. In the last four months I’ve found that the two most common reactions to that particular delineation are pity or skepticism, and I’m not in the mood for either today. For my purposes, fibromyalgia works nicely.

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

We breeze past the line for security. I feel a twinge of guilt as I catch the eye of a woman I’m skipping, but it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it. And anyway, judging by the look on her face, she feels sorry for me; I’m the one who can’t walk, after all. I tell myself there’s no need to feel guilty and put it out of my mind as a tired-looking man with a dull expression helps me out of my wheelchair, has me take off my shoes, and directs me through the metal detector.

“Flying alone?” he asks, his voice ripe with apathy. I think I prefer Carol.

I nod, and though I’m positive he doesn’t actually care, I tell him, “I’m going home from summer camp. I got sick and had to leave early.”

He grunts. “Sorry to hear that, kid. Feel better.”

On the other side of the metal detector, Carol takes me by the arm and guides me back into the chair. My legs have already started to ache and tingle from standing; sitting is a great relief. I mumble my thanks to the man, and we speed off.

For a moment, after I’ve tuned out Carol’s cheery commentary and the commotion of the airport, my thoughts drift back to the fourth grade.

There’s a bitter sort of irony, I think, in getting what you want only when you no longer want it. There’s an odd sort of humor in finding out you were wrong. I recognize myself as a person with the bad habit of wanting things I don’t have, wanting things that don’t always make sense to want, without much regard to how such things will actually affect me. Is it my fault, then, that I got sick? Was there some energy I put out to the universe four years ago that finally came back to me? I think of my nine-year-old self and how all she wanted was to be deprived of a fundamental human function. She was so sure she knew what she was asking for. As we pull up to the gate, my hands clenched into tight fists around the cold metal of my crutches, I want to go back in time and scream some sense into her.

The plane is boarding. I’m among the first to be let on, crutching slowly to my seat and trying not to get in anyone’s way. It’s a cramped cabin, each row comprised of only two seats; the last thing it needs is a pair of crutches cluttering it up. I ask a flight attendant to put them in the cabinet in front.

“Sure thing, honey,” she says, all bright smiles and practiced warmth. “Is there anything else you need?”

Attempting to return her smile, I shake my head. “No, thank you.”

I watch her walk away and tuck my crutches into the small closet next to the cockpit. I watch as she directs a woman to the seat across the aisle from mine. I watch as the woman gets settled, flashing me a quick look of sympathy that makes it obvious that she witnessed my exchange with the flight attendant.

And if I wish in that instant to be nine years old so that these things might at least provide me some sense of satisfaction, it’s only for a moment, and I can pretend that it isn’t at all.

Ten outside-the-box campaign reform ideas

President-elect Trump is outside the box in just about every thing he does. Good, bad, or horrendous, the fact is, we’re living in unprecedented times. It’s time we all get out of our respective boxes and think very differently.

With a mis-leader who campaigned on breaking rules, we need lots of brainstorms to find outside-the-box responses and solutions.

I’d like to start with campaign reform ideas. Not just campaign finance reform– but the entire campaign process.

It’s not just global temperatures setting record highs. As of two weeks post election, the 2016 presidential campaign season is estimated to have cost in the neighborhood of $6.6 billion.

Campaign spending has skyrocketed faster and higher than the cost of healthcare, GDP, and income, as Time Magazine reported. Unprecedented in American history.

Courtesy, Time Magazine.

From the letter to the Spirit of the Law

Let’s look at the spirit of the law—it’s overall purpose and intent.

The founders of the United States designed a system to prevent corruption by preventing consolidation of power.

Lots of people today are saying we should eliminate the electoral college. But what happened this year is an anomaly and result of decades of gradually degradation of checks and balances on power.

A hundred years ago, there were no primaries.

If we eliminate the electoral college now, that will truly be the end of our democracy and morph straight into tyranny, just as Plato predicted. If its not already too late. But that’s another discussion.

The intention–the spirit of our U.S. election process–was to serve as a means of sourcing, vetting, and then electing good, qualified candidates for leadership.

That’s what an election in a representative democracy is supposed to do.

I’m certainly not saying it’s doing that now. Nor has it in years.

But would you not agree – that is supposed to be the function and purpose of our democratic process?

In non-Democratic societies where the voice of the people is suppressed, elections are purely a sham, just for show.

How do we find good, qualified candidates, and unity, as in the UNITED States of America,

Did $6.6B put people to work, and strategically help grow our economy?

Did it invest in our future—our children? Did it care for our veterans and elderly? Did it help repair our crumbling national park facilities, clean up lead in our pipes or Superfund sites, or rebuild our ailing bridges, electrical grid, or wifi infrastructure? How about hiring a tutor to help us with our infrastracture grades — we currently score as a dismal D+.

InfrastructureReportCard.org — Used courtesy of http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/

Or did $6.6B help out the growing number of states struggling with budget crises of their own?

How can we improve two things:

1) the sourcing and vetting of candidates for elections, plus

2;) reduce the amount of money spent. Or use the money spent more wisely, more fairly, and more equitably?

An aside: Want to stop all the protests? Treat the monkeys fairly. Really. Even monkeys will tell you that, as this 2:36 TED Talk excerpt shows.

In light of all these ideas questions in our brainstorming session, here are some election reform ideas I’ve come up with, for 2020.

Ten Outside-the-Box Election Reform Ideas

1) Election Spending Tax (EST). Every candidate and PAC gets charged a tax, dollar-for-dollar, equal to what they spend on producing and buying space in the media. (Sorry mass corporate media, after this year’s election, you deserve to lose ad revenue.) We earmark that EST money for the states, reinstating that back-in-the-good-old-days idea from President Nixon called revenue sharing, to reduce local property taxes.

That $6.6 billion would provide $132M to each state. In Wisconsin, that would amount to $284,483 to each of our 464 school districts. Households in my district of 1,135 students would receive a property tax credit of between $150 to $250 per student.

If corporations really are people, and money equals political speech, then is it not fair that corporations should pay a tax on that privilege? I think a $250 stipend to every student in the country, for the privilege of “speaking” out to influence our elections, would be fair.

2) Set up Sister Districts. Years ago there used to be an organization called Wisconsin-Nicaragua Partners, which instituted this idea. Communities in Wisconsin “adopted” communities in Nicaragua. There were cultural exchanges and charitable giving. So why not do the same for our schools? Here in Wisconsin, there are a number of very wealthy suburbs. How about each of the wealthy school districts “adopt” a Sister District that’s not so wealthy. There could be cultural exchanges with potluck joint PTA meetings, fundraisers, mentor programs, and charitable giving. Let the wealthy district lend a helping hand to give the poorer district’s kids a hand up–not a hand out. Take them under the wing, lovingly, and teach them how to fly.

OK. This wasn’t a campaign reform idea. See what happens when you get outside the box? Other ideas happen.

3) Waive the tax for any low-budget videos featuring talking heads only–the candidate just speaking to voters, on camera, without high-priced, slick ad agencies. Prior to the 1960s, for nearly 200 years, that’s how all our candidates spoke–just facing the audience. Use technology to level the playing field for all challengers.

4) Shorten the election season to 6 months–90 days each for primary and general.

5) Limit terms of office by leveling the playing field for challengers. Establish a dedicated public broadcasting station, mirrored on cable, online, and published to YouTube, and give all candidates free equal airtime on that channel. (I don’t support arbitrarily term limits without including a clear method of recruiting new qualified candidates chosen by the people. Think we’ve had puppet candidates now? Who will feed the mill of new candidates if we arbitrarily set term limits on members of Congress?)

6) Here’s an idea aimed at getting better quality leaders, who are more responsive to the people, and happier voters. For any federal election to be valid, require there to be at least 66% voter turnout in the general election. If there’s lackluster candidates and less than that turn out to vote, the encumbent admin goes into overtime, and a new primary election in 3 months followed by new general election 3 months after that–all new candidates required.

All salaries in Congress are frozen 2x the length of the overtime.

Maximum 2 overtime election attempts. After 3 strikes, if no worthy candidates can be drafted, the country reverts back to being a British colony, and all federal politicians are immediately subject to forfeiture of all worldy possessions including their homes and cars, requiring them to live homeless and start over from scratch–the penalty for dereliction of duty.

7) Change the constitution to make our election days fall on a Saturday instead of a weekday. It would be a really simple, 1-word edit. Change second Thursday to second Saturday. Thanks to Bernie for this idea.

8) Automatically register all voters whenever people turn 18, and when they relocate. Another idea inspired by Bernie.

9) Hello. This is the 21st century. Create an online voting system.

10) Require all candidates to have a public LinkedIn profile. Let them compete on their actual qualifications for office, and let them make the case publicly, on LinkedIn. That’s what all the recruiters are using these days.

So there’s my brainstorm of an idea. What do you think?

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Laurel Kashinn is a certified ghostwriter, resume writer, Orthodox Christian, student of A Course In Miracles, and mom living and writing in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Breathe. Nothing has changed but you.

Our dearly beloveds, breathe. Have no fear. Everything happens for a reason. Judas long ago played his part. There is only one Savior. There is only one spark of Precious Life, given this world which we all miraculously share, only One Animating Spirit, One Unifying Field, throughout all time space, that beats our hearts, energizes subatomic particles, Unites us all. Only one.

What reason for darkness and for evil? Evil is a teacher. What is the lesson our young child ancestors gifted us with, when they tasted of the Forbidden Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? What lesson learned by those who looked Evil right in the face–Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Victor Frankl, Mahatma Gandhi, and our beloved Jesus of Nazareth. What did evil teach all of them?

Peace. Is. A. Choice. Peace is an INSIDE job. Peace is not out there. It’s not in Washington or books of law, written by men.

The law of peace is written in our hearts, in our DNA.

Peace is not ever going to come from guns or locks or walls.

Peace is not, never was, never will be–out there in the World, separate from us.

The politicians over and over and over again promise us change.

If we want real change, we must BE it. If we want true and everlasting peace, we must CHOOSE it.

Right here. Right now. One day at a time.

Our dearly beloveds, breathe. Everything happens for a reason.