As virtually the whole world knows by now, Pope Francis has died. One of the hallmarks of his reign was his compassion and kindness.
In today’s world, many of us are growing weary of all the turmoil and trouble assaulting our senses nearly everywhere we turn. Is there no relief or respite from all the chaos and cruelty?
As we were writing this post, I was reminded of a time long ago, when I was growing up in New York State.… Read more
John
A few years ago, I had a strange experience which baffled me when it happened. It was strange — but, at the same time, not strange.
I was sitting at my desk and needed to write some notes to myself about tasks I wanted to do the next day. I picked up my old-fashioned fountain pen (which I love writing with). But I hadn’t used it in a while, and the ink was low.
So, I opened my desk drawer where I keep a bottle of fountain pen ink.… Read more
Berna
This year I started practicing yoga because I noticed my body had become stiff. That was my signal: it was time to do something about it.
The body is the vehicle with which you, as spirit, travel through life. Just as you maintain a car to keep it running smoothly, the body deserves the same attention. Without regular care and maintenance, you risk breaking down, both physically and mentally.
Just as you have your car inspected annually, you should also periodically check in with your body.… Read more
Above is the complete original text of the Prayer of Saint Francis. It is a line-by-line English translation of the earliest known French publication of the prayer in 1912.
No one really knows who wrote the prayer. It may or may not have actually been Saint Francis. It doesn’t matter who the real author was.
Spirit has talked about Saint Francis and his prayer before. But today we’d like to review it again. It seems particularly timely now with all the turmoil and chaos engulfing our world.… Read more
The pan flute player in this picture was born without hands and parts of his arms. His parents and siblings all played instruments. But, obviously, he could not. His father kept thinking about a way for his son to also play music. One day the father came home with a pan flute for his son. The son then locked himself in his room with the flute.
After many hours, he came out of his room and said to his parents: “I am going to become the best pan flute player in the world.”… Read more
It’s only recently that Berna and I came across the word “doomscrolling.” We hadn’t heard it before, and had to look it up to see what it meant.
The Mayo Clinic defines doomscrolling as “The obsessive and unproductive consumption of negative information on social media.”
I guess I’m a bit out of touch with today’s world, or at least with social media.
Actually, though, “doomscrolling” is just a new word for what, in our opinion, is one of humanity’s worst habits–always expecting the worst.… Read more
Berna
Recently I was in Ireland for a week’s retreat. The retreat’s focus was on the Aramaic Lord’s Prayer as taught by Jeshua (Jesus) to Jayem (www.wayofmastery.com). Aramaic was Jeshua’s original language.
At one point we were all chanting the first word of this prayer, “Ah bwoon,” for ten minutes. Each of us chanted at our own breathing rhythm. Sometimes I stopped to feel and listen, because the energies were so incredibly powerful and special.
One of us was a female singer with an angelic voice.… Read more
If you spend much time with the mainstream news media, you may think you’re losing your mind. Maybe you think people are evil, and the whole world is headed for hell in a handbasket.
Spirit
Among humans, as we have discovered from observing you for many centuries, there is a “bias,” if you will, toward expecting the worst in life. And, there’s an even worse bias toward expecting the worst in yourself and in your fellow humans.
You don’t need us to remind you of where that inevitably leads you.… Read more
Berna
One day I came home in the afternoon and it turned out that Johnny had lost his voice due to the heavy pollen in the air. He could barely talk.
I said “Let’s have a glass of champagne together. That will soothe your throat.”
So, we did. Johnny was telling me all kinds of things. I said: have you noticed you have been talking like normal and you only have taken two sips of the champagne?”
We both joked and laughed about it.… Read more
We’ve talked about karma before. Recently Berna was telling me she’d read a surprising comment about karma in a Facebook group.
Someone was talking about a recent unpleasant event in her life. She said it probably was caused by something she had done in a previous life—-as if she had to repay a debt or was being punished.
Berna’s opinion (which I share) is karma is often a weapon people use to instill fear in others. Or to control them.… Read more
If you’re paying much attention to the mainstream news media today, you’re aware, perhaps painfully so, of all the turmoil and chaos in our world today. If you’re paying too much attention, scientists call that “doomscrolling.”
Personally, Berna and I pay little attention to the mainstream news—only enough so we know a bit about current events.
A recent article we read reported researchers had concluded exposure to negative news is a “source of vicarious trauma.” In other words, people are dangerously affected despite not experiencing trauma first-hand.… Read more
Since many people are labeled with autism these days, we think readers might be curious about Spirit’s perspective on this subject.
Spirit
Autistic people are drawn inside. They close themselves off in a way. They want as little stimulation from the outside as possible.
All these busy energies, the confusion everywhere, the insincerity of people—they pick these up and they make their minds wild, so to speak.
They are so sensitive to these outside influences, because they are spirits with a higher vibration than the average person.… Read more
About Andre Rieu and the joy he brings to millions of people.
Berna and I are great fans of Andre Rieu, the legendary Dutch violinist and conductor. We’ve been to his live concerts in his hometown of Maastricht in the Netherlands. I have listened to his music for many years.
Andre’s purpose in life is simple: to bring joy to people with his music. There is no greater purpose in life for any of us than to bring joy, and love, into the lives of all our sisters and brothers.… Read more
In our last post we talked about our encounter with a so-called “spirit cat.”
This week, we’re discussing another peculiar situation with this cat.
After we left the cat, we drove 5 kilometers north. There we came upon an attractive small, white 13th century church and, behind it, a graveyard. A beautiful white light was shining down from the sky on the back of the church.
While Berna walked to the graveyard, I walked around to the other side of the church.… Read more
Berna and I took a few days off this past weekend in the northeastern part of The Netherlands. It’s a beautiful rural area, known for its prehistoric tombs, called “hunebeds,” dating back to 4000-3000BC.
The hunebeds are the oldest monuments in the Netherlands. They are prehistoric tombstones built by the Funnelbeaker people using boulders Mother Nature transported to Drenthe during the Ice Age. Drenthe has no fewer than 52 hunebeds in a 30-kilometre radius.
We went to one of them last weekend.… Read more
As most of you know, Christian churches celebrated Easter last Sunday. This was always a big celebration in my Italian immigrant family. But you don’t have to be Christian to celebrate the resurrection, the miracle of Easter. For me, the lesson and miracle of Easter is we never die—life is eternal.
Some of your spiritual traditions celebrate Easter as a time of resurrection, rebirth.… Read more
Today we all live in challenging and often-tragic times. Just look at the mainstream news media headlines. But don’t do it too often. It will break you. There’s a better way.
Spirit
Many of you are struggling and suffering with all the challenges and changes your modern world is flooding you with.
It’s not an easy time for you to be on Planet Earth. But it is a good time—the perfect time—for you to be here.
Every one of you is facing your own unique challenges today.… Read more
Over the years Spirit has talked about death many times.
Unfortunately, it’s a subject most humans prefer to avoid. It instills dread and fear in the hearts of many.
Having grown up in the United States and now living in the Netherlands, it’s struck me how vast a difference there is between the Dutch and American views of death.
A couple of weeks ago, Dries van Agt, a Roman Catholic and former Dutch prime minister, and his wife Eugenie, died hand-in-hand by euthanasia.… Read more
Since more and more people are awakening, more people are consciously connecting with non-physical sources. Therefore, we thought we’d make a post about this.
Spirit
It is critical, in these wild times on your planet to stay connected to Spirit. Of course, you are always connected. You cannot be disconnected, for you ARE Spirit.
We know it’s tempting at times to question or doubt the information you bring through when you are speaking with Spirit. It does not matter by which name you call Spirit.… Read more
In today’s world, it often seems kindness is in short supply. But there are as many random acts of kindness as there are acts of cruelty. Or, perhaps, more.
We only need to open our eyes to all the kindness around us. There is more of it than you would ever imagine. Although you might not think so if you follow the mainstream news.
Kindness is the cure to a world gone crazy.
We have often talked about the power of kindness each of you humans possess.… Read more
One of Spirit’s favorite phrases is All is well. In today’s world, we need more reminders that all truly is well, despite appearances.
Spirit
A Course in Miracles tells you in Lesson 292, A happy outcome to all things is sure. We realize that’s a tough one for many of you to wrap your minds around.
Perhaps one quick glance at your daily news convinces you your world is really going to hell. How then, you might ask, can there be a happy outcome to all things?… Read more
How often have we (ALL of us) judged another without knowing the pain they were feeling?
Spirit
You have a saying that goes something like this: Never judge another till you have walked a mile in their shoes.
You have all walked many miles, in this lifetime and others. In some of those lifetimes you’ve walked alone. In others, you’ve walked together.
But we would ask you, as you walk through this lifetime, to imagine what it’s like for others, especially those who walk beside you.… Read more
In today’s cruel and crazy world, it’s tempting to believe humanity is lost. If you spend much time following the mainstream news media, you probably wonder if there’s any hope at all for world peace. Many say they want it, but few do much to promote it.
Are there any good people left in this old world of ours? Yes, there are, more than we know. Here’s a powerfully uplifting story of one such person.
This is a true story. It happened November 25, 1854 on the shores of Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes on the US-Canadian border.… Read more
Recently, Berna and I were having one of our daily chats about spirituality.
She told me she was planning to visit a close friend of hers. I asked her about this friend’s neighborhood, as I remembered it from our recent visit—the red brick buildings with many big trees, large grassy expanses, and other details. Berna knew the area well.
Then she said she and I had never been there together. I was, to put it mildly, surprised! I asked her if my description of the neighborhood was accurate.… Read more
You may have seen the recent news about possibly hundreds of poor migrants dying in a tragic shipwreck on the Mediterranean Sea. On board were about 750 people, including 100 children.
In another recent shipwreck, 5 wealthy people died in a tragic submersible accident.
Which do you think got the most news coverage? And on which was far more money spent? Were the migrant lives worth less than the lives of the wealthy?
Spirit
The title we have chosen for this article is, in itself, a tragedy.… Read more