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John Cali

It’s a chilly, grey overcast day in northwestern Wyoming as I sit here writing this.

A bit earlier today I went to the store to pick up a few things for dinner. Then I ran over to the post office to pick up my mail. I jog almost every day, so after the post office I started driving up to the lakes in the foothills above my town–the place I usually jog.

I had a vague, uneasy feeling the whole time I was out driving around today.… Read more

John Cali

Well, we’ve talked about death several times the past few newsletters. Spirit, of course, always views what we call death in a positive and uplifting way. I realize not all of us humans do. So this week we’re moving on to a lighter subject, joy. Sound good to you?

A long-time subscriber sent us this question and some “random thoughts,” as she put it, about the question.

Her question:
“What is the best way to be joyful?”

Her random thoughts (slightly edited):
“Are detachment and meditation the things that will strengthen inner connection to joy?… Read more

John Cali

One morning this past week, I awoke to the sounds of howling winds. That’s not unusual here in Wyoming this time of year. Outside my bedroom window heavy snow was falling–sort of. The wind was so powerful, the snow was “falling” horizontally. It was a wild morning.

A bit later, as I was working in my home office, I heard a low-flying airplane. I live near the small airport outside my little mountain town. But even though the airport was close, as a former commercial pilot, I realized this plane was flying too low.… Read more

John Cali

Last Sunday afternoon I was feeling restless. So I jumped in my car and drove west up into the mountains, to one of my most favorite places on the planet. It’s a big, broad valley many miles long and surrounded by some of the most ruggedly beautiful mountains in the northern Rockies. The broad Shoshone River flows through the valley’s entire length, from the towering mountains to the west into my little mountain town many miles east.

The day was a perfect vision of autumn’s golden beauty.… Read more

John Cali

One cold winter’s night ten years ago, I was working late in my office in the foothills of California’s Los Padres National Forest. The phone startled me out of my soft, quiet mood. An ominous sign, a phone call this late, I thought.

I barely recognized my brother’s strained voice on the other end. “Johnny,” he said, “Phil’s dead.” I couldn’t believe his words. So I asked, “Paul, what did you say?” He repeated, “Phil’s dead.”

My mind and emotions whirled in a dizzy, crazy fog.… Read more

John Cali

This has been a busy summer for me, with moving to Wyoming, and that resulting in me getting way behind on my work. Last week it finally dawned on me I hadn’t had a haircut in months, and I was beginning to look pretty shaggy!

I live in a small western town in the northern Rocky Mountains. So I figured there had to be an old-fashioned barber shop around here somewhere. But I couldn’t find one in the yellow pages.… Read more

John Cali

Last week I was visiting my good friend Mikala St. Germain, whom many of you know. Micki, as I call her, lives out on the prairie in northern Montana just a few miles from the Canadian border.

Micki had some work to do late one afternoon while I was there. So I decided to just relax and take a welcome break from my normally busy schedule. I went into the backyard which looks out over miles and miles of open prairie.… Read more

John Cali

We get lots of requests for personal readings with Spirit. And we get lots of email from folks all over the planet asking many, often poignant, questions.

Spirit and I have been doing this work over 11 years now. So, in that fairly long time period, you’d expect certain patterns to emerge in the questions. And they have.

The questions usually fall into four specific areas: abundance (especially money), work and career, physical body and health, and relationships (especially romantic and sexual relationships).… Read more

John Cali

I can just hear all of you saying it: “Good grief! Cali’s come up with another crazy title! What on earth does Walmart have to do with Spirit or my spiritual path?”

Well, let me explain again. (Some of you living outside the USA may not be familiar with Walmart. It’s a large national chain of stores selling almost everything imaginable, from groceries to hardware to furniture, etc.)

The other day I called my local Walmart store to ask about a piece of furniture I needed for my new home.… Read more

John Cali

A longtime reader and friend of Spirit’s and mine sent an interesting response to our last two newsletters on the subject of “We’re Right and They’re Wrong.”

One part of her response particularly intrigued me. And Spirit too, as it turned out.

Reader’s Response

Does it not behoove humanity to set some standard of “rightness” or “wrongness” for individual or group behavior? Should we allow such people (terrorists, burglars, murderers, etc.) to go along their merry way hurting and damaging, as it’s just that individual’s perspective and we have no right to judge?… Read more

John Cali

As those of you who’ve been with us a while know, I don’t often publish anything in this newsletter other than Spirit’s and my wild meandering thoughts. 😉

However, we received some wonderfully positive feedback from last week’s newsletter. So this week I’m publishing one of those responses. It’s from a good friend of ours from many years back. Her name is Nancy, and she’s given me permission to publish her letter and email address.

Nancy’s response is particularly eloquent and passionate.… Read more

John Cali

I rarely spend any time on the mainstream news media. But the other night I turned on Wyoming Public Radio at the start of an interview with a prominent national politician who, for our purposes, shall remain nameless and partyless.

The interviewer was questioning the guest about a hotly divisive political issue. Some of the first words out of the politician’s mouth were, “We’re right and they’re wrong.” Meaning his party was right on this issue and the other folks didn’t know what the hell they were talking about.… Read more

John Cali

One night last month I was baking my dinner in the oven. When it was done I carefully removed the hot pan and placed it on the stove top. A moment later, without thinking, I picked up the pan with a bare hand. A searing pain surged through my hand and up my arm.

I dropped the pan, staring in disbelief at the huge red burn marks in the palm of my hand. At that moment, Spirit said to me, “This too shall pass.”… Read more

John Cali

One night not long ago I was driving down a dark, unlit, lonely highway I’d never travelled before. There was one other car in sight, ahead of me and travelling slowly.

As I moved to the left to pass the slow moving car, I felt a deep sense of dread. Like something awful was about to happen. That dark feeling decreased as I passed the car and sped off into the moonless night.

Soon the highway narrowed. Ahead of me I saw a light at the place where the road seemingly ended.… Read more

John Cali

If you’re as old as I am, you’ll remember a popular song titled the same as today’s article, “I’m Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover.”

I grew up in a small farm town on the shores of Lake Erie in Western New York State. Many of my large family lived in the same neighborhood. One of my favorite aunts, Lucy, lived next door to us.

Separating our houses was a large grassy field we often crossed when our families were visiting each other.… Read more

John Cali

Occasionally some folks question or criticize Spirit’s and my approach to life, which basically is: Seek only joy. Some typical responses:

“That’s too simple – too easy.”
“Life is just plain tough–you know, ‘no pain, no gain.’”
“Look around you–there’s precious little joy in this world.”
“You guys are burying your heads in the sand.”

And so on.

Or as one of my family once put it during a difficult time in her life, “Life’s a bitch, and then you die!”… Read more

John Cali

A subscriber sent us a most interesting question in response to last week’s newsletter.

If you missed last week, you’ll need to read it if you want to make sense of this week’s newsletter. So if you did miss last week, check it out here before you go any farther.

The subscriber’s question, which I’m sure many others also had, was: “Now, how do we keep from turning the computer off?”

And here’s Spirit’s response.

Spirit

It must be obvious you will never receive an autoresponder’s message if you ask for answers from it, and then immediately turn off your computer.… Read more

John Cali

You’re probably thinking, “What a weird title! Has Cali finally lost his mind?”

Let me explain.

I realize some of you may not know what an autoresponder is. And even those of you who do probably still think the title is weird.

An autoresponder, as you’d guess from the name, is an automatic response service. For example, Spirit and I have an autoresponder where people can get information on personal readings. Autoresponders have email addresses, just like people.

But unlike with most people, if you sent email to an autoresponder, you get an immediate response.… Read more

John Cali

A subscriber recently sent us some questions about aging, in response to our April 24 newsletter article, How Old Are You? Here is her letter:

“I’m wondering something in response to the message about accepting or rather, not accepting, the labels that society likes to put on people, namely aging. I totally agree with you about this.

“I’m constantly asked if my daughter and I are sisters. She’s 18 and I’m 43. I love watching people’s mouths drop open when they find out that I’m a single mother of four with my oldest being 21.… Read more

John Cali

We received many articulate and thoughtful responses to last week’s newsletter. By far, most of your responses agreed with Spirit. However, there were several which did not.

Those who disagreed with Spirit said, to heal themselves, they needed to delve into their past pain, even back to childhood.

For some years now I’ve personally known two of those who disagreed. Their process, as they described it, was obviously quite successful. Both, in my view, are among the happiest, most well balanced and joyful people I know.… Read more

John Cali

Two weeks ago Spirit and I received a letter from one of our readers. It needs no other introduction. So here it is:

“Dear John:

“Would you and Spirit please discuss the issue of anger? (And the issue of) people, such as myself, who have tremendous anger and rage over all the abuse, harm and injury received at the hands of others.

“I am most interested in what to do with all those feelings of rage, particularly when no one wants to hear you.… Read more

John Cali

I never tell people how old I am, even if they ask. I used to, but no more. Now my answer is, “I’m ageless.” It’s not because I’m embarrassed or self-conscious about the number of years this body of mine has been on the planet. I’m not. (And it’s been a lot of years!)

It’s a matter of principle. Let me explain.

Our modern society is always anxious to label its members. For example: old-young, liberal-conservative, literate-illiterate, rich-poor, etc.,… Read more