A Village of One

 

Some days, I feel like a Village of One.

 

I marvel at how "gangs" band together to create destruction, chaos and fear..but seldom do we have "gangs" of do good-ers banding together to take a stand for Peace, Love and Joy....

 

Each loving sensitive person in this world feels like a Village of One; unable to have the strength to overcome these darker forces... alone.

 

Nice people are afraid of making people angry, we are conditioned to turn the other cheek; afraid to Stand, to become a target......

 

Setting Peaceful, Loving boundaries and speaking our truth will always annoy people who are not being their highest and best..

 

But your example will empower others to have the courage to Stand..........

 

With Love and Compassion and each other, we can make a difference.

 

You are not alone, have the courage to speak up, speak of Love, Hope and Peace;

and before you know it you will not be alone anymore....

 

Here is the thought for the day;

Peace Train

by Cat Stevens

Now I've been happy lately, 
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, 
something good has begun

Oh I've been smiling lately, 
dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, 
some day it's going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness, 
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, 
come take me home again

Now I've been smiling lately, 
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, 
something good has begun

Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy  roller

Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train

Get your bags together, 
go bring your good friends too
Cause it's getting nearer, 
it soon will be with you

Now come and join the living, 
it's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer, 
soon it will all be true

Now I've been crying lately, 
thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, 
why can't we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness, 
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, 
come take me home again

 

Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Tags: community, love, peace, faith, hope, joy

why?

 

We must ask ourselves...

Why is the world in such a state,

harder to Love than it is to hate?

 

Where its easier to judge than be compassionate,

Where its easier to blame than to do what's right

Where its easier to condemn our neighbor than be his brother.

 

Our future is unsure, our children the heirs..

We are like an artist with clay, 

molding them into the caretakers of tomorrow...

 

They watch to see if we do what we say..

We are the mirrors our children look to

for who they are and who they will be...

 

What image do they see?

 

And if they're not doing what you like;

it's time to have the courage to look in the Mirror. 

 

Here is the thought for the day

 

In Germany they came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Martin Niemoeller

German Protestant Clergyman

 

Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Tags: world, children, love, hate, peace, mirror

What if God were on of us....

I had a very interesting dream last night;

 

I was at work (I used to work at a bank) and they sent me to an in house seminar called "Take God to Work Day"...

 

The summary of the seminar was;

If you took God to work, and he was shadowing you all day...how would you act?

I represented my whole department of over 200 people...and had to come back and teach it to everyone else.....

 

I had come back to the floor at lunch time, very happy peaceful and joyful..the people I worked with were nice, but the supervisors were very resentful because I came in late and was being promoted to a supervisor too...

 

They were not happy about learning what I was bringing back from the Seminar.....but the VP of the department was; and he was having a meeting with them to discuss it....it was a small group of 5 women....

 

 

If you took God to work with you, how would you act?

Can Peace, Joy and Love be your armor amidst those you share your day with?

Most people are happy about this new way of thinking and are willing to look at things in a different way... but there will be a few who will resist..even trying to sabotage it because they refuse to evolve.....

 

Take "God" to work with you..in whatever form you see "Him/Her" -  maybe it will catch on.....

 

Here is the Thought for the day

Taken from

What if God were one of us- song by Joan Osborn

If God had a name what would it be?
And would you call it to his face?
If you were faced with him in all his glory
what would you ask if you had just one question?


What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

If God had a face
What would it look like?
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints
and all the Prophets

What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Just trying to make his way home
Back up to Heaven all alone
Nobody callin' on the phone
cept for the Pope maybe in Rome


Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Tags: work, god, unconditional love, peace, joy, change,

The Give Away

Over the last 3 years, I have been in a process of purging things that do not "grow corn"..or serve me any longer... It has been an arduous process, but I am at the end of this very long journey....

 

In order to create the space needed for abundance and opportunity, I went into the basement to face the last of the stuff that I have acquired and need to surrender..

 

Doing this requires an objective view, ability to let go, and surrender to what the Universe has yet to offer...so....I'm Makin room for NEW......

 

If we want new things in our life, we must be willing to remove what no longer serves us.

No judgement, no guilt, just the sense of completion and allowing things to go....on to a new life away from here.....

 

By keeping things that no longer serve us, we hoard the abundant energy ...creating fear and scarcity..

 

Hoarding stops the abundant flow. 

 

Because we are not honoring what we already have, there is no room for new things, new opportunities.

 

We cannot be trusted with new things, because we don't take care of what we already have.

 

I found a blender from 1968 that my mom gave me....but it is not being of service to anyone on a shelf in my basement... time to clean it off and let it go....

 

Make room for abundance.

 

For information about ethically recycling  your "treasures"go to http://www.freecycle.org/ or donate to your local Good Will or your favorite charity.

 

Your things would love a new home with people who will use them.

 

There are many people on the Sioux reservations who would appreciate clothing or blankets, especially for grandmothers, grandfathers or children. 

To learn more go to http://www.naha-inc.org

Or to adopt a Native American elder  in desperate need go to http://www.anelder.org/

 

Here is the Thought for the day-

 

There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life - happiness, freedom and peace of mind - are always attained by giving them to someone else.

Peyton Conway March

Namaste,
Marianne

Are you a dinosaur?

Evolution....

From the time we're born until we die we are in a constant state of evolution. Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually...

 

In most cases however, through circumstances on our journey, this evolution stops, or slows down to a crawl.

 

I heard it said that if we look at people, and their behavior as an observer; through the things they say, or the behavior they exhibit, we can tell where that evolution or growth stopped.

 

For some, it's in  infancy, or childhood, or  for others-adolescence..

 

That doesn't stop us  from reacting to the behavior or emotion, but it should make us more compassionate to who we're dealing with at any given moment. But that can't happen until we look at our own evolution.

 

Where have you stopped in your evolution?

 

What happened in that child place or young adult that keeps us reacting, and blaming and judging, with an un evolved eye-  creating the "unfairness"  in our life- the victim or the inability to own our part in the adult world?

 

Our physical parent, or peer may not be there to heal that place for us or give us what we need now. So it is up to us to heal that place so we can live in peace and be compassionate to our less evolved brothers and sisters in the world.

 

The dinosaurs are extinct because they could not evolve.

 

Growth requires change, and with growth there is pain, but it is short lived compared to living every day with the pain of ignorance.

 

Here is the thought for the day;

 

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun.

You never blame the lettuce.

Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person.

But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce.

Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument.

That is my experience.

No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding.

If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can Love, and the situation will change.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Vietnamese Buddhist Monk and Peace Activist

Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Catalyst

Good Morning,

It has taken me most of my life to come  into acceptance of who I am and what I bring to the world.

 

The best word to describe me is a catalyst which Websters defines as;

 

Main Entry: cat·a·lyst
Pronunciation: 'ka-t & l-&st
2 : an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action

 

 I realize that I facilitate change just from my presence.I used to take personally,the reactions that I received.

 

But now I know that for some, I am like warm loving breeze, clearing the cobwebs, inspiring them to be more, to do more...

and for others I am like sand paper on skin, abrasive and uncomfortable.... 

 

Whichever people feel, it is about looking within themselves.....finding permission within to grow, or resist violently..... There is no middle ground......

 

Look at the catalysts in your life; is it really what they do to you, or are they  just bringing up all your issues?

 

Either way, it is about looking at ourselves and having the strength to change; to look at your life from another perspective.....regardless of the catalyst...

 

 

Here is the thought for the day;

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Langston Hughes

Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Tags: change, catalyst, life review, challange, grow, love

Joy!

Good Morning...

 

Life and living can be serious business, but if we want to be balanced we must also remember the joy that exists every day...

 

Joy, being a lighter energy can be hidden by despair , anger and all those heavier energies...It can be like getting caught is a whirlpool .....

 

Today...don't get sucked in that vacuous hole...be a Joy finder, be a Joy spreader..... refuse to allow the world, the media, your boss, your coworker to bring you down to that level.....

 

There are many negative examples; but for today be a mirror of Joy... everywhere you go. The reactions you get will be interesting...but the mirror that you are will reflect  Hope and the life you save may not be your own......

 

Here is the thought for the day

 

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood,

but of respect and joy in each other's life.

Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.

Richard Bach

American Author

 

Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Tags: joy, hope, love, hate, energy, world, boss, coworker

Being of Service

When any of us come to a place of asking for help, it is usually when we have reached a limit. Realizing that we cannot do it alone.

 

There is a surrender that occurs in admitting we cannot manage alone.

 

We are not separate; we are all connected.

 

When people come to a place of asking, it is our duty to be of service.

.

If one of us is suffering, We all suffer...

If someone is in need...We are all in need....

If someone is starving for food or Love...We all starve.....

 

The litmus test  of Life is Love, Peace and Joy...

 

Be a Missionary of Love...

Be a Missionary for Peace...

Be a Missionary for Joy...

 

The thought for the day is a repeat, but I feel it needs repeating...enjoy....

 

Here is the thought for the day;

                                   The Mirror of Me

 In a dream I looked into a pool and what I saw was me,

But in a gentler version of what we really see.

 

I was then shown, this pool really does reflect,

Every one I chance to meet, in all things that exist.

 

As I go about my day, do I see the piece of me,

that lives in everyone I meet, in every bird and tree?

 

It’s hard some days to see myself in beggar and in thief,

In Gossip and in Poverty as I pass it on the street.

 

Compassion is the key, how would it be if it was me?

Would I hope to get a smile from everyone I see?

 

Or would I like them to scorn and scold me for my mistake,

and pass me as so many did, leaving judgment in their wake?

 

Since I am a piece of God, and walk the Beauty way,

I must help myself up off the street and give encouragement away.

 

To give a smile.. … You can do It… I can understand,

I can help…what can I do…give a helping hand.

 

For in the ripples of the pool the reflection is You I see.

It’s hard to tell but I now know that you’re a part of me.

 

God has a Great Reflecting Pool, and as he looks Within,

In His Great Wisdom sees me inside of Him.

 

He treats me gently like a child, no matter what mistakes I make,

And all He asks in return is that I might do the same.

 

Marianne Goldweber copyright 2005

 

Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Taking a Stand

I am not a believer in Good vs Evil..but I do believe that there is a energy struggle between light (higher) and Dark (lower) energies that over the last century have permeated our society.

 

The only way to counter the lower energy is to shine the light on the darkness...

 

Standing up for what is right makes us feel alone, that we are only one person doing the right thing  and that cannot change the world....

 

My challenge to you is;not keeping silent when we see the dark at work. It is also a challenge to defend the light, by keeping silent we accept it.

 

Not taking a stand against hate, injustice and chaos is just as bad as doing it.

 

Support those who are doing the right thing, add your voice to theirs and before you know it a symphony will sound and it can't be ignored.

 

If enough of us take a stand for what we believe in, the light of peace, love and compassion will shine and the darkness will fade.

 

Stop gossip, stop hate, stop chaos; speak up, whether it is on the bus, in your office or school or at home. 

 

Your protest will give others permission to speak up and together we will create the loving world that is so desperately needed now.

 

It may go down with a fight, but the darkness will disappear once you shine your light on it.

 

Here is the thought for the day;

 

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience

but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

The true neighbor will risk his position,

his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.

In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways,

he will lift some bruised and beaten brother

to a higher and more noble life.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Namaste,
Marianne Goldweber

Tags: hate, love, peace, chaos, injustice, compassion

Recipe for Peace

To stay in balance,
speak you truth,
honor and love others,
and strive for peace
are the hardest things you will be called to do.

Rest in knowing that there is a reason,
that by facing these challenges it will be for your growth of for that of another,
and truth and love will always prevail.

Here is the thought for the day:

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt.
He said 'I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart.
One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one.
The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.'

The grandson asked him, 'Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?'
The grandfather answered: 'The one I feed.'

Native American Story

 

Tags: wolves, native american, peace, love, tolerance, justice, truth, balance

Soul Food

Good Morning!

In order to stay focused on a spiritual path, it is necessary to create time for Spirit in your day...

I have an amazing group of friends that I have evolved with that I consider my personal Village, who are all becoming elders in their own right...

We begin most mornings with a cup of cofee, a discusson of what is going on for us, dreams we have had, and finish with pulling from a number of oracle cards to give us a focus for the day....and we share one anothers perspective in a loving way and see how we can use those messages for our own hurdles.
 

Every day it is usually the same two of us, and we are joined by others as they are on their way to work, or beginning their day; not always the same folks, but when they need to connect they come by to get a little Spiritual Red Bull  before they begin; knowing that we are there and they have somewhere to go.

We usually laugh at how clear and simple it is to apply Spirituality in the comfort of the dining room, but then going forward into our day is when the challenge of applying those same spirtual principles to a very human world....

What we have agreed upon is; beginning every day with Spirit is as necessary as eating is to the physical body. It lessens our reaction to the Chaos and Drama that our human friends and coworkers present.It allows us to remain more objective, and if we are not, we take those experiences to the table the next morning, trying to see the lesson, and how we could have better handled those situations...

Creating an opportunity to take all this wisdom and apply it consistantly...

The message today is, the Spiritual body needs food every day..and a couple of friends make the meal that more enjoyable...

Here is the thought for the day;

      “Far more indispensable than food for the physical body is spiritual nourishment for the soul. One can do without food for a considerable time,
but a man of the spirit cannot exist for a single second without spiritual nourishment.”
 Mohandas Gandhi

Namaste,
Marianne 

 

Tags: food for the soul, spirituality, village, elders, life, good red road, native american, love, friends, family, coffee, gandhi, opportunity, growth, faith, courage, dreams,

Service

During February, I was not sending the thought of the day, but I w3as listening and observing.It was also a tribute to the life of  Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

I had read many quotes of his, and I had read many things, but recently I was able to hear some of his amazing sermons...one of which was the "Drum Major Instinct".

 

It is on his web site in printed form, and the message is about self importance and ego.. and turning that into a life of service...

MLK Papers Project Sermons: "The Drum Major Instinct"

This sermon was given 60 days to the day before his assassination, and it is full of prophesy of his own end..

It explains how we need to take every opportunity to do higher work in the service of others.

The thought of the day is an excerpt from that sermon..

 

Take some time to reflect on it and find an opportunity to stop and take the time to be of service to your fellow man, wherever you are, whatever spirituality speaks to you, because the common thread that binds us all together is we are all light..filled with the same Spirit.

 

Here is the thought for the day;

And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.

I know a man—and I just want to talk about him a minute, and maybe you will discover who I'm talking about as I go down the way (Yeah) because he was a great one. And he just went about serving. He was born in an obscure village, (Yes, sir) the child of a poor peasant woman. And then he grew up in still another obscure village, where he worked as a carpenter until he was thirty years old. (Amen) Then for three years, he just got on his feet, and he was an itinerant preacher. And he went about doing some things. He didn't have much. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. (Yes) He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never visited a big city. He never went two hundred miles from where he was born. He did none of the usual things that the world would associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. They called him a rabble-rouser. They called him a troublemaker. They said he was an agitator. (Glory to God) He practiced civil disobedience; he broke injunctions. And so he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. And the irony of it all is that his friends turned him over to them. (Amen) One of his closest friends denied him. Another of his friends turned him over to his enemies. And while he was dying, the people who killed him gambled for his clothing, the only possession that he had in the world. (Lord help him) When he was dead he was buried in a borrowed tomb, through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he stands as the most influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned put together (Yes) have not affected the life of man on this earth (Amen) as much as that one solitary life. His name may be a familiar one. (Jesus) But today I can hear them talking about him. Every now and then somebody says, "He's King of Kings." (Yes) And again I can hear somebody saying, "He's Lord of Lords." Somewhere else I can hear somebody saying, "In Christ there is no East nor West." (Yes) And then they go on and talk about, "In Him there's no North and South, but one great Fellowship of Love throughout the whole wide world." He didn't have anything. (Amen) He just went around serving and doing good.

This morning, you can be on his right hand and his left hand if you serve. (Amen) It's the only way in.

Every now and then I guess we all think realistically (Yes, sir) about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator—that something that we call death. We all think about it. And every now and then I think about my own death and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. And every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning.

If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)

I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)

I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.

I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)

I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)

And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)

I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)

I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that's all I want to say.

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong,

Then my living will not be in vain.

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,

If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,

If I can spread the message as the master taught,

Then my living will not be in vain.

Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, (Yes) not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr

 

Namaste,

Marianne Goldweber

Tags: service, jesus, martin luther king, ego, spirituality