Issue 16
In this issue:
1) Welcome by Sibyl McLendon
2) Obsidian by Sibyl McLendon
3) The Voice by Kevin Eikenberry
4) Letting Go Of Turbulence by W. Bradford Swift
5) The Power Of Music (Warning: contains words some may find
offensive!)
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Please, check out Pages With Spirit the next time you are looking for an e-greeting to send!
Pages With Spirit
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Welcome
by Sibyl McLendon
Greetings! I hope that this is the start of a wonderful week for all of you. I expect my week to be a good one, we are finally getting our car
back after 2 months without it! And, much more importantly, we are supposed to see our Grandson this weekend! We haven't gotten to see him
since the last week of December, so this will be a huge treat. The articles this week are about working through conflicts, and learning
to listen to our inner voice. My husband Bobby does psychic readings professionally, and he does about 10 to 15 a day. He estimates that 85%
of his readings involve relationships, and of those, 90% are bad ones. Folks, that is a whole lot of people in bad relationships of one kind or
another! I hear him telling people over and over again to listen to their inner voice, and to trust their gut instincts. Needless to say,
I have decided that there are an awful lot of people out there who need to learn just what their inner voice is trying to tell them.
A word of warning about the song I chose this week for The Power Of Music: it contains swear words, and if you are offended by them, PLEASE
do not read it! If you have been a subscriber for any length of time, you will know that this is unusual for me. However, I do listen to all
types of music. When I hear a song that has a message that I think is worthwhile, I will include it regardless of its language. I feel that
the message in this week's song far outweighs the potential for offense. Sometimes strong language gets the message to us loud and clear. I
hope that you will see past the language to the heart of what this song is trying to convey.
Again, I hope that your week is a good one. Thanks for reading.
Sibyl McLendon can be contacted at brownmouse@graffiti.net
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Obsidian
by Sibyl McLendon
Obsidian is volcanic glass, formed from the superheating of sand and minerals during a volcanic eruption. It can be jet black, very dark
green, rainbow or snowflake. Rainbow obsidian reflects the colors of the
rainbow 
and snowflake obsidian is black with snowflake-looking flecks
of the mineral cristobalite in it.
Obsidian was prized by early man for making stone points (arrow and spear heads), statues and for jewelry. When flaked properly, obsidian
would produce a point that was razor sharp. The Mayans especially loved
obsidian. On sites of Mayan battles, literally thousands of obsidian points have been found.
Obsidian is especially good for absorbing negativity, both yours and any negativity that may surround you. It would be very helpful if kept on
top of your desk at work. Let it "eat" up all the negativity of your workplace, and shield you from it. It can also calm down anger,
especially if you rub it during stressful situations. After all, it was blown out of a volcano! It can help keep you from blowing your top!
Obsidian needs to be cleansed regularly. It works very hard for you, and it needs periods of rest and rejuvenation. I have actually seen an
obsidan pyramid twist out of shape because it was subjected to intense
negativity over a period of time with no relief. Put it in the sun 
for a day, under the moon overnight, or place it on an amethyst geode for a few days.
As is my practice these days, I am including links to pictures of obsidian on the internet. It was really hard finding any good ones! I
am NOT recommending any sites here, just the photos.
Photos 1
Photos 2
by Sibyl McLendon
The Brown
Mouse Medicine Co.
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The Voice
by Kevin Eikenberry
I believe all of us have heard a voice, perhaps "The Voice." The Voice may or may not have sounded like the one in Field of Dreams. It may have
been a voice we recognized; it may have been a family member, it may
have been a woman or a man, but we have all heard The Voice. Field of Dreams is a movie about many things, including Baseball, Family, Dreams,
and more. None are more important to me than The Voice.
The first time the movie was on network television, I heard The Voice. My grandparents were soon having a 50th wedding anniversary celebration
and the family had asked that no one bring gifts. Since gifts weren't
expected or requested, I hadn't thought much about giving them anything. The Voice told me to go write them a letter. Now. At 11:00 pm on a
Sunday night, when I had to get up early to go to work. I went in and
wrote the first draft of a letter that I ended up reading to them at their party, in front of many family members and friends. It was a way
to show my love for them, by telling them how my life is different because of them. Following The Voice in this instance wasn't especially
hard nor did it lead to the kind of changes that Ray Kinsella's Voice did, but it was important for my growth, and in the end, valuable to my
Grandparents.
When we hear The Voice, I believe it is always for the greater good, even if it doesn't seem as such at first. Listening to, and taking
action on The Voice's words is a habit, and when The Voice gives us "easy" tasks like writing a letter it is an opportunity to practice our
listening skills. Townsfolk and family members declared Ray crazy, for doing something that, well, seemed crazy! He was laughed at and rebuked
in his community, and came within hours of losing his farm, his business and his home. Ray had every reason not to listen to the Voice. And many
times so do we.
Our history books are full of people who heard The Voice, listened, and acted. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Disciples of Jesus, the Founding
Fathers of the United States, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Christopher
Columbus, Florence Nightingale. These people, with their faults and foibles, all heard and listened to the Voice and made our world a better
place. As important as these famous people and their actions are, the
people you know and that live in your community (or your household) who have listened to The Voice to help themselves and others around them,
are just as instructive. We hear a voice, or see the vision as Ray did, picturing the ball field
in his cornfield, but we don't listen, we don't act. Usually the voice I hear is more clear than was Ray's - I've been lucky. That doesn't mean
the choices are easy, or the outcomes assured. There have been times I have listened, and times when I haven't. Often when I haven't listened,
The Voice became more persistent - forcing me to listen and ever urging me to act.
Your spiritual background and beliefs may give you a name for the Voice. You may call it God's Voice, Allah's Voice, your inner knower, your Mom,
your conscience, or something else. We all are tapped into this
spiritual power - and hearing The Voice is one proof of that fact. To me the question isn't whether we hear the Voice, it is whether or not we
listen.
"If you build it he will come." "Ease His pain." "Go the Distance."
These are the words The Voice said during the movie. The movie, through it's story, gives us the answers to these initially puzzling requests.
The question the movie doesn't answer is, "What words am I hearing, and
what am I doing about it?" "What is my Field of Dreams?" Questions worth asking and answering.
Here's to you finding your field of dreams,
Kevin Eikenberry
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LETTING GO OF EMOTIONAL TURBULENCE
by
W. Bradford Swift
Let me ask you, are you more or less effective when you are upset? Doyou find yourself stuck at times in your life by anger, frustration,
fear, guilt and similar emotions? If so, here is a step-by-step approach
adapted in part from the book, "Do Less, Achieve More" by Chin-Ning Chu.
1. DON'T SUPPRESS. Letting go of your emotions doesn't mean to avoid feeling them or suppressing them. Suppressing your emotions can be
harmful to your health, resulting in a myriad of physical ailments
including heart disease, strokes and ulcers. Instead of suppressing your emotions, become unattached to them. How?
2. CAUSE YOUR UPSET. One of the most effective ways I've found to become unattached to an upset is to actually 'cause' it. Having something
happen that results in your automatically being upset is different from
recognizing the upset and causing it in a responsible manner. You may find it's actually quite difficult to stay upset when you're causing it
rather than simply being at the effect of it, and it can help you move through it and reach detachment sooner.
3. WRITE IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM. For many people, writing about their emotional upsets can be a great way to dissipate the energy. The best
way to write about your emotions is to not think about writing but
simply write. Pour it all out on the paper. Let the words flow directly from your heart to your fingers without detouring through your brain
first.
4. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED? Once you've unattached yourself from the angst of your emotions, you are better able to deal with what really happened.
As Detective Friday used to say in Dragnet, "Just the facts." What happened is almost always different from what you reacted to. What
caused the reaction was what you made up about what happened. Someone saying, "We're cutting your bonus 50%," is different from "My jerk of a
boss is stingy and uncaring and let me tell you what he did recently that proves it." Few people in life deal with what's really happening --
only the most effective ones.
5. GET THAT WE LIVE IN A 'NO ACCIDENT' UNIVERSE. Since we're designed to make meaning out of everything, why not make up some new meaning about
what happened that will empower life? Notice I said empower life, not 'empower you.' Of course, you're part of life so you're included, but
look beyond yourself. What meaning could you attribute to the situation that will empower everyone involved? One great place to look is what's
the hidden lesson the Universe is trying to teach you. If you've just gone through a huge upset, chances are that you've been offered the
lesson many other times. Isn't it time to learn it so that you can move on?
6. CELEBRATE. That's right, whenever you move through an upset, no matter how large or small, celebrate the expansion and growth you've
made. As Chin-Ning Chu says, "Rejoice and celebrate each time your heart
is broken. Only when your heart is broken can the light enter."
ACTION
This week, try out this simple and effective six-step approach on one of your upsets and see if you don't become much more effective at dealing
with your life. The more you practice it, the faster you'll be able to
authentically move through the emotional turbulence of life and stay on track to living purposefully.
Thanks to my friend and client, Eric Miller, for inspiring this Thought Provoker.
W. Bradford Swift is director of Life On Purpose Institute -- an
organization dedicated to people clarifying their life purpose and
living true to it -- where he is a coach, writer and trainer for other
coaches ( http://www.coachingonpurpose.com). Hundreds of his articles
have appeared in such diverse publications as Modern Maturity, Hope, New
Age Journal, Yoga Journal, and many others. He may be contacted by
email: brad@lifeonpurpose.com; by phone: 1-800-668-0183; or visit the
Life On Purpose Institute website: http://www.lifeonpurpose.com. For a
FREE subscription to Purposeful Pondering Ezine, send an email to
PurposefulPondering-subscribe@egroups.com.
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The Power Of Music
WARNING: CONTAINS WORDS THAT SOME MAY FIND OFFENSIVE!
What It's Like
Everlast
We've all seen the man at the liquor store beggin' for your change
The hair on his face is dirty, dreadlocked and full of mange
He ask the man for what he could spare with shame in his eyes
Get a job you fuckin' slob 's all he replied
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues
Then you really might know what it's like
Mary got pregnant from a kid named Tom who said he was in love
He said don't worry about a thing baby doll I'm the man you've been
dreamin' of
But three months later he said he won't date her or return her calls
And she swears god damn if I find that man I'm cuttin' off his balls
And then she heads for the clinic and she gets some static walkin'
through the door
They call her a killer, and they call her a sinner, and they call her a
whore
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to choose
Then you really might know what it's like
I've seen a rich man beg
I've seen a good man sin
I've seen a tough man cry
I've seen a loser win
And a sad man grin
I heard an honest man lie
I've seen the good side of bad
And the down side of up
And everything between
I licked the silver spoon
Drank from the golden cup
Smoked the finest green
I stroked daddies dimes at least a couple of times
Before I broke their hearts
You know where it ends
Yo, it usually depends
on where you start
I knew this kid named Max He used to get fat stacks out on the corner
with drugs
He liked to hang out late Liked to get shit faced And keep pace with
thugs
Until late one night there was a big gun fight Max lost his head
He pulled out his chrome .45 Talked some shit And wound up dead
Now his wife and his kids are caught in the midst of all of his pain
You know it crumbles that way At least that's what they say when you
play the game
God forbid you ever had to wake up to hear the news
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to lose
Then you really might know what it's like
To have to lose...
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