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Welcome Letter
by Sibyl McLendon
Ya'ah'teh' and greetings! I need to start this out by saying that I am really sorry that in the past two newsletters, I have put the link to the on-line MousePages site in wrong! I was embarrassed the first time, so last week, I told myself that I would be more careful. When I discovered that I had made the same mistake yet again, I was mortified! I hope that you all do not think I am an idiot at this point, and I swear I have gotten it right this week. I guess it is hard to teach an old mouse a new trick. :)
I am starting a new feature this week. I am going to have an article on American Indian spirituality in each issue, at least for awhile. I have advertised this newsletter as having them, so I figured it was about time that I did. In the coming weeks, I plan articles about medicine wheels, sun dances, smudging and quite a lot more. If any of you have a subject that you would like to know more about, please, let me know.
This week's article is about Navajo balance and harmony. We have had a real test of that in my family this month. My husband, Bobby (Eagle Dancing) is a gifted psychic who does readings through a site called Keen.com. He has been there for almost 8 months now. In April, Keen changed most of their policies in such a way that it really changed the way calls were done, and had the potential for affecting his monthly income adversely. Bobby had some problems finding the harmony in this, and finding his own balance within the changes. But, when he did, and he made the decision that it would NOT affect him in a negative way, things cleared up immediately! Within minutes he had a call that was very successful, and things have been fine ever since. Lesson learned! We may not always get such quick feedback that we are doing the right thing, but the feedback will always come. Whenever we let fear affect our decisions, we lose our harmony, and the end result will never be good.
I welcome all the new subscribers this week. I hope that you enjoy this newsletter, and if you ever have any suggestions, requests or something you would like to submit, I welcome it! Have a wonderful week.
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"He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe."
-- Marcus Aurelius (2nd century A.D.)
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Picture Jasper
by Sibyl McLendon
Picture jasper is a sweet stone that has a very gentle energy. When polished, it looks like landscapes. It comes in shades of tans, blacks and browns, and every piece has a unique landscape view. Some look like desert scenes, some like mountains, others can look like the ocean.
As for the energy of picture jasper, it is very soothing and relaxing. If you take some quiet time and just gaze into a piece, it is very easy to let your imagination soar. You can imagine the landscape, see yourself there... it can be a lot like taking a mini-vacation! Picture jasper can be a great stone to keep with you at work. When things get hectic and you are feeling frazzled, just take a few minutes to look at it, and you will feel yourself relaxing and unwinding. It is quite grounding.
Picture jasper makes nice jewelry. It is very soothing to wear. It can heal your jangled nerves, and leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
Here are links to sites with photos of picture jasper. I am not endorsing any commercial site. I simply chose these sites for the picture quality:
www.phoenixorion.com (scroll down to it)
www.home.aone.net.au
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Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)
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REGRETS, I HAVE A FEW...
by Robert Knowlton
"Gee, I feel so bad. I really should have done this, and when I think back, I really wish I'd never said that to her, and if only I had jumped at that opportunity, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation ..."
Regrets. I don't know many people who are not carrying around a few. Just thinking about them feels like it adds weight to my shoulders. Regrets can be a big stumbling block to living on purpose. Let's take a look at the nature of "regret." How does it affect you? How can you learn from these experiences, and then take your insights into living on purpose everyday?
The root of the word "regret" has two possible sources,
1) from the French "to weep" + "re"; to weep over and over again (from a loss)
2) from the German "gret" to greet + "re"; re-greet, to re-member or to think of again and again
(usually something lost or a loss).
Both meanings point to the experience of reliving or revisiting a loss, a death; greeting grief or sorrow again and again.
As you move through your life, you will experience loss. How you handle loss is critical to your ability to live your life and, well ... be happy. How you integrate loss into your life deeply affects your ability to be resourceful. Being resourceful helps you make choices that are healthy and support a fulfilling life.
Regrets generally come from unfulfilled expectations. We live in a time of high expectations. As a society, we seem to want it all. Many believe they are entitled to have it all, and if you believe what you see on TV and in magazines, your life is not really worthy unless you own the best and latest style, or are making a million dollars working at a hot new Internet start-up.
The truth is, sometimes you will not get what you want and will experience loss. When you don't achieve at the level you hoped, or when expectations of what you imagined the future to be are not met (a relationship didn't work out, the loss of a dream or a job), there can be regrets about your decisions or actions.
Regrets are often accompanied by a stiff dose of self- judgment. "I should have done X" or "I'm a terrible person for doing Y" or "Obviously I'm not worthy, capable or deserving." Does this sound familiar?
No one seems to regret his or her wins, victories and accomplishments! What's the difference? I believe this is important to notice. Understanding how you carry your "losses" relative to how you carry your "victories" may help you shift regrets that may be unconsciously weighing you down.
A wise person once told me, "Suffering is a result of unexamined stories." The regrets you carry are
experiences or stories that you may not have examined for the insights they hold for you. As you re-greet your experiences, examining them in the same way you always have, probably you will get the same experience of the same feelings and come up with the same regrets. You may notice the same self-judgment, the same self- talk or self-recrimination.
Shifting your perspective on your own or with assistance (a coach can help here), re-greeting your experiences with a new view, can help you learn from your past and release the binding feelings of regret.
Take a moment to identify a situation you regret. When you think about this experience and the feelings attached to it, does it support you to live a full, purposeful and happy life? Or does it weigh you down and make it harder for you to be resourceful and move forward?
If you are anything like me or those I've polled, regrets can seem like a ball and chain, like extra
baggage or simply an unrecognized weight or burden.
If you use these re-greeted experiences as learning opportunities, you may notice they can support you to live with more purpose. When you sift through regrets, you can usually find a nugget of truth that will help you make healthy choices the next time you find yourself in a similar situation. You are adding resources.
Feelings of sadness, sorrow, disappointment and loss are real, honest and true emotions. It is in the
remembering, the re-greeting of these feelings without taking insight from them that can spawn regret.
To live your life from this day forward with passion and authentic purposefulness, you must release your judgment of yourself. As you travel through your life, it is much easier to lighten your load and carry lessons learned than it is to drag along the weight of regrets.
Releasing regret will liberate you to live in today more authentically and true to your purpose.
© 2000, Robert Knowlton
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Robert Knowlton is an Executive Success Coach.
Coaching in leadership development, advanced communication strategies, and realizing your personal and business purpose and vision. Coaching requires making a commitment to yourself.
Contact me today if you're ready to move to the next level of success and fulfillment in your business and life.
Subscribe to my free e-newsletter, ON PURPOSE to get coaching tips and strategies for living a success-full and meaningful life. Visit my web site at: http://www.SuccessOptions.com/ezine.htm?SFregret or send an email to
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If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.
Marvin Gaye (1939 - 1984)
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Navajo Hozro
by Sibyl McLendon
The Navajo language is very complex. That is why the Navajo code talkers were so successful during the second world war, sending messages in Navajo freely without the Japanese ever being able to figure out what was being said. One of the most important word in the Navajo language is also one of the most difficult to explain: hozro.
Hozro is the basis of Navajo spirituality. It symbolizes the basic Navajo belief in harmony and balance. To the Navajo, being in perfect emotional balance, and in harmony with all is fundamental.
We believe that everything in nature and the universe has a male and a female aspect. This is necessary for the universe to stay in balance. There are male rains, which are hard and full of wind and lightening; female rains are gentle and soaking. Our traditional home, the Hogan, is considered female, because it shelters and nurtures
us.
In order for a human being to be in good health and prosper, we must keep our inherent female and male aspects in perfect harmony. We all have both aspects. Male energy is logical, courageous, ambitious. It is unemotional and assertive. It it is too strong it can also be aggressive and hurtful. Female energy is creative, intuitive and psychic. It is loving and nurturing. It is is too strong, it is also emotional and illogical. The perfect balance means that we will respond correctly in any situation.
We also strive to remain in harmony with everything around us. To struggle against whatever we are involved with is futile, and leads to disharmony and illness. I want to point out here that if we are in a bad situation, then it is because we have lost our balance, and it is necessary to get out before harmony and balance will return. If you are in an abusive situation, for instance, your female energy is too strong. You have allowed someone to take your personal power from you. You have allowed yourself to get into a relationship that is filled with disharmony. You should NOT strive to be in harmony with it, you should get out, and find your harmony and balance in the correct way.
We believe that all illness stems from disharmony. If you really consider this, it makes a lot of sense. How many illnesses are caused from stress? If we all can learn to find the balance within us, and the harmony with what is outside of us, our lives would improve tremendously. Why not spend some time today examining your male and female? Are you in balance? If not, strive to find it. Are you in harmony with your world? If not, find out why, and change it. Find your hozro. The benefits will be greater than you can imagine.
Sibyl McLendon can be reached at brownmouse@graffiti.net
The Brown Mouse Medicine Co
Spirit Mouse
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"The world is not to be put in order; the world is order, incarnate.
It is for us to harmonize with this order."
-- Henry Miller
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The Power Of MusicSparrow
by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle
Who will love a little Sparrow?
Who's traveled far and cries for rest?
"Not I," said the Oak Tree,
"I won't share my branches with no sparrow's nest,
And my blanket of leaves won't warm her cold breast."
Who will love a little Sparrow
And who will speak a kindly word?
"Not I," said the Swan,
"The entire idea is utterly absurd,
I'd be laughed at and scorned if the other Swans heard."
Who will take pity in his heart,
And who will feed a starving sparrow?
"Not I," said the Golden Wheat,
"I would if I could but I cannot I know,
I need all my grain to prosper and grow."
Who will love a little Sparrow?
Will no one write her eulogy?
"I will," said the Earth,
"For all I've created returns unto me,
From dust were ye made and dust ye shall be."
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"From Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a unifying life force that flowed in and through all things--the flowers of the plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals--and was the same force that had been breathed into the first man. Thus all things were kindred, and were brought together by the same Great Mystery."
-- Chief Luther Standing Bear, Teton Sioux tribe
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