Give Thanks

Give thanks for the moment of waking
Give thanks for sleeping, too
Give thanks for every breath you take
Each one is given to you

Give thanks for each morsel of bread you eat
Give thanks for every fruit
There are those all around who have not these things
Give thanks they’ve been given to you

Give thanks for water, hot and cold
Give thanks for a dry place to sleep
Give thanks indeed for the clothes on your back
Give thanks for the shoes on your feet

Give thanks for those things of everyday Life
Those things we consider our due
And if you have nothing, give thanks for that
You have nothing to burden you

Give thanks for understanding
for Love and Compassion, too
and if you can’t feel it, look in your Heart
it’s right there inside of you

Give thanks for every Blessing
Life is a Blessing for you

Give thanks for every moment of Life
it’s a Gift given to you

Life is a Gift in every way
give thanks it’s been
given to you

Sometimes God Raps: I Be The Love

I be the Love
I be the Light
I be the darkness in the night

I be the fruit/on every tree
I be the sky, the earth, the sea

I be the stars up/in the skies
I be in front of you -
no disguise

I be the groovin’/to the/beat
I be the sistuh/on the/street

I be the flea/on every dog
I be the sunshine, the rain and the fog

I be the down-out
I be the up-tall
I be the summuh, the wintuh, the fall

I be the birdies/in the/tree
there be the birdies, the tree
and Me

I be the scorpion / on the ground
I be the eagle soarin’ ’round

I be the ant, I be the bee
I be in everything you see

I be the Love
I be the Light
I be the Fire/ burnin’ /bright
in the darkness/of the/night

Who Cares? Compassion in the 21st Century

In 1994 I was struck homeless in the same way Ramdass/Richard Alpert considers he was ‘stroked’ – by an intangible force. One day I was relocating from a northern state to a more desirable clime, a week later I was sleeping in my car, realizing my life would never be the same.

Nothing and everything in the previous forty-seven years of my existence had prepared me for the experience that ensued. And while I recognized the spiritual aspect of what was happening, that knowledge didn’t ameliorate the consequences, and I often wondered what I had done to deserve such a fate. My experience since then has demonstrated quite clearly that we do not have the control we think we have over our destiny, and begs the question “What is it that actually moves us through this life?”

The query often posed by well-meaning acquaintances, “Why don’t you just get a job?” could not be answered. I worked whenever possible, as a photographer, freelance writing for a local newspaper, in the shop of a newly acquired friend when she needed help; and at the same time I knew that this situation was not about ‘getting a job’ - it was both a testing and an education: quite an extraordinary education in acceptance, non-judgment, trust and compassion – a curriculum unfortunately not available in our institutions of academe.

I learned, for instance, that however much there was, there was always enough to share – that the amount of food I thought I needed to satisfy my own hunger, when divided to provide sustenance for another, was somehow able to satisfy the hunger of both. Perhaps the act of sharing magically intensified the qualitative value of the food, or perhaps by sharing we precipitate love. Lovers, as everyone knows, can live on air…

The friendships I made supported me and the kindness of strangers sustained me. I was particularly blown away by the deli manager in a supermarket who, when I’d have only thirty-two cents or some equally paltry amount to my name and request that amount of a particular foodstuff, would then give me a huge portion of that item and proceed to ring up whatever the amount I had mentioned. And I will never forget one fellow in a similar boat to mine who, when once I asked if he could spare a couple of dollars for lunch, took out and looked at the five singles his wallet contained and proceeded to give me three of them.

If we understand that humans are not only expressions of but conduits for the Divine, we understand that although fear might attempt to tell us otherwise, we are not limited by what we either possess or lack. The practice of tithing by those of faith has shown that increase is precipitated by giving a portion of one’s income with compassion in the same way a tree produces more branches when pruned, or a bush more flowers when they are picked.

So if you consider yourself among the evolutionally advanced, walk the talk. ‘Think globally, act locally’ is not just a catchy phrase.

Be an open channel for the energy of compassion to flow though you – on its way it will enhance the Love in your heart and create moments of wonder and awe at events which arise.

Be non-judgmental. If we take the position that need exists in some to awaken compassion in others and open our hearts, we will be the ones who benefit the most. Trust me on this – I am speaking from experience:

For the past thirteen years of ‘homelessness’ I have been the witness to, recipient of and instrument in acts of wonder and mystery that defy explanation. Over and over and over the trust I was drilled in proved itself profoundly, with the situations occurring and bounty extended ofttimes overwhelming in their breadth and depth of wonder-fullness.

And while I don’t expect anyone else to willingly embrace the deprivation and suffering I have endured on my own journey - not a position one may volunteer for at any rate - I can honestly say that I don’t regret a moment and have been transformed in ways both simple and profound.

The fact is, whether our lives are a series of cause and effect events or simply a storyline we meander through, the outcome is the same. And whether we are able to manipulate or cajole others to achieve our ends is always a crapshoot. The upshot being: when we lie on our deathbeds what will have been our greatest achievement – the things we have accumulated or the hearts we have touched?

One road leaves us tragically empty, the other filled in an incomparable way. I know the acts of kindness shown me have been light years more meaningful than all the expensive stuff I’ve acquired that has slipped through my fingers like grains of sand.

If we are not evolving into a civilization that understands and meets the needs of all its members as any enlightened family does, we are degenerating into a civilization that is self-righteous and (albeit apparently successful) self-destructive, and will ultimately render itself extinct. Who cares?

Watch 'Love Your Neighbor': http://www.saharadevi.com/home/Evolution-Revolution-love-your-neighbor-2

How Did I Get Here?

Although I was brought up well, appreciate beauty, and enjoy fine things, I wasn’t especially driven to achieve on the material plane, as once I became aware of the ‘spiritual path’ I considered the development of spiritual consciousness to be my essential work; so through the years I have done more or less whatever presented itself to me, always somehow getting by, engaging in a wide range of activities and experiencing at least three or four different sides of the tracks, from first class to no class.

Among other things, I’ve worked as a Head Start assistant, bank teller, the ubiquitous waitress, freelance photographer and journalist, organic wine salesman, natural food store cashier, carpenter’s assistant and private caterer. I’ve been an organic gardener in Connecticut and a live-in housekeeper in Beverly Hills. I’ve driven a taxi in NYC and a tractor in Israel. In Montana, as a volunteer, I organized weekly Art and Music shows, and designed and executed a traffic safety and courtesy campaign. And I sold Japanese yo-yos with my then nine-year-old son on the street in Boulogne, France one Christmas season until we had enough money for dinner each night. I’ve slept in a sleeping bag on a marble floor in the Plaka in Athens, wrapped in a blanket in a hammock in the rain on the island of Kauai, and in suites at the Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong and the Oberoi in New Delhi. I know what it is to be comfortable, to have plenty, and to have nothing. I know what it is to have to ask for food every time you’re hungry, to ask for shelter from the cold at night, and to sleep on a couch in a public library during the day, because you’re tired and have nowhere else to go. And I know what it is to have a body so weakened by disease that you can barely get up to use the bathroom, have no appetite or even strength to eat, and can only lie in bed, helpless. I know what it is to be so broken that if some miracle doesn’t save you, you have nothing to live for - the end of the rope.

ONE, A Bouquet of Wisdom

One might choose
to look towards the Light
and experience the full glory
that is their true self

On the other hand
one might choose
to look towards the dark.
Thus they are eliminated
from the cycle of life
and every step
becomes a burden -
choose wisely

ONE, A Bouquet of Wisdom

The quotations in this collection are unattributed for a very specific reason: So that Wisdom, which comes from One Source, may be appreciated without bias.

In this way we can be free to accept that which touches our mind or heart without concerning ourselves about whether the speaker belongs to our particular denomination, has achieved fame, celebrity or infamy, or is in fact a humble, unknown shopkeeper, who has nonetheless been gifted by Wisdom Itself.

After all, Consciousness is One.

Air is the same whether breathed by atheist, aborigine or altruist.
Energy is the same whether it takes the form of dog, mountain or human.
Sun gives light and warmth to all without discrimination.
God is One, no matter how hard we may try to claim it in our own name.

Consciousness is One, and the sooner we accept this fact the sooner we will liberate ourselves from the shackles of delusion and conceit.

How limiting is that which wants to receive through only one channel. In any other regard are we willing to experience sameness? We demand variety and diversity in every way but this, and we cannot recognize the insanity of it.

Just like light which is refracted into infinite shades of colour, so too the Original One has refracted Itself into infinite shades and colours of Wisdom, to suit the infinite expression of the Singular Self.

We must evolve beyond the celebrity culture which makes gods out of man and recognize that the Unfathomable Singular Source which has created each and every unique and precious being on the face of the earth inhabits each one as Animator and Motivator. We have to stop deifying the ego and start acknowledging the Source—everywhere, in everyone.

Today our civilization is like a newly pubescent boy from a broken home, testosterone rampant, out of control. How telling it is that when today’s youth are asked what they want to be, the answer is “famous.”

If humanity is to take the next step on the evolutionary ladder it must be a quantum leap from the material to the spiritual. Technology has progressed to the point of domination and destruction and still we are not living harmoniously in our environment, not to mention society.

Our arrogance is only exceeded by our ignorance—ignorance of what a human being is meant to be: not a self-satisfied, domineering bully but an expression of compassion and lovingkindness.

To this end “ONE, A Bouquet of Wisdom.” Gleaned from numerous sources is a gift to take you beyond your limitations and into the ONE. Enjoy the journey.

Punditry & Problem Solving

All the sophisticated posturing and punditorizing about the sorry state of our country and planet misses the point completely.

As Albert Einstein said: We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. The Intellect just doesn’t cut it—we must move to the next evolutionary level of perception and behavior.

All the ranting, all the money and all the scientific studies are as naught in the face of our essential dilemma: as a species, we don’t have a clue about our True Nature. And so we are like buffoons, blind and deaf, stumbling about in the dark imagining we are sighted and clever.

The singular root of all the problems we face—as individuals, as a nation, and as a civilization, is—we don’t know who we are.

It’s something like an actor playing a part and not coming back to his own identity: being stuck in the role and not recognizing friends, family or his own home. Everything he proceeds to do is then based on this false identity, the proclivities of a fictional character.

We humans are unaware of our True Identity and so believe ourselves to be the roles we find ourselves playing: President, prostitute, pundit, poseur; patrician, painter, playboy, prole; professor, playwright, punk, Pollyanna or philanderer…

In fact, we are not the roles we play, and whatever the part, it will be played with greater mastery than we can imagine when we are in touch with the Genius behind every role.

When we recognize our True Nature we recognize that every human that exists embodies that same Nature—that we are not disparate beings separated by language, geography, religion or race, but essentially and exactly the same in the most important way: we are both extensions and embodiments of a singular Consciousness.

So the answer to all our problems is the same: we must awaken to our True Nature.

An awakened Consciousness understands that whatever It does to or for another It is only doing to or for Its own Self—therefore Awakened Consciousness is naturally Loving, selfless, harmonious, considerate, cooperative, compassionate and wise.

Awakened Consciousness wouldn’t even think of harming the ecosystem on which It depends for Its existence.

So instead of complaining or criticizing—which creates a miasma of negativity similar to (Charlie Brown) Pigpen’s cloud of detritus—clean up your own act by taking a practical step toward our collective enlightenment. Practice the Three Little Steps of the Evolution Revolution and discover your True Self: a shining Light.

www.evolution-revolution-handbook.com

Nero is Fiddling – What About You?

I’m sure I’m not the only one reminded of a burning Rome.

But how in the world did we get here?

It’s quite astonishing and more than a little appalling, especially the fact that it has now gone on for two terms.

What is even more astonishing is the fact that millions of people HAVEN’T sat-in on the streets of Washington, bringing the city to a halt in protest of the wanton rape and pillaging of our own economy and well-being (not to mention the numerous lives so carelessly disposed of) that has gone on in the name of what? Defense? Patriotism? Ego? Greed?

I had been in a small village in south India for two years when the present administration took office— ‘took’ being the operative word. And because my awareness operates from a higher perspective, I knew this would be a momentous time—serving the Grand Design in an unimaginable way.

Well. Here we are, seven years on...

It’s very simple:

This is the time of the Evolution Revolution. And in this time of profound evolutionary transformation a dramatic awakening is obviously required.

Truth be told, Americans are quite complacent. Our isolation and our wealth, together with the programming we unwittingly subject ourselves to, encourages personal striving on the one hand and self-satisfaction on the other.

And while some suggest the Trade Towers occurred to precipitate a miasma of national fear and subsequent ratcheting up of control and manipulation, according to my understanding the entire exercise has been for one purpose only:

To awaken the Consciousness dwelling within by creating events of such dramatic magnitude that individuals are obliged to think ‘there has to be a better way.’

Indeed, there is a better way—and each one who would like to see it manifest must step over the threshold of complacency, apathy or self-centeredness and begin to act out the new paradigm: an enlightened compassion based on the understanding of our Oneness.

The concept presented in The Secret, which has taken the country by storm, has a great deal to offer. Unfortunately, it is being promoted (by those with a lot to gain personally) as a tool for personal gain.

I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you—but if we want to survive and prosper, we can no longer behave in a self-centered way—we have to broaden our arena of interest to include our neighbors, our community and the rest of the world.

Each one of us currently stands in Nero’s position and with all his power.

Rome is burning.

Will we continue to fiddle until it is destroyed completely?

Each of us has the power to make a difference.
Each of us has the power to turn the tide.

Each of us can allow, accept and embrace the Consciousness of compassion and lovingkindness, and be part of the tide of awareness that is changing the world.

Not through the pop spirituality that is simply self-service in another guise.

But through unadulterated, 100% pure, undivided and undivisive, all-embracing, unconditionally loving, non-discriminating Brotherhood, Sisterhood, Personhood that shows up as Harmony, Peace, Goodness & Generosity.

After all, to legitimately call yourself a human, humanity must dwell in your heart.

Embrace the Evolution Revolution.


Listen to the Rap: http://www.saharadevi.com/home/the-evolution-revolution

Listen to 'Love Your Neighbor':http://www.saharadevi.com/home/Evolution-Revolution-love-your-neighbor-2

Helen Keller

'When indeed shall we learn that we are all related one to the other, that we are all members of one body? Until the spirit of love for our fellow men, regardless of race, color or creed, shall fill the world, making real in our lives and our deeds the actuality of human brotherhood; until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained.'