"There are two intellects!
One is acquired from teachers and books,
from repetition and sciences, granting a sense of superiority
yet the effort to sustain it becomes a great burden.
It ends just as the water supply coming from outside
a house stops once the source has dried up.
The other intellect is God's gift.
With a fountainhead in the heart of Spirit
the water of knowledge bubbling from within 
can never become stagnant or old.
Seek that fountain within yourself!"
​

I have this little book, 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, by Deng Ming-Dao. A wonderful little book of insight and inspiration.

The other day I came across this one, "Modest," and had to share it.
​

"Modesty

Have you ever had a knot in your shoelace?
You have to bend down to untie it.

Difficulties in life confront us all; people respond in their own way to adversity. Some succumb, some grow boisterous. Some marshal their determination, some respond with trickery. All too often  hardship will mow a person down.

When confronted with difficulty, those who follow Tao respond with modesty: They conform to the situation. They bow before it, and they concentrate upon it until they find a solution. They do not apply undue force; neither do they acquiesce meekly to fate. They examine the situation and carefully undo it. In the same way you bend down to untie a knot in your shoelace, they bend down to find guidance.

Even modesty can become an error if we become meek and insecure. Some people become so humble that they become self-defeating. They are talented but their personalities are so split that they cannot achieve their potential. Therefore, there must be limits even on modesty. It works. Like anything else, it must be applied in the right manner." (pg. 269, 365 Tao, Daily Meditations, Deng Ming-Dao)

I love yoga/spiritual teacher, Erich Schiffmann, a man who's experienced oneness.

Here is the beginning of his article for Feathered Pipe Ranch, a yoga retreat center in Montana:

"I use the discipline of yoga to encourage the experience of stillness. The feeling of stillness is peace, and the feeling of peace is joy. That’s simple and profound and exciting.
This is my emphasis because this is the most direct way of experiencing the truth about yourself. Experiencing yourself in stillness is like a wave relaxing into itself and thereby experiencing its inherent ocean nature. Instead of being swallowed up by the ocean and losing its identity, losing its wave-ness, like what you might imagine would happen, the wave continues to exist but its sense of identity expands. It now exists with the new realization that it is not what it thought it was. It is not a tiny specific wave only. It is the entire ocean in specific expression. It is expansive and specific at the same time. And that can be a big surprise. . . ." continue reading

I think everyone has heard of Louise Hay, and though I also have, I've not ever read any of her books. But the other day I was in the bookstore and took a look at her book You Can Heal Your Life, and I loved it.

First of all it is beautiful. It's all in color, including every single page.

It basically follows a format Hay has used in sessions with her clients. She'd asked them a series of questions that, amazingly enough, led to their beliefs and from there they'd work through to healing.

Right from the start Hay says: love is the miracle cure. I think that's a hard one to understand because when we think of love we tend to think of romantic love. But really from my own experience and from sessions with clients, I've discovered that it is an energy. It's the energy of God. And when you can enter that vibration, you see things differently, feel things differently and everything has the potential to change. Not easy to achieve under duress, but worthy of making the effort.

If you want to go into gentle exploration of your troubles and move toward healing, this is a wonderful book.

I also came across Robert Maurer's book, One Small Step Can Change Your Life, and also love this book.

The premise is you take tiny steps toward making a big change. You ask small questions; you think small thoughts; and you take small actions.

The most wonderful thing about this approach is that you can apply it to anything and any area of your life, from the smallest concerns to the biggest life problems.

As I was reading the book, I kept thinking, this is the only book one really needs for life. No need to read any other self-help books. If one just consistently applies the principles in this book, one can continuously grow in consciousness and continuously create better life conditions.

There is nothing like having the support of psychic insight when you are working on a book or, for that matter, any writing project.

My Ph.D. is in English. I have literally written my entire life and, from the moment I could write, I wrote and a lot. Writing is a way to connect with the divine, to receive information that otherwise would remain hidden.

When people are called to write, they generally have something very unique to offer. I would like to support that effort. The world benefits in gigantic ways by the introduction of new consciousness on the planet. This is very important for us as a species, one of the ways in which we evolve. I live in support of that evolution.

In Psychic Writing Consulting & Coaching I combine my training and experience in writing with my psychic reading abilities to help you with all practical aspects of writing as well as all spiritual and emotional aspects of the writing . . . more

From Sarah:

​I am your not-so-typical Millennial Female residing in the suburbs of Detroit. I am a Makeup Artist, Business Owner, YouTuber, Blogger, Dog Mom, and Lover of all things carbs. I first began sharing my story about sobriety on Instagram & YouTube, but felt the stirring to share more! Sober as F*** was my first full-length book and memoir, and Innerbloom is my most recent personal development/memoir hybrid.

By sharing my story in these two books, it is my hope that people with struggles similar to mine will find hope, comfort, and support, and to know that there can be life after addiction, and that it can be a life full of happiness and light.

I just finished reading Russell Brand's new book Recovery. It's brilliant. I recommend everyone read it.

The basic message is that all of us are searching for one thing and one thing only:  connection to God.

Drugs, alcohol, etc., are a misguided means to find that peace and connection.

Russell's writing is unbelievable. His facility with words . . . well, I don't remember when I last saw such talent. His insights, awareness are hugely helpful and fundamentally liberating.

Overall the pieces in the book act as powerful synergy that lift you to higher levels of peace and power.

Brilliant work. I wish for Russell a long life so he can continue to do this important work of busting illusions and pointing humanity to what really matters and what will give us all peace: the divine.