The Charmed Monday Minute, March 4

Dear Readers & Friends, I'm thinking of the children's poem, "The Owl & the Pussycat," where it says, "They sailed away for a year and a day..." because I'm a week and a day late on this issue of the Minute. But that's cool because today is a lovely holiday invented by my friend, writer and storyteller Deborah Shouse. This is March 4th: the day we're to march forth into the rest of our year, the rest of our lives. My reason for lateness is that I was in New York City for a full glorious week in a charming little studio on the Upper East Side. It was divine. You know the law-of-attraction idea that says that happiness begets more of the same? I really saw that. I was borderline giddy to be back there living the way of life I love so much. During the week I was there in giggly bliss, a refund from my former gym showed up in my account (it three months past due and I'd pretty much given up on it); an income tax refund we hadn't expected showed up and the accountant confirmed that it was due us after all, and then, things really picked up for my husband's screenplays. He's a lawyer working hard to make a career change; his screenplays are amazing, and yet that is one tough business to break into. While I was in the city, some very positive things happened for all three of his scripts. This tells me, (1) all good things are indeed possible, and (2) joy does open the way for more of itself to enter in. This past weekend I was at another idyllic place, the New Age Health Spa in Neversink, NY. I spoke there and had a restful few days of yoga, meditation, great food somebody else prepared, and a magical nature connection when three deer came right up to the window of the yoga center. We stared at them and they stared at us. It was heavenly. It reminds me that we all can stand to live in a more spa-like way: rest enough, exercise and meditate daily, eat fresh, organic food. It's not that hard - just uncommon. But we can change that. Link of the Week: I so hope this video link works for you... This is an image you won't soon forget. The woman in this news clip found this lion malnourished and about to die. She took him home and took care of him. When the lion was better she called the local animal sanctuary. This was the reaction she got when the lion saw her. http://www.telestereo.com/Archivos/video.swf (Please remember, especially if you share this video with children, that this is a special case. Most wild animals should never be approached this way, even at the zoo.) Info of the Week: For five years, I've been trying to interest my publisher in a book on living the spiritual life. For some reason, they won't bite, so I developed it as a class, initially for the Learning Annex of New York City, and I've now done it with great success there and at various churches, spas, and conferences. Through developing and refining the concept, I've come up with the 12 Power Principles for Living a Spiritual Life (and those are the twelve chapters of that book which will happen somehow - you heard it here). The principles are: 1. Accept yourself. If this is difficult, clean up your past as best you can and then look at each day at the end of it so you can make things right as you go along. None of us is ever going to be perfect, but we can start each day fresh and feel good about our imperfect selves. 2. Claim your joy. Joy is necessary. It's contagious, so being joyful is a great way to help others. And it begets more of itself (see my little story above about the great things that came into my life week when I was in such a happy state). 3. Take quiet time every single day. Meditate, pray, write in a journal. Quiet time is mandatory to get in touch with your deeper self and with your Source. 4. Keep a Sabbath. If you don't have a religious Sabbath, just pick a day and set it aside for spiritual, recreational (that means re-create, you know), and delightful endeavors. For me, it means no email and keeping my desk verboten. 5. Cultivate greater compassion. "Feel with" (that's the basic definition of the word compassion) the homeless guy on the corner, whether you opt to give him a buck or not. Feel with the people you read about in the paper, and expand your circle of compassion to include other sentient beings. The Jain saint Mahavira put it so beautifully: "To every creature, his own life is very dear." 6. Treat your body as a temple. Honor it. Care for it. Treat it kindly. Use it well. Feed it the best food, give it enough rest and exercise, and show it some appreciation: it does a lot for you. 7. Share your time, talent, treasure. Give of your time, let the world benefit from your talents, and give of your resources, either through tithing (regular giving of 10% of all money that comes to you) or some other system of sharing. This makes the world better and opens the way for the universe to give back to you. 8. Study and learn. Read the scriptures of the world or of your own tradition. Read mystical poetry (I love The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse). Read the spiritual classics such as The Yoga Sutras of Patajali or Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God. Read new books that help open your mind to more wonder and beauty and grace. 9. Create community. Bring into your circle people who are also on a spiritual quest. You need them to reflect back to you what's really important. 10. Allow others to, simply, be. Principle 9 states that you need people around you whose spiritual questing is in keeping with yours, but you also need to allow other people to be on other paths and some to be on, seemingly, no path at all. Shine your light: if it's of the wattage they can see and appreciate, they may want what you have and they'll ask how you got it. If not, trust that they have a Higher Power, too, and that they're just where they should be. 11. Find Spirit everywhere. Look around your life and your day and find God, Spirit, Presence, Source Energy. See it in nature, in serendipity, in children and animals, in art and beauty, in simple pleasures. 12. Make gratitude your constant companion. Make gratitude your first thought upon awakening. Make gratitude lists in your head as you walk around town or in your car as you wait for the light to change. Be grateful when things are going fabulously and be grateful when they're in a slump - it's even more helpful then. Gratitude connects you with the Source of all good. You can't do better than that. Love and light, Victoria Where to Find Me: I'm in writing mode at the moment and not doing a whole lot of speaking, but I'll be here and there and would love to have you join me... Speaking: Albany, NY, Sunday, March 9, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. (careful: this is the day that daylight savings time begins), Unity Church of Albany, 2 Sunday services: "Awakening to the Light," 518-439-1775 Radio: www.healthylife.net - Wed., March 26, noon Eastern - guest: Jerrold Mundis, author of How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously (will be archived for later listening) Speaking: New York, NY, Sunday, April 13, 9 a.m. to noon, panel- "Publicity for Writers," annual conference, American Society of Journalists, Grand Hyatt Hotel, info at www.asja.org

Take care, and all good things - Victoria