www.sanctuaryforchange.com

I attended the funeral service for the mother of a friend I’ve known since high school today. Nick and his family are Greek and the service was held in a very ornate Orthodox church. I’d been to Greek churches with Nick a few times over the years, yet it had been awhile and I had forgotten just how steeped in ritual they are.

His mother’s casket was rolled out the stretch limousine, up the church steps and down the aisle by the pall bearers while one of the priests shook a silver container of burning incense towards it. The smell of the incense brought me to feel as if I were in a foreign land. That sensation stayed with me as I walked into the dome church and took a seat along the aisle. I looked up at the altar where three priests dressed in their full robe attire stood side-by-side. The service started and much of what I was hearing was in Greek. I felt like I was some distant world. I wanted to be fully present for the service yet my senses had been knocked a bit off kilter. Then it was as if my sense of smell, sight and hearing all came together to tell me that something extraordinary was taking place. I was observing a ritual that was honoring the divine. The candles, the incense and the Greek singing combined had created a sacred place. I felt the energy of the divine.

I looked then at the open casket that was placed at the foot of the altar.  Nick’s mom had passed on Sunday and here it was Thursday.  The priest was describing the process of death in a way that was much too flowery for me.  I wanted to get to my own sense of meaning.  I sat there wondering exactly what the soul of my friend’s mother had been experiencing over the past few days.  I thought for a few moments that someday it is going to be my turn.   Then I looked around the church and wondered if anyone else was having these same kinds of thoughts or if it was just me.

One of the things that the priest said that did stick with me was that we were created to live, not to die.  He said that we were created to live forever, which is something that I, too, believe.  That would suggest that we bring forward everything we are in this lifetime, good points and not-so-good.  This means there is always an opportunity to let go of your demons and get your slate a little cleaner for the journey ahead.  If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what might you want to clean off your slate beforehand?  And so what is it going to take for you to stop procrastinating?

Thank you for visiting.

Susan Hanshaw
Inspired by A Course in Miracles

www.sanctuaryforchange.com

I spent a chunk of time this afternoon doing maintenance work on my search engine advertising campaigns.  I was pleased with how comfortable I was darting around the campaign management site, making adjustments to ad copy, URL links, keywords and click through bids.  Yet I couldn’t feel grateful for the level of understanding I now have for this technology without remembering how intimidated I felt when I first stepped onto the scene.   It was two years ago and I had just hung out my shingle as a wedding officiant.  My instincts told me that having a high-ranking search presence would contribute to my success, so reluctantly I followed through.

I felt like an idiot as I poked around Google and Yahoo.  I’d just spent 20 years in the world of direct mail marketing yet I didn’t have a clue how to deal with the online stuff.  I’m usually pretty courageous when it comes to jumping into new territory, but there was something about this terrain that terrorized me.  I even did something I rarely do—read the directions—and that made me panic even more.  I couldn’t understand what I was reading.  It was all over my head.

I was determined to get beyond my fears so that I could learn to manage my own ad campaigns.  I took a step back and recognized that this whole search engine business is a relatively new science.  I allowed myself to see that all the other entrepreneurs out there advertising on the search engines were once just as clueless as I was then.  I told myself that if they could figure it out, so could I.  I gave myself some study time where I visited the material over several sittings so that I didn’t get overwhelmed thinking I had to understand it all at once.  I got more familiar with the information with each visit and within a few days I put my ads up.

My search engine advertising has done rather well for me.  I’ve presided over weddings for couples here in San Francisco who found me in places that have ranged from Shanghai, China to Boone, North Carolina.  All it took was determination, a belief in myself and the willingness to do the work required.

This is no different from any sight you set for yourself.  Is there anything hanging out there in your consciousness that you’re yearning to tackle, yet taking it on comes with some level of intimidation?  If so, then bring to your mind an image of someone else who had done what you want to do now.  If they can do it, why can’t you?

www.sanctuaryforchange.com

I learned about the passing of Jerry Falwell this morning. Thinking that the topic might make for a good article here, I immediately clicked on to MSN.com to read the news coverage of it. I read the summary article and then followed the link to the MSN message board which read “Discuss: What is Jerry Falwell’s Legacy?” I clicked on the link and began reading down the list of comments. I was appalled. They dripped of hatred and celebrated the death of the founder of the Moral Majority like he was some pig that was about to be roasted for a feast.

For the record, I am a card-carrying Democrat who has never agreed with or closely followed Falwell’s rhetoric. Yet just because we don’t agree with what he stood for, does that excuse us for spitting in his face while his spirit makes its transition to the other side? How will we ever experience peace on earth when we can’t even give one of our own countrymen our forgiveness for doing what he thought was right?

In the time between my discovery of the Falwell message board discussions to the time I began to write this post, the message board has removed from the MSN site. My guess is that the good folks at MSN had the sense to put an end to the disgusting public display of everything that is not brotherly love.

It’s times like this when I ask myself if I am proud to be an American.

Susan Hanshaw
Offering contemporary inspiration from A Course in Miracles

www.sanctuaryforchange.com

My mantra about the power of choice was put to the test today. I got fired by my health insurance carrier for late payment. In my total immersion in my latest book project I completely lost touch with the end of month deadline until today, when I realized it was now the 2nd. Well aware of the sticklers they are about requiring check payments to be postmarked no later than the final day of the month, I grabbed the phone to call the COBRA manager. I explained to her how I had forgotten and was prepared to pay over the phone with my credit card. “I’m sorry. Your coverage has been canceled,” she said.

“What!? Canceled!?” I knew I had pushed the envelope yet I didn’t expect the door would be slammed in my face so quickly.

“Yes,” she replied in a tone that told me I was not the first person she’d had this conversation with. She had been trained to not say much.

“Is there anything I can do?” I asked.

“No. I’m sorry.”

My instincts told me there was no fighting this and I graciously hung up the phone. I whipped out my choice to believe that this event was happening for my higher good. My rates had gone up substantially for this coverage that I rarely used and I had been dragging my feet to get another plan in place. Now I’m being forced to do that bit of homework. My next call was to the insurance broker I’ve engaged to asked him to send me the application we’d been discussing. As we explored my other options, he reminded me of a benefit I could take advantage of if I had plans to partner with someone in my business. How interesting that this would come up as I have recently begun talking with a friend about partnering on a couple of projects.

I received the online insurance application and immediately got busy with it. The quick quotes provided showed that I could expect to save a good $100 a month from what I had been paying. My friend and potential business partner happened to call me in the middle of all of this and it expedited our conversations about our projects in a big way.

So here I am now, fully aware that I am running around without health insurance. (Mom, I hope you are not reading this.) Irresponsible? Maybe. But am I at peace? You bet I am. You might wonder how I can possibly be at peace knowing that I’ll be up the creek if something happens to my body. My peace is a result of my choice to believe that something good is going to come from this little incident. I choose to believe that everything will be okay until I get set up on the next program. And hey, it just hit me that I’m saving $351 in the interim.

Am I advocating a choice for no insurance? Absolutely not. What I am promoting is the control that you have in how you experience life through your choices. I know that it is possible for something to happen that will require me to have medical attention in the coming days. I choose to believe it won’t. This choice enables me to sleep at night and be at peace. Yet who knows? I may require emergency attention tomorrow which will have proven me wrong. But that doesn’t take away the night of peace I gave myself.

www.sanctuaryforchange.com
www.eventsinlove.com

“May God bless our troops.” — George W. Bush

I read the transcript for Bush’s speech explaining his veto of the Iraq Spending Bill with cynicism and his closing statement in quotes here hit me as a most interesting diversion of energy. Then as I invited my mind to analyze why he would bring the love of God into a dialog about the best way to fund more killing, I realized that I did agree with Mr. Bush on one thing. God flows through everything—the good, the bad and the ugly.

This revelation also brought me to recognize the part I play in spreading judgment and anger in my own response to the war. How humbled I was to realize how frequently I speak out of both sides of my mouth. While I’ve answered my calling to teach about love, hope, purpose and change, I’m just now learning another lesson in forgiveness. I may not agree with Mr. Bush’s policies or decisions, yet that doesn’t mean I have to hate him. Like you and me, isn’t he just a fragile human being doing the very best that he can?

Have you ever looked back on your behavior at various points in your life shuddering as you asked yourself the question, “What the hell was I thinking?” If we can learn to forgive ourselves, we give ourselves the gift of inner peace. If we can learn to forgive others, we give ourselves the chance for global peace, even if the actions we’re forgiving aren’t in alignment with it.

www.sanctuaryforchange.com

 “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” — Jesus

“What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man.” — Hillel

“Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.” — Muhammad

“What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others.” — Confucius

The Golden Rule is a basic moral principle which has been taught throughout history in nearly all the world’s major religions and cultures.  If we all agree that a fundamental ethic in human life is to treat others as we would like to be treated, why do we continue to be at war?  How do we rationalize doing harm in a way that invites the same treatment back to ourselves and those we love?  What could possibly be more important than life and love that enables us to excuse ourselves for imposing acts of violence and murder upon our fellow human beings?

I know that I am in good company with those who abhor the war.  Yet it can be very frustrating because it often seems like it is a matter that is out of our control.  We can continue on subscribing to that mindset and feed our sense of helplessness that nothing will ever change until we get the right person in office.  Or we can take matters into our own hands and make that Golden Rule so strongly prevalent in our society that war becomes an unthinkable act for all colors of states.

We have with us now the challenge to push the power of our human spirit as far as we have seen possible with technology.  Anything is possible if we believe it can be and if we direct our energies towards it.  What can you do today, tomorrow and the days that will follow to promote the Golden Rule?

www.sanctuaryforchange.comI was doing my thing on the treadmill at the gym this afternoon while four huge flat screen TVs peered back at me. Two were tuned into CNN and the other two, ESPN. I rationalize my mid-day gym visits as brainstorming sessions for my next writing project, so I was well in the mode to use the time to go within. Yet I happened to look up to the CNN screen to something that caught my attention. It was a header screen which read, “Virginia Tech Massacre: The Mind of a Killer”. Whoa, I thought, as I witnessed this plea to sensationalism. If voyeurism sells to one extreme, why can’t it work for the other? Can we learn to find the mind of a lover just as provocative?

What do I mean by a lover in this context? Someone who shares compassion and love to their fellow human beings. Someone who views the heart of their earthly brothers and sisters as sensitively as they do their own. Someone whose eyes look deeply into the eyes of a stranger, acknowledging their human connection for no other reason than to just share that connection. Someone who takes great joy out of this kind of anonymous touch. After all, isn’t this the behavior that our world desperately needs? Isn’t this the model worth our voyeurism?

It’s been said that we teach what we value. By focusing on killer behavior, we feed it. Yet if we determine that love is what we value, we need to begin to show that we value that behavior. We need to honor what it means to be compassionate. We need to celebrate the act of brotherly love.

I don’t know who you are as you are reading this. Yet if you showed up in my physical space I’d want to hug you and acknowledge our connection in this world. I’ve set the tone for that to happen just by mentioning it. So what if we all set the intention to spread love and human compassion? Like John Lennon said, “Maybe I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us and the world will live as one.”

It’s our choice.

www.sanctuaryforchange.com

I walked into a bank yesterday and was surprised by how festively decorated the lobby was in observance of Valentine’s Day.  There were hearts and bunches of pink, red and white balloons everywhere.  The teller that waited on me wore a red sweater with a colorful heart pin.  As I walked out of there in my black running gear I wondered who was behind all this festivity.  I wondered what had inspired this branch to go all out in its promotion of the love day.

I’d guess you’d say that I am at the other end of the spectrum.  I like to think that I celebrate the spirit of love everyday and feel more authentic by boycotting the holiday.  For me it is like going to church on Sundays. I live my spirituality every day and don’t feel the need to gather in a sacred space with others to feel connected with the divine.  I am aware that connection is with me constantly.

And so it is with love.  We were created from the love of divine energy.  If love is behind all of creation, love is really all that exists.  It surrounds us and flows through us every moment of every day. We just need to tune into it in our hearts and minds and believe in the supportive goodness of this love.  When we recognize that as creations of this divine energy, we are co-creators of life, we ignite the power within us to do, be, have or accomplish anything we desire.  And that is some pretty powerful stuff.  Have you thought about how this love wishes to express itself through you?

www.sanctuaryforchange.com 

The other day a client came to me at a crossroads in his work life.  Over the years he had worn a variety of hats and was trying to further develop a business related to the arts. While a part of him enjoyed that he was being of service teaching, the business development side was a struggle that drained him.  What he had come to recognize was that he wanted a work life he felt so passionate about that he would jump out of bed eager to get started.

 As I listened to him describe his situation, I noticed the word “should” popping up.  There was a conflict between this talented musician’s passions and his beliefs that unless he was saving the world, success was to be measured through traditional avenues such as real estate or other business ventures.  A performance musician on the side, he was unable to place value on the great joy he brings to the patrons who come to his shows.  He had been viewing this work only as a self-serving means in which to express himself.  At the end of our conversation he recognized that he had not been placing value on the unique gifts that nature had bestowed upon him.  He was then able to make the leap that there may be purpose behind what he has to offer.

Life is so much easier when we stop trying to be anything but who we really are and accept what has been given us as beautiful.  One day this past fall I found myself totally fed up with the process of straightening my hair.  I stood there at the mirror and realized that I’d started taming my naturally wavy hair at the time I’d begun to climb the corporate ladder fifteen to twenty years ago.  It was the period of dress for success and I wanted to look the part.  I chuckled to myself that morning as I realized that I had left that coporate life well over a year ago and no longer had to fit into that mold.  With that point aside, I considered that part of why I had been straightening my hair was the fact that straight hair was almost always in fashion and I didn’t think I could be considered attractive if I didn’t sport that sleek look.  I then reminded myself that I am at a time in my life where I am expressing who I truly am and that my wild hair is a part of that.

I felt pretty self-conscious the first few days I let my hair do its own thing and felt better when my friends remarked how great it looked.  The new acquaintances who saw pictures of my straight look expressed disbelief that I used to straighten it.  A couple of people have told me that I should kiss the ground with gratitude for the hair I’ve been given.  Now that other people have helped to validate that my hair is very much okay, I sense that there is a purpose that I sport a different look.  I’m sure I’ll figure it out someday…