Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Bishop & the 3 Fishermen

"The Bishop & The Three Fishermen"

When the bishop's ship stopped at a remote island for a day, he determined to use the time as profitably as possible. He strolled along the seashore and came across three fishermen mending their nets. In pidgin English they explained to him that centuries before they had been Christianized by missionaries.

"We Christians!" they said, proudly pointing to one another. The bishop was impressed. Did they know the Lord's Prayer? They had never heard of it. The bishop was shocked.

"What do you say, then, when you pray?"

"We lift eyes to heaven. We pray, "We are three, you are three, have mercy on us."

The bishop was appalled at the primitive, the downright heretical nature of their prayer. So he spent the whole day teaching them the Lord's Prayer. The fishermen were poor learners, but they gave it all they had and before the bishop sailed away the next day he had the satisfaction of hearing them go through the whole formula without a fault.

Months later, the bishop's ship happened to pass by those islands again, and the bishop, as he paced the deck saying his evening prayers, recalled with pleasure the three men on that distant island who were now able to pray, thanks to his patient efforts. While he was lost in that thought, he happened to look up and noticed a spot of light in the east. The light kept approaching the ship, and as the bishop gazed in wonder, he saw three figures walking on the water. The captain stopped the ship, and everyone leaned over the rails to see the sight.

When they were within speaking distance, the bishop recognized his three friends, the fishermen.

"Bishop" they exclaimed. "We hear your boat go past island and come hurry hurry meet you."

"What is it you want?" aske the awe-stricken bishop.

" Bishop," they said, "we so so sorry. We forget lovely prayer. We say, 'Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come...' then we forget. Please tell us prayer again."

The Bishop felt humbled. "Go back to your homes, my friends," he said, "and each time you pray say, "We are three, you are three, have mercy on us!"


~ From the Book "The Song of the Bird" by Anthony de Mello ~


P.S. The Title "The Three Fishermen" is my choice of title for the story... but it was not written by me, but by Anthony de Mello, thanks

El Obispo y los Tres Pescadores

Cuando el barco del obispo paró en una isla remota por un dia, tenía la determinación de aprovechar su tiempo de la mejor manera posible. Anduvo caminando por la playa y se cruzo con tres pescadores que estaban componiendo sus redes pesqueras. En un inglés de dialecto, ellos le explicaron que muchos siglos atrás, unos misioneros ya los habían convertido en Christianos.

"Nosotros Christanos" dijeron orgullosamente señalándose uno al otro. El obispo estaba impresionado. Sabrían el Padre Nuestro? Jamás lo habían escuchado. El obispo se sorprendió enormemente.

"Que decís cuanod rezáis?"

"Miramos hacia el cielo. Rezamos, "Nosotros somos tres, ustedes son tres, tengan misericordia de nosotros"

El obispo estaba horrorizado de la tan primitiva y herética naturaleza de su oración. Asi que se pasó todo el día enseñadoles el Padre Nuestro. Los pescadores no eran buenos aprendízes, pero le dieron con todas sus ganas y antes de que el obispo zarpara en vela al día siguiente, tuvo la satisfacción de escucharlos expresar todita la formula sin una sola falta.

Aparentemente, meses después, el barco del obispo estaba pasando por esas islas otra vez, y el obispo, mientras pizaba la cubierta del barco haciendo sus oraciones de la noche, se acordó con una sonrisa de los tres hombres en aquella isla distante, que gracias a sus pacientes esfuerzos, ya podían rezar. Mientras estaba perdido en sus pensamientos, de repente vio hacia arriba y se fijó en una luz resplandeciente en el este. La luz se acercaba al barco, y mientras el obispo observaba con asombro, vio a tres figuras caminando sobre el agua. El capitán paró el barco, y todos se recostaron al borde del barco para observar esta escena.

Cuando se acercaron lo suficiente para que se les pudiera escuchar, el obispo reconoció a sus tres amigos, los pescadores.

"Obispo" exclamaron. "Escuchamos que su barco pasa por isla y apuramos apuramos a venir a saludar."

"Qué es lo que desean?" les dijo el obispo shockeado.

"Obispo" le dijeron, "que pena, que pena. Se nos olvidó oración tan bonita. Nosotros decir, "Padre Nuestro en los cielos, santificado sea tu nombre, venga tu reino...' y luego olvidamos. Porfavor enseñenos la oración otra vez.

El Obispo se sintió humilde. "Retornen a sus casas, mis amigos," dijo," y cada vez que rezen digan, "Nosotros somos tres, ustedes son tres, tengan merced de nosotros!"




Del Libro "The Song of the Bird" by Anthony de Mello


P.S. El TItulo " Los Pescadores" es mi versión para el titulo de la historia, que no fue escrita pero si traducida por mi (que es mi versión) gracias.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

What About Healing Addictions?

~ "There is no shame in having an illness - but it is a shame not to do something about it" ~

~ "Es ist keine Schande krank zu sein - aber es ist eine Schande nichts dagegen zu tun" ~ (German)

These were the words written in a painting that stood proud on the side of the entrance door of a healing center in Germany. A beautiful center located smack in the middle of the woods in near the swiss alps an hour south of Munich in a small town called Groenenbach, where I visited when I was 21 years old. As a friend says, some moons ago.

I walked in there tipsy, as one would say in the lieux of a new, perhaps sober beginning - they almost did not receive me - but God opened the door through them. They allowed me to stay since I had come from afar.


In this center there were all kinds of people recovering from different emotional ailments. There were people there who had been with Hitler, Ex prisoners, priests with beliefs that have made them lonely, alcholics, women married to alcoholics, anorexia, bulimic, and other people in a healing process - All good people with different addictions - clean cut - sobering up to find a better happier life.

As I was there, you could truly feel the love. There were lots of great therapies, yoga, rebirthing, dynamic meditation, bonding, color therapy, art therapy, Gestalt therapy, Transactional analisis and many other forms of therapy. It was an awesome place full of awesome and very loving and spiritual people. A lot of cuddling and hugging - no sex - it was about learning to feel and express love in a 'healthy' way. A way to rebuild our hearts and souls as we tried to regain our lives back.

It was a place like being at a college. All therapists considered themselves part of the group, growing and healing in their own process, so noone wore uniforms or doctors 'suits' of any kind.

I remember one of the things I was taught was to do things totally different than I was used to. For example, I used to swim 4-5 hours a day for years and they recommended to take simple walks in the woods for a change. Or I hated knitting, but I took it up, just to get the mind changing and the motivation in the heart that there are so many 'new' things to do in life. I made a long very 'tight' scarf.

Then about 6 weeks into the therapy I felt a pressure in my head very strongly and a voice that said: "you can't - you shouldn't." I went to a nearby church, which I would never normally walk into and felt a Presence there. In that Presence I got on my knees and cried hoping the voice would go away. But as I walked out in the street surrounded by trees back to the healing center the voice only grew stronger. It said :" You can't you shouldn't". The voice grew stronger every day and I felt smaller and smaller all the time. Until one night it was "Märchen Stunde" - story telling time. I laid my head on a friends shoulder and felt the love and warmth of the room and listened to the story as my head started spinning and spinning and the voice grew stronger and stronger. I did not know what to do so I walked into my room and stared at the mirror, as that happened the voice was louder :" You cant' you should'nt" - I became tinier and tinier - finally I decided to lie on my bed, where I could hardly breathe and became even smaller, I could not fight it anymore so I said: "I give up..."

In that moment a beautiful light and peace took over me. The voice... was GONE. I stood and looked out the window... and felt as if though my past life - in pain and suffering was only a trip on a train that had passed a way. This was a new life now... a new beginning...

The next day when I awoke, I was a walking, vibrating ENERGY of LOVE and LIGHT - mostly profound PEACE! My Mind was or at least felt "CLEAN"...

It was so powerful and beautiful. The next day I had to present myself and was chairperson at a meeting of over a 100 people. I remember that all I could feel for each and every one of them was powerful, beautiful, bountiful, unconditional love. I focused on all the people, there stood the ex-prisoner (who buy the way was a dear) and all the rest of the people - in truth you don't always like everybody - so it is as humans - but God had so much love for every one. He was like a SUN showering over every single person. There I learned and became aware that that is God for me. He is in my heart and in my soul. In the same way that God - the Universe - Spirit - the Lord - the Law - whatever you believe in, that is greater and more powerful and that loves you - is in YOUR HEART and SOUL.

I learned so much in this awesome place about love, humanism and caring in ways I had never seen before. Had they not had the strategies that they did and the procedures that they had, I probably would not have had that experience. I was truly amazed at how germans had come up with such an incredible place with so many positive results... many people got their lives back together and started in a good positive direction...

~ In deep gratitud and in memory of everyone in that healing center, who gave such bountiful amounts of unconditional love.

Addiction is considered a dis-ease, an illness ~ If anyone is dealing with an addiction of any kind, whether it be with alcohol, drugs, sex, cutting himself, gambling, eating, excessive work, pulling and eating his/her hair, un healthy relationships, etc. - any way, shape, size or form - wouldn't it be great to make the decision to get out of there? & reach out for help? There is a lot of love and support available to do so...

~ There is no shame in having an illness, but it is a shame not to do something about it ~


P.S. By the way... I still hate knitting... but I love to paint.


~ “From caring comes courage” ~ Lao Tzu

~ "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." ~ Albert Einstein

~ “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.” -Carl Jung

~ "Sometimes to lose is the best way to win" ~ BB

Friday, February 10, 2012

Qué Hay Acerca de Sanar Adicciones?

~ "No hay que tener pena si se tiene una enfermedad pero si es una pena no hacer algo al respecto" ~

~ "Es ist keine Schande krank zu sein - aber es ist eine Schande nichts dagegen zu tun" ~
(alemán)

Estas eran las palabras escritas en un cuadro que estaba orgullosamente erguido en la pared derecha de la entrada en un centro de sanación en Alemania. Un Centro muy hermoso que se encuentra localizado en el centro de un bosque cerca de los Alpes suizos, una hora al sur de Múnich, en un pueblo pequeño llamado Groenenbach, donde estuve cuando tenía 21 años de edad. Como un amigo dice, hace unas cuantas lunas.

Entré un poco entonadita, como uno pudiera decir, en vista de un Nuevo, quizás sobrio comienzo – casi no me recibieron – pero Dios me abrió las puertas a través de ellos, y me premitieron quedarme ya que venía desde tan lejos.

En este centro, había toda clase de personas recuperándose de diferentes retos emocionales. Había personas que habían servido a Hitler, ex prisioneros inocentes, curas con creencias de un Dios que los llevo a una gran soledad, alcohólicos, personas adicta a la lectura, mujeres casadas con alcohólicos – todas buenas personas con diferentes adicciones – limpios – buscando una mejor y más feliz vida en sobriedad.

Mientras estuve allí, uno podía realmente sentir el ambiente del amor. Había muchos tipos de terapias como yoga, ‘rebirthing’, meditación dinámica, ‘bonding’, terapia de colores, terapia de arte, terapia Gestalt, Análisis Transaccional y muchas otras formas de terapias. Era un lugar fenomenal, donde habian tantas personas increíbles, muy amorosas y espirituales. Habia mucho amor y calor humano, muchos abrazos, nos acurraucabamos y abrazabamos mucho – no sexo, o lo sacaban a uno del tratamiento – se trataba de aprender a sentir y expresar amor de una manera ‘sana’. Era una manera de reconstruir nuestras almas y corazones para recuperar nuestras vidas de nuevo.

El lugar era como una Universidad. Todos los terapistas se consideraban parte del grupo, creciendo y sanando ellos mismos en su proceso con un poco de más conocimiento por supuesto, pero no había nadie vestido con uniformes o trajes de médicos de ninguna clase.
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Me recuerdo que una de las cosas que me enseñaron era de hacer las cosas de una manera diferente de lo que estaba acostumbrada. Por ejemplo, yo solía nadar 4-5 horas diarias por años y ellos me recomendaron dar paseos simples por el bosque para cambiar un poco. O por ejemplo yo odiaba tejer, pero lo tomé, solo para cambiar la mente y tener motivación en el corazón y servía para darse uno cuenta que hay muchas cosas nuevas que todavía se pueden hacer en la vida. Logré hacer una bien apretada y larga bufanda lila morada.


Luego como a las 6 semanas de estar en terapia, comencé a sentir un presión en la cabeza y una voz muy fuerte que me decía: “No debes – no podés”. Fui a una iglesia cercana donde normalmente jamás entraría y sentí una Presencia ahí. En esa Presencia me arrodillé y lloré con la esperanza de que la voz se fuera. Pero al salir a la calle rodeada de árboles que dirigía al centro, noté que la voz había crecido más. Decía: “No debes – no podés”. La voz siguió creciendo diariamente, y yo me sentía cada vez más y más pequeña. Hasta que una noche había “Märchen Stunde” – la hora de contar cuentos e historias. Recosté mi cabeza en el hombro de un amigo y sentí el amor y el calor humano del ambiente y mientras escuchaba el cuento se estaba leyendo. De repente, mi cabeza comenzó a girar y a girar y la voz creció aun más fuerte y más fuerte. No sabía qué hacer, así que me levanté y me fui a mi cuarto y comencé a verme en el espejo, mientras hice eso la voz creció más: “No debes – No podés”. Era una fuerza grande que me presionaba la cabeza y yo me volvia cada vez más chiquita y más chiquita. Mareada me acosté en la cama, casi no podía respirar ni luchar más contra esa voz, me volví tan pequeña hasta que dije: “Me doy…”


En ese momento una luz muy fuerte y Hermosa de paz tomo sobre mí. La voz…
DESAPARECIO. Me paré cerca de la ventana y vi hacia el bosque… sentí como si mi vida pasada – en dolor y sufrimiento era solo un viaje que había ya pasado. Esto era una nueva vida ahora, un nuevo comienzo.

Al día siguiente amanecí vibrando en una ENERGIA de mucho AMOR y LUZ – más que nada una profunda PAZ! Mi mente estaba o se sentía totalmente “LIMPIA”!

Era tan fuerte y hermoso. Ese día yo tenía que guiar una sesión donde había más de 100 personas. Me recuerdo que lo único que podía sentir por cada uno era un hermoso, abundante y extenso amor incondicional. Observé a todas las personas, ahí parado estaba el ex prisionero (quien era muy querido) y el resto de las personas – en la realidad de la vida no todo mundo nos cae bien, ni se lleva uno bien con todos – eso es de humanos – pero en esa Presencia de Dios le tenía tanto amor a todos. El era como un Sol limpio, puro, sin juicio alguno bañando a cada uno de sus hijos. Ahí aprendí y concienticé que ese era Dios para mí – un Dios de Amor, alguien a quien jamás temer. El está en mi corazón y en mi alma y yo en El. De la misma manera en que Dios – el Universo – el Espíritu – la Ley – Nuestro Señor – sea en Quien sea que tu creas que es omnipresente, lleno de amor para ti, ese quien te ama está en tu corazón y alma.

He aprendido tanto en este asombroso lugar acerca del amor, el humanismo y el calor humano de maneras que jamás había visto antes. Si estos terapistas no hubieran tenido las estrategias que tenían y los procesos que se daban, yo quizás no hubiera tenido tan dada experiencia – que salvó mi vida. Yo estaba realmente asombrada de cómo los alemanes habían llegado a crear un lugar tan increíble con tantos resultados positivos… muchas personas recuperaron sus vidas y las comenzaron de nuevo hacia una buena y positiva dirección.

~ En profunda gratitud y en memoria de las personas de un lugar lleno de sanación, bienestar, esperanza pero sobre todo, amor incondicional a manos abiertas ~

La adicción es considerada como una enfermedad. Si alguien esta lidiando con cualquier tipo de adicción, ya sea con el alcohol, las drogas, el sexo, cortándose, con la comida, arráncandose y comiendose su pelo, con el trabajo, relaciones, hasta FB - cualquier tipo, color o forma - que brutal seria tomar la decisión de salir de ahi, y pedir ayuda - Hay mucho amor y mucho apoyo. Animos que todo es posible... TODO... en El que todo lo recompensa...

~ No es una pena tener una enfermedad, pero si es una pena no hacer algo al respecto ~


P.S. Para terminar les cuento que todavía odio tejer… pero me encanta pintar…


~ "El cariño da valentía" ~ Lao Tzu

~ “Tu visión solamente será clara cuando mires adentro de tu corazón... quien busca afuera adormece, quien busca adentro, despierta.” ~ Carl Jung

~ "A veces perder es la mejor manera de ganar" ~ BB

~ "Dos manos podrán siempre hacer más que una y tres, cuanto más" ~ BB

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

What About Meditation?

~ ♥ You cannot solve problems with the same level of consciousness that created them♥ ~ Albert Einstein

~ ♥ Like Within, So without ♥ ~ Hermensianax
- greek poet

~ ♥ As Above So Below ♥ ~ Hermes Trimegistro





"Meditation" a word that brings many different images to different people. There are many thoughts about what it means to meditate. Throughout time it was believed that meditation was considered valid if one would spent, hours, days, weeks even months under a tree in loto position - to give an image - to be able to reach certain given results. However, the truth is that there are many different schools and forms of meditation such as Transcendental meditation, Buddist meditation, Zen meditation, Dynamic Meditation, etc. There are as many different forms and ways of meditating as there are people in the world, for each person finds his own unique way of doing so. There are people who wake up in the morning, turn on the coffee pot, make themselves a cup of coffe or tea, sit in front of their window or go to the garden to observe nature, that is their way of meditating. Others get up early and have a special place where they sit and meditate five minutes or more before they start their day.

What does it really mean to meditate? And what is a deeper form of meditation useful for?

If we take the letter 't' out of the word 'meditation', we are left with the word 'mediation'. Meditation is a way to 'mediate' with our inner 'Self', with the light that lives within us, with the magical, omniprensent, omnipowerful essence of God. It is a way to communicate with that part given to us in our hearts that guides us to have more peace and clarity. For example, one day, I could not find my keys, my first response was to run like a 'chicken with it's head cut off' to try to find them, but instead, I paused, took a few deep breaths and in my mind, I tracked my steps back and found the keys easily - This is a simple example.

Meditation if practiced little by little, then furthermore to deeper levels of consciousness, can take us to incredible places of peace and expansion - we can create and manifest whatever we want, we can also enjoy inner journeys like astral traveling - all given by God and in God.

I would like to share with you a simple and short meditation technique. If you are interested in trying it, you may find it useful to reach deeper levels of peace and clarity.

I suggest to find a comfortable place where you will have quietud - turn phones, computers, etc., off. Sit or lie in a way that is useful to you - I recommend sitting in a chair with your back straight, otherwise in loto position. If you decide to lie down - it's okay - what happens is that most people fall asleep ~ which is valid at first, but it's nice to be present in the process.

The most important thing to learn about meditation more than anything else ~ is 'deep breathing' ~ learning how to breathe right and deep is the 'key' ~ especially to reach deeper levels of consciousness.

- Deep breathing: to begin it is best to breathe all the air out. Then you beginning breathing in, filling the air from your stomach to the chest, like filling up a cup. Hold the breath for a moment, then exhale, as you breathe out emptying the cup from the chest to the stomach. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. Breathe in, hold, breahte out... etc.

- Counting is very useful in this procedure. You can count up to five when you inhale, three when you hold the breath, and five when you exhale. You can also do the count 8,4,8 - choosing the rythm that is right for you. Counting helps occupy the mind with other thoughts.

- Speaking of thoughts - do not fight the thoughts that are in your mind. Let them be present, let them run rampanta, let all sensations be present and let them move by like a movie screen in your mind, as you continue to concentrate in your breathing. Let yourself rest and listen to your breathing as many times as needed.

- The next step is to focus on relaxing your body: relax your feet, legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, throat and head.

- Then continue to allow the thoughts to be present, continue to let them go by like clouds in a clear blue sky, the clear blue sky is our aim. So, continue to listen to your breathing as you relax even deeper...

- Further more it is great to visualize or imagine that you are walking into a beautiful 'diamantine indigo blue light'- stand underneath showering waterfall of this 'diamantine indigo blue light' - allow all thougths to be bathed by this light, all people, situations and things in your life are being bathed by this light. Then open your heart and mind to receive this light and let go of the material, physical world, completely -rest your body, your heart, your emotions, your mind - rest deeper, even deeper now ~ let it all go...

- It is good to relax there for as long as need be. Perhaps 5 minutes every morning and every evening to start and increase the time as you are able to

- At the end, begin to breathe deeply again, moving the energy from your feet up your whole body. Become aware of the soles of your feet, of the temperature of the room, of your clothes in contact with your body, wiggle your toes, stretch your body until you are fully present in your body.

Meditation ~ 'mediation' ~ is useful for many things: to simply relax, to recharge with good energy, to bring you back to center,to quiet the mind, to resolve problems, to astral travel - to divine places given by God - it is also very useful to help alleviate physical, emotional and mental pain. It also helps us to become more aware of our feelings and of how we feel in a given situation. It helps us have more clarity and peace to be able to take more assertive steps in our lives.

I don't know if you remember the movie "The Secret Garden". There is a moment when the boy, who did not want to walk & come out of his room - due to the fear that encompassed him - he was with the girl in the garden and he said to her...

Colin: Are you making this magic?
Mary: No, you are.
Colin: Just like in the story.
[indicates his chest]
Colin: It's like the whole universe is in here.
Mary: I'm certain it is.

Like saying that the Universe and all its planets are within us. ~ Like within so Without, Like Without so Within ~

Yes, meditation is useful for that as well, to discover the fantastic world of infinite possibilites and dimensionalities that exist - which are very real within each and every one of us, created by Him.

Some people meditate ever day 5 to 10 minutes; others even an hour long or more, depending on the aim that is wanted to be reached.

And then there are many who get up, turn the coffe pot on, grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit in front of the window and contect with what IS...





~ We can live without religion & meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection ~ Dalai Lama

~ Like Above so Below, Like Below so Above ~ The Kybalion

~ Meditation is more substantial than what we normally call reality ~ Richard Gere

~~ Meditation is not there to avoid this world, it is the elixir where the soul speaks directly to God & receives His Love, His Light & His Word, in an excessive way when acquired ~ an opportunity to bring that incredible LIGHT & that pure LOVE back into Humanity ~ BB