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| True prosperity is not something we create overnight.
In fact, it is not a fixed goal, a place where we will finally arrive,
or a certain state that we will someday achieve. It is an ongoing
process of finding fulfillment that continues to unfold and deepen
throughout our lives. In this chapter, I will outline seven steps on the road to an increasing sense of prosperity. These are not steps that are necessarily taken in any particular order. Rather, they describe different elements of the journey. We each have our own unique path. We may focus on each of these elements at various times and in various ways. At times we may even work on all of them at once. STEP ONE: GRATITUDE Whether or not we feel particularly prosperous at the moment, the truth is that most of us in modern Western society are enormously prosperous, materially and in many other ways. We need only compare our lives with the struggle for survival and subsistence that most humans in history have experienced, and that a majority of people in the world today are still experiencing, to realize how truly fortunate we are. Many of us live better than the kings and queens did a few centuries ago. Read more on InnerSelf.com |
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So Many Causes, So Little Cash: |
| By American standards, I'm anything but rich. I mean,
let's overlook the privilege of working with exceptionally great-hearted
and intelligent people on a magazine that encourages me to hone
my values and live in concert with them, and in a place so famously
beautiful that others wait eagerly all year to vacation here. The
magazine has yet to approach black ink, and so at age fifty I earn
several thousand dollars less than, say, the mayor of St. Cloud,
Minnesota--and that's his second job. The humbly compensated teachers
in my state beat me by about ten grand--and during summer, I'm still
at my desk. But let's get some real perspective: if only I'd work
gratis for a year, Hope could advertise for about a third of a second
during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Luckily, I'm not racing toward some fiscal
finish line. I live simply, have no children, and have money enough
to support public radio and my church--resources I want for my own
life--and to make frequent, if small, contributions to other causes.
But I can't be as generous as I wish. Read more in Hope Magazine |
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The Liberation of My Spirit |
| I created a fortress of despair and burdened my soul with the
unbearable weight of all of my worries: Am I good enough? Will I
die old, sick and alone? Will I ever have enough? I packed in the
loathsome trepidations of a frightened, soulless society: Am I too
fat? Is she prettier than me? Will someone else get what's mine?
I gathered around my heart the impenetrable coldness of fear: No
one can hurt me. No one can touch me. No one will ever get in. And I walked in the world blind to its beauty, deaf to the song of life, and suffering day by day, small, scared and supposedly safe in my fortress. I walked amongst others similarly traumatized, and sometimes I would peer into the eyes of another, terrified by what I saw there. She was the reflection of me. A beautiful luminance, dim and sullied, buried under a merciless weight. A soul held captive by fear. "It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us." Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love Then, I began to think. How can I liberate the glowing joy, the radiant beauty, the illusive freedom I've spent years diminishing, debilitating and denying? How can I move past this scary desert of self-imposed exile and find the warm home for my soul? How can I live without fear? Read more in Fierce Magazine |
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Body Wisdom |
| My friend Susan was told she had a year to live due to cancer.
Her boyfriend deserted her because he couldn't handle it emotionally.
Sitting alone one day, Susan noted a cat on the porch and let it
in for company. The following day she took the cat, Flora, to the
vet to be sure it was healthy. Susan was told Flora had feline leukemia
and a year to live. Home they went, with the same prognosis, but
only Susan was depressed. Flora ran around and enjoyed the day and
Susan began thinking that maybe Flora knew something she didn't.
Fourteen years later, they are both still alive. Flora had to teach
Susan about survival behavior. I believe our bodies are far more complex and fascinating than we give them credit for. It is true God didn't think of creating our species until last, and we are less complete than other creatures, but we still have our unique qualities. Why I find the physical components and aspects of life just as fascinating as the spiritual is because of the body's ability to survive in the face of adverse conditions. Viruses alter their physical nature and prevent the use of vaccines to eradicate them. Bacteria make genetic alterations and resist antibiotics. We, on the other hand, can't even resist acquiring a cold. Read more in Science & Spirit |
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The Paradox of One And Many in Aikido Philosophy |
| How we can better appreciate, empathize with, and
respect the diverse people, energies, and opinions that we come
in contact with on a daily basis. My Aikido teacher Koichi Tohei sensei used to say that in a healthy person the flow of their ki is like the outpouring of an underground spring sitting at the bottom of a deep lake. The spring feeds water to the lake, much like we can feed the universe healing energy. The spring feeds the lake a constant flow of water without ever being diminished, and this outpouring of water is not at all impeded by the weight and pressure of the lake bearing down on it. When ki flows it always follows the path of least resistance. This is a path of great power. In the same manner as the spring feeds the lake, as human beings we are designed to feed energy to the universe, and this feeding of energy is what helps us to also maintain our own personal health. We receive by giving. Read more on OfSpirit.com |
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Book Review |
| IMAGINE SITTING AT YOUR DESK, staring at your office computer
screen on a sleepy Friday afternoon in late October. Up pops a staff
e-mail from the CEO: "You can all take the rest of the year off.
Have a great vacation. See you on January 2. Organizers of the Take Back Your Time movement have chosen October 24, 2003 to inaugurate a new national holiday. It marks the additional nine weeks Americans work each year in contrast to Western Europeans. To kick off the annual event organizer John de Graaf (television producer and author of Affluenza) has collected essays from a broad array of contributors, each adding his own riff on the American time-poverty theme. Dubbed "The Official Handbook of the National Movement," this starkly choreographed volume disguises some exquisite content. Read more in Hope Magazine |
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Quote: George Washington Carver |
| "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." |
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Article Submission Guidelines: |
| RetreatFinder.com is accepting articles for publishing on the website and in the newsletter. We are accepting articles that cover the breadth of the retreat and spiritual communities. Articles can range from a book review, to an interpersonal journey while on retreat, to a biography of a spiritual leader, to your favorite food recipe when on retreat, to travel tips and retreat center reviews. Please submit your articles or inquiries to alec@retreatfinder.com. |
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| Table of Contents |
 True
Prosperity |
| So
Many Causes |
| Liberation
of my Spirit |
| Body
Wisdom |
| Paradox
in Aikido |
| Book
Review |
| Quote
of the Month |
| Get
Published |
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| Featured Retreats |
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| Facility for Rent Red Rock 'n Retreats Center Boulder, UT |
| The ranch is situated at the confluence of two perennially flowing
creeks, abounds in slick rock scenery, contains ancient Anasazi
sites, is home to an abundance of plant and animal life, and best
of all, offers plenty of peace and quiet. Guests to the ranch stay
in comfortably appointed yurts which look out over the canyons.
Delicious home cooked meals are served family style in a centralized
dining building with spectacular views of the area. View this listing on RetreatFinder |
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| August 7-14 2004 Writing, Creativity & Ritual: A Retreat for Women Wolf Creek, MT |
| This is a gathering of women passionate about their writing and
anxious to connect with others of like mind and heart. With every
need attended to, we open doorways to new stories, characters, techniques
and friendships with each other as well as ourselves. At this writer's
retreat we explore the deeper passions behind our writing, including
what drives us to write and what stops us from being as creative
as we might be. View this retreat on RetreatFinder.com |
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| Retreat Accommodations Saint Thomas More House of Prayer Cranberry, PA |
| The St. Thomas More House of Prayer is a Catholic retreat center
Dedicated to praying and promoting the Liturgy of the Hours. If
you are unfamiliar with the Liturgy of the Hours, we can help you
understand this particular form of liturgical prayer and appreciate
why the Church encourages gatherings of the laity, "to fulfill the
Church's office by celebrating part of the Liturgy of the Hours."
View this retreat on RetreatFinder.com |
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| Retreat Accommodations Tabor Retreat Center Oceanside, NY |
| For a unique overnight or weekend experience, the
Tabor Community invites you to find peace in the security of a quiet,
intimate, informal setting. The house accommodates just twelve to
fourteen overnight guests, and these small groups promote a communal
feeling among retreatants View this listing on RetreatFinder |
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| Retreat Accommodations Phoebe Pember House Charleston, SC |
| An oasis in the heart of historic Charleston, Phoebe
Pember House offers space for individual, couples or small group
relaxation and wellness retreats. Join us for a retreat we sponsor
or allow us to assist you in planning your own retreat, tailoring
it to your needs. All of our rooms are beautifully and individually
appointed with private baths. Walled gardens, concierge service
and other gracious amenities, including spa services are available.
Our studio also offers ongoing yoga classes. View this listing on RetreatFinder |
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