|
|
Talking
Our Walk
From the
Editors![](../../photos/A-N.jpg)
The
Holyday season is upon us a time for celebration, a time when many
people seem to be more open to giving, sharing & reflecting as another
year nears its completion. This is also a time when many of us will be
dashing out to the malls, consumed with gift shopping. Its easy
to get caught up in all the commotion and in the frenzy, we may purchase
some of our gifts out of a sense of obligation, rather than clear intention.
This shopping madness always creates discomfort for me. And since I do
not require that much stuff, Im often particularly troubled with
the receiving end of the equation especially when Im given
something that I really dont need. Im reminded of a book I
read several years back, Mutant Message Down Under, by Marlo Morgan. In
this book, an Aboriginal tribe details their definition of a gift: A gift
is only a gift when you give someone what the person wants. It is not
a gift if you give what you want them to have. A gift has no attachment.
It is given unconditionally. The persons receiving it have the right to
do anything with the gift use it, destroy it, give it away, whatever.
It is theirs without condition and the giver expects nothing in return.
If it doesnt fit those criteria, it is not a gift. It should be
classified as something else.
Of course, there is delight in receiving gifts, too, and they appear in
many forms. For us, "Christmas" came early this past summer
when we were presented with the opportunity to acquire Creations Magazine.
And, as the task of tackling this new business venture pushed us past
our comfort zone, our good fortune was doubled.
Interestingly, another type of gift, is the kind that people give and
receive all the time, often without even being aware of it. A gift can
simply show up as a kind word or gesture. Weve been aware of receiving
these types of gifts ever since our first issue. They arrive regularly
by telephone, mail and email from readers and advertisers alike, expressing
their sincere thanks and good wishes for Creations continuation.
Each and every comment is deeply appreciated, as it serves to validate
our spiritually based business decision. These thoughtful gestures further
encourage us to maintain and improve upon the high standards on which
Creations Magazine was founded. Thank you, all.
This Holyday issue delivers to you an abundance of gifts. Appropriately
enough, we feature the article On Giving, excerpted
from Kent Nerburns book Simple Truths. In it, he extols the miracle
of giving, which empowers us to create joy and happiness by our simplest
gestures of caring and compassion. True giving does not subtract from
what we have, but rather multiplies the effect we can have on the world.
Swami Beyondananda (Steve Bhaerman) returns to Creations after a long
hiatus with 11 Suggestions for Having Peace
on Earth, Swami offers a humorous approach to creating some serious
constructive change. Read, laugh, and then take action.
Conversely, in No Place for a Poet at a Banquet of
Shame, Sharon Olds soberly spells out her reasons for declining an
invitation from First Lady Laura Bush to attend the National Book Festival
in Washington, D.C. In opposing the Iraq War, Olds forgoes great personal
gain in order to preserve her principles and integrity.
Getting caught up in the Holiday festivities, many of us tend to eat and
drink more that we really should. You may want to reconsider overindulging
this time around after reading The Importance of
Undereating, excerpted from Spiritual Nutrition. Best-selling author
and spiritual teacher Gabriel Cousens, M.D., provides compelling scientific
evidence advocating calorie reduction related to a slowing-down of the
aging process and an overall reduction of almost every disorder, resulting
in a healthier, longer lifespan. Dr. Cousens maintains that our lifestyle
determines our "gene expression" rather than our genes determining
our health and ultimately our life.
A really cool thing happened on the way to taking a classified ad
the ad morphed into an article. Denise Ramos is a music teacher from Islip
who recorded a music CD as a means to consoling a bereaved colleague.
The article A Healing Gift began with Denise
emailing me at 10pm on a Saturday night, solely for the purpose of advertising
her CD. I telephoned her immediately and we talked a bit about the ad
and her recording. About twenty minutes later, I blurted out, "Denise,
this is a great story. Weve got us an article for the Holyday issue.
Write down everything you just told me." Surprisingly, within the
hour she emailed me her story. In her article, Denise credits "abounding
synchronicity and going with some sort of Divine flow" for the relative
ease with which her CD was produced. Then, subsequent to her CD, a submitted
article rises out from a classified ad all in under 90 minutes!
I call that synchronicity and Divine flow "déjà vu
all over again."
So theres a sampling of some of our "gifts" to you-- unwrap
and enjoy! You might even want to share a few in making this truly...
A Winter Celebration.
Peace & Blessings,
|