ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF FERGUSON

Does one bad apple really spoil the bunch?

I am one of those people who believe nothing happens by chance, there is a reason for everything under the sun.  Now, if you happen to believe this, you do not have to look long or far to see the reason, or sometimes many reasons for what just happened.  I, like many who will read this is a Christian and I endeavour to live my faith, by Grace.

Somewhere in the scriptures it says that even the evil was created for the day of judgement.  I didn't say it, the bible did, so then let us look on the bright side of what just went down in Ferguson Missouri and all the other incidents of blatant injustice that happened in the United States in 2014 alone.  Just like those who died in the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties these young men did not die in vain - the bitter truth is that they were born to bring America to the truth about where America stands on the great racial divide and the significant problems with the law and how law enforcement is delivered but are we paying attention?  There are those who brought us to where we are, and these are the ones who will take us to the next level. We, the people who occupy this planet are not "there yet", and I suspect that it will be some time before we do.  By "there yet" I mean at a level of consciousness where all people are valued and accepted exactly the way they are. 

I hope we are paying attention because this is a great opportunity for a seismic shift in the way we think about racial and other types of bigotry.  I see the challenges and opportunities on different fronts.  Bigotry and hate run deep into the psyche and like we have seen in other parts of the world centuries have not erased how some people think and feel about others because it is passed down from generation to generation.  The difference with America is that it calls itself a country founded on Christian values.  If this is true, and I believe it is, then the mountain has some ridges on which to climb so the challenge, great as it is, is not insurmountable.   I cannot fathom how folks could go to church, pray to God, give to the poor and yet harbour such insidious hate!  On a personal level, at the heart of this is FEAR & INSECURITY and NO LOVE.  Then there is the way policing is delivered and of course the Gorilla in the room  and most difficult to change is the legal/justice system. The way these situations have evolved, and the regularity of the incidents would lead a normal person to believe that SHOOTING TO DEATH is the way justice is meted out when confronted by law enforcement.  THIS HAS TO CHANGE!  By the way, this is not just an American problem, it's most country's problem.

Some of the statements made by even people bringing the news or political discussions make me sick to my stomach they way they reference black people and other non-whites who break the law.  Who doesn't break the law at some point or the other - you may not have robbed a convenience store but you clocked 40km over the speed limit getting to your cushy job.  Fact is, you didn't get caught but you still broke the law - dah!  Big question, should the kid who robbed the convenience store be sentenced to instant death by shooting?  Does the police ALWAYS HAVE TO SHOOT TO KILL?

There is so much to be said  so I hope to expand on this soon.  In the meantime, ponder this and let LOVE be the guiding star.  If love was guiding Officer Wilson, I would not be writing about this today.

MissSam
Tuesday November 25, 2014

 

HERE'S HOW TO END BIGOTRY

Miniature Rose - Everything Is Beautiful

There are enough videos on police brutality in the United States of America, mostly black folks at the hands of white cops, to make folks give up on humanity.  This is exactly what the  "Devil" or as the Kabbalist refer to as the "Adversary" wants.

+Soledad O'Brien, former +CNN host and documentary maker had done a good job of shining the spotlight on what it is like to be "Black In America".  She has a new documentary out which airs tonight on +CNN.  As I watched the trailer last night I wondered if people are really getting the message.  I woke up this morning with this muse I am now sharing.

Turns out the world needs to do something different in the effort to end racism and bigotry. I said racism and bigotry because there are many faces of prejudice, not just racial!   Nelson Mandela started it, and he made  huge stride but I do not think we quite grasped the concept of what he did - at least I know on an intellectual level that he espoused unconditional love but there is another piece of the equation that I did not get until now.  The one other person I observed to display this missing piece of the equation is President Barack Obama.  When I made the connection it was like a thousand light bulbs went on at the same time.  I can give you a hint, it is not tolerance.  As a matter of fact I very much dislike the use of the word tolerance when it comes to matters of prejudice because it feels like there is no acceptance, just "putting up with" because it is the right thing to do.

How did I make this connection?  I have been reading a book NANO - Technology Of Mind Over Matter by Kabbalist Rav Berg given to me by my friend Marcia.  This is my very first exposure to Kaballah, and since I have an open mind I accepted the book and started reading it.  Kaballah is not new or trendy even though it is a trend for many folks, especially in the entertainment industry who are turned off from organized religion.  What this book has done for me is help me get a deeper understanding of some of the principles and teachings of Jesus.  I had already long concluded that science and spirituality are strongly connected, if not one and the same so that part was really not new to me.

Here's the BIG AHA!   According to the principles espoused by Kaballah, our reason for being here is to become conscious and one of the pre-requisite is to end reactiveness. Another pre-requisite is unconditional love.  Loving and caring for your neighbour is a fundamental principle in the teachings of Jesus Christ and at the foundation of Christianity. So then, how can people who claim to be Christians believe they are better than another and treat other human beings in a way that they would not treat animals?  The EGO!  FEAR!  IGNORANCE! INSECURITY! So apparently not all Christians read the same bible.

 Base on what I have experienced and accomplished on my own spiritual journey thus far, I would say you end reactiveness by healing your own pain and become aware.  It seem to me that awareness and healing goes hand in hand.  Over the years I have come to conclude that bigotry is the highest form of ignorance. If you are conscious you will already know that YOU DID NOT MAKE YOUR SELF, NEITHER CAN YOU, NEITHER CAN THE OTHER PERSON.  So then, why discriminate against someone who is different when neither you nor they had anything to do with the way they look, their height, size or the colour of their skin?  So I was already aware of that, but I still felt a great deal of EMOTIONAL REACTION when I witness bigotry, whether in person in the news or other medium. 

I watched Barack Obama keenly as he went through the election campaign process to be elected President of The United States Of America and how he has publicly handled the plethora of prejudice, obstacles and road blocks thrown at him.  I noticed how calm and non-reactive he was and so even before he won the election in 08 I got it!  At first I would get so ANGRY at the opposition and pundits then I got it - Barack Obama can handle himself, I do not need to feel this way! It took me a while to be where I am today, as I almost has no reaction to these issues and it feels great!  I am not there yet but I am on my way.   As for Nelson Mandela, may his soul rest in peace, he GOT THE MEMO AND IMPLIMENTED IT for ALL THE WORLD to see and learn.  We are all agents of change and sometimes it takes a little nudge to get another person thinking.  We cannot all be preachers or teachers or world leaders but we can do our part in our own life and within our own circle of influence.

 Living my faith has always been at the core of my belief system, so when the student is ready the teacher appears. Putting away judgement and being open is key to progress.

Have a tender hearted Tuesday,

MissSam
Tuesday November 18, 2014

 

The Reinvention of Miss Sam - Act III

                                                           
      
High School
                   

 

At 22       




 

Lately - At Blue Mtn

With Son & Daughter - Proud Moment

 People who knew me from a little girl knew me as Miss Sam.  I loved the name Samantha and wondered why my mother nicknamed me Miss Sam and not Samantha, then I learned that this was "Old Sam", my paternal grandfather fault.  My mother was expecting me when he became ill, and his one request before he departed this earth was that if the child is a boy, he  be named after him.  Well as it turns out, baby girl it was but my mother still wanted to honour my grandfather, so Miss Sam to the world.  Up until high school most  familiar people called my Miss Sam until the name gradually faded away, except for a treasured few.    My grandfather has been my guardian angel!

Since adulthood, every decade or so I have managed to reinvent myself.  No longer the skinny shy girl of my youth, I can say it has been quite the journey and not always fascinating.  There were many hoops to jump over and what seemed like impossible mountains to climb but I made it!  Now, looking back it was all fascinating, if only I had seen it that way at the time.  Oh well, wisdom comes with age they say - in most cases at least.

The last fifteen years have been the most educational and transformational and I believe it started with taking a good look in the mirror and asking myself some really serious questions after my 29 year old brother died suddenly.  And yes, I did take that look in the mirror,  I remember as if it was yesterday! On returning from the funeral in Jamaica I stood in my bathroom at the house on Royal Palm and bawled my eyes out and asked myself what is life really about?  What is the purpose of it and why am I hear?  I had seen how quickly after my brother's funeral what remained his belongings in Kingston were gathered up and delivered to my parents house in the country.  Yes, believe it or not, he wasn't cold before his cabinet making shop was plundered, tools and material, including the boards from a freshly sawed cedar tree cut from my grandparents property and given to him as a gift from my father to kick-start his business, disappeared. 

I remember sitting on the bed in his room at home in the country and stared at the box and thought, "what is man?".  I resolved then and there to live the best life I can because this is the life I have and I am only here for a short time.  So then, the deeper spiritual work began and I have learned a lot!
I am happy with my life and it is very peaceful.  I treasure this peace, there is nothing more valuable to me than the peace I now enjoy because it was not always this way.

 God willing, In a few short months I will officially be stepping into the next 30 years or as +Jane Fonda refers to as her 3rd act and I welcome it.  I never imagined I would be this happy to be on the threshold of 60 years old!   Now I can relate to the songs of triumph because when you have overcome a lot you have much to be thankful for and my heart and bursting with gratitude!

I have made it my priority to do what is in my power to stay physically and mentally fit and alert, to be fully engaged in life and to fully participate in the business of living.  The rest is up to God.  Live well, do good,be happy - that's the plan.



MissSam
November 15, 2014








 





Breaking News - You Dont Have To Keep The Brain You Were Born With!

"Reflecting on the Humber"

As I woke up this morning reflecting on my journey this thought popped into my head so I am sharing it with you.


This is nothing new or spooky, just an attention grabbing headline like we see on TV everyday, "Breaking news - this just in" but something most of us who consume news already know.  The fact is, the science of neuroplasticity has been around for a very long time, and before academic science came around to this fact the sages of old know about it.  If you are not aware of if, you wont think about if.  Even if you are aware of it but you are now ready to receive it in your spirit, the changes wont happen.

A fact that you can find in medical and scientific publications is that the brain (and the whole body for that matter) changes cells every few days, so in about a years time you are actually a brand new person!  The fact that only the conscious seekers will zero in on is that while your physically cells are being renewed you can change your brain patterns and change your life!  This is exciting and intriguing stuff.  Here is the caveat though - free will!  You have to want to.

I was at a function over the summer and sat at a table with a young lady promoting a school in Mississauga that base it's courses on the concept of neuroplasticity.  In her hand out kit was a small rubber replica of the brain which I took to the office and set it on my desk.  This makes for good conversations and it is something the kids can play with as sometimes clients bring their children to their appointments.  Yesterday I had a client who joked "so this where you keep your spare brain".

Being a retired teacher, the conversation that ensued was stimulating, and I learned a new saying "borrow a brain".  This refers to calling on the knowledge and expertise of others on your own journey in life.  Again, nothing new as in the scriptures (Proverbs 15:22) says "In the multitude of counsellors there is wisdom" and this is just one.  Sometimes we just need an aha moment to tie it all together.

Have a brain changing day!

MissSam
Tuesday November 11, 2014

 

And This Is How The Devil Have The American People Under Wraps

FEAR! I did a search on an online Bible and found 669 references to fear.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (King James version)

I watched the "best political team on television", Election Night In American on CNN last night and I was horrified and in utter dismay as they discussed and pontificated how the Democratic candidates have "avoided President Obama like he had the plague".  I am not American but I am so ashamed of those Democrats!  To think that this President under his watched saved the American economy (and possibly the world's) from total collapse you would think that's someone to be proud of, not hide from.

The Republican "strategy of fear" has caused the Democrats to abandon the mother ship once again yielded them their desired results - control of the Senate.  This is were it gets confusing, the same party that is supposed to espouse Christian values is the "devil's whipping boy" to get what they want.
The bible that these same Republicans use (I think they use the same bible as the rest of us) speak extensively about the destructive nature of fear. Fear is a mighty powerful force, and in this realm on the physical plane is where good and evil duke it out daily.  This happens in every aspect of life, with individuals, governments and business organizations. In fact, I came to the conclusion quite a few years ago that if there was such a thing as the Devil, then his name is Fear!  Fear is darkness, so if you use fear to manipulate people to get an advantage you are not associated with "The Light", you are an agent or a tool of the Devil.

I am currently reading Nano - Technology of Mind Over Matter by +Kabbalist Rav Berg.  While I will not be converting to Kabbala any time soon, the book does give the reader an interesting take on the scientific impact of fear or negativity on the human body at the atom level, and of course that impact then transfers to the family, then community, country and the world.   I have watched political candidates look into the camera and distort facts and even told blatant lies and then when all is done they will say "it's just politics"!  Well, it is not just politics, it's you!  It's your character, that's what you are showcasing to the world and it is immoral! In this election cycle the Democrats reacted to the fear mongering instead of staying true to their principles and highlighting their accomplishments.  By doing this, they played into "Satan's" hand!  Even if they lost by staying true to their principles it would be "a win" for them not bending to the lowest common denominator.

So how come people know this and still turn up at the polls and vote for these candidates?  We see it happen all the time, not just last night.  Even here in Canada, Toronto to be specific, just a week ago with the Mayoral Race.  We saw the large number of voters who turned out to support +Doug Ford, brother of disgraced Mayor +Rob Ford.  We know that +Doug Ford covered up his brothers wrong doings and treated people in the media disgracefully.  Remember the story of Jesus on the Mount, where the "Devil" used fear to try to sell Jesus what he already owned!  Fear mongering and deception walk hand-in-hand in politics.

 According to Kabbalist teachings, getting rid of our "reactive" nature is part of our journey to the Light which brings peace and happiness. My prayer is that we all take heed to scripture quote above and use it as a test in the decisions we make daily.  If your heart and intuition picks up on negative influences trust it.

Blessings,

MissSam
Wednesday

 

November 5, 2014

Glorious Fall