2008 - Humans Becoming

"We speak of ourselves as 'human beings' despite the image that the word 'being' conjures up - a fixed thing, a stable state. Yet we live in and are part of a universe that is endlessly fecund, inventive, ever changing, ever transforming itself. It would surely be better if we abandoned the term 'human being' and replaced it with 'human becoming'." - Darryl Reanney.

Max and I have spent the holidays doing what we always do. Reading. We always give each other books as gifts at Christmas and both love this peaceful summery time of year, sitting out on our leafy, sun and shade dappled deck under the umbrella, reading our books.

A couple of posts ago I wrote about six books on my bookshelf which seemed to track my spiritual journey through the cosmos. But I forgot to add one important book.

As with all things serendipitous, two days ago I was looking for another book, and this one literally fell in my path again. Approximately 12-14 years ago I read "The Death of Forever - A New Future For Human Consciousness" by Australian Molecular Biologist Darryl Reanney, and it was mind stretching to put it mildly. But I guess I wasn't ready for it all at the time and put it aside. My consciousness was incubating and evolving in spite of this and a couple of years later, Yoga came into my life. Looking back, this book probably marked the beginning of my spiritual journey. I have just finished reading it for the second time.

If you have read the "Power Of Now" by Eckhart Tolle, you may find that "The Death Of Forever" fills in many gaps for you. Darryl who sadly died from leukaemia in 1996, gives a a very spiritual conclusion to a book filled with scientific explanations, that seem to echo what we already "know".

He explores everything from "the biggie" - the fear of death, to the ego-self, psychology, choice, evolution, genetics and DNA, religion, time, quantum physics, 'the Big Bang' and black holes..... It is a book that wrangles with you and your beliefs and will contribute much towards your enlightenment.

He has also written a subsequent book called "After Death: A New Future for Human Consciousness" which I have yet to read.

A Peaceful Christmas

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and peaceful Christmas and a very happy start to 2008.

Christmas Angels

This sleepy angel was made by my son when he was in Primary School. In typical male fashion, he still feels uncomfortable about the fact that he actually made a doll, with pretty eyelashes, wearing a dress, with ribbons!! Clearly it was girl stuff! But secretly, I think he's pleased that his creation sits on top of the family Christmas tree.

We have named the angel "Nan" after my mother Doreen. Doreen has dementia and lives in a Nursing Home. She is very sleepy these days. The nursing staff gently dress her in her nightie and tuck her into bed after lunch every day. She has become a baby again. In the mornings she sits in her chair, head tilted forward like this angel, fast asleep.

It got me thinking about the angels we come across in our day to day lives, that quietly and efficiently, do something special and meaningful for you, then simply slip away into the ether. So here are my nominations for Christmas Angels 2007.

• The staff at Doreen's Nursing Home; for their patience and care and most of all, for their sense of humour. It helps my feisty mother surrender, rather than resist her lot.

• Our friend Deano; who has been bringing us bags of sweet, juicy oranges from his brothers orchard and who gave us not one, but two boxes of Christmas lights, when he heard our last years set was on the blink. He is such a generous soul.

• My Chiropractor; who efficiently and intuitively, in only one month, healed me. He was only working a 'stint' in my area and has now gone back to Sydney. He has changed my life and given me back my Mojo!

• Blogging Angels; All of you bloggers out there. Yes YOU! Twelve months of blogging has connected me with so many truly beautiful souls, who make my day so much happier, with comments on my own blog and posts on yours, that always inspire and allow me to get to know you better.

• Friends; There have been so many true friends slipping in and out of my life this year, doing special things for me behind the scenes. Simply special.

Now I feel like I'm on a roll and could go on seeing angels in every corner. Who are your Angels for 2007? I bet there are more than you can handle!

Ooops! Speaking of corners, please try not to notice the Daddy Long Legs spider in the top corner of my loungeroom! I haven't got the heart to squish them.

Six Books From My Bookshelf

These six books I have referred to constantly since I bought them and they have helped me make sense of myself and the world.

Living Yoga by Georg Feuerstein, Stephan Bodian with the Staff of Yoga Journal. This was the book I bought when I first began Yoga. I knew that I liked everything about doing it, but realised I didn't know too much about it, generally speaking. This book is a "comprehensive guide for daily life" and was a great introduction. I knew I wanted more Yoga after devouring this dog-eared copy. I now get my Yoga fix on-line at Yoga Journal.

Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar. This is my Yoga 'bible'. I knew I was serious about Yoga when I bought this book! I refer to it when I am creating a new sequence of postures, or if I need a posture for a particular ailment. It has a great glossary, a whole section on pranayama and suggested asana courses, including hints and cautions.

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron This was given to me as a gift by my sister and I did the course by myself back in 2003. It was only when I began blogging that I discovered whole groups of recovering artists and revisited the book this year, with great results. It really got me thinking about creativity and where it comes from and how I could harness it fully. I know most of you reading this will have read this book already. I have not read Cameron's second book "Finding Water" yet, and due to not so wonderful reviews by the Finding Water group, I may not bother. Have you read it? What do you think?

The Western Guide to Feng Shui by Terah Kathryn Collins This is all about creating balance, harmony and prosperity in your environment. It gave me a simple de-cluttering technique to use and made me aware of the energy of my surroundings. I now see my world with "Feng Shui eyes".

The Celestine Vision by James Redfield This is a follow up book to "The Celestine Prophesy" which was written as fiction. The Celestine Vision is about the spiritual evolution of the world which sometimes seems a little fanciful, but it is a vision, so I guess it remains to be seen whether it all comes to pass. It did get me thinking though.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.. I loved the simple message of this book - don't dwell in the past, don't engage in thought about what might happen in the future - simply live in the now. It is about living consciously in the present moment. This practice has brought new meaning to my everyday life, and my Yoga practice and meditation is way more peaceful. I loved this book!

Winging its way to me in the post, is "The Yoga of Eating" by Charles Eisenstein, which has been glowingly referred by Olivia.

Also on the reading list is "A Course In Miracles". I know that this book was first published in 1976 - has anyone else out there read it? Is it still relevant?

Five Really Good Things

1. Starting a 'proper' hard-backed journal to embellish, decorate, write and play in, to keep forever. See first double page above and below.

2. So many people loving the feline artwork posted earlier. Thank you for the compliments!

3. My son practicing his guitar in the evenings (this years early christmas gift from us) I never get tired of listening to him play.

4. Donating three of my paintings to the Salvation Army to be sold for charity this Christmas.

5. Morning walks on the beach, nothing ever beats it!