September/October 1999
Articles on the theme "Attachment & Detachment"
Life's Parade
by Bob Gonzalez
Of death, meditation, possessions and
true detachment.
Responding Resourcefully to Criticism
Cydné Battreall
Learning to detach or disassociate
to create new ways of responding to criticism.
The Ultimate Release
by Constance Felos
Forgiveness: the conscious, energetic
release of debilitating attachment. Death of the body: the ultimate release
of physical attachment.
You and Your Thoughts
by Patrick Plaskett
The problems of identifying ourselves
with our thoughts and emotional responses.
Cultivating Detachment
by Dr. Neil Cooper
Detachment as part of a spiritual practice.
Its role in connecting us with Source, Spirit, Energy, Qi, Consciousness.
In The Heart of God
by Ron Graham
How attachment and detachment can be
good or bad. Sorting out which is which.
Attachment & Detachment - Their Hidden Meaning
by Magzcha Westerman
The numerological significance of the
words Attachment and Detachment.
The Rewards of Release
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
The rewards of releasing losses to
the universe. Releasing others from the bondage of our thoughts.
Transcending Attachment
by Rev. Pat Cross
Using attachment and detachment to
help us reach a higher spiritual level - a connection with our true Source.
Detachment Brings Joy
by Rev. Nancy L. Buchanan
Of going with the flow to achieve a
positive lifestyle.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q & A
by Dolores Puterbaugh
A discussion of some of the physical
and emotional changes and challenges women face going through menopause.
2000 and Beyond!
by David Findlay/ Patricia Diane Cota-Robles
What is . . . Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)?
by Sam Jarcynski and Greg Stanek
Mineral Kingdom
by Judy Power
Featured stones for September and October:
Peridot and Natrolite.
2000 & Beyond
A Forum -- David Findlay (editor), Patricia Diane Cota-Robles (contributing writer)
It is easy to become fixated on the date January 1, 2000 -- as though the date had some magic in itself. The article later in this section by Patricia Diane Cota-Robles points out that the importance of the transition is primarily the significance we attach to it.
However, this is not to say that the significance we attach to it is not important -- and in particular the significance that others may place on that significance.
For example, terrorists.
The transition December 31, 1999/January 1, 2000 is a tremendous opportunity for terrorists.
Why?
(a) The symbolism. It marks for us the end of the old millennium and the beginning of the new. What better time to make a 'statement'? I am thinking particularly of the Islamic extremists -- the Bin Laden crowd -- but not only them. There are enough countries, peoples and individuals in the world who hate the West and regard America as the epitome of Evil. What better time to make a 'statement' against this materialistic Devil?
(b) This is a time when enormous numbers of people will be gathered together in concentrated spaces. For example, Time Square. Rome is going to be visited by millions. And Jerusalem! -- a real flashpoint in the tinder-box of the Middle East. Also, enormous numbers of people will be traveling -- and what good targets planes and airports make!
(c) Y2K -- yes, I haven't forgotten the subject! How serious is Y2K? I honestly don't know. But logically the chance for some disruptions is enormous. And why wouldn't any self-respecting terrorist take advantage of the opportunity and the confusion?
Can you imagine Time Square on the 31st if a bomb went off?
Or worse! Can you imagine what would happen if a nuclear device went off in Time Square? Or a vial containing bubonic plague? Or anthrax?
We tend to think of terrorist attacks as somewhat local and, therefore, limited in their effect. For example, the Oklahoma City bombing, the World Trade Center, the PAN AM flight. So, although serious, they have not been devastating -- except to those directly involved.
Consider, however, the possibility of a terrorist attack that might kill millions, or spread disease across a continent.
I am not saying that this will happen -- just that it could.
Is there any good reason to suppose that it won't? There are nuclear devices that can be carried in a backpack. Vials containing germs take practically no space. The technology exists. And the people willing to use the technology exist.
Is there any case in history where a weapon has been developed and not used?
We should like the entry into the new millennium to be a positive time filled with joy -- and, above all, peace for the world.
However, it is wrong, in the manner of the proverbial ostrich, to bury our heads in the sands. And haven't we been doing that regarding terrorism?
A top government spokesman recently said that it was not a question of 'if' but 'when'.
The US Army Soldier & Biological Chemical Command internet site mentions 120 cities in the US as possible targets -- among these are Tampa and St. Petersburg! (http://dp.sbccom.army.mil/fs/fs_120c.html)
The government is certainly aware of the problem. But are they going to solve it? Are they in a position to solve it? Also, it is hardly a topic that is likely to win a whole lot of popular votes.
So what can we do about it?
To solve a problem one first needs to be aware of and understand it. We need to educate ourselves. It should become an issue of public awareness and debate. We need to learn what can be done to reduce the effects of a terrorist attack. In Israel, for example, the people are highly aware of the dangers and what precautions can be taken - and actually perform drills. If there is an outbreak of terrorist-caused bubonic plague, there are things one can do to avoid catching it -- if one is prepared. Also -- and this is something simple one can do -- avoid places like Time Square and airports around the 31st/1st.
What is the long-term solution?
Unfortunately there isn't anything simple. We need to study and do something about the real causes of conflict between countries and individuals. Some things are obvious. The enormous disparity between the rich and the poor is not 'healthy'. I am not saying that we in America should give up our wealth. But we do need to pay more attention to helping other countries handle such problems as lack of food, disease etc. Some of the most troublesome causes of conflict, however, are 'religious'. We desperately need a higher understanding and respect for 'other religions'. If we respect others, there is a greater chance that others may respect us. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
Of course, there will always be some extremists who are prepared to sacrifice themselves to make a 'statement'. So as well as working for the best possible scenario - peace on earth and goodwill among men -- we should also do our best to prepare for the worst.
On that cheerful note (!) I'll turn things over to Patricia Diane Cota Robles for her views of the Year 2000.
The New Millennium: 2000 or 2001?
by Patricia Diane Cota-Robles
www.1spirit.com/eraofpeace
There seems to be a lot of confusion over just when the New Millennium will begin. Unfortunately, debate over that subject is distracting people from experiencing the full magnitude of the Cosmic Moment at hand.
I would like to share some thoughts with you to try to put things back into perspective so we can be about the business of our Father-Mother God without all of the diversions.
First of all, it is very important for us to remember that time, as we know it, is an experience of the third and fourth dimensional planes alone. The limited constraints of a time and space continuum do not exist in the higher dimensions of Illumined Truth.
Our marking of time, the calendar, is a false measurement that was created by man and not by God. For example, there are lunar calendars, solar calendars and lunisolar calendars. These calendars are based on the periodic movements of the Earth and the Sun, as well as other natural phenomena such as equinoxes and eclipses. Calendars are also based on historical events, civil events, ecclesiastical events and spiritual events.
Over the history of recorded time, we have had a plethora of calendars. For instance . . . we have had the Greek calendar of 354 days, the original Latin calendar of 304 days and the Roman calendar of 355 days. Then there was the Julian calendar which was 365 days, after the first year in 46 BC which Caesar declared to be 445 days long to catch up with what he perceived to be natural events. The Julian year of 365 days and 6 hours exceeded the Solar year by 11 minutes and 14 seconds. Consequently, the Gregorian calendar was eventually invented.
On February 10, 1582, ten days were dropped from the calendar, and the day after October 4th became October 15th.
In addition to those familiar measurements of time there is the Jewish calendar which is lunisolar. It contains months of 29 and 30 days with a month intercalated every third year.
The Muslim calendar is lunar. A lunar month is used of 29 and 1/2 days and the year has 12 months of 29 and 30 days alternately. In a cycle of 30 years, the final month has 29 days in 19 of the years and 30 days in the other 11 years.
The Egyptian calendar originally was lunar then changed to solar. The solar year had 12 months of 30 days and at the end of the last month 5 additional days were introduced, giving 365 days.
The Chinese came up with a system to change the lunar calendar in order to reconcile the 354 lunar days with the 365 solar days in the astronomical year. An intercalculation had to be effected, so seven months were added every 19 years, with carefully expressed precepts for their use.
And, then there was the ancient Mayan calendar which reflected a remarkable knowledge of time measurement. The old calendar of Mexico had 360 days arranged in 18 months of 20 days each. Then there were 5 extra days belonging to no particular month. There were 28 weeks of 13 numbered days each for a total of 364 days with one day left over.
Well, is all of that crystal clear?
In addition to the above confusion, there is a school of thought that professes that our current calendar is off by several years and claims that the New Millennium actually began over four years ago.
The point of sharing this information is to remind us that bickering over a specific moment in the illusive concept of time is futile. We are on the Dawn of a New Age and even the Spiritual Hierarchy in the Realms of Illumined Truth have stated that in this time and space continuum the precise moment of the New Age will occur during "a window of opportunity" between 150 and 300 years.
What we need to be focusing on during this very special time is the collective consciousness of the masses of humanity.
There is nothing more powerful than the unified cup of humanity's focused attention.
Our thoughts and feelings are creative. What we put the power of our attention on through our thoughts, words, actions and feelings, we bring into form.
Our purpose and reason for being on Earth is to learn how to use our creative faculties of thought and feeling to co-create the wonders of Heaven on Earth. You and I are being called on by the entire Company of Heaven to do just that, right NOW!!!
Regardless of what we may think is the 'scientific' beginning of the new millennium, what is significant and what matters is that the masses of humanity are focusing on the stroke of midnight, December 31, 1999, as the beginning of the new millennium, and logically so. After all, with the birth of a baby we begin counting the nanoseconds of life with the very first breath. We don't wait until the child is one (1) before beginning to measure his or her life.
We begin our decades in a zero (0) year. We begin our centuries in a zero (0) year, and it is perfectly logical to assume that we begin our new millennia in a zero (0) year as well.
It is precisely because of the mass expectation of the collective consciousness of humanity, that our Father-Mother God and Legions of Light from galaxies beyond galaxies and suns beyond suns are preparing to flood the Earth and ALL Her Life with the greatest influx of Light the Universe has ever known. That monumental Light of God will flood the Earth at the stroke of 12:00 Midnight, December 31, 1999, in each consecutive time zone. It will create a colossal wave of Light around the Planet that will last for 24 hours.
That sacred activity of divine intervention will catapult this planet forward into previously unknown frequencies of the Divine Heart and Mind of God.
We are standing on the threshold of the greatest shift of consciousness ever manifested in the history of time. Don't allow your lower human ego to distract you from this glorious event through petty, limited thinking.
Ask the Presence of God blazing in your heart to reveal to you the significance of this cosmic moment.
Ask how you can be the most powerful and effective peace commanding presence at this time.
Ask how you can be the Hands of God on Earth NOW.
And, ask how you can be an Instrument of God in Action for ALL Eternity!
God Bless You!
Your Time is at hand.
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