Reminders from the Greats

“Be here now.” – Ram Dass

“You are not a problem that needs solving.” – Eckhart Tolle

“To be truly happy you must realize who you are with nothing.” – Gangaji

“Worry is praying to the devil.” – Terence McKenna

“It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” – Marianne Williamson

“Silence is also conversation.” – Ramana Maharshi

“Here is my secret: I don’t mind what happens.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

“A certain darkness is needed to see the stars.” – Osho

I ♥ Reading: Aimee’s Current Book List

I’m pretty good about not shopping — well, I’m good at not spending my money on frivolous or unnecessary things. But, there is one expense that is hard for me to curb — & that is my book habit. Today I am going to list the books that I am currently reading. When I say currently reading, I may mean; reading a page a day, or the whole book this week, or, planning on reading it — but I haven’t gotten around to it. These books are patiently waiting for me. They are stacked next to my bed on a little wooden stool. It’s a stool that someone custom made for me & it is one of my prized possessions. I adore that lil’ black stool. I use it to sit on, to rest my laptop on, & my current use for it is: to stack my books on.

The list of books that I am currently reading…

Tao Te Ching
by Stephen Mitchell (translator)
I’ve had this book for years & years. I just like to keep reading it.

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences
by Peter A. Levine
I’m only about 2 chapters in. So far, I love it! I’m very excited to finish the book.

Assata: An Autobiography
by Assata Shakur
Hmmm… well. I’m half-way through the book, but it’s hard to finish. She talks so much about the past & how bad racism is, it’s difficult for me to want to read it because it leaves me feeling a bit drained & negative. No doubt she is telling the truth, & it’s still the same for her (& others) today in 2012! Check out the latest news on Assata Shakur, (click this link & notice that original article has now been removed from The Trentonian’s website). My heart hurts about the whole Assata situation & for the ugliness of racism in general.

The Book of Secrets: 112 Meditations to Discover the Mystery Within
by Osho
This book is 1,328 pages. So I’ll be reading it for a while. Osho is amazing.

The Cure for All Diseases: With Many Case Histories
by Hulda Regehr Clark
This is a pretty good all-around book. I bought it because it gives recipes to make your own natural housecleaning supplies, as well as anything you can think of for the body (e.g., shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.).

Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: Expanded Edition, Over Thirty Years of Conversations with Robert Irwin
by Lawrence Weschler
This is an art book that I’ve been a bit slow to read. I adore the title, it’s one of the truest things I’ve ever read. Seeing truly is forgetting.

The Detox Miracle Sourcebook: Raw Food and Herbs for Complete Cellular Regeneration
by Robert S. Morse N.D.
I am currently addicted to Dr. Morse’s Youtube channel. I like to watch it as I eat lunch. It’s fun & educational!

A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume
by Dr. Helen Schucman
This book is brilliant & is not an easy read. You have to really think big picture as you read it. I get a little put-off by its heavy use of words like: God & He. But I usually substitute those words with Grace & She. :) I know it’s all big picture & in the bigger picture, words & labels have no meaning. I just find it to be a nicer read, & a more powerful read, with my substitutes.

Magick: Liber ABA (Book 4)
by Aleister Crowley
I’m particularly interested in the following sections: Part 1 – Mysticism (chapters such as Asana, Pranayama, Samadhi, etc.) & Part 3 – Magick in Theory and Practice (the chapter Of “Clairvoyance” and of the Body of Light, it’s powers and development), & more.

Science of Being and Art of Living: Transcendental Meditation
by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
This book is such an important work, & more importantly, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has the same birthday as me! :)

Is Menstruation Really Necessary?
by Kytka Hilmar-Jezek, Ph. D.
This is not a book, it’s just a print out that my friend gave me about menstruation. I haven’t read it yet, but I know that with a lifestyle change, PMS can disappear & monthly menstruation can virtually disappear as well, if one is very healthy. So I am assuming the article might discuss some of those points.

The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
by W. Timothy Gallwey
I wanted to read this book because I always think of sports when I explain how “being” works. A close friend of mind recommended this book to me after we had a discussion about meditation. Here is a short video on the book if you would like to check it out: just click this link.

That is all I have for you today. Happy Sunday & happy reading!

[Special thanks to Gritten for the photo of my book stack. Thanks, I owe you! ♥]

You Give Me Pleasure ;) ♥ Xx..

There were quite a few things that gave me great pleasure over this past week or so. One thing that I noticed was that I have a soft spot sometimes for things that other people may call dark, or depressing, or melancholy. I see beauty (& love) in everything, so this doesn’t surprise me one bit. But also, I always liked moody music since I was a kid, as well as skeletons & skulls. I also felt inspired by people that walked their own path (even if they had to carve it out for themselves & risk being an outcast for it).  I guess today is no different than 25 years ago. We are who we are. And that is a beautiful thing! 

Seeing this video by Allison Schulnik makes me want to make an animated short film. I want to make something artsy with my usual message of love & awareness tied into it.

I love this photo. It was taken from the blog Exercise Compassion. I think it’s perfect in every way. I can look at it for hours. [The photo of the banana tree leaf introducing this blog post is from the same source.]

–
This 1979 video of Augustus Pablo & Hugh Mundell is so natural, so authentic, so beautiful. I wish I was there with them when they recorded it. Actually, I would have loved to be them at that moment. –
This photo is of a skull in the Ganges River in India. It was found by chance & I don’t know who to give photo credit to. I adore the photo for many reasons. The number one reason is because when I look at it, I see that the water doesn’t judge. It doesn’t say, “Ew! Get out of here death, you dirty disgusting skull!”. The water embraces all that enters it. To me this is unconditional love, this is enlightenment, this is pure beingness. The photo is a reminder of my highest self, & a reminder of our true nature.

Xx! ;) That’s it for this week.

♥ For past You Give Me Pleasure blog posts click HERE & HERE.♥