Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mary Jaksch of Goodlife Zen.

Alleviate world poverty? Isn’t that impossible?

There is so much grinding poverty in the world – how could just one of us possibly make a difference? The reason it seems so impossible is that we tend to focus on the immense number of people suffering from poverty – and on how little we can do individually. So we give up trying.

But there are two points to remember when we think about global problems:

1. Every action counts;

2. We are not alone.

Drawing people into conversations that go beyond the surface is one of my favorite pastimes, regardless of where I am. I usually begin such conversations by sharing something personal about myself, while leaving the door open for others to do the same. In my Tokyo neighborhood I'm well known for this, and people seem to look forward to the opportunity of sharing time with me.

Recently I was sitting at the counter of a small Japanese eating-drinking "shop" talking to my long time friend Tabata-san. He's a few years older than me, and has always shown me a lot of kindness.

Somehow we got into talking about "being a man" and here's what Tabata-san had to say.

As my relationship with Okada-san and Ishida-san progressed, I began to have lunch with them once or twice a month. Usually we go to the same restaurant, and spend at least an hour together. The more I get to know them, the more I'm touched by their heartfelt expression of life.

"I'm so happy to get this off my chest after such a long time." Ishida-san said to me with a twinkle in her eye.
"I don't really know anything about the Catholic religion, but I think I must feel like a Catholic person feels when they go to confession and talk to a priest."

"As I said before, I did a lot of sitting at home waiting, and once my kids grew up I got really bored, and more than a little resentful."

Some time ago, I took a straw poll among my blog readers regarding a few issues. Here are their opinions on marriage and xenophobia (fear or hatred of anything strange or foreign):

Marriage

Stella: I am condemned to love you, and that is my salvation. I shall have to live for ever in the shadow of your eyes, accept the fact that everything your hand touches arouses the best in me. All that I know is your love, nothing else interests me.

Gunnel continues her course about the healing potential of breathwork by looking at the development of the brain before, during and after gestation of the child, and then explains the importance of this for the breathworker and the breathwork process.

In this the sixth part of Gunnel's course on the healing potential of breathwork, she looks in more detail at the development of the brain and the relevance this has to the practice of breathwork.

Gunnel continues her course about the healing potential of breathwork by looking at the function, importance and relationship between the two halves of the brain and then explaining the importance of this for the breathworker and the implications it has for breathwork clients.

Grand Trine in Water Signs

(The chart is available to download below, please click on the download link to get a copy - Geoffrey or click here)

A beautiful Grand Trine in Water dominates the chart for the day. With Ceres, Sun and Mercry all within the strongest degrees (11°-18°) of Scorpio – (Sun passing through these degrees is what makes Samhain powerful).

The presence of Ceres and Mercury here will enable people to become aware (Mercury) of what they truly need to nurture them at the deepest emotional / soul level at this time.

The Moon in Cancer brings personal emotional needs to the forefront, and Uranus and Juno in Pisces enables us to align these needs with waking up to our soul’s purpose, and how we may align our emotional needs with the needs of others. If we are truly understanding our needs, rather than our ego’s “wants”, then what will be right for us will also be right for others. The key is not to remain stuck in old emotional comfort zones, believing that they are what we need. If we do this, it will take us away from our spiritual purpose (Moon opposing North Node).

Attachments:

File	Description	File size
Samhain-Weris.pdf	Astrology chart for 7/11/09 Weris, Belgium	304 Kb

Stay in the desert

“Why do you live in the desert?”

“Because I can’t be what I want to be. When I begin to be myself, people treat me with a reverence that’s false. When I am true to my faith, then they begin to doubt. They all believe they are holier than I, but they pretend they are sinners, afraid to insult my solitude. They try all the time to show that they consider me a saint, and in this way they become emissaries of the devil, tempting me with Pride.”

“Your problem isn’t trying to be who you are, but accepting others the way they are. And acting in this way, it’s better to stay in the desert,” said the gentleman, walking off.

Beloved Friends!

As this week's meditation tip we'd like to quote what Osho has said about meditation:

"If we can de-automize our activities, then the whole life becomes a meditation. Then any small thing, taking a shower, eating your food, talking to your friend, becomes meditation.

Meditation is a quality; it can be brought to anything. It is not a specific act-when you sit facing to the East, you repeat certain mantras, you burn some incense, you do this and that at a particular time in a particular way with a particular gesture. They are all ways to automize it and meditation is against automatization.

If you can keep alert, any activity is meditation; any movement will help you immensely"

This week explore Chakra Loop Breath Meditation with Live Drumming with us. It's an amazing and powerful way to open up your energy flow and drop into the silence within.

In love and learning,

Giten & Rohi
Directors
Energy Of Breath Institute
www.energyofbreath.com