Leela Music Newsletter, August 2007Michael Stribling Here's an overview of what you'll find in this issue:
Here's what I said a month ago: "...the new CD will be sent to the manufacturer by the time the next newsletter is released. There. I'm on record!" This month, I'm pleased to report that Another Day in Paradise is at the manufacturers, with a worldwide radio promotion scheduled to begin on November 1. There. I did it! Check my website for details about the CD's availability at CDBaby.com, Amazon.com, iTunes, etc.
(The following content is just another memo to myself. You may or may not find these words resonate with you. As always, take what you like, and leave the rest. :-) We are perfect, like flawless gems, created in the mind of God/Self (along with the rest of the Universe). However, in the process of being born into this lifetime of form and perception, we forgot who we are. It's as though the perfect gem fell from heaven and landed in some mud before it awoke in this lifetime, and when it awoke all it could see was the mud (the mud of the ego, shame, and guilt). It had forgotten that it was really a perfect gem. Sadly, most religion tells us we are the mud, but I believe that idea comes from people who have totally forgotten who they are, and who then project their own sense of imperfection onto everyone else. I am convinced the truth is that we are not mud. We are the gleaming diamonds of heaven (although we may have become covered in the mud of shame and guilt, culture and family, etc.), and our job in this earthly pilgrimage is to remember who we are, and help bring others to the awareness of who they are. It seems to me that the gold miners of 150 years ago developed a habit of washing the debris off the stones they pulled from the stream (clearly a California gold rush image :-), because the gold was often obscured by the mud of the streambed. We, too, might consider cleaning away the debris that hides the treasure lying just underneath the surface of our lives. Until and unless we get clear about our own beauty and perfection, we will not be able to see it in others. Unless we forgive ourselves, we will not be able to forgive others, and it may be that our salvation/healing is dependent upon forgiving our neighbor because we only receive back what we give out. We can't give away what we don't have, and we can't receive what we don't give. So, if you think you're nothing but mud, what else but that lowly attitude can you give your neighbor? There are days, of course, when the endless chatter of the ego drowns out the quiet calm of peace and tries to convince me that I'm mud, through and through. Those are the days when I find it helpful to remember that, for all its pomp and fanfare, the ego is really nothing at all, like "the emperor's new clothes", even though we all seem to have an ego to deal with. The ego is certainly not the real me; it's just part of the package of being human. When we ignore the ego and our mind becomes quiet, we will find in the silence that the voice of truth still speaks, if we will but take the time to listen. And the message is always the same: you are perfect, and guiltless. Remember who you are, and help others do the same.
George Carlin's "How to Stay Young"
Every issue, I give away a free CD (autographed, of course :-). If you're on the mailing list, you're automatically entered in every drawing. This month, the winner is Pearl Heppner. Congratulations! ============================================================ That's it for this issue. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you liked, or didn't like, in this issue, and any recommendations or requests you have for future editions. Thank you for your support. Please invite your friends to visit my website and sign the guestbook. Oh yeah, it's okay to order some CDs, too! They make wonderful gifts :-). I also have a page on MySpace.com. Have a look and join the list of friends at www.myspace.com/leelamusic I wish you peace, joy, and love. Namasté, Michael Stribling If you would like to be removed from my mailing list, please reply to this email and type the word "unsubscribe" in either the subject line or the body of your reply. Leela Music Newsletters
|
