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Leela Music Newsletter, August 2008
Michael Stribling
Leela Music, BMI
Newsletter, August 2008
Here's an overview of what you'll find in this issue: - Musical Memos
- Spiritually Speaking
- Points to Ponder / In Other News
- And the Winner Is ...
***MUSICAL MEMOS***
The new CD, Love, Light, and Water, peaked at #4 on the New Age Reporter Top 100 List in its international radio promotion. Given the competition (including Will Ackerman, the founder of Windham Hill Records), I'm happy with the results. As I've said before, that makes four CDs in a row that have ranked in the top 5--for that matter, in the top 4! Having said that, it seems that new music projects are in a holding pattern, while other exciting projects are germinating and taking shape. I'll keep you posted.
***SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING***
The writing of David Hawkins has been, and continues to be, a centerpiece of my spiritual practice. In re-reading one of his books, I was struck by the following simple guidelines. Basic Spiritual Tools (from Transcending the Levels of Consciousness, by David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD, 2006, pp. 333-334) - Be kind to everything and everyone, including oneself, all the time, with no exception.
- Revere all of life in all its expressions, no matter what, even if one does not understand it.
- Presume no actual reliable knowledge of anything at all. Ask God to reveal its meaning.
- Intend to see the hidden beauty of all that exists--it then reveals itself.
- Forgive everything that is witnessed and experienced, no matter what. Remember Christ, Buddha, and Krishna all said that all error is due to ignorance. Socrates said all men can choose only what they "believe" to be the good.
- Approach all of life with humility and be willing to surrender all positionalities and mental/emotional arguments or gain.
- Be willing to forgo all perceptions of gain, desire, or profit and thereby be willing to be of selfless service to life in all of its expressions.
- Make one's life a living prayer by intention, alignment, humility, and surrender. True spiritual reality is actually a way of being in the world.
- By verification, confirm the levels of consciousness and spiritual truth of all teachers, teachings, spiritual groups, and literature with which one intends to be aligned or a student.
- Accept that by spiritual declaration, commitment, and surrender, Knowingness arises that provides support, information, and all that is needed for the entire journey.
============================================================ This list sure seems to cover all the bases. The journey toward truth and light is simple, although it isn't easy. Come to think of it, if life seems difficult, it's because we make it so. When we remove all the obstacles (that we ourselves put in the way), life really is simple.
***POINTS TO PONDER / IN OTHER NEWS***
I don't know where I got this, but I like it. Here's hoping you do, too. Rules for Being Human - You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
- You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school, you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
- There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial-and-error and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works".
- A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.
- Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.
- "There" is no better than "here". When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here".
- Others are simply mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
- What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you make of them is up to you. The choice is yours.
- Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you have to do is look, listen, and trust.
- You will forget all this.
*** AND THE WINNER IS ... ***
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 Robyn Geary. 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
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