Another Form of Pollution

I’m a part of an international prayer team which takes prayer requests. Occasionally, our team leader sends a special email she calls Prayer Team Forum. Usually, it’s inspirational. This week I read a sentence in it that stilled my whole being. Try this out:

Complaining is another form of pollution.

That puts it in perspective, doesn’t it? A spiritual teacher I knew decades ago, Edwene Gaines, suggested a 21-day spiritual exercise to her students. Don’t complain for 21 days. If you catch yourself complaining, you get to start over, a whole new 21-day cycle. She said that when she first did this exercise herself that she was nearly silent for three weeks. She found she had nothing to say.

I agree with Edwene and the teacher who wrote the sentence above. Complaining is another form of pollution. It pollutes our souls, and those of others.

The teacher whose name I couldn’t find anywhere in her essay suggests instead of complaining that we appreciate. When we hear someone complain about someone else, we can add our appreciation of that person into the mix and neutralize the complaint. Her idea is:

Complaints pollute and appreciation elevates.

Want to try the 21-day challenge? It’ll surprise you. The more you switch from complaint to appreciation the better you’ll feel, and the more people will appreciate you. This practice is a form of personal climate change!

Paws & Reflect

Seeds IX, 31

Seed: Paws and Reflect

It’s been a little over a year since my kitty died and there are some days when I miss him terribly—still. I got still this morning and thought about why. It’s pretty simple. Charles was my teacher. Maybe I should write, Teacher.

I learned things from Charles I had never learned before in my life. Stretch when you wake up—your body will thank you. If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re sleepy, take a nap. One of the most important: when you sit in a chair, just sit. Let the chair hold you up. (I used to sit in a chair ready to get up.)

Maybe this is part of a function of a Beloved Animal Teacher—to teach us actually to live in our bodies. When I used to take a nap in the afternoons in Santa Fe, Charles was always ready to join me.

I think naptime is when I miss him most.

Be serene,

Dr. Susan Corso

Seeds are remarkable gifts. Sown in consciousness, they bring you to the most important part of your being—your Divine Spark.

When you have friends you would like added to the Seeds e-mail list, send their addresses to me at SeedsDrCorso@comcast.net and please visit my other blog at Ode Magazine.

Eating for Peace

I was something of a picky eater when I was a kid. I didn’t like fish. I could skip most vegetables. If it was red and sticky, it looked like a good drink to me. You get the picture. America, and American food. The kind kids like me grew up with in the 1960’s.

As I’ve gotten older, my food preferences have expanded and contracted. I used to drink one diet soft drink a day. It’s been years since I could stand the taste of the chemicals. I was a true believer in “the pink stuff.” A friend talked me out of artificial sweetners in a hotel in Atlantic City. I love fish, and most vegetables. Again, you get the picture.

The last page of Ode Magazine grabbed me with its headline a couple of months ago. It read:

“Healthy food is the recipe for peace.”

What?!

It turns out that Bernard Gesch, who is director of Natural Justice, a British research institute that studies the causes of anti-social behavior did an experiment in a British prison. They divided 231 prisoners into two groups. For 18 months, one group was given supplements and the other was given a placebo.

Those that were given the supplements committed at least 26% fewer offenses and 37% fewer violent assaults than the placebo group.

Dr. Gesch says of the study, “Research suggests that nutrition is a cheap, humane and highly effective way to reduce anti-social behavior. It could be the recipe for peace.”

I know you’re not surprised. It’s all connected. The whole world and all that’s in it. What we eat matters to peace. Of course.