Goodbye 2025...

Last week brought weather week to L.A. County as heavy rains upended many Christmas plans. Still, after unrelenting rain and flash flood alerts on Christmas Eve, the sky Christmas morning had a brief moment of glory; when I opened the kitchen binds, there was actually a shocking patch of clear blue sky with surrounding white clouds. Those clouds were already receding into the gray and black overhanging the mountain, but I was cheered by the unexpected reminder that the storm would not last, even if we had to evacuate. (The suitcases were packed and on standby at the door.) The space of sunlight brought to mind the Biblical story of Noah's Arc, the rainbow, and the evening dove that carried the olive branch, bringing a message of safety and peace: the world continues. The storm here has now passed, but we are already warned of another one forming for New Year's Eve, while snow storms blast the northeast. Across the planet, storms form and dissolve--aspects of the ongoing shifts in Nature and human activity.

This week is traditionally the world's year-end-review. Inevitably, we begin planning 2026, while we are bidding goodbye to 2025. It's been an unusually disruptive year in the U.S., which has had world-wide impact--all the more reason to spend sometime in spiritual reflection, before charting your intentions. And, all the more reason to begin with review of the positive aspects of your life, alongside the hardships and losses. Over the years, Hillside has practiced forgiveness on New Year's Eve, a powerful time of meditation, release, and healing that truly opens the way to celebrate the fading past and incoming future. This year, perhaps because it has been so disruptive for so many, it seems very important to also acknowledge the wondrous aspects of life--beauty, laughter, discovery, companionship, and the simplest moments of delight that have nothing to do with politics, exploitation, money, or fame, yet have everything to do with Life.

This week, consider a year review of delightful moments. The other morning, I decided to wash a few dishes left in my sink, before any evacuation call came. As I squirted some dish soap in the sink, an iridescent bubble, about the size of a quarter, suddenly flew up, heading for my face--I reflexly drew back, but it propelled forward aimed at my nose. Instinctively, I took a deep breath and blew it away. The bubble shot back to the kitchen window and popped! The whole event was so absurd, I burst out laughing. There was something magical about it, lifting the burden of the heavy rain, the Christmas pressure, and ushering in the childhood delight of my grandchildren. Later in evening meditation, the inner voice spoke, "Maybe Life is actually about joy, discovery, light and laughter." I considered the master Ryokan who immersed himself in play as the highest expression of his Zen (poem in link below) and then I considered a powerful line by the unmatched German poet Rilke, "Nearby is the country they call life.

You will know it by its seriousness" (link below). Unquestionably, 2025 brought highly serious events; I'm sure 2026 will have it's share of serious events. But what would Life be, what would Earth be without Laughter? Why not welcome the New Year with renewed delight? Consider that delight and laughter keep us strong, even in serious times. Happy New Year! (Susan Nettleton)

https://thedewdrop.org/2020/06/03/ryokan-playing-with-the-children/ https://bloomofthepresent.org/go-to-the-limits-of-your-longing-by-rainer-maria-rilke/ https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54327/to-the-new-year https://poetrysociety.org/poetry-in-motion/the-moment

Christmas Light

This Sunday, we begin Christmas week and Sunday is December 21, the Winter Solstice of the Northern Hemisphere. Christmas, always on December 25, follows this Winter Solstice. As the upper tilt of the earth moves the maximum distance from the Sun, we experience the shortest time of daylight and the darkest night of the year. From that point forward, daylight will begin to lengthen, and the dark nights, shorten. Over the centuries of discovery, and various whens and whys, Christmas was formally set to follow this peak of darkness and the return movement to increasing light. To me, here in the Northern hemisphere, these events have become an annual reminder that 'darkness' doesn't stay and the Light is never extinguished, despite threats and tragedies. We brighten what we can, care for each other, share, give, and find reverence and awe in the ancient stories, music, prayer, and community. And as Christmas celebrations close, we prepare to begin again, with release, forgiveness, and affirmation of a new time and a new cycle of nature's events--a New Year. The Christmas story is a story of birth and rebirth, again and again and again, in undying Light.

This week holds spaces for spiritual reflection on the Light that always returns, and our own capacity for renewal and rebirth. Traditional Christianity expresses that capacity through the birth of Jesus. Jesus himself is quoted in John 18;12 as saying, '‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.” In Matthew 5:15-16, Jesus declares, "You are the light of the world — like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." While tradition has this declaration limited to the disciples, New Thought captures this moment as Jesus' affirmation of the miracle of human existence and our capacity to open to the Light that we all bring to this miraculous Universe. As my ministerial mentor David Alkins expressed it, Jesus was the Way-Show-er, revealing, living, expressing this endless Light. Follow the Light.

Consider this week, the birth of Light, endlessly renewing and re-emerging out of the darkness. Consider too, that re-emergence begins in innocence, as a baby is innocent, expanding, growing into full maturation and expression, like the phases of the moon, in enduring cycles. As Psalm 19 sings, "The Heavens declare the Glory of God". Yes, It recedes, but also, yes, It returns. Have a Light-filled Christmas. (Susan Nettleton)

for poetry: https://wordsfortheyear.com/2018/12/25/christmas-light-by-may-sarton/

https://hillsidesource.com/end-of-seeking-larry-poem

https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/B/BacharachNaf/APoemforthe/index.html

Finding the Level

There's a strange mix of energy out and about this December. Luckily the weather here has been calm, clear and warm, a December summer that fades into dark at 5 p.m. The various neighborhoods surrounding L.A. are holding Winter Festivals anyway, with hot chocolate stands, one-of-a-kind crafts, tree lighting ceremonies, and local music. I admire the quest for tradition, even in this time of jolting changes. Attendance is down.

The other morning, my neighbor left a pile of lemons on the curb--it's understood that they are available for anyone to take--his offering in an abundant December harvest, even in the short daylight. I took two large ones home to sit in a bowl with my tangerine harvest, and felt content.

That night was strange, though. Around 10:00 p.m. there was a helicopter circling the neighborhood, loud and low. Very loud and low. Given the times, it was quite disconcerting. Was it ICE? Had there been some adverse event that no one had announced yet? Was it really a helicopter, or a drone. Too loud for a drone I decided. I did a quick search and found several people were also searching on a neighborhood app. Finally a neighborhood post announced confidently that is was a police helicopter. and speculated that it was a night training exercise. Whether that was true or not, I don't know, but a sense of community awareness brought calm.

In my meditation, these lines from Emily Dickinson came: "Futile the winds to a heart in port; done with the compass, done with the chart! Rowing in Eden, ah, the sea; might I but moor, tonight, in thee." I decided to be moored, despite the disruptive night.

The next morning, I opened the blinds to still, quiet Beauty. The mountain was still; the sky resolutely clear. Only a slight morning breeze stirred the tangerines still on the tree. The oranges were vibrant, the pomelo's and grapefruits had just a blush of green. The grass held scattered brown, yellow, and red leaves as a reminder of late fall. I thought, "Maybe this is indeed Eden, and we only get a glimpse of it, outside the veil." This time in meditation, just watching my breath, not controlling the breath in any kind of practice, just watching the breath, came the words of T.S. Eliot: "Teach us to care, and not to care, teach us to sit still."

We can't ignore the struggles of the world, looming catastrophes, or human suffering. Yet, we are also here to take in those moments of Eden. Our task is to find our place, and contribute our share of Good. Meditation, in all its various forms, can clarify our day to day actual path. Every morning, Life comes rushing in. Every day is new event. This week, with Hanukkah beginning this Sunday and Christmas on it's way, is a natural time to give yourself the gift of a"re-set"in stillness. (Susan Nettleton).

for more poetry: https://optimisticbeacon.com/2025/08/03/sound-of-stillness-basho-cicadas-cry/ https://www.yogawithsusana.com/post/today-by-mary-oliver https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/L/LevertovDeni/OfBeing/index.html

Sweetness

Sometimes in meditation, when my mind is quiet and on the cusp of true silence, a word pops into my head and then dissolves. This past week, I had such meditation, and the word, "Sweetness" floated by, slow enough for me to note it. It's not really a word I use very much, even in December when kitchens are churning sweet holiday treats. I mulled it over a bit, and even wrote it down after the meditation. For a few days, I'd been nursing a small, annoying cut on my cuticle with antibiotic ointment. It wasn't healing. So I sprinkled a bit sugar on the cut, and by afternoon, it was healed. Sometimes, just a sprinkling of sweetness is healing. My meditation went deeper though. than a cut cuticle. It raised the question: Is it possible, even in these unfathomable times of change, to consider a larger sweetness to life? What followed, was one of my favorite quotes from Franz Kafka:

“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”

Kafka may seem a strange choice for a spiritual reflection on sweetness, but the quote points to the world's joy at your discovery of the World. There is a World of Greater Reality, hidden inside the world of society and culture. Equally, you can reverse the order of this; turn it "inside out", and see that we commonly talk about "world", really meaning the human concept of world, inside a Vast Mystery of World--the Cosmic Order, the World of Greater Reality.

Consider just the concept of yourself as a living, individual body. There is the outward body, enclosed and covered by skin and hair, but that is far from all that is there. "Inside" are more layers of skin, fat, and muscle. Then we have bones, and blood vessels, and life-generating organs. Within those, are phenomenal processes of exchange, connections, circuitry, chemical reactions, and other essential life forms--our microorganisms, "bodies" within "the body". Then again, look to the world "outside' the perimeter of what we name our body. Consider the exchange of breath with one another, and with the complimentary systems of nature, and carbon dioxide/oxygen exchange. Consider our dependency on water, and food, and the elements that are necessary for living. Consider our dependency --at some time or another--on other humans, as well as other creatures.

This is the Sweetness, this wondrous exchange and balance. It can be overwhelming to contemplate its intricacies; it's a lot easier to just think of the world as people, culture and society--what we approve of, or disapprove of--when the World is so much more. Yet, Kafka presents us a World that freely offers to unmask itself. Not only is it willing, it is sweetly excited, even ecstatic, to open to you. As Larry Morris wrote, "What do we really want at this time of the year— beyond the gifts, the lights, the music, the celebrations— but to feel God's sweetness and fire in every cell of our being." The fire is the energy that moves Life along; the sweetness, is the Love the World is freely offering. Why not accept the sweet gift? (Susan Nettleton)

Poetry: https://wordsfortheyear.com/2014/02/11/the-sweetness-of-dogs/ https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45530/most-sweet-it-is https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50537/love-and-friendship https://poets.org/poem/just-say

All is Well

As November fades into the often frenetic energy of December, this is a good week to bring this passing month of gratitude to a simple (on the surface, at least) contemplation: All is Well. I know, we all know, from a purely human-social-political-news perspective, all is not well. From a deeper, spiritual perspective though of the Wholeness of Life, consider Life as an Ultimate Expression of Good, of Love, of Well-being. Last week, while getting ready for Thanksgiving, I was rummaging through my refrigerator's freezer compartment, and not finding what I wanted, I slammed the door shut, accidentally knocking off a refrigerator magnet. It actually hit me on the head, then fell to the floor. It's an a old magnet from Unity Village Prayer Ministry. They sent it to me years ago, in thanks for a donation. This is it:

As I picked it up, I took it as one of my kitchen realizations, a reminder. It's time to settle inside and give way to the larger reality of Life, "No matter the circumstances, all is well." I pause here momentarily, to qualify the world "soul". To me, that simply means the spiritual mystery of my individual expression of life. How "soul" relates to life and death, rebirth, resurrection, or absorption, remains a mystery. But whatever the actual expression, God is Good, Life is Good, All is Well. My reflection on the magnet, inevitably lead me back to one of my favorite passages of T.S. Eliot's poetry.

“Quick now, here, now, always A condition of complete simplicity 
(Costing not less than everything) 
 And all shall be well and 
All manner of thing shall be well 
When the tongues of flame are in-folded 
Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one.” 


― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

The middle lines on "all shall be well' are actually woven into the poem from the writings of Julian of Norwich (14th century). She was a Christian mystic who withdrew from the life of society to live in a monastic cell. She spoke and wrote as a spiritual visionary and poet, during the bleak years of Black Plague. The assurance that all shall be well, came from a visionary exchange with Jesus. She wrote, "Jesus answered with these words, saying: 'All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.' ... This was said so tenderly, without blame of any kind toward me or anybody else." {Wikipedia, As Victor Perton, founder of the Australian Centre for Optimism, wrote: "Julian’s radical optimism, forged in an era of immense suffering, offers a profound framework for navigating the complex challenges of 2025. She reminds us that optimism is not denial. It is courage. And it endures."

All is well now, and all shall be well in the ongoing process of Life. Sometimes we can grasp that in the moment, when our attention is focused--not on the past and not on the future--but when we are aware, attending to the moment, aware of Its Goodness, Its Beauty, and the Sweetness of Life. In the limitations of humanhood, we don't stay in that moment. Yet, we can choose to affirm it, and in affirming it, we deepen our understanding. Let it lead you into a lovely December. (Susan Nettleton)

For more poetry: https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/T/Tukaram/Thouartmorek/index.html

https://wordsfortheyear.com/2020/04/25/gift-by-czeslaw-milosz/

https://www.sharonsinger.ca/poem-of-the-week/blog-post-title-one-knf44-kcyss-reltd-4pkyg-6byx3-blgjt-m6yet-mtetc-sdexz-a4pcl-w797w-bgsfz-mzsrh

Community

This week brings the cultural fervor of Thanksgiving. For many people the Thanksgiving 4-day weekend is an opportunity to travel, and share a traditional feast with family and friends, living at a distance. It may mean "going home", or hosting a return for others. Amazingly, travel predictions anticipate 81.8 million Americans will travel (defined as more than 50 miles) for the holiday this year--a record number--despite, or perhaps because of, a time of uncertainty with weather shifts, the economy, and political divisive drama. As a nation this year, people are willing to travel to be together. This month, I have been exploring gratitude from both a social and spiritual perspective. What strikes me this week, is the power of community. Community has a variety of meanings in the 21st century; extending beyond shared geographic location to include the world of exchange with like-minded people, through social media identities, and electronic spaces of interchange, reciprocity, support and belonging. For many Americans, community includes relatives, friends and colleagues world wide.

Last week, I was invited to two different elementary schools for classroom potluck lunches, hosted by excited first graders. I viewed bulletin boards with delightful art and creative essays about Thanksgiving, and sampled a wide range of snacks and treats from students of varying cultural backgrounds. The kids chatted and joked, proudly displaying their work. Regardless of the political upheaval in the American educational system, I met sincere, dedicated teachers, parents, and grandparents, committed to childhood education--and not just the education of their child or children, but a commitment to care for a community of children. I left those parties with an expanded sense of gratitude for community in its many, many forms.

Even though the story of America's first Thanksgiving carries the weight of tragic wars surrounding the larger history of the Colonists and Native American tribes, historically, there was indeed this space of sharing the Harvest. That space is kin to 'Feeding the Light'. In his book, "Easy Does It", Larry Morris wrote about the human experience of being "In and Out". The times when we feel "awkward and estranged--we're out. There are times and seasons in our life when we feel out....no matter what we do, we don't feel comfortable or at peace with ourselves or our world. Then suddenly, one day, after we had almost given up, our out turns to in; we feel connected once again to ourselves and our world. In and out is the dance of life; no matter how far out we are feeling, there also comes the moment when we feel totally in--then we relax and say, 'Oh, I am OK, after all.'"

Consider that this "In and Out" experience is core to every individual. Consider that the shift to "In" is belonging. It is a sense of Community. Community, of course, is not just about our own sense of belonging, but holding a sense of belonging for others, recognizing that the 'other' is also in Community with us. This recognition is one of the many ways, we feed the Light. The Spiritual Life is not exclusive; Life thrives in differences that are accepted as expressions of Light. This week, I encourage you to expand your gratitude to a broader sense of Community. Happy Thanksgiving. Have a safe, delightful adventure. (Susan Nettleton)

For poetry: https://allpoetry.com/Our-Prayer-Of-Thanks

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49622/perhaps-the-world-ends-here

https://www.poemist.com/theodore-roethke/the-right-thing

In Uncertainty

"Do you have the patience to wait till the mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?" Lao Tzu

Days of urgent weather alerts, rain, and evacuation warnings. and more rain, has brought me back to Lao Tzu's quote. It is a timeless instruction in meditation. While there are many, many ideas, intentions, and techniques of meditation in 21st Century life, Lao Tzu, circa 4th Century BCE, hits at the heart of "right action", knowing how to be, what to do, in whatever situation you face. Let the mud settle. Wait until you yourself are clear--your emotions settle, your reactions settle, your thoughts quieten, and something within you bubbles up and you see it, feel it, know what to do. That right action may have you continuing your routine, or it may open to a completely new one. It may simply bring peace of mind. It may bring you back to this November theme of gratitude.

Feeling genuine gratitude is difficult when events and outcomes are uncertain. As I write, the Southern California "atmospheric river" continues it's downpour, but it is more of a dance which keeps changing rhythms: slow, fast, stop, begin again, heavy, light, sprinkle. The weather predictions shift. Evacuation warnings and emergency flash flood alerts fade, re-surface, fade. People in my neighborhood have settled inside for the weekend, bringing a welcomed calm, despite the uncertainties. Perhaps, after 2 days of alarming announcements, most of us have reached the stage of simple acceptance, as we wait for the next directive.

Acceptance though, is not the same as gratitude. I imagine most of us in this neighborhood are aware (and grateful) that the storm pattern has an unusual on/off/on/off flow, allowing time for the ground to deeply absorb the rain, before a new pounding begins. But there is more to this stormy weekend. At the end of the 2-3 storms predicted this week, the risk of further wild fires this season will dramatically drop. Here, we sit in the presence of Nature's wondrous balance. Gratitude is anticipatory.

Gratitude is more than just recognition of the Good, the Delights of your life, what you have known up to this point. "Counting your blessings", savoring the flavor of Life as friendship, healing, beauty and bounty, are all aspects of giving thanks. But beyond that is Gratitude for the Good even now on it's way to you. Stay open and optimistic, in quiet Gratitude for Life's gifts, already in motion. This is the way of affirmation. (Susan Nettleton)

For poetry: https://sacompassion.net/poem-from-the-cure-at-troy-by-seamus-heaney/ https://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php%3Fdate=2012%252F10%252F06.html https://allpoetry.com/poem/14326890-The-Laughing-Heart-by-Charles-Bukowski

New Gratitude

Last week, November began with shorter days and longer nights, signifying a shifting momentum, heighten by Holy Days (All Saints' Day and Día de los Muertos) and America's election intensity. The month's end will culminate in Thanksgiving weekend. The weeks in between give us the opportunity to gage our gratitude through our inner life, in preparation for the shared, outer exchange of Thanksgiving Day. This Tuesday is the collective recognition of Veteran's Day and points us to gratitude to all those who have served America in the United States military, living or deceased, in times of war, as well as times of peace.

It may seem strange to consider the Military in a post on spiritual gratitude, especially in a time when, in opposition to elected state leadership, the national guard has been activated within several American cities. But this post is not about the political fight, and it is not in gratitude for the Military as a "force". Rather, it is about gratitude to individuals, men and women, often unnamed by us, dating as far back as the America revolution, those who have given, or now give of their skills, time, beliefs, and even lives, to bring aid and peace to the country and the world.

If you personally cannot give your gratitude, consider on Veteran's Day, giving your forgiveness. As Norman Vincent Peale taught, gratitude and forgiveness are two sides to one "coin". Gratitude and Forgiveness, heal both the giver and the receiver.

This week also is an opportunity to spread gratitude to volunteers. Right before Halloween, I ordered "candy-gram"cards to be delivered on Halloween to a grandchild's first grade class. It was a school fundraiser to finance the 5th grader's year-end project. Because I sent a last minute form, I ended up in a text exchange with one of the room mothers overseeing the cards and deliveries. She answered my text after 9 p.m., the night before the Halloween delivery. Even though it was all a text exchange, I had a profound sense of her long day: finally getting her children to bed, sitting with her forms and lists of names and classrooms, double checking it all, not wanting to disappoint any child, and double checking the collected funds, Venmo accounts, etc. There was something so sweet in the process, that I felt this bond of care with her, for the next generation, for teachers and schools with funding cuts, and beyond that, meals, food programs, health care, clothing, shelter, transportation--the need, the need. And I felt deep gratitude for the volunteers who step in, as they can, to support and assist. In this surface culture that unrelentingly promotes personal wealth as THE measure of success, came the deep beauty of volunteers, and the real communities that take care of each other. Life, taking care of Life.

This week, including all the uncertainty of the government shutdown, look for the moments that affirm community, and Life affirming connections. Don't led the government upheaval obscure them; feed them with gratitude. If you struggle to discover genuine gratitude within you, try "flipping the coin" to forgiveness, then gently return to gratitude, when and where you find it. (Susan Nettleton)

https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/you-see-i-want-a-lot/ https://poetryarchive.org/poem/truly-great/ https://poems-for-you.com/poems/env2-i-look-at-the-world/

Perspective

November has arrived! Here in L.A. County, November began with an eerie post-Halloween fog. It slowly lifted, leaving a brilliant blue sky. The foliage seemed to peak to classic Autumn, and now, the day has dropped red and yellow stars.

Are you enchanted yet? Whatever the week ahead may bring you, I am encouraging you today to find a positive or encouraging perspective. Modern life, with our instant news updates and finger-tip information on cell phones, often layers announcements as crises. While we are living through a time of highly-charged and reactive changes--environmental/technological/social/political shifts-- not all days are actually filled with urgency. You can stop. Take a look around you. Breathe. Consider a fresh perspective. Leaves, or fallen Stars? The ancient aphorism, "As above, so below", is a reminder of the unity, and correspondence, underlying Life. When we are clouded from understanding from one perspective, we can come to understanding through another.

Last week, I wrote of the transition from October to November, as an opportunity for a mystic encounter. That evening, I was working on the computer, sitting at a little table across from my book shelves. I looked up for a moment, across the room, and strangely saw a hooded monk figurine sitting on my shelf. It was so odd, I had to get up and move. The figure revealed itself to be a white plastic bag, stuffed between some file folders and stacked plastic storage boxes. I went back to my computer, and looking up, I saw the monk. I experimented, moving from one position to another, watching the figure shift between the image of a bag and the image of a monk, and then, the insight: "This is my mystic encounter." I didn't want the monk to fade, so I grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly sketched.

This is a reminder of the power of perspective and our human capacity to interpret, misinterpret, and yes, leap into deeper "none-of-the-above" mode. Take time this week to explore alternative perspectives in your daily life. That doesn't necessarily mean you change you mind, rather, you expand positive possibilities and meaning. (Susan Nettleton)

for poetry: https://img.poemhunter.com/i/poem_images/351/different-perspectives.jpg https://allpoetry.com/poem/16433310--A-New-Point-of-View--by-Ashari-Hansley https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/C/ColliverAndr/WhenWorld/index.html

falling stars…

Monk on the book shelf, The Mystic Encounter

Mystic Halloween

This last week in October 2025, brings Halloween festivities. It is an ancient celebration, usually attributed to Celtic traditions and the end of Harvest Season, as the harsher elements of winter draw near. Over time, Halloween became a companion holiday to the Christian All Saints Day, set as November 1 in the 8th century, with Halloween, known as All Hallows Eve, on October 31. All Saints Day celebrates the lives of the Saints, with variations of meaning in different denominations and countries. These ancient celebrations coincide with Dia de los Muertos in Latin-America, as well as Spain, a tradition which celebrates life, honors the dead, and sustains their connection across time and space. Each of these holidays lend themselves to varying beliefs and possibilities of commingling and communication between the living and the dead. As October ends, Halloween ushers in these ancient rituals. Then we collectively enter November. and we have the first hints of the old year finishing up, and the faint feel of a new year on the way. Yet, Halloween, All Saints Day, and Dia de los Muertos, point to the ambiguity of endings. Every year, I see Halloween a bit differently, and this year it speaks of mystic connection and an exchange of blessings.

But what of all the "Evil" in the world? Certainly there is suffering. Wouldn't it be easy to just blame human suffering on an ultimate evil mastermind, who is bent on de-throning God. I remember a time years ago, when Larry Morris and I taught meditation classes, long before scientific research legitimized meditation and its verified benefits. Research ushered in the cultural acceptance of secular, or "medical" meditation. The spiritual benefits (which include the health benefits) have been recognized and practiced for centuries, but when we promoted meditation in the community, we were met with controversy. Within certain religious frames, there was a real block; their fear demonized meditation. We taught meditation classes that often included people whose families were convinced that a "silent mind" was dangerous. They asserted the mind should stay busy, because Satan would slip into the space of quiet and cause evil thoughts and desires! Twenty years later, we would joke that there were meditation centers on every street corner, and by then, many church denominations offered such classes. Now, here in California, meditation is introduced in preschool, along with various other calming strategies. My point is that modern life brings complexity, including complex knowledge, that can carry us beyond superstition and simplistic answers in our quest to live better lives, and our quest to end pain and misery.

Our collective interpretation of the workings of Life, shifts the frameworks of human understanding of whatever times we live in. The way we understand life now, and the way we view our collective past, is an ongoing--and quite possibly infinite--process. Yet, there is universal appeal in the I Ching quote: "The best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good." This week, consider your intuitive awareness of the comings and goings of Life and heart connections, beyond fear, threat, and changes of form. Halloween is a great time for a mystic encounter. (Susan Nettleton)

for poetry: https://poets.org/poem/haunted-houses

https://poets.org/poem/theme-yellow

https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/

https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/L/LevertovDeni/OfBeing/index.html