found things

Peace to all! Below please find the official English translation of Our Lady's January 25, 2009 message

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:31:52 GMT

“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May prayer be for you like the seed that you will put in my heart, which I will give over to my Son Jesus for you, for the salvation of your souls. I desire, little children, for each of you to fall in love with eternal life which is your future, and for all worldly things to be a help for you to draw you closer to God the Creator. I am with you for this long because you are on the wrong path. Only with my help, little children, you will open your eyes. There are many of those who, by living my messages, comprehend that they are on the way of holiness towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

DFA Pulse Poll

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 03:00:53 GMT

About DFA, What is Democracy for America? Inspired by the presidential campaign of Howard Dean, Democracy for America (DFA) is a political action committee dedicated to supporting fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates at all levels of government—from school board to the presidency. DFA fights against the influence of the far right-wing and their radical, divisive policies and the selfish special interests that for too long have dominated our politics. Now that you know a little bit about this organization, please take the time to participate in their Pulse Poll. Hey Friends, I wanted to drop you a short note to ask for your help. DFA is holding a Presidential Primary Pulse Poll to decide which candidate deserves their support. I voted for Representative Dennis Kucinich and I need help to move them from 4rth place in the poll. Could you take just a minute to vote for Dennis Kucinich (or whomever you want) right now? Here's the link: http://DemocracyforAmerica.com/VoteKucinich Thanks for your help. P.S. The way the poll is done, voting for three choices, is similar to IRV (Instant Runoff Voting). Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a voting system used for single-winner elections in which voters have one vote, but can rank candidates in order of preference. In an IRV election, if no candidate receives a majority of first choices, the candidate with the fewest number of votes is eliminated, and ballots cast for that candidate are redistributed to the surviving candidates according to the voters' indicated preference. This process is repeated until one candidate obtains a majority.

Act in solidarity with the Burmese protesters.

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:48:01 GMT

Hello folks, This issue has been on my front burner for some time. Burma had democratic elections (something missing in the US of A) and had democraticly chosen a President and other office holders who were not allowed to hold office by the military. The military burn down villiages of minority people and rape the women before killing them. Many have been displaced to refuge camps on the Thailand border. Young women are typically taken from the camps to do sex work in Bancock I thought you should know about this: Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world. For decades the Burmese regime has fought off pressure--imprisoning elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and democracy activists, wiping out thousands of villages, imposing forced labour, creating refugees- But last Tuesday Buddhist monks and nuns, revered in Burma, began marching and chanting prayers. The protests spread as hundreds of thousands of ordinary people and public figures joined in, finding the hope they’d lost. Now they’re facing crackdown – so please, show your solidarity to this movement towards reconciliation and democracy and sign the emergency petition supporting the Burmese people -- it'll be delivered to United Nations Security Council members and international media all week: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK In the past, Burma's military rulers have massacred the demonstrators and crushed democracy. The world must stand with the Burmese people at this time, to show the military rulers that the world will not tolerate repression and violence. Right now, global leaders are gathering in New York for the annual United Nations summit. In speeches, press interviews but also in real actions, we need them to show Burma's military junta that the global community is willing to act in solidarity with the protesters. Show your solidarity to this movement for peace and democracy and sign the emergency petition supporting the Burmese people. It'll be delivered to UN Security Council members and the UN press corps all week: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK Thank you for your help!

DO NOT LOSE YOUR INWARD PEACE

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:00:34 GMT

Fix your mind inwardly between the eyebrows [as in meditation] on the shoreless lake of peace. Watch the eternal circle of rippling peace around you. The more you watch intently, the more you will feel the wavelets of peace spreading from the eyebrows to the forehead, from the forehead to the heart, and on to every cell in your body. Now the waters of peace are overflowing the banks of your body and inundating the vast territory of your mind. The flood of peace flows over the boundaries of your mind and moves on in infinite directions (`Paramahansa Yogananda, Metaphysical Meditations' )

Tao te Ching

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 22:30:52 GMT

The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be. The more weapons you have, the less secure people will be. The more subsidies you have, the less self-reliant people will be.

Ghazal (Ode) 1518

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 04:56:44 GMT

I am the Spirit Moon with no place. You do not see me for I am hidden inside the soul. Others want you for themselves but I call you back to yourself. You give me many names but I am beyond all names. Sometimes you say I am deceitful but as long as you are I will be too. Until you remain blind and deaf I will be invisible. I am the garden of all gardens I speak as the King of all flowers I am the spring of all waters. My words are like a ship and the sea is their meaning. Come to me and I will take you to the depths of spirit. -- Ghazal (Ode) 1518 Translated by Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi Rumi: Hidden Music HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001

Marianne Williamson from her 1992 book, "Return to Love"

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:05:02 GMT

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

The Medjugorje Web

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:16:48 GMT

The Medjugorje Web is dedicated to providing information about one of the most amazing and important supernatural events of our time. Since 1981, in a small village named Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, The Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing and giving messages to the world. She tells us that God has sent her to our world and, these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God. In her own words she tells us, "I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God". Message of August 25, 2007 "Dear children! Also today I call you to conversion. May your life, little children, be a reflection of Godâ€™s goodness and not of hatred and unfaithfulness. Pray, little children, that prayer may become life for you. In this way, in your life you will discover the peace and joy which God gives to those who have an open heart to His love. And you who are far from Godâ€™s mercy, convert so that God may not become deaf to your prayers and that it may not be too late for you. Therefore, in this time of grace, convert and put God in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call."

A SPECIAL GROCERY LIST

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 20:25:58 GMT

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food. John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once. Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, since she did not have a charge account at his store. Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?" Louise replied, "Yes sir." "O.K" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said: "It was worth every penny of it .. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs." THE POWER OF PRAYER: When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do.

Take action to protect Spotted Owl habitat!

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:49:13 GMT

The Northwest's rare old-growth forests are a national treasure. With nearly all of these ancient forests found on public National Forest land, the public has an obligation to see that they are managed responsibly. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently sponsored a dangerously irresponsible proposal to roll back protections for the Northern Spotted Owl, an endangered species whose numbers are still in decline. The Spotted Owl depends on old-growth forests for survival, but the Draft Recovery Plan intentionally ignores this well-documented research at the request of political leaders. Please join me in letting the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife know you believe that precious old-growth ecosystems should be awarded the highest protections. We call for a Spotted Owl Recovery Plan that is grounded in solid science, and that will truly bolster the health of our old-growth ecosystems. Go to this web address right now. http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/spotted_owl

Our Lady's monthly message of July 25, 2007

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:33:44 GMT

"Dear children! Today, on the day of the Patron of your Parish, I call you to imitate the lives of the Saints. May they be, for you, an example and encouragement to a life of holiness. May prayer for you be like the air you breathe in and not a burden. Little children, God will reveal His love to you and you will experience the joy that you are my beloved. God will bless you and give you an abundance of grace. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Ghazal (Ode) 3291

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 23:11:49 GMT

if you can disentangle yourself from your selfish self all heavenly spirits will stand ready to serve you if you can finally hunt down your own beastly self you have the right to claim Solomon's kingdom you are that blessed soul who belongs to the garden of paradise is it fair to let yourself fall apart in a shattered house you are the bird of happiness in the magic of existence what a pity when you let yourself be chained and caged but if you can break free from this dark prison named body soon you will see you are the sage and the fountain of life -- Ghazal (Ode) 3291 Translation by Nader Khalili "Rumi, Fountain of Fire" Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994.

H.R. 811: Our Best Hope For Election Integrity By 2008

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 20:14:52 GMT

Few people would argue that one of the most pressing problems facing American democracy today is the questionable integrity of our elections. Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) has introduced the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (H.R. 811) to help repair our broken electoral system. If passed in its current form without modifications, H.R. 811 will prevent the use of paperless electronic voting machines and will require audits to check the accuracy of the vote counts for federal elections. The bill includes security provisions that ban Internet connections for voting machines, as well as for systems that tabulate the votes on election night. It also makes the paper ballot the official record in audits and recounts, and requires election officials to post a notice explaining to voters the need to verify their vote. Voting system reform cannot be delayed any longer. Tell your representative to demand that H.R. 811 be brought to the House floor -- as reported out of committee in May -- for a full vote and vote YES on this bill. You can reach your representative at this web address. http://actforchange.workingassets.com/campaign/HR811

NFL, Throw the Book at Michael Vick

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:31:10 GMT

You might be interested in this Humane Society of the United States campaign to persuade the NFL to punish football player and alleged dogfighter Michael Vick appropriately. Now that a grand jury has indicted Michael Vick on federal animal fighting charges--including reports of extreme cruelty to dogs who weren't aggressive enough--it's clearly time for them to get off the dime. To illustrate the size and scope of these dog fights, in one fight that a dog of Michael Vick participated the winning bettor walked away with over $20,000 Please ask NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Michael Vick immediately for his cruelty. It will only take a minute. Here is the link: https://community.hsus.org/campaign/US_2007_dogfighting_nfl2?rk=I7L5r6K1Nbs8E

SELF-WILL

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 17:06:13 GMT

I used to get into mental ruts, and many months would pass when I couldn't meditate deeply. Yet I continued to make the mental effort. Progress came fast when I suddenly realized that I had to be more determined to control all my habits and exercise my spirituality. Similarly you have to take control of your behavior and consciousness. Do the things you know you should do, and don't do anything that is contrary to spiritual consciousness. (Paramahansa Yogananda, `The Divine Romance')

Something to remember this July 4th

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:37:20 GMT

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND words and music by Woody Guthrie Chorus: This land is your land, this land is my land From California, to the New York Island From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters This land was made for you and me As I was walking a ribbon of highway I saw above me an endless skyway I saw below me a golden valley This land was made for you and me I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts And all around me a voice was sounding This land was made for you and me The sun comes shining as I was strolling The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling The fog was lifting a voice come chanting This land was made for you and me As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there And that sign said - no tress passin' But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin! Now that side was made for you and me! In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple Near the relief office - I see my people And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin' If this land's still made for you and me.

Milk after 5?

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:36:00 GMT

I am one of those who has heard human's should only consume milk products untill the age of five. That we are the only animals in the animal kingdom who consume milk products for our entire lives. And from a Vegan point of view we are enslaving the animals who produce the milk, not according to their freewill. As humans we have devised alternatives to animal milk such as soy, rice, grain or nut drinks. Should we continue keeping our dairy friends in servitude or should we call it quits once we are weaned off our mothers teat.

the illusory world

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:47:00 GMT

When the world arises in me, It is just an illusion: Water shimmering in the sun, A vein of silver in mother-of-pearl, A serpent in a strand of rope. From me the world streams out And in me it dissolves, As a bracelet melts into gold, A pot crumbles into clay, A wave subsides into water. -Ashtavakra Gita 2: 9-10

HUMAN RESPECT

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 02:31:53 GMT

Do not let your peace depend on what people say of you, for whether they speak good or ill of you makes no difference to what you are. True peace and joy is to be found in Me Alone. He who is neither anxious to please nor afraid to displease men enjoys true peace. All unrest of heart and distraction of mind spring from disorderly affections and groundless fears. (The imitation of Christ / Thomas á Kempis')

"The Intellectual"

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 02:04:29 GMT

The intellectual is always showing off; the lover is always getting lost. The intellectual runs away, afraid of drowning; the whole business of love is to drown in the sea. Intellectuals plan their repose; lovers are ashamed to rest. The lover is always alone, even surrounded with people; like water and oil, he remains apart. The man who goes to the trouble of giving advice to a lover gets nothing. He's mocked by passion. Love is like musk. It attracts attention. Love is a tree, and lovers are its shade. -- Version by Kabir Helminski "Love is a Stranger" Threshold Books, 1993

Unscramble the scrambled zodiac animals.

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:44:34 GMT

Lunar New Year begins Feb. 18, 2007.

Heaven is eternal and Earth everlasting.

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 23:03:59 GMT

Heaven is eternal and Earth everlasting. They can be eternal and everlasting because they do not exist for them-selves, And for this reason can exist forever. Therefore the sage places himself in the background, but finds himself in the foreground. He puts himself away, and yet he always remains. Is it not because he has no personal interests? This is the reason why his personal interests are fulfilled. (Taoism, Tao Te Ching)

The Way that can be described is not the...

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 02:51:10 GMT

The Way that can be described is not the absolute Way; the name that can be given is not the absolute name. Nameless it is the source of heaven and earth; named it is the mother of all things. Whoever is desireless, sees the essence of life. Whoever desires, sees its manifestations. These two are the same, but what is produced has different names. They both may be called the cosmic mystery: from the cosmic to the mystical is the door to the essence of all life. DAO DE JING WAY POWER BOOK by Lao-zi

NO SORROW, NO FEAR

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 07:56:44 GMT

If one truly understands that life's very nature is change, then the burning desire to wrest permanence from a world of passing sensations begins to die; and as it dies, the mind begins to taste its natural state, which is joy; not a sensation, but a state of consciousness unaffected by pleasure and pain. (Eknath Easwaran)

The Guru

piper_at_the_gates-of-dawn — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 21:51:44 GMT

I want to ply my boat, many times, Across the gulf-after-death, And return to earth's shores from my home in Heaven. I want to load my boat With those waiting, thirsty ones who are left behind, And carry them by the opal pool of iridescent joy Where my Father distributes His all-desire-quenching liquid peace. --Paramahansa Yogananda, "Man's Eternal Quest"