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Serving a community of private individuals and professionals
who have the desire to cultivate a life of clarity, compassion,
and creativity. We warmly welcome our new subscribers. Thanks
for joining! Your feedback is encouraged. Please feel free to contact us.
As is our custom, our last issue of each year is a time for
us to give thanks to the many people who have supported us,
as well as taking some time to reflect.
1. Earthquake and Tsunami
The first order of business at this time is our appeal for
you to give financial aid to the many victims of the recent
earthquake and resulting tsunami throughout Asia. The current
death toll stands at more than 140,000 people, with estimates
predicting that more than 200,000 people in total might perish
before this disaster is fully quelled. What is crucial now is
that the dead be buried, and those who have been injured, left
homeless, etc. find a way to survive and be cared for. There
is big risk of disease with so many dead people in some areas,
and of course everyone will need some basic level of food, clean
water, and shelter. If you have seen some of the more graphic
pictures on TV you know that the situation is truly horrendous
for many.
If you have yet to donate, please do so now. If you have already
donated, please find it in your heart to do so again. A little
bit from all of us can really make a difference at such times.
Please be generous, and consider your donation to be a Christmas
gift to mankind.
I am listing four charity organizations below that I know are
very active in this situation. I am sure there are of course
other organizations as well, but these are the four that I know
of, whose reputation I understand to be flawless. There are
also numerous websites such as Amazon, CNN, and Apple, that
show links for donations.
Mercy
Corps
International
Red Cross-Red Crescent
International
Medical Corps
Doctors
Without Borders
2. Reflections
As each year goes by, I understand more and more that for me,
life is what I make of it. What I mean is - My emotional response
to life is much more based on my various habits of thought and
action, than it is on what goes on around me. The same appears
to be true of my health. If my income starts to drop, I worry
about potential poverty. When my income goes up, I worry about
being able to maintain it at that level. Either way, I tend
to worry!
At other times I find myself getting quite nervous. If I catch
myself before I really start to lose control, I take a moment,
take a deep breath, look around me, and realize that everything
is basically going fine for myself, and my family. Why the nervousness?
Well for me, it mostly seems to be a habit that I began to develop
many years ago.
I find that my ingrained habits (be they "good" habits
or "bad" habits) take away from my potential to be
present in the moment. I have many habit patterns that seem
to run on automatic pilot, regardless of what is actually taking
place around me. Because of the tendency I have to "leave
the room" and go somewhere in my head, I am realizing more
and more, how important it is to perform various mindfulness
Practices on a regular basis. Breathing Practices, Meditation
Practices, and lately getting back into various brainwave Practices
using a sound-light machine. I can't say enough about how important
I find it to be, to find the time and transport yourself to
another time-space dimension, while remaining present at the
same time. Take a look back at this last sentence please. I
used the word "time" three times. A LOT of our experience
of life has to do with the way we experience "time."
The beating of your heart is organic, and changes its pace depending
on what is going on for you emotionally and physically. The
beating of the clock is mechanical or digital, and stays the
same no matter how you feel.
Through the living of my life, I also seem to be getting a
clearer understanding of the fact that what I call "I"
or "Charlie" is actually a relationship. "Charlie"
exists only as a result of being in relationship, with his environment,
his colleagues, his family, his clients, his friends. Indeed
"Charlie" would not exist without this vast, complex,
and beautiful, network of interrelationships. "Charlie",
regardless of how hard he tries, seems to require food, water,
friends, love, and a whole bunch of other stuff. So no matter
how depressed I might get, no matter how isolated I might feel,
the stark truth is that I am always living in relationship,
and deeply dependent on a whole host of other human beings,
and the natural environment as well. When I am moving towards
a balanced emotional state, this is pleasing to know… that
I am never really separate from the rest of the world. On other
days I tend to worry about whether or not the multi level relationships
I call "myself" can really be maintained and nurtured
over the long run. I worry that the relationships known as "Charlie"
will somehow fall apart, just like the latest pyramid marketing
scheme that a number of your friends bugged you about recently.
More and more lately, I find my strength, solace, and love,
in my relationships. I am realizing that "Charlie"
is not just one person out there needing to make it on his own,
but rather that "Charlie" is a part of all that is
out there, and we all get as far as we do, together.
Below are just a few of the relationships from the past year,
that I would like to give thanks for. Giving thanks is a wonderful
Practice onto itself.
3. Personal Thanks
This year, as always, there have been many people who have
offered myself specifically, and Seishindo in general, a helping
hand along the way. In no particular order, I would like to
thank the following people:
- I want to thank "you," the readers of the Seishindo
newsletter. It is your referrals that keep the Seishindo
population active and strong. We believe that the perceptions
we share in Seishindo help people to live their life with
greater hope, and equanimity. I love every message that gets
sent by you telling me of your special appreciation for specific
stories I tell. Keep the emails coming! They add fuel to the
fire.
- I want to thank the clients that I work with. I learn
so much from each one of you, and I find that we discover
so many moments of truth and magic together. You enrich my
life on a daily basis.
- Tsutomu Shimoozaki has translated numerous of my
articles into Japanese. This is not at all an easy task, as
the nuances in my stories do not always easily translate.
I am particularly pleased with his efforts because it makes
my work more accessible to my many Japanese friends.
- Karen Calabrese and Sandy Morris have once
again acted as my sponsors in the Washington DC area. Sponsoring
workshops is a lot of hard work, and I very much appreciate
their efforts. Karen and her wonderful husband Dave, have
also had me as their house guest on a number of occasions,
and their hospitality has been deeply appreciated.
- I want to thank Eileen Cauley for her friendship
and wise counsel on a number of occasions.
- Julie Kuck, Irene Cornish, and Mary Mulvihill
sponsored a workshop by me in the San Diego area, and I very
much appreciate their dedication to my work.
- I want to thank Arnie Herz for consistently telling
his friends and clients about my work. Many wonderful people
have come to me through Arnie.
- Drew Lebby and Wendy Schwartz have taken me
in out of the cold a couple of times this year, and have supported
me in many other ways as well.
- Tony Padgett continues to support me in many different
ways behind the scenes, and in my monthly classes in Japan.
Living here in Japan, what sometimes might seem like "small"
favors, are really a big deal when it comes to helping me
get through certain circumstances that I could easily breeze
through on my own if I was in the States.
- I want to thank Gordon Jolley for showing up at almost
every class I taught in Japan this year. We had some great
conversations along the way.
- Thanks as always go to Marleen Adriaensen, for her
support and friendship.
- I continue to be inspired by the fine work that Molly
Gordon does over at her site, and with her newsletter.
As I have said before, Molly was the initial inspiration for
me to begin the Seishindo site and newsletter. The ongoing
quality of her work, helps me to keep my own standards high.
I am always touched by Molly's desire to spread the wealth
and information around by helping and promoting others.
- For a number of years now, Cindy Franklin has been
an essential friend, colleague, and advisor. In many ways
Cindy acts as a compass for me, and she also helps me to keep
in balance, and stay close to God.
- This year in particular, my long, long, long, time friend
Steven Buckwald has been a great supporter, ally, and
wise man, for me. He is also kind enough to put me up each
time I stay in NYC.
- Dorothy Pietracatella has been a major support for
me in many ways. A trusted friend, a wise and talented colleague
who assists me in most of my workshops, a personal confidante,
and always, a very loyal supporter of "Charlie."
- And then... there is "kiska", AKA Inessa Rebeyko.
Inessa does all of the work, planning, strategy, etc. for
our online presence and our newsletter. She is a gifted woman,
and a long time loyal friend and supporter. Without Inessa
we would not have been able to accomplish all that we have.
And thanks, for my ongoing connection to Spirit. As I continue
to learn that indeed I am not alone, my life takes on richer
meaning, and greater happiness.
I am wishing all of you, the best for the coming year.
Please take some time to look around in your life and give
thanks. Particularly if this has been a trying year for you.
The more difficult our journey, the more we have to be thankful
for.
And please... ... help our many brothers and sisters suffering
from the tsunami. As a way of giving thanks for the relationships
that are "you."
4. Endnote and Invitation
Every week new people are signing on as subscribers. We are
very glad to meet all of you, and hope that you will feel at
home with us. Currently we have more than 5,800 subscribers
and our ONGOING growth depends on all of you. Please continue
to pass our newsletter along to others. Thanks so much!
* * *
If you have a business, hobby, group, or organization that
you would like other members of the Seishindo community to know
about, then please send us a short write-up (two or three
sentences) here.
You don't have a website? Then let us know how other members
might contact you by phone, fax, in person, or in writing.
We also invite you to send in:
A) Questions and comments relating
to what you read here.
B) Experiences that relate to
the "Practices" presented.
C) The names of books/music/services/products,
etc. you feel might be of interest to the Seishindo community.
Please include a short write-up (two or three sentences)
about your selections and send all input here.
5. Copyright
Unless otherwise attributed, all material for the newsletter
"Pure Heart, Simple Mind"(tm) is written and edited by Charlie
Badenhop ©. All rights reserved.
You are encouraged to send our newsletter in its entirety
to anyone you think might like it.
If you would like to reprint our newsletter for other than
your personal use, you are invited to do so, provided you:
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intact without any editing whatsoever.
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