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The Ghost Inside My Child

Those who know me know that I am fascinated by paranormal phenomena and I am particularly interested in what happens after one dies. This is not the first time I have written about children who claim to remember being a previous person in a past life but here are some new stories to me taken from a telelvision series called The Ghost Inside My Child. There are two seasons of the series available on Amazon, and though the name choice seems to trivialize the stories, they can be hard to dispute...

Quotes from Michael Singer

This is the book of Singer’s I found most useful, published in 2022.

I can't always practice what Michael Singer has to say about life--It seems easy but it most certainly is not--but he is the place I go to when I am feeling like I need to gather myself and be reminded of what is important in life...

In researching special quotes from Singer's books for this blog entry, I came across this from Deepak Chopra: "In the book The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer takes you step-by-step through the process of Gyana, the yoga of the intellect, to the Source. Moreover, he does it with elegant simplicity. Read this book carefully, and you will get more than a glimpse of eternity." I guess I am in good company admiring him.

Here are some quotes from Singer's books that have helped me understand myself in a deeper way and a reminder of the direction I need to steer myself towards.

"The mind is the place where the heart goes to hide.''

''If you spend your time hoping that it doesn’t rain tomorrow, you are wasting your time. Your thoughts don’t change the rain. You will someday come to see that there is no use for that incessant internal chatter, and there is no reason to constantly attempt to figure everything out. Eventually you will see that the real cause of problems is not life itself. It’s the commotion the mind makes about life that really causes problems.''

''To be aware that you are watching the [mental] voice talk is to stand on the threshold of a fantastic inner journey. If used properly, the same mental voice that has been a source of worry, distraction, and general neurosis can become the launching ground for true spiritual awakening.''

'Will you dare to do this experiment?... Just try to get to know what you live with inside by externalizing the voice [in your head]. Give it a body and put it out there in the world just like everybody else.Let it be a person who says on the outside exactly what the voice of your mind says inside. Now make that person your best friend. After all, how many friends do you spend all of your time with and pay absolute attention to every word they say? How would you feel if someone outside really started talking to you the way your inner voice does? How would you relate to a person who opened their mouth to say everything your mental voice says? After a very short period of time, you would tell them to leave and never come back.''

'What it means to live life is to experience the moment that is passing through you, and then experience the next moment, and then the next.''

''Two kinds of experiences can occur that block the heart. You are either trying to push energies away because they bother you, or you are trying to keep energies close because you like them.In both cases, you are not letting them pass, and you are wasting precious energy by blocking the flow through resisting and clinging.The alternative is to enjoy life instead of clinging to it or pushing it away. If you can live like that, each moment will change you. If you are willing to experience the gift of life instead of fighting with it, you will be moved to the depth of your being. When you reach this state, you will begin to see the secrets of the heart.''

Quotes courtesy of https://bestbookquotes.blogspot.com/search?q=michael+singer

Not Quite Summer Drinks

Blood Orange and Kombucha Mule Recipe courtesy of Marianne Williams, Real Simple. Photo courtesy of Stephen Devries

Recipe Courtesy of Liz Mervosh and Real Simple, Photo coutesy of Victor Protasio

I think I am probably pushing it a bit up here in Maine but isn't it about time to pull out the refreshing summer drink recipes...

Here are a few that seem particularly interesting to me:

APEROL SPRITZ
Yield: 1 drink Ice, for serving 3ounces dry Prosecco 2ounces Aperol 1ounce unflavored sparkling water or club soda Orange slice, for serving

BLOOD ORANGE AND KOMBUCHA MULE
(Courtesy Marianne Moore, Real Simple

Ingredients 1 ½ cups ginger beer 1 cup ginger kombucha 1 cup fresh blood orange juice, plus slices for serving (from 4 blood oranges) ¾ cup (6 oz.) vodka ½ cup fresh lime juice (from 4 limes), plus wedges for serving

Directions

Fill 4 copper mule mugs with ice. Add 6 tablespoons ginger beer, ¼ cup ginger kombucha, ¼ cup blood orange juice, 3 tablespoons vodka, and 2 tablespoons lime juice to each mug; stir to combine. Garnish with blood orange slices and lime wedges.)

CUCUMBER SPRITZER

Ingredients 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup mint leaves 2 medium English cucumbers, coarsely chopped, plus slices for garnish 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (from 5 limes) 3 cups chilled club soda, plus more for topping off 8 oz. (1 cup) gin (optional)

Directions
Bring sugar, mint, and 1/2 cup water to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan over medium, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Simmer, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Process chopped cucumbers, lime juice, and cooled mint syrup in a blender until mostly smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium pitcher, pressing gently to squeeze out juice (do not push solids through strainer). Discard solids. Stir in club soda and (if desired) gin. Serve over ice topped off with more club soda and garnished with cucumber slices and mint.

Last Minute Products for Mother's Day

Charity of the Week:

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.