My Life Affecting Books

Someone on Facebook today asked me to list the top 10 books that have affected my life, and it set me to thinking back about that. As I reviewed my life, and I came up with a list. There are literally hundreds I could have mentioned, but as I meditated on it, these are the ones that stood out for me. Hope you enjoy them. Love to hear your comments or your own list.

10 Books that Affected Me and My Life

by Sandy Penny

Click any book cover to go to the Amazon information/buy page.

1. Hansel and Gretel by The Brothers Grimm. My brother Curt read this to me about 1000 times at my request before I could read. It is still my favorite book about empowerment. The children triumph over evil by cooperating and outsmarting the witch. 

2. The Bible because it gave me a base for morality and taught me the golden rule, the law of reciprocity. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And it has some great epic stories. It also made me examine my beliefs in light of all the different interpretations people had of this book.

3. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale because it taught me that I could change the circumstances in my life by changing the way I think about them. Being more positive leads to a more successful life. I read it when I was 10 years old, and it made perfect sense to me and changed my life.

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, a beautifully written tale of a woman triumphing over adversity at a time when few options were open to women. It represented courage, strength and acceptance of people's faults. I read it when I was a teenager, then again in my 20s, and again recently. And each time it was powerfully emotional.

5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, a deeply felt and compassionate tale of the plight of migrant workers. It portrayed the hard lives of these workers and taught compassion for the workers of the world. It also inspired gratitude for what I have. Growing up poor in a family of 10 kids, it was easy to relate to. I read it in 8th grade, and a few more times throughout the years. Some find it heavy and depressing. I found it uplifting and inspiring.

6. Helping Yourself with ESP by Harold Sherman because it awakened abilities within me that I had always known were there, but did not know how to use. No longer in print. Gave me the stair release meditation that led me to my room (womb) of power that I still use to clear my energy and connect with my higher self, guides, teachers and spirit beings. Sherman was an inspirational speaker, a well-known sports writer and avid explorer of metaphysical life principles. I corresponded with him a few times throughout the years, and he was friendly and helpful every time.

7. Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East (series), reinforced my experience of life as magical, mystical and miraculous. Taught me to trust my intuition and the unseen beings I interact with. The mysterious beings with magical powers still infuse my life with wonder.

8. I'm OK, You're OK, simple transactional analysis for relationships. It taught me that we can disagree and still respect each other's points of view. We do not have to make others wrong in order to have our own opinions. Very popular in the 60s/70s.

9. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield . This was the first spirituality novel that hit the New York Times Best Seller List and stayed there for two years. It chronicled the way many spiritual paths unfold and incorporated it into an adventure novel. It appealed to both men and women. I taught classes on the principles expressed in the book because it was the exact way my path unfolded. It let me know that masses of people are awakening to their own spirituality. It was a beacon of hope and a map for exploring personal spiritual growth.

10. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by by Leslye Walton. It is so poetically written with such deep emotion and poignant style about a girl who is born with wings, and the women in her family who have experienced their own ways of being different. A lovely book that keeps me returning to the characters again and again, wondering how they're doing.

That's the list that came to me today, and it runs through my life like a golden thread of inspiration. There are many many more, and I'll explore some of them on my new blog:
http://myfavoritespiritualbooks.blogspot.com/.
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Journey of The Frangy Pangy

The Frangy Pangy (Frangipani, Plumeria)

My daughter Andrea was about to graduate from high school, when her friend Allison gave her a cutting from her favorite plant, a frangipani (plumeria). She told the story of her aunt giving it to her when she was a little girl, and she called it the frangy pangy (with a hard g) since she could not pronounce or remember frangipani (plumeria). It was a lovely gift signifying years of shared connection with Andrea.

Unfortunately, my daughter was about to go off to college thousands of miles away and could not take the frangy pangy with her. I lived in an apartment, and definitely did not have a green thumb. So, when Andrea asked me to take care of the plant for her when she went away to college, I reluctantly agreed. I valued the energy that went into the gift. But, with a deep sigh, I hoped I would not kill it as I had so many plants in my past. If only I had the my mother's green thumb.

I lived in an apartment in Houston, Texas, and luckily had a drive-up parking space right to my front door. Unfortunately, my patio was all cement with no plants. At first, it didn't bother me, but it was not inviting people into my home. I had a change of heart and realized that I needed to connect with the earth energy by growing plants, in honor of my mother's amazing green thumb. When she was alive, I constantly rejected her efforts to engage me in digging in the dirt. Not my thing. Not my thing.

After discussing it with my friend Sue, whose family was really into gardening in their urban yard, she agreed to help me choose native Texas plants that would be easy to care for and require little of me to beautify my patio. I got a little bit excited. I bought a two-seater covered porch swing, because I had always loved swings and moving, never sitting still. And I found a wonderful wrought iron table with a rose in the center and a rose in the back of the chairs. So sweet. I found a couple of stained glass windows in wooden frames to hang from cup hooks to reflect the lovely bright Houston sunlight.

We went to the plant nurseries, and discussed what would be the easiest for a non-gardener to maintain. I wanted plants that required little watering, no feeding and would be hearty enough to withstand my lack of knowledge and lack of interest in plants. I loved that they were beautiful, but I did not want the burden of too much care. Pretty soon, my patio was an awesome oasis of green energy. Neighbors who had never visited me in two years of living there started to stop and chat with me, and I thanked the plants for that.

I bought a thriving aloe vera plant, which I always think looks like a native American headdress. I always call them my shaman plants because they look like feathers. They were easy to grow and practical for healing purposes. Great to heal burns and cuts and itchy things. I would sit on the swing and enjoy the beautiful, bountiful green space. Proud that I was making the effort to connect with the earth energy.

Anyway, back to the frangy pangy. The frangy pangy was in a plastic bucket without too much soil. I watered it when I thought of it, and Houston's humidity was good for it. But, after months of loving care, it was not really thriving. We had a heavy summer rain, as Houston is likely to do, and I set the frangy pangy on the ground outside and below my cement patio, so it could enjoy the tropical moisture.

The next day, I went out to move  the plant back onto the patio, but it was gone. Oh, no, my daughter's legacy plant had been stolen. I was devastated. I did not want to tell Andrea that the plant she had entrusted me with was gone. So, I didn't tell her. I decided to wait until she was next in Houston to break the sad news.  And that would not be for months.

Several months went by, and I forgot about the frangy pangy. One day, I was watering my plants on the patio, which, by the way, were thriving. and I was amazed at that. As I rinsed excess water off the patio, I noticed the frangipani (frangy pangy) lying on its side below the patio and behind the plants where I had originally set it to catch the rain water. I could not believe it. All these months later, and there it was, right where I had put it originally, but laying on its side. And it looked exactly the same. I was flabbergasted, but so grateful, because I had not mentioned it to Andrea, and she had not come home for a visit. She knew nothing about the missing frangy pangy.

I picked it up, and it was still in the  original plastic planter. The next day, I bought a nice large painted clay planter, and filled it with organic top soil. I replanted the frangy pangy in the new planter, and set it back up on the patio with my other now thriving plants. For a girl with a black thumb, I was doing ok. It immediately started making new plants.

Andrea never knew it went missing, but I understood, from a spiritual point of view, that plants, like all of us, have their own destiny. Sometimes crystals disappear for months and return later. Sometimes our prized possessions cannot be found and spontaneously return to us. But, that is not the end of this strange story.

A few months later, I moved to the Houston Heights. I no longer had a patio, but I wanted to honor the plants in their new environment. I had a big, beautiful fenced front yard, so I placed the covered patio swing in it, and surrounded it with the plants that had been on my patio. Since it was a very shady yard, it worked perfectly with the plants I had chosen for my shady patio. They seemed very at home in the new environment.

A couple of months later, the frangy pangy bloomed, after two years, for the first time. I was thrilled. The plant that had gone away and returned, was now letting us know that it loved its new home. How exciting.

A few days later, one morning, when I went outside to have my coffee on the swing, something felt wrong. I could not immediately identify what was wrong. Later, as I sat there, looking around, I noticed the frangy pangy was gone. I could not believe it. It had grown to the size of a small tree and was full of blossoms. It was heavy and not easy to move in the large planter now housing it. And, even more, the gates to the yard were locked. How could this have happened? Was there a plant thief?  Or was something mystical happening again?

I was so sad. Finally, the frangy pangy had bloomed, after two years and a huge move, and now it was gone. What was I supposed to tell Andrea?  I tuned in to it spiritually, and was told that plants, like humans and other types of beings, have their own paths, their own lives, and we cannot truly own them. They are friends along the way, and if they leave, it is not our karma to track them down. If they return, it is because they choose to.

I have visions of the frangy pangy bringing joy and healing to all who encounter her. I don't know where she went, but I trust in the concept of All in Divine Order. She brought me joy, she brought my daughter friendship and loving energy, and all who saw her benefited from her beauty.

Sadly, she did not return this time. I hope, some day, I will see where her journey took her, and I believe it was a path of joy for all who knew her.

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Choice Points

Choice Points . by Sandy Penny

Life is a Sliding Scale from Pain to Ecstasy. Do you think you have a choice?

All around you, the world, the universe is teeming with life and light and darkness and death. Sometimes you feel it or see it or smell, taste or touch it. Sometimes you're aware of it, and sometimes you are too preoccupied with your own little microcosm to observe it. 

Yet, all the time, you are in it and of it. You cannot separate yourself from it because you are it, and it is you. There is no us and them. There is only being.

When you judge life, you feel pain. When you love life, you feel ecstasy. Life is a sliding scale from pain to ecstasy. It is a pendulum that swings from one extreme to the other and sometimes pauses at the center for a moment in time. That moment in time is called peace, and for most people, it does not last, the pendulum resumes its rhythmic swing. And, in every moment, it is your choice of where to put your focus. The pendulum will swing, no matter how you feel about it.

In every experience of pain or ecstasy, there is a choice point, that moment when you can choose how to act or react, how to feel, how to live. When you review your life, either at the end of it, or along the way, by conscious choice, you will see every choice point, and what your choices were, and you will see the outcomes of every choice, and you will know the route you took to get there. When my brother was awaiting a heart transplant, he began to have conscious awareness of the choice points in his life. He was shown every point where he chose to hurt or help someone, and there was always a choice point. It is not easy to look and see, to know and own, to recognize, experience, accept and love the whole of you.  Your REAL life (Recognize, Experience, Accept and Love).

People talk about mindful living. To live the choice points consciously is mindful living. To love the choice points and the outcomes is heartful living. To forgive yourself and others is emotional living. To know there is nothing to forgive is spiritual living.

ChoicePoints. ChoicePoints. ChoicePoints. What life will you choose? Who and what will you love? How will your path unfold, one choice at a time? It's your Choice Point now, and now, and now.

The Season of Love

Today is a specially love charged day for me. I’ve just become a grandmother for the first time. My daughter Andrea and her husband Daniel proudly introduce their beautiful healthy daughter, Alexandra Lynn Gibson, weighing in at 8 lbs, 1 oz who rode in on the wave of Valentine’s Day love but waited until 12:23 pm (eastern time) on Saturday, Feb 15, 2014 so she can have her own birthday focus. The entire family is doing well and trying to get some rest. I have had a psychic relationship with this little girl for many years, and I’m so happy I’ll finally get to meet her in person.

And, my Facebook friend, world-renowned artist and wise philosopher, Mrinalini Singh posted this today, and it just seemed so appropriate I had to share it.

So, enjoy the love and share it with everyone in your life.

Happy season of love … Sandy Penny

Memories of Spiritual Friends . Arthur Douet & Charlotte Sigler

Memories of Spiritual Friends . by Sandy Penny

On Dec. 7, 2013, the delightful Charlotte Sigler made her transition at 96 years young. Charlotte was a pillar of the Houston spiritual community. I met Charlotte in 1978 when I was publishing the first metaphysical journal in Houston, The Rising Sun. When I solicited her for advertising, she said before she advertised with me, I needed to come out and see Carmel, and she needed to meet me. I arrived, and she was a tiny little ball of energy dressed like a cowgirl. A quilted vest and western boots completed that image. She told me a little about the guidance that instructed  her and Richard on where and how to build Carmel. It was an amazing story, and after our talk, she became a regular advertiser and supporter of The Rising Sun.
Back then, there were three places you could go for spiritual counseling and community, The Chapel of Prayer, The Esoteric Philosophy Center and Carmel Temple.  These three places offered opportunities to explore your divine connection, your spiritual gifts, past lives and personal growth, unfettered by any church affiliations.
There were classes, speakers, healers, teachers, readers and all manner of consciousness expanding experiences. We knew we were on the leading edge of a paradigm shift, and so much of the information we were receiving was pretty far out there for the time. We needed places to gather and share our vision for the future. We didn't have the internet, or cell phones, or chat rooms or facebook. And, we wanted to be reassured that we were not crazy. We wanted playmates in our creative process.
We saw a vision of a world of people who cared about the  health of the planet. A world where no one goes hungry, and everyone is offered healthy alternatives and lifestyle education to be healthy, wealthy and wise. We held that vision in our hearts and shared it with others, and we watched people become more concerned with how we treat the planet and how we treat each other. We had a vision of world peace, and we still hold that vision, beginning with our own inner peace. For only from inner peace can we create a world of peace, love and understanding.
We saw amazing technologies that serve the world and the people, a system that makes life better. We still hold that vision, and it needs us even more now. We have raised awareness, and we cannot close that door once it has been opened. What we do now, we do consciously, and that raises our level of responsibility.
Charlotte and Carmel were always active in this endeavor. I suspect that Charlotte is not resting on the other side, but is working to make that big vision a reality now that she does not have a physical body to slow her down.
On Dec. 31, 2013, new year’s eve, my beautiful spiritual artist friend Arthur Douet crossed over at 76. I met Douet at the Chapel of Prayer  in 1978. He was a tall handsome man with a gentle face, a contagious laugh, hugs that wrapped you in love, and a Jamaican accent that imparted wisdom and joy with every word. But his silence was his true miracle, when he held your hands and connected with you, you knew he had touched your soul.  The moment I met him, I vibrated with energy I had never felt before, and I felt like I was seeing an old friend I thought had died, and now was alive again.
I was so blown away by what I was feeling that I had my first past life regression, and I saw that we had been married, and that at the early age of 28 in 1878, I lost my husband to a plague spread by a wagon train. I was 28 when I lost him, and 28 when I met him in this life. In numerology, 28 is relationships and manifesting, and the sum of the 2 and 8 is 10, a 1, a new beginning. How appropriate for my experience.
It turned out that we both lived in the same apartment complex, and we began a friendship that has lasted a lifetime. Even when we didn’t see each other for years, he would phone me and leave me messages that reminded me that one person on this planet thought I was beautiful and remembered our heart connection. We were soul mates, even though we were not intended to marry in this lifetime, and Douet had many soul mates.
He was a gentle giant, who lived a life of inspiration, art and  vision. Ten years prior to the Berlin Wall being torn down, he painted a painting of people of all races taking the wall down brick by brick. He saw that and helped create it with his art and his heart. He also created my logo for The Rising Sun, a symbol of consciousness rising to the surface. What an energy blessing and a gift that was.
Charlotte, Nelson Mandela and Douet are now free to pool their considerable energy to move our vision forward. I hope you all will honor their lives by holding that vision and working toward it as well, in your own ways, with your own creative endeavors and your heart’s focus.
I am honored to live in a time when some amazing beings lived their lives with purpose, joy and commitment to a better world. And, I am blessed to have known many of them, and I am inspired to emulate them in my own life. Thank you all for being a part of my spiritual life. I love you, appreciate you and wish you all your heart’s and soul’s desires.
What will you do with 2014?
My Pinterest page image memorial to Arthur Douet
Carmel Temple’s Web Site
My Website: Sandy Penny