Happy Thanksgiving to you! Finally a newsletter from us. It has been an adventuresome year to say the least!!! Here is a short overview of this newsletter's content:

"Giving thanks..."
Words from Spirit..."Why embody?"
"Significant tools for me..." (by Lin)
Holiday special offer (Available until Dec 31)
"Happy" music video, featuring happy parents

From heart to heart,

Lin & Torill

www.lindavidmartin.com

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1. "Giving thanks..."

Thanksgiving is one of America's most important holidays, but

if we think of 'Thankfulness' as a truly reliable inner guide to Joy, then it could become a 'anywhere-in-the-world' - 'anytime-of-the-year' Holiday (Holy day).

There is much to be thankful for.

If we could truly open 'the doors of perception', we would see Love, Grace, and Light everywhere. A sort of mystical awareness of the Divine permeating all of our experiences. All of our past, present and future.

Time and Space dissolving into a greater experience of oceans of Love and Awareness.

But few of us are at such a 'mountain top' experience at this point in time. So we have to deal with what is at hand. Remembering to use some basic tools.

*Such as: Loving Self and loving others, forgiving the past and letting go of resentments and anger in any form.

*Playing with the ideas of expanded consciousness, such as : Everyone is part of me, so there is no competition.

*And behind the personality (both our own and others) there may be mistaken ideas of the need for punishment and guilt that the ego tenaciously clings to.

*God / Goddess is ONLY Love and all that appears otherwise is part of the grand illusion of separation. The ego / personality loves 'Drama', so how are we addicted to our own personal drama?

Perhaps yoga. Ti Chi, Chi Gong, good diet - are all tools that can help provide 'Grounding in the body' - that supports deep levels of Insight and Joy. Many tools can help (books mentioned below) but at some point 'Love' may step in and give us a good look at ourselves (and allowing for some personally courage) mirror back to us that we are Love (beyond any doubt, and actually any words to explain). A true awakening of the Heart and Mind. If we want it, the Universe will respond, in ways that are perfect for each one of us.

Torill and I have a very important personal reason for 'Thankfulness'. Our daughter - Tuva-Linn, is now 2 months old.

She brings us a lot of joy! We sense that she is very kind and also very strong in herself. Which I might add, is a combination that many parents are finding in this 'new' group of (old) Souls embodying at this time in the world's evolutionary process.

We are immensely thankful that she has decided to come and share this life process with us.

I believe that much suffering can be alleviated, by shifting our belief structure toward more thankfulness. As the Dali Lama says 'His religion is kindness'. Kindness to others is of course immensely important. But kindness to self is the flip side of the same coin. Kindness and Thankfulness may align, as we start to be thankful for the things that unite us all spiritually.

There is of course much suffering in the world today.

And perhaps the greater level of suffering is that we are not yet in full awareness of our depth of self knowing. Not yet fully awake to the beauty and joy that lives at the core of our being. If we respond with compassion to suffering (ours and everyone else's) at a very deep level. Transformation happens. To paraphrase a good friend - Kevin Ryerson - 'A drop of Joy transforms oceans of sadness'.

Or from the New Testament - 'Perfect Love casts out fear'.

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2. Words from Spirit..."Why embody?"

God bless you.

It is a joy that we might share with you.

You have been seeking to overcome the ego.

In this time of the body you find yourself wondering,

"What am I doing here?

Where am I going?

What has been before?"

These eternal questions come into your thoughts.

Yet on a deeper level,

you know precisely what you are doing here.

You are working out issues.

You are learning.

You are growing in consciousness.

You are meeting new opportunities

and beginning to discover

new levels of creativity.

You are beginning to sense

that the world's consciousness is shifting.

And that you can play a vital role

in that shift

simply by allowing deeper self-love.

If you truly feel love for self,

love for others will be automatic,

and you will affect

the state of consciousness in the world.

(From chapter 8 "Why embody?" in Lin's book "Divine Chuckles")

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3. "Significant tools for me..." (by Lin)

Books have for myself, played a large part in helping me to feel that I have gotten a deeper understanding of Life. Of course inner inspiration and guidance is hugely important.

But I believe all of us long for concrete expressions of Joy and shared experiences of the Divine that other people have had. Really good books can address that need - and help build that 'bridge of awareness' that shows us that we are not alone in our search for truth. That process of 'connecting the dots' can serve as a powerful inward Mentor. As we may find that our insights from: dreams, contemplations, deep meditations and at times contact with that inner dimension where our journey began - the timeless place inside us all where Divinity is always present. Has relevance to the experiences of others as well. We can, with empathy, step into a degree of their experiences.

In my own 'search' I realize now that it was hugely important to find a source that I could trust, when first starting out. (1959 - age 18). That search got triggered by a session with a very gifted clairvoyant. Which precipitated 3 experiences of 'mind links' that I could externally verify (and I did).

I clearly understood then, that 'Minds can connect'.

Within days I encountered one of the most profound and meaningful books of my life in this incarnation. 'There is a River' by Thomas Sugrue. From there I dived deeply into the Edgar Cayce materials that was available at the time.

That work became a sort of 'trusted foundation' for myself. (Including the concept of reincarnation as a reality).

A year of two later the book 'Autobiography of a Yogi' entered my life and provided another leg to my (eventual) three legged foundation of spiritual reality. Hugely Important!! Meditation became my friend and there was a growing sense of expanding consciousness.

1963 - I was privileged to start attending weekly trance classes, over a period of at least 7 years. These were taught through a truly fine trance channel and all around deeply connected individual. Richard Ireland and the Spirit teacher that channeled through him: Crowfoot, an Ameican Indian teacher that had last lived in the physical plane 400 years ago. (No book out yet on those teachings, but it is in the working stage). Again that provided the third leg of my training as a teacher, healer and trance channel.

Many years later - after I was traveling and teaching extensively in Europe and the USA. I encountered ACIM (A Course In Miracles).

This was after my (channeled) book 'Divine Chuckles' was in manuscript form. 'Divine Chuckles' is a really good book. But I (like many teachers) need 'space' from the trance material that is channeled through me. I found that the basic concepts of ACIM were very familiar. And it became something I would call a 'Life Companion'. Material I could deeply trust. Material I will be using and studying the rest of my life. Something that reflects a very simple, yet profound level of reality.

(Of course all really good spiritual material has something of that quality. And brings into focus that Divinity is our ground of beingness.)

The essence of all great teachings is to help us move from a strong sense of life as 'Duality' moving toward 'Non-Duality'. To help us become more fully connected to the inner worth of ourselves. And that absolutely helps us see the same Divinity in everyone. To the degree that we are ready for that level of awareness. So we are not imbalanced by such a huge shift in awareness.

Our true Beauty, Joy and Love is very scary to the ego. It thinks it will 'die' if such a profound shift would take place. So it has great resistance to that degree of insight. The Universe / Divinity will with incredible patience and kindness help us choose the 'better way'. One of compassion and love for ourselves and all of Life.

So here is my very short list of the 'Most Favorite Books', in chronologically order of when they entered my life.

Hopefully these may serve you deeply as they did me.

And may also be thought of as potential gifts for the approaching holidays.

Top Three

'There is a River' by Thomas Sugrue

Often titled - The Story of Edgar Cayce: There is a River

(ebook available - Kindle - March 3, 2015).

'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramahansa Yogananda

'A Course In Miracles' (ACIM) by Helen Schucman

There are so many really good books,

but here are a few more that I have deeply loved:

'Memories, Dreams and Reflections' by C. G. Jung and Aniela Jaffe.
And of more recent publication dates

'The Disappearance of the Universe' By Gary R. Renard

'American Veda' by Philip Goldberg

(And of course, I should mention our book.

Really by Spirit, channeled in trance through me:)

'Divine Chuckles' by Lin David Martin (No eBook yet)

eBooks are great, and can be read on a variety of devices.

Plus they are instantly available after purchase.

But sometimes a book in-hand is the best.

Recommended on-line sources:

USA - Amazon (physical books and eBooks - Kindle)

Europe - The Book Depository (world wide free shipping).

(Of course there are many other sources to search for as well. Both on-line and as 'bricks and mortar bookstores', libraries and more.)

Beyond books... the internet has opened a portal to awareness, that respectfully can bring everything of value to everyone over time. We may still be in the 'wild west' stage of the journey, but in my opinion we are on the threshold of new ways of learning that can open the gates of heaven (so to speak) to everyone.

Movies have long been of significant importance to myself and many other people. What could happen if the shift of movies, moved more in the direction of wholeness and compassion?

As an example there is a

new movie - just released this month -
on the Life of Paramanhansa Yogananda.

Which I eagerly await seeing, somehow.

Go to: http://www.awaketheyoganandamovie.com/

Much is also available (often free) on You Tube, Netflix, and other sources.

Do your own searches for some of your favorite teachers and authors. Such as Deepak Chopra, Oprah, Ram Dass, Eckhart Tolle, Dr Wayne Dyer, Byron Katie, Neale Donald Walsch and many more.

Here are just a few examples of the incredible wealth of information available.

Byron Katie

Oprah

Deepak Chopra The Secret of Healing - Meditations For Transformation and Higher Consciousness

Dr Wayne Dyer 'Your thoughts are creating your reality'

Ram Dass

The Movie 'Fierce Grace'

Dialogue with Ram Dass and Eckhart Tolle

Neale Donald Walsch

4. Holiday Special offer

You may use this Gift Certificate for yourself and/or as a gift to someone you love...

Personal Trance Channeling session by phone. The Holiday special price is $125 (normal price $150).