3 X 5's: Index Card Wisdom from Best of Books

ANGELICA Raymond Arroyo (2007)(ed.). Arroyo wrote a previous book about Mother Angelica and then did more research to put the present more comprehensive book together that better represents her life lessons and spiritual practices. Mother Angelica (Rita Rizzo given Italian name) was a Catholic religious sister and founded EWTN Eternal Word Television Network at age 58 in 1981...prior to that, she founded a print shop in 1972 to creat "mini books" on spirituality...before that she created a homemade studio in a monastery garage! Some of Mother's wisdom: the present moment is like a blank sheet of paper that we write on--we can draw, scribble, make poems, make a mess...the choice is ours do it and drop it...don't hang on to success or failure gift of understanding is to see the spiritual meaning of everything* be like a broom, let G push you around wherever you are needed if you feel G wants you to do something, take the first step, and then the grace will come to take ...

ALL ABOUT THE LOVE bell hooks (2001). All About the Love: New Visions bell hooks (her pen name, her given name is Gloria Jean Watkins) is a professor (PhD English) and well-known author... her definition of love is unique: "...will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or anothers spiritual growth..." (p.10).  hooks advocates schools of love, being open to love, returning to love (i whole heartedly agree).  other insights: dimensions of love include: care, commitment, trust, knowledge, responsibility, and respect. we need a love ethic...to make all of our decisions in light of love. love is work, struggle, change, growth, risk, and surrender. biophilia is a love of life what does love mean to you?  consider adding love to your priorities when making decisions...especially everyday decisions like purchasing services and goods--how do these reflect love?  for those that you interact with every day, how can you be more loving in your speech, listen...

HOLY FOOLS Edward Hays (1993). Holy Fools and Mad Hatters:                                             A Handbook for Hobby Horse Holiness Hays is a priest who enjoys writing fable-like stories about spirituality. This is the story of a discipline (nipper) and Master (Window Sill) that walk the WAY of the razor's edge. Of the many lessons along the way: keep a reminder of death nearby to remember the preciousness of each day create a hermitage of the heart where you can be along with God  avoid becoming a zombie by cutting in half your to do list daily mantra: mirror, mirror on the wall, may i look with love on all celebrate whenever and with whoever you can reframe problems as GAMES to play we only spend about 2% of our time in nature--try to break that percentage every day keep your humility by wearing silly hats, shirts, shoes, accessories... get...

EROS Marc Gafni & Kristina Kincaid (2017).  A Return to Eros:  The Radical Experience of Being Fully Alive. Gafni (PhD in Philosophy) is a Rabbi, and Kincaid has a doctorate in Energy Medicine. There are many stories told in a Talmud-like way, and some research, in the nearly 500 pages of the book...overall, i wish there were more practical suggestions/concrete applications.  Eros in Western society is often confused with sex whereas one theme throughout the book is that sex is only part of eros...sex models a much larger ideal of eros as allurement, attraction, radical aliveness, contact, creativity, and something that calls us to "outrageous love" for all of creation. This love is described within Hebrew tantric mysticism as the love between the cherubs that face each other atop the Ark of the Covenant, one male and one female with divine love-making in between...the delight of the Shechinah Goddess dancing. Some of the ways to cultivate outrageous erotic love are: ...