Happy Holidays from Merlian News!  We thank you for your support, and wish you and your loved ones a season of warmth, joy, and good tidings!

This Month’s Recommended Merlian News Articles:

Merryn’s Musings

Mindfulness & Meditation for Politicians

Something interesting has been going on in the British Parliament – and no, it’s not Brexit. More and more members are meditating before they meet! As reported in The Guardian, since 2013 more than 145 members have taken an eight week course in mindfulness and meditation (video). Last year government ministers from 15 countries gathered at the House of Commons in the British Parliament to explore whether mindfulness can help reset the conduct of national and international politics. The event was organized by senior Conservative and Labour MPs, who said they would discuss the potential of meditation “to help political leaders stay resilient, clear-minded and creative in the face of constant change.”

Liminal Moments by Cheryl Shainmark
They Are Us

I remember in the ’60s, being six or seven years old, and visiting my great-grandmother Teresa in a nursing home, shortly before she died at age 94. She only spoke Italian, and my Dad taught us a few words to say to her: Come sta? Bene; prego. Her son Henry, my grandfather, was bi-lingual; her grandson – my Dad – had a smattering of the old tongue, and now I had the four words he taught me….

Nutrition
The Unlikely Vegan Explores Making Moral Choices by Phil Shainmark

Is your pleasure more important than your morals? It’s an interesting question, and one that I’ve never been able to answer, or even fully articulate, till now. The 16-25 year old me says “absolutely.” I drank, did drugs, committed crimes. Hurt whoever, whenever, and treated people that loved me like crap. I did horrible things to people I should have cared about just so I could chase that NEW thing. Pleasure, not in a sexual sense, but the pleasure of just doing whatever the hell I wanted, whenever I wanted, was the GOAL. Now I thank the gods every day that I still have friends from back then that put up with me.

Films/Books
The Man Who Knew Infinity: Srinivasa Ramanujan, Intuitive Mathematician 

The Man Who Knew Infinity is the remarkable story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a brilliant Indian mathematician whose revolutionary ideas took Europe by storm during the years around World War I. The film, released in 2015, stars Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons, and is based on the book of the same name by Robert Kanigel. What made Ramanujan so amazing, were his deeply spiritual and intuitive leaps in fields for which he had no prior background. What made Ramanujan so amazing, were his deep spiritualty and intuitive leaps in fields for which he had no prior background. Ramanujan said that his insights came to him in dreams, which he quickly wrote down upon awakening.

Spirituality
Merlian News Podcast with Matthew Fox

In this podcast, Matthew Fox talks with Merryn Jose about the current imbalanced view of what is masculine, the initial attempts of the budding “men’s movement” and the ridicule it received, ancient rites of initiation into manhood, how women can support the men in their life as well as men’s efforts to be more spiritual. Matthew Fox was a member of the Dominican Order for 34 years. He holds a doctorate (received summa cum laude) in the History and Theology of Spirituality. Matthew is the founder and former president of the University of Creation Spirituality. He is currently a scholar in residence with the Academy for the Love of Learning. Matthew lectures, teaches, writes and serves as president of the nonprofit he created in 1984, Friends of Creation Spirituality. He is the author of 28 books.

Website of the Month
www.mindfulnessinitiative.org.uk

Meditation

Mindfulness & Meditation for Politicians

This last October a panel of expert speakers from the UK and USA gave talks on the latest research and implementation of workplace mindfulness training programs in the context of high-stress or trauma-prevalent public service. According to The Mindfulness Initiative, the benefits are real:  “From schoolchildren, to NHS staff, policemen, and members of parliament, mindfulness courses have offered significantly improved well being by reducing stress, fostering compassionate care and providing greater clarity in prioritizing the demands of life.”

Merryn Jose – Editor In Chief & Publisher
Cheryl Shainmark – Senior Editor