Who Was Ponce de Leon? by Pam Pollack

 Who was Ponce de Leon? – An explorer of new lands and the first governor of Puerto Rico.

Juan Ponce de Leon (1474-1521) was born in Santervas del Campo in northwest Spain. His father was a count from a well-respected aristocratic family. His mother is not known.

As a boy of noble blood, he was sent to live with a relative Pedro Nunez Guzman, Knight Commander of the Order of Calatrava, who was a personal friend of King Ferdinand. Juan as a boy began working as a page for his guardian, Pedro, but he longed for adventure.

He lived in a Catholic country and learned teachings of his church and believed that everyone must convert to Catholicism.

Spain wanted to conquer the remaining part of Spain – Granada, which was under Moors control. Juan and others reached Granada in April 1491. After eight months, the sultan surrendered Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.

Afterwards, Muslims and Jews were given a choice – either convert to Christianity or leave Spain.

Ferdinand and Isabella’s victory over Granada convinced them that God wanted them to spread Christianity. They believed they should go and conquer lands and convert them to Christianity. Now, they needed conquistadors who were enticed by profits.

Juan wasn’t interested in conquering lands; rather gaining profits was of his interest.

At nineteen, he joined Columbus on his return mission to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean Sea.

In order to claim the island, they had to conquer Taino – native people, which they did.

When Columbus set sails to return to Spain, Juan stayed on the island, where he met a Spanish woman Leonora. They got married around 1502.

In 1504, the Taino people attacked a Spanish settlement on the eastern side of the island. Juan was sent there and crushed the natives. He was appointed as frontier governor in charge of the entire province. He also received a large piece of land and some enslaved Taino. He used them in raising crops as they knew the land. From them, he also learned about Borinquen island.

Life on a plantation wasn’t exciting to him. He craved adventure and more riches. In 1508, after obtaining permission, he landed on Borinquen island. The natives already knew about the terrible weapons of the Spanish and surrendered. He created a settlement near what is now San Juan, where he set up a farming colony as well as native crops including cassava – which was good for making bread that didn’t rot in see air. He already had a plan for that – to sell the bread to ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1521, the island was renamed to Puerto Rico, meaning rich port. He settled here with his family as he was appointed the governor of the island.

The Spaniards also brought diseases with them for which natives didn’t have immunity. In results, many natives died of those diseases.

Juan’s success in Puerto Rico drew attention, and in 1493 Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, convinced King Ferdinand that his father stopped briefly on this island first and he was the rightful governor of the island.

Juan had to search for a new island and he heard of Bimini from the natives.

On April 2, 1513, they landed at the tip of what looked like an island but was a peninsula. On the new land, he saw bright flowers, birds and butterflies and named the land La Florida, meaning flowery.

It is assumed; they landed at what is now Saint Augustine. But the natives already knew what happened to other natives on Hispanola and Puerto Rico and fought fearlessly.

Juan turned the ships south toward home but on the way back to Puerto Rico he discovered the chain of islands, now Florida Keys. They saw variety of animals, including sea turtles. He named the islands Las Tortugas (The Turtles). Today, it’s called Dry Tortugas as there is no fresh water there.

When he returned to Puerto Rico, he no longer had his place there as Diego Columbus didn’t like him. So Juan took his family and returned to Spain in 1514.

King Ferdinand was happy to see him and to hear about Florida and Bimini. As a reward, Juan received his own coat of arms. Besides settling new lands, the king also asked him to put down the rebellions of Carib tribe in the Caribbean Basin.

Juan fought many battles in 1515, but in January 1516 when King Ferdinand died, Juan worried that he might lose his privileges. So he returned to Spain, where sixteen-year-old Charles I was the new ruler.

Juan’s next expeditions failed, but he was determined to conquer Florida.

In 1521, he landed on Sanibel Island, southwest of Florida coast, but Calusa natives were relentless in protecting their lands. Juan with his people had to retreat. While in retreat, he got wounded. When he arrived in Cuba, the wound was already infected, and he died at forty-seven.

This biography exemplifies a man who lived the life he longed for and became a hero during his time and the following centuries. He was certainly an adventurer and discoverer, even if other people already lived on the lands he discovered as at the time those lands were not known in Europe. But the moral aspect - how the natives of their lands were treated - is under the question. I don’t believe that making a villain of someone is the answer to such question. It’s about learning from history and making sure that it doesn’t happen again. It seems as natives around the world are gaining more and more respect as the rest of us are waking up from our stupor and arrogance that we know things the best. As our unconscious bias turns into conscious understanding what life is about, we start to make decisions that benefit all humanity, not just us and our surroundings.  

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2022

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Go back to ancient roots and explore its wisdom. Natives around the world are gaining more and more respect – explore it yourself by asking why?

 

 

 

Traits:

·         He grew up in an environment where he believed that everyone must convert to Catholicism. – Unprocessed emotions hide behind childhood beliefs and often backfire in adulthood unless emotions are understood and processed.

·         From young age he craved adventure which opened up to him during the age of exploration under the patronage of Ferdinand and Isabela of Spain. – He acted on his passion when opportunity presented to him, and it wasn’t a safe opportunity, it involved 100% uncertainty.

·         Juan wasn’t interested in conquering lands; rather gaining profits was of his interest. – Any individual gain is short lived unless later it’s turned to serve humanity. There are still a few good millionaires and billionaires who are not running after titles but rather to serve humanity with the position they gained through their success.  

·         For “settling” native people, meaning enslaving them, he was gaining financial profits and titles. – It’s a classic example of acting with unconscious mind vs conscious one. Your conscious mind would never allow you to do this despite the time you grew up in. Look at the figures of those who walked upon earth and now are called saints – they acted with conscious mind – meaning they acted upon what their heart told then, not the head.

·         Life on a plantation wasn’t exciting to him. He craved adventure and more riches. – At least, he was good at recognizing what made him happy. Most of the people live stagnant lives, and that’s not what life is about. The problem with Juan was the hunger for riches over the enslavement of another human being.

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 Dipping into unknown takes courage, but the most important part is to stay open and keep trying something new. Maybe astrology is something that would resonate with you at this point in your life.  

 This astrology book with esoteric approach is a helpful tool in understanding oneself and others.  

I Don’t Believe in Astrology by Debra Silverman

The purpose of this book is to use the tools of astrology to access your true self.

The author was a sceptic about astrology. She didn’t like the feel of astrological signs to limit her possibilities. However, ones she understood that astrology could help her in understanding her inherent nature, she realized that what she saw as limited now became expanded.

Astrology shows you who you really are. Each sign inherits a struggle, thus, it helps you discover what you are here to learn. Your challenges happen for a reason. It’s an efficient route to self-knowledge.

We’ve been conditioned to think or act certain way, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right way and we’ve been programmed to think it’s the right way.

The author calls the observer as the thirteenth sign. The observer is an important part in any emotionally charged situation. When you feel reactive, pause, and become the observer of the situation. See your behavior from a distance, looking back with objectivity and neutrality.

Most astrology books focus on the outer world. In esoteric astrology, the body represents your soul, listen to your gut reactions. And the rising sign is to help to access the soul, the higher parts of you.

“New Age,” namely the Aquarian Age began when science started supporting metaphysics, which is happening now. Science backs up such things as mystical or supernatural, from quantum physics to string theory to the existence of beings on other planets.

Our humanity is based on fear and greed which is shifting to love and unity.

It was interesting to read that Saturn demands that you change something about your life every seven years. I was aware of taste possibly changing every seven years, but it looks like it’s something we should strive for.

Source: St. Martin’s Essentials

Who Was Richard Nixon? by Megan Stine

 Who Was Richard Nixon? – He rose from the humble beginnings to the highest office in the government, and the only US president to resign from office.

Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994) was born on a small farm in Yorba Linda, California. He was smart and talented in music. But his true talent was revealed in High School when he became the star of the debate team. He was excellent at public speaking.

He was accepted to Harvard but his family couldn’t afford it. Instead, he went to local college. It seems as his bitterness at what some portray as social injustice began since then.

After graduation, he received full scholarship to attend Duke University of Law in North Carolina. He graduated at the top of his class but when he went to NYC to apply for a job, he was rejected because he didn’t attend an Ivy League school.

He went back to home in Whittier, California, where he opened a law firm and became well known and respected.

For fun, he got involved with an amateur theater group where he met his wife.

In 1941, when Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Richard moved with his wife to DC after obtaining a job for the government. But after eight months, he wanted to help US in the war effort. So he joined the Navy as an officer.

When WWII was over, he received a proposition to run for Congress as a Republican. He loved politics, and here was his chance to get involved. But he went from being a strict person to the one who started bending truth in order to achieve his goal.

He got elected in 1946. He was one of the members traveling to Europe to talk to world leaders about the aftermath of the war. He saw the devastation and how many people were hungry. He voted in favor of foreign aid to European countries.

In the US, he was appointed to the committee dealing with communist spies. He became famous for going after Alger Hiss, supposedly a Russian spy, which never was fully proved. So in the process, he gained some enemies at Congress.

He wanted to climb his political career. In 1950, he ran for the Senate in California. He used a name of “the Pink Lady” for his opponent, meaning she might be a “Red” (communist). In response, she called him “Tricky Dick,” which stuck with him for the rest of his life. He won, but in the DC he was unpopular with certain people.

In summer of 1950, he was invited to Bohemian Grove, secret men’s campground in North California, where they also discussed political deals. This time, Dwight D. Eisenhower wanted to run for president and was looking for vice president. He saw Nixon as the right man as “attack dog” on the campaign trail, going after his opponents. In November, they won the election. Nixon was elected to deal with other world leaders, which he enjoyed the most.

In 1953, in Asia, the leaders found Nixon charming and respectful.

In 1956, under his second term, his trip to South America turned very differently. Many Latin countries hated the US. The crowds were very hostile. Nixon handled them calmly. Upon his return to the US, he was greeted as hero.

His biggest challenge came with his trip to Russia in 1959. Before his trip, he studied for six months in order to be prepared for his debates with Nikita Khrushchev. The visit went very well and upon his return to the US, Nixon became even more popular.

But when it came to presidential campaign against J.F. Kennedy, he lost.

Two years later, he lost the run for governor of California.

His heart didn’t seem to be in politics anymore. He moved to NYC to practice law. However, with the assassination of J.F. Kennedy, and war in Vietnam, he ran for president again, and in 1968 with the promise of ending the war, he won.

He admired the French president Charles de Gaulle and wanted to start peace talks in Paris to end the war.

Meanwhile, he did many positive things for the country. He created the Environmental Protection Agency. He passed laws to keep workers safer and healthier on the job. He supported scientists to find cure for cancer. He made schools desegregated.

In 1972, he made trip to China to begin trading. Later that year, he went to Russia.

Many approved of his actions, but he was hated by the Washington insiders. More and more, he kept to himself and his behavior was becoming abrupt. He wanted to get back at his enemies, and with the help of his trusted people, he asked them to set up a taping system in the White House. He also involved FBI.

He started spying on his enemies by using the government’s spying power on people who haven’t committed crimes. He asked many to do a lot of illegal things.

In 1972, he ran for reelection. When he was in Moscow, a plan to set up bugs on the phones at office of Democratic National Committee didn’t go as planned. Despite that Nixon was reelected and the Watergate scandal seemed to fade away. Eventually, the truth leaked out and the first steps were taken to impeach him. But he chose to resign.

The tapes he asked to set up revealed him talking about crushing his enemies at any cost. He talked nastily about Jewish and black people.

President Ford pardoned him as he wanted the whole country to move on. Others were brought to justice.

This biography exemplifies a man who got knocked down many times but he knew what mattered was getting up again. What led to his downfall was his bitterness and resentment after certain rejections. Behind bitterness and resentment are unprocessed emotions, which in Nixon’s case led him to the abuse of the power, and at the end, destroying his hard work, and not fully recognizing his talent and potential.   

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2020

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “Only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” – Richard Nixon’s reflection on overcoming political and personal adversity

 

 

 

Traits: 

·         He was a smart child and talented in music, but his true talent was revealed in High School when he became the star of the debate team. He was excellent at public speaking.

·         He was accepted to Harvard but his family couldn’t afford it. Instead, he went to local college. - It seems as his bitterness at what some portray as social injustice began since then. (Social injustice is an illusion. It’s about how you transform darkness into light).

·         After graduating from Duke University of Law at the top of his class, he went to NYC to apply for a job, but he was rejected because he didn’t attend an Ivy League school. – The social status rejections were building bitterness and resistance inside him, but resistance is truly a sign that you lack presence (awareness of your own behavior).

·         He went back home to California where he opened a law firm and became well known and respected.

·         He loved politics, and in 1941 when Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he obtained a job for the government.

·         When WWII was over, he received a proposition to run for Congress as a Republican. But he went from being a strict person to the one who started bending truth in order to achieve his goal. He won the election in 1946.

·         He was gaining popularity with some people at home and abroad, and becoming enemy with others, which seems to be a common theme in politics. – The thing is how you manage the division – do you unite as many people as possible in the process, or drive further division? The further division doesn’t serve people, it only serves the one who drives it.

·         He did many positive things for the country. Early in his career, he handled challenging situations with calmness, but under that calmness it seems as resentfulness continued to build towards those who had opposite views of his. – Life isn’t about us all having the same views – how would we grow and learn and evolve as human beings? It’s about how you handle those challenges and manage your emotions? EMOTIONS hide behind feelings and beliefs. Learning how to handle emotions is the key.

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

As it turns out, a lot of us if not most of us struggle with unprocessed emotions. Those unprocessed emotions result in anger, resentment, control, neediness and other issues. This book is one of those guidebooks that guides a reader how to process emotions.

 

Psyche’s Awakening by Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown

These days, more and more conventional doctors reach for holistic approach.

The author, psychotherapist, goes back to the roots, to the ancient wisdom which over time got looked upon as myth and legend. But as many of us are discovering, there is more to life than bare existence. Life should be extraordinary, not mundane. More and more people are waking up and becoming conscious of their feelings and thoughts, thus, having a better understanding of what is happening in our lives - which is not happening to us but for us. And in order to understand this concept better, the author takes a unique approach going back to myths which serve as mirrors and maps reminding us of the power and wisdom that resides within us.

If you seek growth and transformation, it will come. But the important part to remember is that growth and transformation is not about avoiding pain. Pain serves a purpose. You go through it to learn something about yourself and in the process growing and gaining wisdom. Thus, transforming pain into joy.

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” – Rumi

Since ancient times, there has been some kind of search for some kind of elixir. But life isn’t about bypassing pain. It’s about processing the emotions:

For example, childhood is a time when self-worth and self-compassion should be learned and instilled. If childhood was painful and this process turned into stop loving and accepting yourself, then the healing journey of self-love needs to begin. Importantly, self-love is not narcissism.

When you lack self-love and need it from your partner, it only leads to pushing your partner away. When you put an end to someone who is emotionally unavailable to you, that’s an act of self-love. (If you feel that others don’t love you, that’s a sign that you need to learn self-love).

Another example is vulnerability. Childhood is when our beliefs are formed. That’s why understanding our beliefs is important in our healing process as emotions are hidden behind those beliefs.

Also, recognize recurring patterns in your behavior and relationships. Establish healthy boundaries in relationships.

What is behind fear and how to heal it is very important and provided in this guidebook. Fear causes stagnation in life, and life is about progress. (Fear contracts your energy).

When you face discomfort, that’s where you can experience the most growth in life. The humans have undeniable power to adapt, navigate, and grow from life’s most painful events.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” – Michelangelo, about David’s sculpture

Like Michelangelo, author’s life’s work has focused on chiseling away at the unresolved trauma of her clients.

Like Michelangelo, you can chip away what is bothering or triggering you in your life, and reveal your light and who you truly are.

Source: Harper Collins

Who Was Marco Polo? by Joan Holub

 Who was Marco Polo? – son of a Venetian merchant who travelled to China and came back twenty-four years later, and the author of a travel book that inspired Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama.

Marco Polo was born in 1254. The same year, his father left for Asia and returned fifteen years later. Shortly after Marco was born, his mother died. So he was raised by his relatives.

He didn’t spend much time in school. Instead, he was taught different measurements used in different places in order to become a merchant.

His father and uncle returned in 1269 and two years later were heading back to China. Marco went with them.

On the way to China, Marco was a good observer of places and its products, and whether food or water were easy to find – he saw it as valuable information for other merchants.

It took them three and a half years to arrive at Shang-tu and the palace of Kublai Khan who was happy to see Polos again. Kublai was the grandson of Genghis Khan.

Marco was very impressed by the palace made of white marble and decorated with gold.

Kublai didn’t force a specific religion on conquered lands. He actually practiced an opposite tactic to keep people happy and not revolt. He told them that their religion was his favorite. He studied the teachings of Jesus and Buddha, and respected teachings of Confucius. He hired Muslims to work at his government. When farmers had a bad harvest, they didn’t have to pay taxes and were fed for free with grains kept in storage.

Kublai liked Marco as he was smart and amusing. He sent him on missions to different areas of the Mongol empire. It seemed as Marco had a talent for describing places and what was happening there. Along the lines, Kublai probably got the information he was looking for and felt entertained. Marco was surprised by the variety of animals and not knowing what they were, he described them what came out as entertaining descriptions.

Marco saw coal for the first time, which was used for fire pits. He was impressed by the Mongols mailing system powered by horses. He saw paper money for the first time. Europe developed money in the 1600s.

Marco described many Mongol battles in his book.

The Polos wanted to return home many times, but Kublai refused as he liked having them around. But in 1291, they got lucky when a seventeen-year-old Mongol princess was being sent to Persia to get married. They thought the route by sea would be the safest and Marco had just returned from a voyage from India. So he knew the route. They were sent with two golden tablets with a message – an order to anyone they met to protect them along the way. Again, it took them three and a half years to travel from China to Venice.

In Venice, Marco settled as a merchant but soon a war broke out between Venice and Genoa. The latter won and Marco was one of about 7,000 Venetians that were captured. He was in jail for about ten months and to pass the time, he entertained other prisoners with stories from his travels. Rustichello, an author, was in the same cell and convinced Marco to write down his stories.

In 1299, Venice and Genoa signed a treaty and they were freed. Marco returned to Venice with his stories written down.

At the time, books were written by hand. Currently, there are about 150 handwritten copies of his book but no two books are exactly alike, raising legitimacy issue.

In 1477, his book was machine-printed for the first time, and his book is still in print. Also, when his book was translated into different languages, the printer changed the story a bit if he thought it would sell better.

During his time, most of the people didn’t travel far from their home. So Marco’s stories sounded very bizarre. People didn’t believe him and said that his book was nothing but a million lies. Thus, they nicknamed him Marco Millions.

Whatever the case, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama studied his book for their explorations.

As Marco was dying in 1324, people begged him to confess the truth. Instead he said, “I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.”

This biography exemplifies a man who stood by his words even on his death-bed while others thought his stories were filled with lies. He was a man who stayed true to himself, never wavered under ridicule. He was a good observer and storyteller. Just one book made him the most famous traveler of the silk road (by land) and the spice route (by sea).

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2007

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “I did not tell half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed.” – Marco Polo - he knew it was pointless to be proving anything to anyone, especially those who have never experienced much outside their world.

 

 

Traits:

·         He didn’t have much schooling besides practical knowledge in measurements in order to become a merchant.

·         As he travelled, he observed places and its products, and whether food or water was easy to find as he saw it as valuable information for other merchants.

·         Marco’s talent for describing places and what was happening there got him on special assignments for the Mongol Emperor.

·         When he returned to Venice, he was captured and became one of the war prisoners. To pass the time, he entertained other prisoners with his stories from his travels.

·         One of the prisoners was an author who encouraged him to write down his stories. They did it together. When out of prison, he had his stories written down.

·         Some of his stories sounded far-fetched as Asia was more evolved, some things that were already developed in China, where not yet in Europe. Also, the wild animals were very exotic and unreal to Europeans. – Because of this many thought he was a liar, but he never changed any of his stories.

 

 

 

“I speak and speak, (…) but the listener retains only the words he is expecting. (…) It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear.” – Marco Polo

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 Marco Polo's adventures, and others not believing him - bring to mind the subject of aliens and the book by Adam Frank – Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth.

Do you believe in extra terrestrial life?

From the leaflet, “Light of the Stars tells the story of humanity’s coming of age as we awaken to the possibilities of life on the other worlds and their sudden relevance to our fate on Earth. Astrophysicist Adam Frank traces the question of alien life and intelligence from the ancient Greeks to the leading thinkers” questioning climate change as “we are just one of ten billion trillion planets in the universe, and it’s highly likely that many of those planets hosted technologically advanced alien civilizations.”

Frank Drake was one of the astronomers at Green Bank, West Virginia, - which held the best radio observatory in the world in 1958. He was interested in using the telescope to search for signs of intelligent life on other worlds. Thus, Project Ozma was born. By the spring of 1960 the equipment was ready, but Project Ozma never captured any alien signals.

 Meanwhile, in 1959, two physicists Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison published a study arguing that with radio waves the galaxy becomes transparent. And Drake has reached the same conclusion.

This gave beginning to exo-civilizations. A new human story was emerging. NASA projects began for search for extraterrestrial life. (From new knowledge, NASA did see life on Mars it was just not revealed to the public).

James Lovelock and biologist Lynn Margulis introduced Gaia theory of life as a self-regulating planetary system.

Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, Russian scientist, also stated that planetary evolution was not just a force, but a force with its own kind of intention.

Building on those three scientists, a new generation of scientist began speaking of “coevolution” between life and the planet.

In the last few decades, the knowledge of planets as generic cosmic phenomena has exploded.

In this book, the author recounts the work of pioneering scientists in regards to extraterrestrial life and explores the question – what can we learn from extraterrestrial life on other worlds?

In May 2026, over 400 documents were released to the public which is part of disclosure about extraterrestrial life. The scientists are studying those documents now. According to ancient wisdom, extraterrestrial beings have been among us since the inception of our planet. The question is - are we ready to open ourselves to such possibility and interact with them?

Cesar Chavez by Claudia Romo Edelman

Who was Cesar Chavez? - activist.  

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) was born in Yuma, Arizona, where his grandfather started a business which gave the family a decent living but then the Great Depression came and a terrible drought of 1933 which affected all. The parents made the best effort to create a stable home. The father created toy cars out of sardine cans, and his mom “baked pies out of nothing.” She was a woman full of wisdom which she passed on to her children.

In February 1939, when the family was pushed off their land, they set off for California as many other families did from Midwest due to the Dust Bowl.

The Chavez family settled in San Jose. There, families of farmworkers crowded into small, run-down houses.

Young Cesar worked alongside his family to help make money.

Cesar and his brother often had to go to school without shoes, often wearing mismatched socks, and being teased. The mother who never learned how to read and write pushed the children to go to school as much as possible.

Many of the schools were segregated, and there was no accountability for teachers how they acted toward segregated children. Because of the racist remarks, Cesar didn’t like going to school. He was happier earning some money.

Even though, the family was often desperate to make money, the parents still had the courage to fight for their dignity by refusing to take abuse from employers. These were Cesar’s first exposure of protest. If what they wanted wasn’t corrected, then they’d leave, which took great courage.

When his father had a car accident, Cesar didn’t want his mother to work. So after finishing eighth grade, he became full-time farmworker.

In 1944, at seventeen, he enlisted in the US Navy. He worked as a deckhand. He hated the strictness. He called his two years in the navy the worst of his life.

The strictness of the navy pushed him to explore freedom. One day, despite being very frightened, he refused to sit in a section reserved for Mexicans at a movie theater.

After returning from the navy, he married his girlfriend, Helen Fabela. After their honeymoon, they moved to different places in search of work.

When they returned to San Jose, they met a Catholic priest Father Donald McDonnell who introduced Cesar to important books about justice, worker’s rights, nonviolence, and historical figures who fought for justice. Cesar became fascinated with Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence. Gandhi’s work had enormous impact on his life.

Cesar was also approached to join an activist group that wanted fair treatment for all. Cesar got involved and that was beginning of his journey as an activist. He later joined forces with another activist Dolores Huerta to focus on rallying farmworkers. They started a union National Farm Workers Association. They both took a risk of leaving paid positions. Many times they hardly had any money for food or gas.

Cesar led many strikes but he made it clear that violence was not an option. At some point, he also went on hunger strikes, catching attention of Martin Luther King Jr., among others, who expressed his support for the farmworker movement.

Cesar passed away in his sleep. He certainly made a difference in many people’s lives. He dedicated his life to humanity which often came at a cost of his private life.

I found the second part of the book slower. It was overwhelmed with his activism. The first part had a good flow and good information without overwhelming a young reader in details.

This biography exemplifies a man who received a valuable wisdom as a child, and carried it throughout his life. It was reinforced even more with wisdom of others that crossed his path physically or through their work echoing throughout the world. He lacked formal education but he carried with him something much more valuable - wisdom. It is up to an individual what limitations one accepts or doesn’t. Some imposed by family, school, society. Cesar spent a lot of time in nature and was well connected with his natural instincts which whispered wisdom as well.

Source: Roaring Brook Press, MacMillan

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: “The fight is never about grape or lettuce. It is always about people.” – Cesar Chaves

 

“True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured by the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire.” – Cesar Chaves

 

 

 

Traits:

·         Cesar came from a place where parents made the best effort to create a stable home despite poverty.

·         His mother couldn’t read or write but she was a woman full of wisdom, passing it on to her children.

·         During his childhood, he experienced racist remarks at school which made him dislike school. But the wisdom he gained throughout his life carried toward serving humanity.

·         His family was often desperate to make money, but the parents still had the courage to fight for their dignity by refusing to take abuse from employers. These were Cesar’s first exposure of protest.

·         The strictness of the navy pushed him to explore freedom by refusing to sit in a section reserved for Mexicans at a movie theater.

·         Catholic priest introduced Cesar to important books about justice, worker’s rights, nonviolence, and historical figures that fought for justice.

·         Cesar became fascinated with Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence. Gandhi’s work had enormous impact on his life.

·         When Cesar was approached to join an activist group that wanted fair treatment for all, he got involved and that was beginning of his journey as an activist.

·         He later joined forces with another activist Dolores Huerta to focus on rallying farmworkers. They started a union National Farm Workers Association. They both took a risk of leaving paid positions. Many times they hardly had any money for food or gas.

·         Cesar led many strikes but he made it clear that violence was not an option.

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 She was a science-trained sceptic accompanying her husband on his spiritual journey to India. On the way to India, she just reminded herself to be open to the experience. And she was caught by surprise when she went through awakening by Ganges River. Her awakening shattered her old identity and opened her to a universal realization: everything is connected through unconditional love. She herself became a spiritual teacher living in the Himalayas, leaving behind the strict scientific education.  

She became a global spiritual leader and bestselling author of Come Home to Yourself: Wisdom for Life from the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, and Hollywood to the Himalayas.

Breakdown Mayim Bialik’s interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUDl_SInWv0

Who was Catherine the Great? by Pam Pollack

 Who was Catherine the Great? – one of the greatest leaders of Russia. During her reign, Russia became the most powerful empire in the world.

Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst (1729-1796) was born in Stettin, a military town in Prussia. She spoke German, so she learned French, the language of aristocrats. She listened closely to what adults discussed. She was a good observer and she noticed that her mother’s bragging and being the center of attention made her unpopular. So she didn’t want to be this way.

At fourteen, Sophie was chosen to marry Peter, the future emperor of Russia. She was actually excited about it as she was adventures and life in a big country and as cold as Russia didn’t scare her.

Peter was also from Prussia, but he missed his homeland and didn’t like studying Russian, and didn’t like Russia. Catherine was opposite. She took it very seriously, studying the language and the rituals of the Russian Orthodox Church.

They married on August 21, 1745, and Sophie became Catherine. Peter started ignoring Catherine from day one of their marriage. She became very lonely. Thus, she started reading a lot. She especially liked the work of philosophers of the Enlightenment.

Peter had many women and was ignoring Catherine. Eventually, she accepted a man that was pursuing her, Sergei Saltykov. She had a baby-boy with him who was accepted as the son of Peter.

Elizabeth the Empress, who didn’t have children, swept Catherine’s new born baby and treated him as hers. Catherine had no say in it.

But giving royalty a son was a big deal, so she used it to her advantage, and started demanding more respect. She became close friends with the British ambassador and the Russian vice-chancellor. She impressed them with her knowledge and intelligence.

She also developed a close relationship with the Polish nobleman, Stanislaw Poniatowski who briefly became her partner and they had a daughter in 1757, but she lived for only fifteen months.

After the death of Elizabeth, Peter openly was taking Prussia’s side, when Catherine fully embraced Russia and its people.

With the help of the Russian army, she was secretly escorted to Kazan Cathedral where the Russian Orthodox archbishop declared her empress in the eyes of the church.

She dethroned her own husband, who died in July 1762 supposedly naturally, but most likely was assassinated.

She was crowned empress on September 22, 1762. She knew that Russia was deeply in debt. She put her salary back into the national treasury. She studied what was happening in Russia for fifteen hours per day.

She sought out the brightest people she could find to fill the important positions. She listened to representative of each region of Russia, giving people voice.

She truly wanted to improve people’s lives. She built hospitals and made sure the doctors were well-educated, in the long run saving many lives against illnesses. She established schools for boys and girls. She created one of the greatest collections of art, thus, becoming a center of culture and philosophy. She wanted to free all the serfs, but that was very challenging to do.

A French philosopher, Denis Diderot, was so impressed with her that he began to refer to her as Catherine the Great, and others followed.

Many people expected her to remarry and have children, but she wanted to rule on her own.

Stanislaw Poniatowski was still deeply in love with her, but she used him as his puppet. She helped him to become the King of Poland. But with time, to put an end to some wars and to make other powerful rulers happy and not to rage new wars, they divided Poland into three parts.

After the war with Turkey, returning soldiers brought with them bubonic plague, killing thousands of people. Catherine almost lost the control of Moscow.

In 1772, Catherine’s son, Paul, who was taken from her as a baby, didn’t have a good relationship with his mother. He imitated his father from the stories he heard about him. He was pro-Prussia and against Russia. She knew he wouldn’t be the right ruler.

Then, an imposter pretending to be Peter III created a lot of followers and a lot of trouble. After his capture and execution, Catherine felt she had to be a tough ruler.

In 1773, Paul married a Prussian princess, Sophie, who took the name Maria Fyodorovna.

Catherine, despite not wanting wars, continued to be hungry for more lands, taking over Crimea as she wanted access to the Black Sea, and now wanted to take over Constantinople – to make Russia the largest empire in the world. She didn’t win Constantinople but still gained more new territory.

Catherine loved spending time with her two oldest grandsons. She took charge of their education as she had plans for their future. She also had ideas how she wanted to have the boys raised. She wanted them to plant and to grow their own gardens. They were scolded only in private, and praised in public. She said, “I praise loudly. I blame softly.”

She died on November 17, 1796 of a stroke.

As soon as Paul was crowned emperor of Russia, he enacted a law that only the oldest son could inherit the throne. Catherine became the last woman to rule Russia.

This biography exemplifies a woman who was a great listener and observer, and through this process gained valuable wisdom. She was open to what others had to say, especially philosophers of Enlightenment. She was quiet until she saw an opportunity to demand respect. Thus, gaining power, and with that creating such alliances that backed her to be the ruler. She truly cared about the people of Russia. Her rule wasn’t about filling her coffers with money. It was about what was best for the people, which is very much missing in today’s world.

Source: Penguin Workshop, 2021

 

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Be a good listener and observer, and through this process gaining valuable wisdom.

 

 

Traits:

·         She was a good listener and observer from childhood.

·         She was adventures, and life in Russia excited her. She embraced its culture, religion, language, people.

·         She was open to what other thinkers had to say, especially philosophers of the Enlightenment.

·         She was ignored at first, but after giving birth to a son, which was a big deal for royalty, she used it to her advantage, and started demanding more respect.

·         With the help of the people who saw Catherine as the right person to lead the country she was declared the empress in the eyes of the church. With her new power, she dethroned her own husband.

·         She studied what was happening in Russia for fifteen hours per day as she deeply cared for the country she was leading and its people.

·         She sought out the brightest people she could find to fill the important positions.

·         She listened to representative of each region of Russia, thus giving people voice.

·         She truly wanted to improve people’s lives, and she did.

·         Some events made her feel that she had to be a tough ruler, and that started building her ego and hunger for more lands.

 

 

 

FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:

 Catherine the Great was highly spirited person. Her character brings to mind another woman’s journey. Spirit Guided by Catherine Anne Williams.

The author, psychologist, shares her journey from addiction and self-destruction to awakening and living in Oneness.

As she shares her personal stories, she blends it with scientific knowledge, spiritual teachings, and practical tools in order to align our body with soul and the Source.

She grew up in a family of scientists with high expectations, and her not being good enough led her to addiction and self-destruction. When she had a near-death experience at nine years-old, that’s when she had her first spirit communication but the connection with her spiritual path came much later. As it happens with most cases, we need to go through certain experiences, often painful, in order to wake us up and start connecting the dots and seeing where those dots lead.

We, humans, struggle with seeing the whole picture. How good and bad events in our lives serve a purpose, not for us to become victims, but to wake us up to see a bigger picture. Thus, the author presents her own story to make a point. How her rejection and abandonment led her to seek other’s approval and love, which further resulted in addiction and abusive relationships. But her greatest suffering became her biggest gifts for spiritual awakening.

The author also points, to what many others stated before and proved through their work with people who healed themselves, that the spirit runs our body, thus, we have this spiritual ability to heal ourselves. The physical body is the manifestation of the flow of information in the spiritual body. Also, we all have psychic abilities, and we know things without knowing why, but we have been programmed to disconnect ourselves from the inner knowing.

Through her own story, she offers a guidebook how to clear the clutter of societal conditioning in order to live from the spiritual center. 

This book offers a range of information, overview of physics and how the universe works, insights from neuroscience, and spiritual concepts from Eastern philosophies. This information is mostly brief thus not overwhelming in its scope. The author’s personal experience reinforces what she teaches about healing ourselves from different conditions which mask our emotional traumas which need to be release.