Inspiration

I just want to be clear. From my perspective, doing nothing is not an option. 

Our greatest strength is the power of our examples; not just the examples of our power. Joe Biden 100 Day Congressional Address April 2021

Men suffer more from imagining too little than from imagining too much. Comfort - the enemy of progress. Barnum, The Greatest Showman

…you’d be risking everything. But…you might just find yourself a free man. Barnum, The Greatest Showman

With no predator or prey, we have only one another. There is no strength to be gained from hurting one another, only weakness. Hurting one another is the same as hurting the self. Ursula K. LeGuin The Dispossessed

You spend your life pretending IT never happened, but IT did. And all that pretending, it’s changed you. IT, whatever your personal IT is, lingers longest; irks and pecks and pokes. “IT never goes away. IT lives here [in me] with us, even if we don’t talk about [acknowledge] it. The Caretakers, Eliza Maxwell

There were walls around his thoughts, and he seemed utterly unaware of them, though he was perpetually hiding behind them. Ursula K LeGuin The Dispossessed

Hiding from the hard parts won’t make them any less hard. It will just make them last longer. Amanda Shepherd Grey’s Anatomy S19 E8 All Star

The Reality of life is Pain. But it’s the Lies, the evasions of reality, that drive you crazy. It’s the Lies that make you want to kill your self. 

Ursula K LeGuin The Dispossessed

There is no more powerful an inducement than this: Know Yourself.

Puppet Satan to Vanessa Penny Dreadful Season 2 Episode 10

I believe we create our own fate. Our lives are shaped by a series of choices…great joy or regret. Second Act 2018 Jennifer Lopez

I don’t know if the future will remember me, but if it does, may it never see me as a victim, but as someone who moved forward with courage, fearlessly paying the price she had to pay. Paolo Coelho The Spy (Mata Hari)

Words have the power to hurt and to heal. That’s what the best books do, if you’re brave enough to read them. The books I give you [The Path to Healing] will do both. They’ll hurt because they’ll give voice to the pain you are feeling. Then they’ll help you heal by honoring and respecting both, your pain and your voice. 

Nora Pennington, Miracle Books Secret Book & Scone Society 3 - The Whispered Word

By pouring yourself out you can be filled up. Ellery Adams

You can’t go back to the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.  C.S. Lewis

In life, the monsters win. George R.R. Martin

Nevertheless, she persisted. Associated with Elizabeth Warren

We often trick ourselves into thinking that we need first place when what we are really looking for is our place. So when you find “The Thing” “The IT” that makes your heart sing, don’t let anyone tell you it’s childish or unworthy. Catch it. Hold on to it. Love it. Explore it and let it fill you with love and bliss. Because when we find where we belong it doesn’t matter who is on first…just that we are here together — champions. Yo-yo. We Are the Champions, Netflix

I just want to feel loved. Could you do that? Is it too much to ask?

The Woman on the Orient Express

When a man says he likes it rough, kick him in the balls to see if it’s true! Stage Mother

To know yourself is to let yourself be loved. Everything But the Girl

When we meet what we’re afraid of, we find out what we’re made of. Everything But the Girl

Faith is courage that’s said it’s prayers. Unknown.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Susan Jeffries

Let your heart make sense of what your mind can’t figure out. Unknown.

The road that starts with exclusion ends up at the crematorium. Endeavor S5/E4 Colours on prejudice and bigotry.

…carrying my smile like an egg on a spoon. (Colin Firth movie)

Success is having the hearts of people and lifting them up.  Margaret Rutherford, Actor, Comedian

It is only when you do not know yourself that you fear you are evil, afraid to look within yourself. But when you open up those doors you are amazed by the immensity and grace of your own being. Jane Roberts, Channel for Seth

It’s better to be there when something passes away. If you don’t see it happening, there’s always a part of you that thinks whatever it is might come back and that’s the part of you that keeps you from seeing what God’s gonna do next. Rev. Bishop Greenleaf; Greenleaf S5 E1

I’d call on her if she’d only broken the law, but she broke The Rules. A socialite describes the group response to Anna’s disgrace. 2012 To Vronsky regarding Anna’s behavior. Kiera Knightly, Jude Law Anna Karenina

Think of the one thing you can’t live without. That is who you are. New Amsterdam Season 3 Episode 7

Every moment one is consumed by anger, hatred, bitterness, jealousy or rage toward something or someone, that something or someone has power and control over you. Don’t be a victim by giving in to the darkness. Solos 

Spirited 2022 Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds. Choose to be and do better.

Better Things 2018 Pamela Adlon. Funny. All too true. Very real.

It’s a Wonderful Afterlife 2021 Sanjeev Baskar, Steve Jones. Feel Good with spirits, romance, love and dancing. 

The Greatest Showman 2017 Hugh Jackman, Michelle Phillips. Truth as we avoid it.

More Beautiful for Having Been Broken 2020 Zoe Ventura, Kayla RadomskI Courage, Faith, Fortitude, Love, Bravery, Necessary Suffering

Big Eden 2000 All Love is good Love. Separation. Worthiness. Heart’s desire.

Before I Fall 2017 Zoey Deutsch How Humans Learn

Greenleaf (Seasons 1-5) Power, Loyalty, Faith, Desire, Betrayal, Hypocrisy, Hiding, Lying and Pretending, Learning.

Sensitivity Training 2018 Anna Lise Phillips, Jill Alexander Overbearing, Demeaning, Dismissive, Diminishing, Minimizing, Willingness

The Point 1971 Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr

Smallville 2001 Seasons 10 -12 The Darkness invades humanity by convincing us our fears are real without our awareness. The making of a superhero; being the hero of one’s own life; The nature of evil, the nature of love, the nature of humanity.

Man About Town, 2007 John Cleese, Ben Affleck Who am I?

Johnny Handsome 1989 Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Morgan Freeman Judgment, exclusion and acceptance, vengeance, cruelty.

Stage Mother 2020 Jackie Weaver, Lucy Liu Willingness, Leap of Faith

Dangerous Liaisons, 1988 Gwen Close, John Malkovitch, Michelle Pfeiffer Coercive Control, Manipulation, Disingenuousness, Ostracism 

Three Magic Words 2010 Global Spiritual Teachers on the Nature of Humanity

Transformation: An audience with Delores Cannon Wise Woman and Spiritual Teacher

Farscape 1999 SciFi series, one of my absolute favorites. Even in future space, we can only create reflections of ourselves.

Lucifer Series 2016 Tom Ellis, Lauren German Lucifer Morningstar comes to Los Angeles To Learn about Humanity.

Out of Africa 1985 Meryl Streep, Robert Redford Beautiful. Explores love, loyalty and desire.

The Fifth Element 1997 Bruce Willis, Mila Jovovitch, Gary Oldman; Saving the Universe 

The Handmaid’s Tale 1990 Movie Faye Dunaway, Natasha Richardson Power, Control, Abuse, Entitlement, Arrogance, Pain & Suffering, Denial

The Handmaid’s Tale 2017 Series Elizabeth Moss

Cool Hand Luke 1967 Paul Newman Resistance, Aggression, Power and Control

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 1958 Elizabeth Taylor,  Paul Newman Trust, Suspicion, Fear, Frustration, Judgments and Beliefs

Suddenly Last Summer 1959 Elizabeth Taylor Entitlement, Denial, Coercive Control, Guilt, Blame, Buried Trauma

Butterfield 8 1960 Elizabeth Taylor Sex, sexuality, desire, shame, loneliness, desperation, pretending.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? 1966 Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton A couple in the habit of lying, hiding, pretending and hurting themselves and others.

The Wrestler 2008 Mickey Rourke, Marissa Tomei Desperation, Last Chance, Redemption

Solos 2021 What would you do if you met yourself? Who am I? What am I? The human condition.

Carnivale 2003 Series Michael J Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau The nature of evil.

Second Act 2018 Jennifer Lopez Am I good enough? Is something wrong with me? Moral dilemma: See the self: recognize, acknowledge, admit, take responsibility, show remorse and be accountable for the self and the self’s emotions, thoughts and actions.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Any season, especially 10. Recognizing, Acknowledging, Admitting, and Accepting Who I Am. Realizing my heart’s desire. Suffering and struggling. Personal truth. Supremely entertaining. 

Everything’s Gonna Be OK 2020 Josh Thomas Neuroses, Autism, Disingenuousness, Authenticity, Desire, Excuses, Avoidance, Communication.

The Good Doctor 2018 Freddie Highmore Autism, Authenticity, Communication, Socialization; Being Different.

Grey’s Anatomy 2021 Season 7 Episode 14 - Look Up Child

New Amsterdam Doctors being different - what a concept.

The Resident Doctors advocating for patients, yes, please. Superiority. Entitlement. Karma and Karmic intervention. Even monsters can learn.

Coffee with God 2019 Nick Lanciano …in mysterious ways.

Ladykillers 2004 Tom Hanks, J.K. Simmons Hidden Agenda, Greed, Avarice and Karma

Scotland, PA 2001 Maura Tierney, Christopher Walken Guilt, Coercion, Giving in to Darkness, The Nature of abusers and abuse. Processing and integrating Lesson. Moving Forward.

Into the Labyrinth 2019 Dustin Hoffman Bizarre, Aggressive, Coercive Control.

Delivering Milo 2001 Albert Finney A unique perspective on being born into humanity.

Lost Heart 2020 Melissa Anschutz, Victoria Jackson Seeing the self; Finding home within the self; healing and redemption.

A Change in the Air 2018 Olympia Dukakis Quiet mystery, grief, spiritual redemption, connection.

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. 2021 Patton Oswalt Megalomaniacal supervillain fails and fails to see the self.

The Wonder Years 2021 Season 1, Episode 8 Science Fair. Perfect example of how The Lesson Plan Alert!, Escalation, Engagement system works.

Pete the Cat 2017-2021 Seasons 101-205 Beautiful, basic wisdom for everyone.

Jem & the Holograms 2015 Aubrey Peoples Authenticity, Honesty and Respect, Identifying, Reconciling and Learning the Lesson.

The Connors Season 5 Episode 7 Take this job and shove it twice. Lesson Plan in action.

The Four Agreements and Mastery of Love Don Miguel Ruiz

Falling Into Grace and Healing the Core Wound Of Unworthiness - The Gift of Redemptive Love Adyashanti

The Alchemist Paolo Coelho The Spiritual Adventurer’s Journey

The Manuscript of Accra Paolo Coelho - Timeless, Uplifting Wisdom for Spiritual Warriors

The Dispossessed Ursula K LeGuin - Unflinching Reflection of Humanity

The Timekeeper Mitch Albom  The List, The Voice, Lesson and Choice, the Journey, enlightenment and resolution.

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith - Beautiful, Peaceful, Entertaining Wisdom that will lower your blood pressure and smooth your soul.

Thang Martin Gardner - The best, shortest short story ever.

The Museum of Ordinary Things Alice Hoffman - Healing by Truth and Choice

Geek Love Catherine Dunn - All Love is good Love.

Book and Scone Society Ellery Adams (Books 1-5) Seeing the Self, Recognizing, Acknowledging & Admitting; Seeking Assistance, Trust, Compassion, Providing Service

After Alice Fell Kim Taylor Blakemor - Profound Denial, Greed, Avarice, Make someone insane to avoid acknowledging and admitting the truth.

Trail of Broken Wings Sajal Badoni Generational abuse. Chased. Broken. Unlovable. Compare & Compete. Too broken to be loved. I will never have that. On the outside looking in. Lying. Pretending.

Rewind 2019 Sasha Joseph Neulinger Generational Abuse, Healing Generational Karma

Pain God and Other Delusions Harlan Ellison Pain

The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments Margaret Atwood Coercive Control, Tyranny, Enslavement, Human Rights, Male Patriarchal Domination, Refusal to Recognize Women as Equal, Self-Hatred, Self-Loathing, Blame, Unmitigated Misogyny and Fascism at it’s very worst; Fear, Damage, Abuse, Righteous Indignation; Fury; Applied Rage; Revolution; Determination; Unimaginable Suffering.

The Incarnations of Immortality Series and Torture, a short story. Piers Anthony A conceptual representation of Human Spirituality.

Mirage Pauline Gedge Choice, Karma, Lesson, Failing To Learn

The Magus John Fowles Coercive Control, manipulation, disingenuousness, hidden agenda.