Sunday, December 23, 2012

Merry Christmas, Dear Friends!

Let mutual exciting love, real friends, big money and best people find you in 2013!

We shall meet with you at the beginning of January. We are going to the mountains to ski (Karpaty, Ukraine) and celebrate our beautiful long lasting friendship…

Yours,
Natalia Levis-Fox

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Psychological Humor: How to Release Physical Tension and Pain

The fastest way to release physical tension and pain is to start moving your toes


together with our amusing monster

5 minutes of practice and fresh energy of physical pleasure will begin playing in your body.

Love,
Natalia Levis-Fox

Psychological Humor: Females style of Thinking


Somebody very talented animated females’ style of thinking. Women have no tunnel vision. They keep in mind plenty of scenarios of outcomes and processes. That is why they are never bored and are always busy.

Love,
Natalia Levis-Fox

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Method: If You Are Scared to Die

If you are scared to die, you can easily imagine:

  • people
  • situations
  • events
  • your craziest dreams implemented
  • actions, etc,

you will experience after you “pass away”. This will immediately bring happiness, comfort and calmness to you.

There is some secret knowledge about different state of life after so-called “death”. This is something like the promised “Paradise”.

God (i.e. Abstract, Divine, Absolute, Universe and other names you know) never judges or punishes people for their thoughts, “sins” or “mistakes”. Everyone on Earth has his or her own ways and experience. Everyone deserves happiness on his or her own terms.

When you start practicing your own paradise, all fears will melt away.

I got this knowledge and method last year at the hospital after a very serious operation.

I started practicing. Together with my implemented dreams, I ‘saw’ meetings, and conversations with people, scientists, writers, artists and philosophers I valued most, like: Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Einstein and other outstanding people.  

The recovering was quick. I understood that life could ‘end’ any moment, So, I quitted teaching at University and started doing things I love. Since that time my books and artworks began healing people and inspired them in different spheres of life.

I wish you wellness.
Love,
Natalia Levis-Fox

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Mystical Tradition in Islam: Sufi

My article “Ecstasy of Love” became very popular among readers from 21 countries. Nevertheless, people feel somehow ashamed to write comments openly and I receive their questions by email. I’m really happy that conceptual information in my articles causes people from different spiritual traditions to ponder, think abstractly and enrich their intellectual worlds. As far as Sufi tradition is of special interest, I decided to site a chapter from Dr Richard Bolstad’s book “Integration: NLP and Spirituality”. This beautiful book opened my eyes to the nature of love, origin of religion and spirituality.  Several years ago I translated the book  into Russian and richly illustrated it.


Sufi Dancing

I was lucky to see dancing Sufi in Istanbul, The feeling of quietness and admiration takes you…


The Mystical Tradition in Islam

In 610AD, when the Arabic teacher Muhammad first had the visions that led to the creation of Islam (the name Islam means “submission”), the nomadic Arab tribes worshipped a multitude of gods, goddesses and spirits along with Allah (Allah is “the high one”; this is the name that Jesus, speaking Aramaic, used to refer to God as well). Muhammad taught submission to Allah as the only God. From the beginning, there were mystics in Islam, including Hasan al-Basri in Iraq (died 728AD), Dhu al-Nun al-Misri in Egypt (died 861AD) and the woman teacher Rabi’a al-Adawiyya in Iraq (died 801AD). As in Christianity and Judaism, these “Sufi” (the word suf means wool, and these mystics wore rough woollen clothes) often incurred the wrath of the orthodox authorities. The Persian teacher Mansur al-Hallaj, for example, was executed in 922AD for claiming to be one with God and stating “I am the truth.” By the twelfth century, there were several Turuq (schools) of Sufi, each named after the teacher who had founded it. (Johnstone, 2002, p 285-287).

The Sufi themselves, while accepting the six pillars of Islamic faith, often also say that their teachings predate Islam and are the same as the core teachings of the ancient Egyptian mystics, the Kabbalists and the Christian Gnostics. Idries Shah explains “Sufism has always existed…. Sufism is the knowledge whereby man can realise himself and attain permanency. Sufis can teach in any vehicle, whatever its name. Religious vehicles have throughout history taken various names.” (Shah, 1974, p 312).

Sufi teaching is often done using metaphors like the parables with which Jesus the Nazarene taught. Consider this delightful tale of the Sufi teacher Bayazid, about the illusory nature of the self (from Shah, 1974, p 274). “When someone knocked on the door, Bayazid called out: ‘Whom do you seek?’ The caller answered ‘Bayazid’. Bayazid replied ‘I, too, have been seeking “Bayazid” for three decades, and I have not yet found him.’” The other vehicle used in Sufi teaching is poetry. Amongst the great Sufi poets is Jalal-ad-Din Rumi who died in 1273. The following verses exemplify his poetry, which transcends the division between sacred and “profane” love (from Rumi, 1997, p 16).

“When the lover breathes,
Flames spread through the universe.
One breath shatters this illusory world
Into particles.

The world becomes an ocean
From beginning to end,
And the ocean disappears in its majesty.
If this were made manifest for even a second
To the people
There would be no humanity left.”

Sufi ideas and practices also circulate outside of Sufism in the work of teachers such as Gurdjieff.

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (1877-1949) was a Russian who searched Asia and the middle east looking for the ancient mystical teachings. He studied with Sufi and other teachers, learning both Sufi sacred dancing (a form of meditation akin to Chinese Tai Chi) and Sufi mystical thought. By 1914 when Peter Ouspensky met him (Ouspensky, 2001) and began introducing his ideas to the west, Gurdjieff said that he was teaching the fourth of four ways to attain oneness.

1)      The way of the Fakir. Indian Fakirs gain extreme control over their physical body.
2)      The way of the Monk. Monks gain control over their emotions by “submission”.
3)      The way of the Yogi. Yogis gain control over their mind by meditation.
4)      The way of the Sly Man. Gurdjieff’s fourth way involves living in the world rather than withdrawing from it, and using all experiences to assist “the work” of waking up from the sleep of normal consciousness.

References

  1. Bolstad, R. Integration: NLP and Spirituality. Christchurch, 2003, New Zealand
  2. Johnstone, P. “Islam” p 270-303 in Bowker, J. ed Religions Cambridge University, Cambridge, 2002
  3. Ouspensky, P.D. In Search Of The Miraculous Harvest, New York, 2001
  4. Rumi, M.C. (Translated by Ergin, N.O.) A Rose Garden Echo Publications, Lake Isabella, California, 1997
  5. Shah, I. The Way Of The Sufi Penguin, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1972

Love,
Natalia Levis-Fox

Esoteric Art: Paintings for Meditations

Levis-Fox Art Gallery exposed a new collection of paintings. We have 8 mysterious artworks from two Russian artists. They are a marital couple: Natalia Dyu and Oleg Kibirim. Their pictures are fascinating… They use impressionism technique to plunge you into mysteries of life. They pain on canvas using oil. Then they apply perl acrylic paints to make pictures sparkle. In reality their pictures are more beautiful than in photos.
  
Oleg pointed out that their artworks are used for meditation.

If you seek for wisdom and peace, religious and spiritual ecstasy, Oleg’s paintings are very good.


Oleg Kibirim. Appassionato. 60 X 55 cm.
Canvas, oil, perl acrylic, 2011


Oleg Kibirim. Madonna. Canvas, oil, perl acrylic,
2011 (for sale, ask for details)



Oleg Kibirim. Angel. Canvas, oil, perl acrylic,
2012 (for sale, ask for details)



Oleg Kibirim. Hierarchy. 87 X 87 cm. Canvas, oil, perl acrylic 

If you seek for happiness and joy, then Natalia’s art will fill the gaps in your missing imagination of miracles, you can find in the outer world of rains, air, trees, birds, people, etc



Natalia Dyu. Dreams. Canvas, oil,
perl acrylic, 2010 (for sale)


Natalia Dyu. Sunny Rain. 55 X 70 cm.
Canvas, oil, 2010 (for sale


Natalia Dyu. Bird of Happiness. 90 X 70 cm.
Canvas, oil, perl acrylic, 2011 (for sale)



Natalia Dyu. Tree of the world. 70 X 54 cm.
Canvas, oil, perl acrylic, 2010 (for sale)


Your comments and compliments will certainly raise painters' spirits.

Love,
Natalia Levis-Fox

Monday, December 3, 2012

Art: Symbols of Wealth and Golden Fleece

Everybody wants to be rich. Without money, our self-esteem is not very high. More than that, the lack of money causes problems with lungs. It’s a fact.

We often feel uneasy in the presence of those, who have enough cash to buy whatever they wish. If somebody tells you that money is not important, or they do not love it, don not believe them!

Look around your living and working space. Do you have any symbols of wealth? Do you use symbols of abundance from foreign cultures like Chinese frogs, for instance? Do they work for you? Do they inspire you? Do they bring money you are worth?

While I was preparing articles about Golden Fleece (part 1 and part 2), I decided to make a beautiful symbol of abundance for my home.
  
Here it is, done in the form of a five-ray star – the symbol of power, gold and money.


Natalia Levis-Fox. Golden Fleece.
Polymer clay, glass, stained glass paints,
wooden frame, 15 X 15 cm

I added some extra meaning to this nice artwork. I speak about Jason’s qualities that correspond to mine ones: courage, braveness, curiosity, searches the best, and a winner’s character. Also, I coded some females qualities I value high: gentleness, tenderness, warmth, fluffiness and some others, which I prefer to keep a secret.

By the way, sitting or lying on a Golden Fleece ship-skin is nice and pleasant. When you plunge your tired feet into the fluffy fur, you immediately feel relaxed and loved…

So, this artwork is meaningful and is magically charged. I placed it over my fireplace to inspire and remind me about life I was born for. You can also create your own symbols of wealth and happiness. Or, you may choose and demand me to create something special for you, charged with marvels and your desires.

I remind you that miracles appear from nowhere when you believe in them!

Love,
Natalia Levis-Fox