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Guru Corner Disclaimer: Teachers highlighted in the guru corner are not being recommended or promoted for spiritual guidance. They are merely individuals who exemplify certain spiritual qualities that are placed here for us to observe and use in whatever fashion works best for us. "On January 29, 1954 Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to unwed, teenage parents in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Oprah had a mountain of obstacles already in front of her as a newborn baby... she was born to unwed teenage parents, she was female, she was black, and she was poor. Oprah's mother was an eighteen-year-old housemaid named Vernita Lee. Her father was a twenty-year-old doing duty in the armed forces: his name was Vernon Winfrey. For the first six years of her life, the young Winfrey was raised on a Mississippi farm by her grandmother. That being perhaps the first stroke of good luck for the young child. Oprah has stated that living with her grandmother probably saved her life. While in her grandmother's care, she was taught to read at a very early age, instilling a love of reading in her that she retains today. She began her public speaking career at the tender age of three when she began reading aloud and reciting sermons to the congregation of her church. Oprah has said that she heard her grandmother state on several occasions that Oprah was "gifted." While the young child didn't know exactly what being "gifted" meant, she thought that it meant that she was special. And that was enough to keep her going. That bit of praise, the thought that she was "gifted" and "special" may have been what got her through the hard years that she was to spend with her mother." - excerpt from http://ksks.essortment.com/oprahwinfrey_rkcr.htm When one grows up in an underpriviledge environment, often it's the lack of attention that damages a child's chances for the future. Oprah was blessed with a grandmother who instilled in her a sense of self-esteem that would carry her through rapes, molestation, and the death of her own stillborn baby boy. I think that Oprah understands the value of praising other people for who they are. This is what has made her immensely successful in her personal life: her ability to value herself despite her many obstacles in life and the ability to inspire others to do the same. For that reason, I have chosen her as this month's guru on self-esteem.
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Beyond The Dream
From the film "The Secret Garden" released in 1993, we are introduced to Mary, a child orphaned of neglectful parents by an Indian earthquake. She is a child that does not know love. Her environment is one of harshness, neglect, loss, and cruelty. After the earthquake, she is sent to England to live at her uncle's castle where she discovers the secret garden. As one reviewer put it: "'The Secret Garden' is one of those rare films that forces you to see Life's inherent beauty. It is a gothic tale which miraculously transforms itself into a pastoral idyll. For once, we enjoy the intoxicating experience of seeing unhappy people find love and bliss, instead of watching happy people meet their disillusionment. What's more, the principal characters are children, who, in an odd twist, are able to mature only because they've found the bliss of being young. Like Mike Newell's 'Enchanted April,' 'The Secret Garden' celebrates the curing effects of the natural world and the possibility of human beings rediscovering (or discovering) their sense of contentment. It dares us to consider that our existence has a magical component that we cannot articulate. The film's lavish photography and beautiful landscaping serve to underscore these themes, as does the soulful celtic soundtrack. It is simply impossible to watch these children and not be moved to thankfulness for own humanity, however flawed it may be." -tmodelford at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108071/ Within each of us, we hold our secret garden. In this magical place we are Divine and Whole, regardless of what outer circumstances we may hold. As Mary learned to nurture and care for her secret garden, she began to see it bloom, bringing love and happiness back into her life. It was a place of her distraction from her troubles. It was a place of warmth and sunshine. It was a place of growth and harmony. These were symbols to herself of her own innate Divinity, of her unshakeable self-worth. This movie will really move you to tears. To order it, click on the link below:
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