Dear Friends,

I hope you're well, that you had a good summer and that you're full of thoughts of hope and possibility regarding the approaching autumn.

The passing of Ted Kennedy was an extraordinary moment of national memory and grief last week, as an era in America's history has now come to an end. I was eleven years old when John Kennedy was assassinated; the day before he died, I went with my sixth-grade classmates to see him give a speech at Rice University stadium in Houston. Watching the sun go down just as the Kennedy family lay Ted to his final rest this last Saturday, I sat crying in front of my television set with what I assume were millions of other Americans feeling the same love and appreciation for him, and for his brothers, that I do.

While some have remarked it's so sad that Senator Kennedy died before he could take a full role in our current health care debate, I think his death - through the sheer love it released among us - had a spiritual affect that our country so needs now. The power released when Kennedy's political opponents such as Orin Hatch and John McCain expressed their love for Kennedy as a man and as a friend, probably did more to heal and further our political conversation than anything Kennedy himself could have said at this moment. It is not facts about the health care debate, but hate itself, that is threatening not only our chances for health care legislation but also the very fabric of our national conversation. With Kennedy's death, conscious people regardless of their politics or whether they agreed with Senator Kennedy's views on health care took a moment to reflect on truths more significant than politics and a love more powerful than hate.

Caroline Kennedy said in her remarks at her uncle's wake that Senator Kennedy did many things other people could have done but didn't, simply because he was already doing them! She said it's now time for everyone else to step up, and while she might have been referring specifically to her own family, the point is applicable to all of us. It's true that with Senator Kennedy's passing, one chapter of American history now ends. But the question for those of us still living is this: how do we begin a new one?

Regardless of how dark things get, there is a light that will ultimately follow the darkness. For that is guaranteed by God. What lies in our hands -- what is completely up to us as beings of free will -- is how long the night will last and how quickly the light will get here. Many people on this earth have cast great light, and now is a moment when all of us must. At a time of war, let's cultivate peace. At a time of hate, let's cultivate love. At a time of hopelessness, let's cultivate hope.

Thank you for your interest in my work, and please know I send you my best wishes as you embark on each new day. May you find the guidance within you to be the light that will save the world.

Be well and be blessed,

Angel Awards 2009

Project Angel Food, founded by Marianne Williamson in l989, provides free home-cooked meals to homebound people with AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses in the Los Angeles area. Since its founding, volunteers and staff have cooked and delivered over five million nutritious meals prepared with love.

Marianne is proud and delighted to attend this year's Angel Awards, celebrating Project Angel Food's 20th anniversary. Please join her for this truly momentous occasion.

Angel Awards 2009
Celebrating 20 years of service
Saturday, September 12, 2009
www.projectangelfood.org

David Kessler Workshop

My friend David Kessler, co-author with Elisabeth Kübler Ross of two books, Life Lessons and On Grief and Grieving, will be speaking at I Can Do It! Tampa in November. He has an exciting new book coming out, and will be doing a workshop on it called Visions, Trips, and Crowded Rooms: Revealing Life's Final Mysteries. His Tampa lecture takes place on Saturday, November 21. I highly recommend his material!

David Simon Book

If you are struggling with an emotional or physical health challenge, Free to Love, Free to Heal offers a proven path to authentic healing. In this book, world-renowned mind-body physician and Chopra Center co-founder, David Simon, M.D., guides you through the five-step process that has helped thousands release their emotional pain, find freedom from the past, and reclaim their health and happiness.

SPIRITUAL LIBERATION starring Michael Beckwith

This documentary takes you on an intimate walk with Michael Beckwith to discover firsthand why his teachings have empowered thousands of spiritual seekers.

The film features Mario Van Peebles, Iyanla Vanzant, Lisa Nichols, Apl.de.ap of The Black Eyed Peas, Rickie Byars Beckwith and the Agape Choir.

You can receive Spiritual Liberation from Spiritual Cinema Circle for FREE when you sign up for a trial membership (just pay a small shipping fee). This collection of films also includes Outsourced, (a romantic comedy) two inspiring short films and a special interview with Neale Donald Walsch. Start your FREE trial today!

Joan Boresynko Book Launch

As change and uncertainty escalate, those who are prone to stress will be less able to compete, but hopeful, stress-hardy people will rule the world. It's Not the End of the World: Developing Resilience in Times of Change is the tool chest needed to step into a bold new future that works for us all!

Meditations for a Miraculous Life

There is no more powerful antidote to the chaos of the world than the cultivation of a quiet mind. Marianne's "Miraculous Meditations" are an extraordinary gift to yourself. Listen day and night and watch your world begin to transform into a more peaceful place.