SOUL HOME NEWSLETTER – NOVEMBER 2013
Soul Home’s Vision
Celebrating Heaven on Earth
By Living a Life of Choice
Rooted in Truth
Vibrating with Love, Wisdom and Abundance.
Soul Home’s Mission
To Practice and Teach Spiritual Principles;
Being a Beneficial Presence for Global Transformation
Through Individual Transformation
Soul Home’s Purpose
To Serve with Love, because we Love to Serve!
*************
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“True prayer must be, “Thy will be done”…It is a knowledge that the will of
God is always GOOD.”
(Ernest Holmes: The Science of Mind, page 268)
In this Issue:

Dates and Venue for Sacred Gatherings – November 2013

Venue for Soul Home’s Sacred Gatherings
 MAKE ALL THINGS NEW by Ernest Holmes A New Design for Living
 “GLOBAL ONENESS DAY” – Celebrating the Oneness of Life
 “SOFT AND STRONG” from the book The Tao of Leadership, by John Heider
 Ongoing/Forthcoming Events – Courses/Workshops/Study Groups
 Next Science of Mind Foundations Class planned to start early 2014.
 Visioning Team Meeting: Monday, 18 November 2013
 Science of Mind Study Group in Cape Town - next meeting on Saturday, 16 November
2013 in Milnerton from 13h00 to 16h00
 Spiritual Library
 Social Evening – including “Pot Luck” and movie: No event planned for this month
 Spiritual Mind Treatment requests
 Links to Websites
 Penny’s Worth
 Practitioner contact details
“You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your
mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes
into your mind.”- Zig Ziglar
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Dear Friend of Soul Home
Seeing all the Christmas decorations in full swing, I become aware that another year has almost
passed. Please do not panic, it is simply an observation as I notice and reflect on at all that has
come to pass - with gratitude.
I enjoyed a wonderful holiday in the Western Cape for three weeks during the month of October
2013. What a blessing to spend time with dear friends and enjoying the splendor of this part of
South Africa! When I came back I celebrated, as some of you already know, my Civil
Union/marriage with my partner of the past 33 years, Gunnar. Rejoice! We had a lovely
celebration with a small circle of friends.
And now it is back to studying! I am catching up, slowly but surely, as there was limited
opportunity for that during my holiday. I am sure you will understand.
***
A quote by Alan Cohen for contemplation and consideration:
“To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your
history is not your destiny.”
*****
Take note of the following dates for our Sacred Gatherings in November 2013:

Sunday, 10 November at 10h00, Melanie Hall, RScP, offered to give us a talk
on ‘FORGIVENESS”, a subject I find to be of great importance as it
somehow touches each and everyone’s life.
There will be a child-minder for the children.

Sunday, 24 November at 10h00, there will be no Kiddie’s Ministry as Melanie
won’t be available on this day. We shall arrange to have a child-minder.
VENUE:
Randpark Club
Setperk Road, Randpark (Windsor Park), Randburg
Tel. No. 011 215 8600
GPS Co-ordinates: S26’06.862 E27’58.000
DIRECTIONS:
From Beyers Naude Offramp:
 Travel southwards on Beyers Naude Avenue (with Renault dealership on left & World
Wear on right towards Cresta Shopping Centre.
 After approx 2km turn left onto Judges Avenue.
 After 550m turn left onto Republic Road.
 Take the third road left onto Klub Street.
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



Turn right to stay in Klub Street.
Turn right after approx 450m onto Fairway Drive.
Take the first left onto Setperk Road.
Destination will be on the right.
Check in at Security and ask for directions to the Golf Club Reception (not the Fairview
Hotel & Spa.)
From Malibongwe Drive Offramp:
 Travel southwards as far as Republic Road (approx. 3.3km) and turn right onto Republic
Rd. ive.
 After approx. 2.2 km turn right at robot onto Cherry Drive.
 Take the third left onto Arend Avenue.
 Take the third right onto Fairway Drive.
 Take the first left onto Setperk Road.
 Destination will be on the right.
 Check in at Security and ask for directions to the Golf Club Reception (not the Fairview
Hotel & Spa.)
There is space for kiddies and there is safe parking for our vehicles. Please go to Reception and
you will be directed to the meeting venue.
Kindly note that there is a dress code we are requested to honor when attending our gatherings at
the Randpark Club. Please do not wear shorts and/or flip-flops!
Join us in creating the spiritual community you would like to experience.
You are most welcome to bring a friend or interested persons to our Sunday Gatherings in order
to introduce them to the Science of Mind teachings and to participate in our fellowship.
At the beginning of our Gathering, we have a meditation period,
which lasts approximately 10 minutes. If you arrive while the
meditation is in progress, kindly wait outside (in silence) until
meditation has been completed. It would be appreciated if you
could please respect this request.
******
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Spring flowers in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town– October 2013
*****
“There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
******
MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
By Ernest Holmes in A New Design for Living
In actual practical experience this can mean the creation of a new experience in living. In every
creative prayer we make we should expect to transcend any previous moment of creative thought
we have ever had. This increased spiritual endeavor should be a part of our whole mental and
emotional setup and background. It will lend the zest of adventure, the incentive of
accomplishment, and the enthusiasm of expectation. And this will always be based on the calm,
dispassionate concept that there are two fundamental aspects of Reality which neither science,
philosophy, nor religion can change: first, the concept of a Divine Presence overshadowing and
indwelling everything: and second, the realization of Law as the way It creates and governs.
Upon these two premises everything that we have accomplished or can accomplish is based.
These two fundamental propositions will never change but within the realm of their possibility
there will forever be ceaseless change, ceaseless differentiation, and every moment will see a
new birth from the unborn into the born.
So in our own growth, spiritually, and in the fuller experiencing of Life Itself, we are in a certain
sense like an artist setting up our canvas to paint a new scene. The basic colors and pigments,
the canvas and the easel and the brushes will be the ones we used yesterday. But who knows
what next picture will be precipitated upon the canvas through our creative imagination? Who
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knows what new inspiration will flow through us to accomplish something new and different?
Thus every moment is a fresh starting point, unconditioned by anything that has ever existed,
something being born here and now.
The continuing challenge is to increase our knowledge of the infinite potential, which lies ahead
of us, and every increase but reveals the more that is to be known.
To realize that an infinite Artist, the Divine Creator, the Cosmic Reality is back of and in and
through all of our acts is to realize the truth which enables us to enter with joy and enthusiasm
into the day in which we live.
Each day is a new creation, a new moment for a fuller awareness of spiritual Reality, and a time
for designing the new life we want to live.
***
“Global Oneness Day – Celebrating the Oneness of Life” – 24 Oct. ’13
Some comments by Neale Donald Walsch on Global Oneness Day:
As you know, the very first message in the 3,000 pages of Conversations with God is:
We Are All One. That is why I am reaching out to you about something that is of value
for you, your family and the whole Earth. It's a live free online Summit in which I am
personally participating, called Global Oneness Day 2013.
I think you’ll see why I’m participating - and why I'm inviting you to participate - after
reading a little further.
Erwin Schrodinger, who won the Noble Prize for Physics in 1933, said, “Quantum
physics...reveals a basic oneness of the universe.” Eighty years have passed, but few
people have embraced (much less practiced) this awareness.
Global Oneness Day was created to heal the illusion of separation that has such a
powerful grip on the Earth. Even though scientists and notables have been sharing for
some time that everything is connected, the world’s institutions, organizations and
cultures are based almost entirely on separation - and I am clear that this is what has
created the chronic and acute problems we see in every sphere of society.
The United Nations, Humanity’s Team, The Association for Global New Thought and
non-governmental organizations around the world are calling for an awakened world, a
culture of solidarity, and a compassionate and sustainable Earth.
***
Here are some thoughts from the Global Oneness Day Website, which we shared at our
Sacred Gathering on 27th October 2013:
Imagine a world where everyone feels welcomed and wanted...
Imagine a world where everyone knows, deep in their hearts, that they belong...
Imagine a world where we all recognize that we are part of one global family...
It may sound like a dream, but it’s not.
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This world is possible now!
And the time has come to make this dream a reality.
That’s the intention of Global Oneness Day: To remind you to remember the truth of
our Oneness, that all of life is connected, and to inspire you to celebrate and appreciate
this truth with others.
What is Oneness?
Oneness is the energy of love that lies within you and connects you with all of life,
helping you to recognize yourself in everyone and everything.
Mystics of all traditions have experienced and shared the concept of Oneness
throughout the ages.
And, now, this idea of oneness is being reinforced by leading-edge science, which
confirms that we ARE all connected in remarkable ways – from the genes you inherit to
the air you breathe to the consciousness you share.
The old worldview in which you are somehow competing for survival is giving way to a
new one in which you are collaborating to thrive!
Oneness is healing all perceived ideas of separation and embodying the truth that we
are all interconnected and one.
How Global Oneness Day Can Benefit You
Global Oneness Day was created to spread the message of oneness in the world so
that you can be empowered to create a culture of peace and prosperity, creativity and
love.
But Global Oneness Day is not just about changing the world.
Oneness is more than a concept; it’s your true nature. And embracing Oneness will
create significant, positive changes in YOUR life!

If you have ever felt alienated, alone or out of place in your
life...

If you have ever wished for deeper connections with friends
and family...
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
If you have ever questioned whether you belong in this
world...

If you have ever mourned the lack of real community in our
disconnected, always on the go, society...
... Global Oneness Day is an opportunity for you to:

Experience (y)our oneness on a deep level

Know that YOU belong and have a place in the world

Bring oneness into the awareness of more and more
people

Feel a profound connection with thousands of others from
all around the world
Practical Tools, Too!
Global Oneness Day is about putting Oneness into ACTION in your personal life, within
your family and communities and in the world at-large.
Here’s how you can benefit:

Experience inner calm and an ease about your day as you
learn tools and techniques for cultivating oneness in your
life

Feel deeply connected and gain a sense of belonging
within your local community AND global community

Let go of being “out of sorts” or disconnected from your
passion as you learn to “come home” to yourself

Feel the joy of serving something bigger than just “you”

Carry this feeling of oneness and connection with you into
the rest of your life

Begin creating deep connections with those in your local
community and continue this work of oneness beyond
Global Oneness Day
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One Day of Oneness to Amplify the Other 364 Days of the Year
Global Oneness Day was created to celebrate your oneness with all of Humanity, with
all of life and with the creative force that animates you.
By celebrating your oneness on one day, our hope is that you will embrace and
celebrate your oneness EVERYDAY – and spread a wave of oneness around the world!
You are saying YES to your connection to everyone and everything.
You are saying YES to create a world where everyone feels welcomed, wanted, a
sense of genuine belonging and a deep connection to our global family and earth.
As the Hopi Elder said:
"The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word ‘struggle’ from
your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner
and in celebration. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for."
We ARE the ones we’ve been waiting for. And the wait is over.
Say a prayer the Dalai Lama says every morning:
May I be a guard for those who need protection
A guide for those on the path
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood
May I be a lamp in the darkness
A resting place for the weary
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened.
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***
SOFT AND STRONG
From the book “The Tao of Leadership”
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Adapted for a New Age
By John Heider
Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and
cannot yield.
As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and
hard.
The wise leader knows that yielding overcomes resistances, and gentleness melts
rigid defenses.
The leader does not fight the force of the group’s energy, but flows and yields and
absorbs and lets go. A leader must endure a great deal of abuse. If the leader were not
like water, the leader would break. The ability to be soft makes the leader a leader.
This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.
***
“Trained thought is more powerful than untrained thought.” - Ernest Holmes
*****
Ongoing/Forthcoming Events - Courses/Workshops/Study Groups
Here is a list of some of the accredited Science of Mind courses we plan to run during 2014.
Please let me know which course/s you are interested in as that would facilitate my planning!
FOUNDATION LEVEL
New Foundations of the Science of Mind
Duration of Course: 10 weeks Certification Hours: 30
Tuition Fees: R 2 350.00
It was intended to start a class in October 2013. I have decided to postpone this class until
early 2014 due to there not yet being sufficient participants. Please contact me via email or
sms if you want to participate in the next forthcoming class in 2014.
THE ESSENTIAL ERNEST HOLMES
The Essential Ernest Holmes
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Duration of Course: 10 Weeks
Tuition Fees: R 2 350.00
Certification Hours: 30
HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY COURSEWORK
From Whence We Came
Duration of Course: 10 Weeks
Tuition Fees: R 2 350.00
Certification Hours: 30
CONSCIOUSNESS COURSEWORK
Power of Your Word
Duration of Course: 8 Weeks
Tuition: R 1 950.00
Certification Hours: 24
Meditation is More Than You Think
Duration of Course: 8 Weeks Certification Hours: 24
Textbooks:
“An Easy Guide to Meditation” by Roy Eugene Davis - CSA Press, 1978,
And ONE of the following:
“How to Meditate” by Lawrence LeShan - Bantam, 1975 or
“Journey of Awakening” by Ram Dass - Bantam, 1978
Tuition Fees: R 1 950.00
Practical Mysticism
Duration of Course: 10 Weeks Certification Hours: 30
Textbooks: “The Foundations of Mysticism” by Joel Goldsmith
“Entering the Castle: Finding the Inner Path to God” and
“Your Soul’s Purpose” by Caroline Myss
Tuition Fees: R 2 350.00
ELECTIVES
5 Gifts for an Abundant Life
Duration of Course: 8 Weeks Certification Hours: 24
Textbook:
“5 Gifts for an Abundant Life” by Diane Harmony
Tuition Fees: R 1 950.00
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Visioning
Duration of Course: 8 Weeks
Tuition Fees: R 1 950.00
Certification Hours: 24
*****
Visioning Team Meetings
One meeting is planned for this month and will be held on Monday, 18 November 2013 from
19.00 to 20.30.
Please contact me if you would like to participate in this very important Spiritual Practice. You
are most welcome to join, even if you haven’t attended the Visioning Course. It is important,
however, that you have completed the new 2008 version of the Foundations class, which
contains two visioning exercises, as well as important information about the visioning process.
“I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder
my path.” – Dalai Lama
Science of Mind Study Group in Cape Town
Our next meeting is planned for Saturday, 16 November 2013 from 13h00 to 16h00 in Milnerton
(at Claire’s Home). Please note that our next meeting will only be in November as Claire is
currently overseas and I will be on holiday in October.
In May 2012 we started to study the book “The Art of Being Yourself – Discover Who You Are
and Learn How to Live” by Frank Richelieu.
It is a fascinating book with great insights, written in a language that flows easily. Even if you
have missed previous sessions, you can still join.
Please let me know via email gerdgunn@iafrica.com or gerdpontow@gmail.com whether you
would like to attend.
_______________________________________________________________________
SPIRITUAL LIBRARY
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We have a Spiritual Library available to the Soul Home community on a membership basis.
There are over 450 titles, which I have collected over time, while some books that have been
donated to me.
If you are interested in becoming a member of this Library, please send me an email and I shall
send you the list of titles, together with a Membership Application Form and the “Terms of
Membership”. A list of book titles is available on our website (www.soulhome.za.org )
SOCIAL EVENING – INCLUDING POTLUCK AND DVD FEATURE
No event has been planned for this month.
SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT REQUESTS AND COUNSELLING
If anyone requires spiritual mind treatment (affirmative prayer) for a specific purpose, please
submit your personal request/s via email or complete a written request to one of our
practitioners. They will treat on your behalf for a week. (See contact details at the end of this
newsletter). Specific prayer requests should not be submitted on behalf of someone else
without their permission. (The Science of Mind philosophy is one of free choice and therefore
no one is in a position to intercede for another person, unless they are unconscious or a young
child. In the case of an adult who has not requested the prayer, the treatment will be for
“wholeness” and “divine right action” only). You are kindly asked to make a love offering for
this service.
Our spiritual practitioners are available for private spiritual counseling sessions. Please contact
them directly to arrange an appointment. As they are licensed professional practitioners, they are
entitled to charge a fee for their services.
_______________________________________________________________________
LINKS TO ‘SCIENCE OF MIND’ WEBSITES:

Centers for Spiritual Living
www.csl.org

Higher Vision Institute
www.HigherVisionInstitute.org

Association of Global New Thought (AGNT)
www.agnt.org

AHA! Education: Virtual Center for Spiritual Living
www.ahaeducation.org
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
Here is a link to the free downloads of Ernest Holmes' radio shows. They are offered
through the Center for Spiritual Living in Asheville, NC - Rev. Dr John and Barbara
Waterhouse's center.
http://www.cslasheville.org/free_downloads.html
PENNY’S WORTH
CELEBRATING GLOBAL ONENESS DAY (G.O.D.) WITH
GERD AND GUNNAR ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR CIVIL
UNION / MARRIAGE
October in Johannesburg/eGoli is a profusion of colors in nature – the exquisite jacarandas,
bougainvillea creepers cascade in shades of pink, cerise, bronze with the contrast of fragrant
white star jasmine and Iceberg roses creating a wonderland unique to the City of Gold. (To the
uninitiated, Pretoria/Tshwane is known as the Jacaranda City with its concentration of avenues of
mauve jacarandas.) For me though, the volumes of jacarandas in the old suburbs of
Johannesburg, our huge manmade forest overshadow those in the city of Tshwane.) I cannot but
acknowledge the hand of a Higher Power at work in creating this breathtaking spectacle.
I also marvel at the symbolism of Global Oneness Day (with a hint of synchronicity) when Gerd
and Gunnar chose 24 October to formalize their union in the peace-filled garden of their special
friend Jaqui, in a leafy Johannesburg suburb. They took their vows shaded by a statuesque, old
oak tree, a symbol of endurance and strength, replicated in Gerd and Gunnar’s relationship. The
oak happens to be the national tree of Germany, Gerd’s homeland, while in Norse mythology,
the oak is sacred to the thunder god, Thor. Gunnar hails from Sweden and Old Norse is the
ancient language of Scandinavia. I have not heard Gunnar “thunder” but their great friend Paul,
a bass baritone, who also hails from Sweden sang to them in Swedish to underscore the harmony
of their union and in spite of the lack of a Swedish vocabulary, the guests intuitively understood
the meaning behind the message, not unlike an indisputable thunderbolt.
Dear Gerd and Gunnar, on behalf of the Soul Home community, we congratulate you and trust
that your special relationship will remain blessed, now and always.
******************************************************************************
And – as always - I should like to express my heartfelt “Thank You” to the members of the Soul
Home community for all their encouragement and support, as well as financial assistance in the
form of love offerings and/or tithing.
It is so good to know that each person makes a difference… and that person is…YOU. THANK YOU!!!
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And last – but not least, a special “Thank You” to my fellow Practitioners, Anka Daly and Penny
Gottlieb, Melanie Hall and Trish Potgieter, for their continuous generous and loving support.
Love and abundant blessings to all of you and your loved ones,
Gerd
“I am One with all life! “
Rust en Vrede , near Franschhoek /Western Cape, Oct. 2013
*******
For further details and/or making appointments for Practitioner/Counselling sessions, please
contact any one of us:
Gerd Pontow:
Cell
083 267 4205
Home:
010 591 6701 (NEW NUMBER!)
Fax:
086 671 4813
E-mail: gerdgunn@iafrica.com or gerdpontow@gmail.com
Website: www.soulhome.za.org
Anka Daly:
Cell:
083 267 1444
Home: (011) 942 2713
Business: (011) 873 9982
Fax:
(011) 825 7496
E-mail: ankadaly4@iafrica.com
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Penny Gottlieb:
Cell:
082 959 6415
Home: (011) 888 4791
Fax:
(011) 888 4791
E-mail: pengot@mweb.co.za
Melanie Hall:
Cell:
E-mail:
083 454 2619
melhall@telkomsa.net
Etrisia (Trish) Potgieter:
Cell:
Fax:
E-mail:
078 827 0853
086 648 2259
tripot@mweb.co.za
Please let us know of any family members, friends and/or acquaintances who might be interested
in our work and who might want to be included on our mailing list.
Any financial contributions you may wish to make in support of this work can be made into the
following bank account:
Bank: First National Bank
Branch: Cresta Centre
Branch Code: 254 905
Account Name: G. Pontow
Account Number: 54866001421
Ref: SOM Study Group and your name
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