Your mantra for the week:

 

“2015 holds a shower of blessings for me.”

 

I have received letters asking what my concept of God is. How do I describe it so that it is clearly understood?

 

God, for me, is a principle of Absolute and Eternal Good which is everywhere and, therefore, would be all that there is. This is the reason Saint John Paul finally declared there is no hell and there is no devil because God, being everywhere, would also be in the devil and in hell, which would be a contradiction of terms, because where God is, there can only be good.

 

This Good in Science is called energy, which is also everywhere. This energy, more specifically, can be called vibration and/or light. The Lord’s Prayer, in the direct translation from Aramaic to English, reads:

 

O cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration!

 

Soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your Presence can abide.

 

Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission.

Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire.

 

Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and flourish.

 

Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us, as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.

 

Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose, but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.

 

For you are the ground and the fruitful vision, the birth-power and fulfillment, as all is gathered and made whole once again.

 

In John 1:1 it says: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” A word is a vibration and that is why, when Jesus wrote the Lord’s Prayer, he described God (Father) as the Cosmic Birther of all vibration. Please note that the word Father comes from the word “sire” or “to father.”

 

Notice that the word desire has also within it the word “sire” or “to father”; and when we say desire, it is an idea which we wish to bring forth into our lives.

 

You may be wondering about the so-called evil in the world, after I have said that all that there is, is good. From my point of view, evil is nearly man’s description of his own negative experiences.

Consider that if you spell evil backwards, it would be the word “live,” which is the positive result when one lives in the consciousness of one’s Higher Self, which is the God within.

 

Positive ideas

 

This New Year, let us Father all our positive ideas and bring into fruition a truly prosperous 2015. Let us also trust the Father in us with all our hearts and souls, for this will surely open the way to blessings beyond our fondest dreams. Let us desire for ourselves, our country and the whole world the epitome of the best that God has to offer. Let me share with you the IAMIST prayer for 2015:

 

I am an IAMIST and 2015 holds a shower of blessings for me;

 

This is the year my body overflows with vim, vigor and vitality;

 

This is the year my bank deposits increase and multiply unceasingly;

 

This is the year my relationships become more meaningful, joyful and laugtherful;

 

This is the year I love and accept myself unconditionally knowing I am God as me;

 

This is the year my faith in the God within directs and guides me to succeed in wonderful ways;

 

This is the year I am honored for my great accomplishment of letting go the ego;

 

This is the year I attempt to out-give God;

 

This is the year my every breath brings forth a miracle;

 

Today, I am a channel of peace and prosperity and, thus, even before I call, my prayers are answered.

 

Sison’s List

 

As we start the year, there is always an expectation of the best; hence, let me start with the best that had happened in 2014 with regards to dressing at its best.

 

Last week, I mentioned I would come up with my choices of those who I believe epitomize dressing at its finest. I would like to emphasize that I consulted with a panel of seven people who are in the fashion world in one way or the other; we observed 35 well-known and well-groomed ladies. On that basis, I have come up with a Sison’s List.

 

This is what my choices have in common:

 

1. They know how to look good in anything. You can dress them in a T-shirt and they will carry it differently.

2. They are well-groomed at all times. We have not observed them in their own homes, but I will assume that, like my mother Priscilla, they are well-groomed at all times. My mom chose everything she wore, from her bed wear to her home outfits, so that you may drop by anytime and she would be properly dressed and groomed—even without makeup.

3. They are properly dressed for the occasion, whatever time of day—always keeping in mind the kind of event they are attending and dressing accordingly.

4. They do not dress to make a statement.

5. Their clothes become a body part and once they leave their homes they forget what they are wearing.

6. They never dress over-the-top nor try to be too trendy.

7. They instinctively know what colors fit them, what bags and shoes would match, and the proper accessories to wear with them, making sure their pleasant personalities take center stage every time.

8. They are not brand-conscious (I once noticed a woman who pretended she made a mistake of wearing her blouse inside out so we could clearly read the label).

9. Each one has established her own style.

10. They are never obviously dolled up so that it is immediately noticeable that they have been parlored.

11. They can never be accused of being fashion victims.

12. The word “elegant” can be ascribed to all of them.

13.Most of all, they dress for their pleasure and it becomes such a pleasure for others when they are seen.

In alphabetical order, these are my eight choices and the words that have been used to describe them.

 

Karen Davila—consistent and classic.

 

Amparito Lhuillier—chic, in corporate or casual wear. Exceptional in her formal wear, what with a daughter like Monique dressing her.

Tina Maristela Ocampo—simple but strikingly attractive.

 

Nanette Medved-Po—perpetually appealing.

 

Mandy de la Rama-Santos—forever exquisite.

 

Kaye Tinga—perfect color sense and always well-put together.

 

Bea Valdes—dresses with flair and panache.

 

Maricris Zobel—quintessential femininity.

 

The Priscilla statuette will be delivered to the respective homes of my choices. There will be no event to celebrate the occasion unlike all other Best Dressed affairs. As I have said, I am doing this to honor my mother who was a Ramon Valera fashion icon and was born this month.

 

The statuette is an adaptation of National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon “Billy” Abueva’s sculpture of a woman, which became a frontispiece in my mother’s Forbes Park residence. This was a birthday gift I gave my mother which I acquired through an exchange deal with Billy for one of my own painting-poems that he fancied, as shown in the photos.

 

Each awardee will receive a statuette with the inscription, “EPITOME: Dressing At Its Best.” My heartfelt congratulations to all of them. It has truly been a pleasure watching them. Until the next Sison’s List for Epitome 2015. Let’s keep our grooming at our best, dressed or undressed!