49     NO TELL MOTEL 

KEY CONCEPTS:  gossip, secrets, spying, stalking, privacy, modesty, covenant.

MESSAGE:  Before you speak of others, take a second to ponder Truth.  Remember your neighbor’s Infinite origin.  Whether you discuss human goodness or depravity, it’s all a pack of lies.  Neither effusive praise nor trash talk honor Infinite being; both are incorrect for the very same reason.  Avoid using your speech to betray yourself or anyone else; align inner expressions with outer demonstrations.  Thoughts, attitudes and actions are all forms of your sacred word.

Curses taint the well, the source from which everyone draws life-water.  It’s not what we take in your mouth that poisons, but the lies we’re spitting out.  Are you pouring fear or faith into syllables you speak? How do you know if your utterances are helpful or hurtful?  Do they convey love?  Are you as comfortable stating that phrase in front of Jethro in Room 13 as you are behind his back?  Integrity leaves no room for white lies, tall tales, or skipping salient details.  Say only what you mean; and if it’s really mean try zipping your lip.  What if the truth seems ugly?  If it’s the candor of our subjective mind, it’s safe to say it’s bogus.  Refrain from every angle of gossip:  until you know for sure, don’t believe it nor repeat it.  Want to freeze careless chinwaggers in their tracks?  Suggest calling to verify facts…that will send them scooting.  To judge righteous judgment, you declare only oneness; don’t say anything supporting duality.  “Namaste” is a Hindu greeting roughly translated as “the light in me acknowledges the light in you.”  It’s the only true statement.  Safeguard the tip of your tongue and you could go from nemesis to “Namaste” in the twinkling of an eye. 

What happens at the No-Tell Motel should stay locked inside the room; she who blankets your skeletons earns your trust.  But secrets don’t stay shrouded for long in this world.  What will transpire when you bump into that libertine showgirl in your own neighborhood?  The backyard barbecue just got spicy; word is out.    Remember when you look at her you see only your own reflection.  Anyone talking smack spews everyone’s covert dirt.  

Avoid associating with simple babblers; chatty Betty spreads strife while whispering Willie ruins reputations.  By your words you will be justified, by your words you’ll be condemned. Careless murmurs in the shadows creep their way into daylight, and what we sigh in our private suite gets plastered on the billboard.

RELATED SITES:  CORAL COURT AT MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION, ST. LOUIS MO; HISTORIC MOTELS INCLUDE RAIL HAVEN, SPRINGFIELD, MO; BOOTS COURT, CARTHAGE, MO; ROADRUNNER LODGE, TUCUMCARI, NM; SANDS MOTEL, GRANTS, NM; SKYLINER MOTEL, STROUD, OK; LUDLOW MOTEL, LUDLOW, CA.