I received this recently via email. It was written by David Ault, and is a beautiful reminder of what it means to be in the present moment and all that it could offer...
For a Moment
For a moment every eye sees a petal
begin its journey from stem to ground.
and in that thimble full of time
where all worry becomes extinct -
all futurizing over what might be
or what could happen ceases,
then the world, in relaxation,
unites in the joy of the now.
Yes, imagine for a moment
there is no worry.
For a moment every inhale welcomes
wellness and the world feels relief
from the accompanying pains of disease.
The air hums with the sigh
of billions expressing their collective relief.
Yes, imagine for a moment
there is no pain.
For a moment everybody wins
and the victory circle is electric with the hugs,
handshakes and prayerful bows
of authentic acknowledgment.
It is the delicious moment when every mind
with every heart conceives the truth
that there is more than enough for all.
Yes, imagine a moment
that everybody wins.
For a moment all are able to forgive
every thing and every one
from every page of the past;
every thought of separation,
every grievance and grudge.
Brother understands brother -
sister their sister; child understands parent
and parent their child
and the world is awash with liberation.
Yes, imagine for a moment
that all forgive.
For a moment there is no hunger
and the bellies of all children and adults
are filled with the precise nourishment
their body is craving.
Food is equal portioned and equally shared
and all races and religion
discover that by sharing,
one need never suffers from hunger again.
Yes, imagine for a moment
there is an end to hunger.
For a moment every person,
everywhere is active in their passion -
doing what they love.
Self doubt has evaporated and each heart
beats with the rhythm of confidence.
Creativity is a sacred act
for the soul without concern
for recompense or approval.
Time and deadline is replaced with
being lost in the joy
of doing what one loves.
Yes, imagine for a moment
that everyone is living their passion.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Sacred Pause By the River
I continue to be a bit under the weather, sleeping more than usual, cooking, nesting, and purging closets and drawers long neglected, in a seasonal display of releasing...
This afternoon, after running some errands, I grabbed a croissant and coffee, and headed down to the river. It was a wonderfully breezy day, and I could see a legion of undulating ripples passing me by. I carefully made it down to the rocks to survey the river more closely, and realized I had not come down to spend some time from this vantage point, in perhaps a year. The configuration of rocks and the landscape were not as familiar as they once had been. As I looked out, on the broad expanse of the river, I knew that in a few short weeks or days, the colors would be changing...
I watched one kayaker carefully arrange his fishing gear and launch into the water, as I reflected first, on the role this river has played in my life, and then on some passages I had read recently...
Last night, before I drifted off to sleep, I finished reading the book, Compassionate Fire: The Letters of Thomas Merton and Catherine de Hueck Doherty, two of my favorite 20th century mystics. I did not know that they had known each other - or at least I did not remember it. But I know I was not aware that they had corresponded for several decades until Merton's death.
Catherine began her life as a Baroness in Russia, and fled during the Russian Revolution after nearly all of her family was executed. She was called to a Lay Apostolate, and founded both Madonna House and Friendship House, where she embraced a life of social action and solidarity with the poor.
The editor of the book, Robert A Wild, believes that Catherine played a significant part in Merton's vocation. I was fascinated by their spiritual letters, for that they were - and this type of correspondence has been of great interest to me since my days in graduate school, studying spirituality. At one point, I envisioned myself writing a dissertation on such a topic - and for years poured over the spiritual letters of so many others - Francis de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and so forth...
Here are some excerpts from the letters that spoke to me. It is Catherine who seems to convey the deepest feelings and who seems most transparent to me....
"If writing is your vocation, go ahead and write. But always with a prayer in your heart and diffidence in your soul, for a written word is such a potent weapon for evil and for good. There cannot be any connection between talent of any sort and pride. Real talent is very humble..."
(Catherine to Merton - on his writing)
"...I know there is nothing keeping me from God anymore - I can belong entirely to Him by simply consenting to each trial as it presents itself, and that is enough! It is everything."
(Merton, on the occasion of his entering the Trappists)
"For nothing is more sacred than a letter or a conversation in which one human being opens his or her heart to another, who factually has no right to that confidence..." (C)
"I know that there is no need of letters between us, because we are together in the heart of Christ." (C)
"All I can offer you is the wine and oil of my love, the oil of my understanding, the inn of my heart, and the alms of my prayers, humble as they may be." (C)
"Once you have passionately fallen in love with God, contemplation becomes the very essence of you." (C)
"Love, not knowing space or time, intuitively senses things that cannot be really spoken in words." (C)
I thought of passages such as these, and enjoyed a few more moments filled with gratitude for so many interior gifts, and went back home to tackle more closets!
This afternoon, after running some errands, I grabbed a croissant and coffee, and headed down to the river. It was a wonderfully breezy day, and I could see a legion of undulating ripples passing me by. I carefully made it down to the rocks to survey the river more closely, and realized I had not come down to spend some time from this vantage point, in perhaps a year. The configuration of rocks and the landscape were not as familiar as they once had been. As I looked out, on the broad expanse of the river, I knew that in a few short weeks or days, the colors would be changing...
I watched one kayaker carefully arrange his fishing gear and launch into the water, as I reflected first, on the role this river has played in my life, and then on some passages I had read recently...
Last night, before I drifted off to sleep, I finished reading the book, Compassionate Fire: The Letters of Thomas Merton and Catherine de Hueck Doherty, two of my favorite 20th century mystics. I did not know that they had known each other - or at least I did not remember it. But I know I was not aware that they had corresponded for several decades until Merton's death.
Catherine began her life as a Baroness in Russia, and fled during the Russian Revolution after nearly all of her family was executed. She was called to a Lay Apostolate, and founded both Madonna House and Friendship House, where she embraced a life of social action and solidarity with the poor.
The editor of the book, Robert A Wild, believes that Catherine played a significant part in Merton's vocation. I was fascinated by their spiritual letters, for that they were - and this type of correspondence has been of great interest to me since my days in graduate school, studying spirituality. At one point, I envisioned myself writing a dissertation on such a topic - and for years poured over the spiritual letters of so many others - Francis de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and so forth...
Here are some excerpts from the letters that spoke to me. It is Catherine who seems to convey the deepest feelings and who seems most transparent to me....
"If writing is your vocation, go ahead and write. But always with a prayer in your heart and diffidence in your soul, for a written word is such a potent weapon for evil and for good. There cannot be any connection between talent of any sort and pride. Real talent is very humble..."
(Catherine to Merton - on his writing)
"...I know there is nothing keeping me from God anymore - I can belong entirely to Him by simply consenting to each trial as it presents itself, and that is enough! It is everything."
(Merton, on the occasion of his entering the Trappists)
"For nothing is more sacred than a letter or a conversation in which one human being opens his or her heart to another, who factually has no right to that confidence..." (C)
"I know that there is no need of letters between us, because we are together in the heart of Christ." (C)
"All I can offer you is the wine and oil of my love, the oil of my understanding, the inn of my heart, and the alms of my prayers, humble as they may be." (C)
"Once you have passionately fallen in love with God, contemplation becomes the very essence of you." (C)
"Love, not knowing space or time, intuitively senses things that cannot be really spoken in words." (C)
I thought of passages such as these, and enjoyed a few more moments filled with gratitude for so many interior gifts, and went back home to tackle more closets!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
I Didn't Know My Own Strength
On this beautiful Sunday day, I slept in, feeling a bit under the weather. I think the trip to Paris took its toll and my body just needs to catch up, rest, and recuperate...
I am sorry to be missing the weekend workshop with the beautiful yogini goddess Sianna Sherman, an exquisite Anusara Yoga, Certified Teacher, but I realized after attending one session yesterday, and coughing a bit and feeling exhausted, that it was best to come home...Sometimes, that is the best that we can do. While I am disappointed, I know that I have made the right decision...
There is a part of me that would love to go down to the river today, but I go there in my mind instead...
I listen and watch the incomparable Whitney Houston, sing her new song, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," on Oprah (via YouTube), and I am amazed at her comeback, after truly hitting the deepest bottom one could possibly reach.
While my own experiences these past couple of years shy in comparison to hers, I too, learned, that "I didn't know my own strength..." It was a lesson that the river taught me, over and over again, and which I had to learn, albeit somewhat reluctantly and repeatedly at times...
But now I can truly say, yes - "I didn't know my own strength" to overcome, to endure, to heal, to become, and to flourish..."
We all have the inner strength and resourcefulness to be all that we can be and are meant to be. Perhaps there is no greater tragedy that a life that remains unlived, and potential that is left unexplored...
Here are the words to Whitney's song...
I am sorry to be missing the weekend workshop with the beautiful yogini goddess Sianna Sherman, an exquisite Anusara Yoga, Certified Teacher, but I realized after attending one session yesterday, and coughing a bit and feeling exhausted, that it was best to come home...Sometimes, that is the best that we can do. While I am disappointed, I know that I have made the right decision...
There is a part of me that would love to go down to the river today, but I go there in my mind instead...
I listen and watch the incomparable Whitney Houston, sing her new song, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," on Oprah (via YouTube), and I am amazed at her comeback, after truly hitting the deepest bottom one could possibly reach.
While my own experiences these past couple of years shy in comparison to hers, I too, learned, that "I didn't know my own strength..." It was a lesson that the river taught me, over and over again, and which I had to learn, albeit somewhat reluctantly and repeatedly at times...
But now I can truly say, yes - "I didn't know my own strength" to overcome, to endure, to heal, to become, and to flourish..."
We all have the inner strength and resourcefulness to be all that we can be and are meant to be. Perhaps there is no greater tragedy that a life that remains unlived, and potential that is left unexplored...
Here are the words to Whitney's song...
Whitney Houston - I Didn’t Know My Own Strength Lyrics
Lost touch with my soul
I had no where to turn
I had no where to go
Lost sight of my dream,
Thought it would be the end of me
I thought I’d never make it through
I had no hope to hold on to,
I thought I would break
I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength
Found hope in my heart,
I found the light to life
My way out the dark
Found all that I need
Here inside of me
I thought I’d never find my way
I thought I’d never lift that weight
I thought I would break
I didn’t know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled
But I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn’t know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up
Hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn’t know my own strength
Friday, September 25, 2009
Living Deeply
Every so often, Jamie Allison, one of my favorite Anusara Yoga teachers, sends out a newsletter. I always find it to be full of beautiful insights for me. I have excerpted her latest here for you, because it may speak to many of you as well...
"Squirrels are busy stuffing their cheeks and boroughs with seeds, nuts and grain. A pair of woodpeckers and their brood of fledglings gather at the birdbath and speak to each other in soft chirps. Between sips of water they dance around the rim of bath. Held by Nature, their only purpose is to continue their species and seeking meaning is not with in the realm of their awareness. Life is their purpose.
At the juncture of Autumn Equinox I ponder the threshold that marks diminishing light and lengthening shadows. On this particular day we are embraced by equal day and night. We are placed in the seam between contrary complements, between light and dark, between what was and what can be. Indian summer is found in the seam between summer's vibrant glory and autumn's golden splendor. Summer's contentment turns to autumn's wistful longing and my heart and mind turn toward the following words.
"Life has no meaning and no purpose." These words were spoken to Dr. Douglas Brooks by his teacher many years ago. His teacher concluded that statement with "and isn't that wonderful!"
How, one might imagine, can anything so seemingly grim be wonderful? I have had the opportunity to contemplate and live these words. Lately I have been having visceral experiences of their truest and deepest meanings, true, at least, for me.
This time last year my days were consumed with busy-ness. I needed to be distracted from many things, including the death of my beloved dog Farley, a failing real estate market and the fact that my husband, Justin, and I would not be living under the same roof until our house in Edwards sold.
I pulled weeds, I did my yoga practice, I sat in mediation, I read, I wrote, I stayed on top of the remodel of the third level of our retreat center. I kept busy because I needed to. Too much emotion was boiling under the surface. The "to do" list went on and on. I was not allowing myself to process what really needed to be processed. If I stopped I felt lost and that was what I was avoiding. My "to do" list gave my life meaning and purpose.
A year later, grief's razor edge has softened into sweet remembrance. The real estate market, no news to report there, and Justin and myself are still separated by the two hours and fifteen minutes it takes to drive here when he has a night off.
What has changed is my experience of my days. When I am teaching or preparing to teach my days are full and rich, I have purpose and my time is very meaningful. When I am home alone, I see how utterly empty and void of any kind of meaning or purpose my days can be if I allow it. I see how only I can give meaning to my days, to my life. This is a daunting realization and at the same time very empowering. This is the "wonderful" part that Douglas' teacher was referring to.
At the end of a day, at the end of a life are there memories to savor or regrets to push away? This time of year, as the days are growing shorter, and the stirrings of the soul are increasing, my attention is drawn to this sort of contemplation. Out of the vast diversity of creation only humans can contemplate and seek and create meaning and purpose. As the wheel of the year turns and there is more of 2009 behind us than in front of us, what is your experience, what are your thoughts, your hopes and desires? What have you offered, what have your received? What meaning and purpose have you created?
I am eternally grateful to John Friend and Dr. Douglas Brooks for the guidance and insights they have offered throughout the years I have studied with them. The Anusara Yoga® Universal Principles of Alignment™ offer the formula for creating meaning and purpose. Open to what life is offering to you, embrace it if you choose, refine with your heart, mind and effort and, finally, offer with fullness of heart.
One of the greatest teachings I have received from Dr. Brooks came in the form of several questions, "What do you want, how much do you want it and what are you willing to do about it?" When I remember to employ this wisdom I create meaning and purpose. My life is of value and I have something to offer. Not too bad for just another day.
Life is a gift and it is up to each one of us to decide how we want to receive it, how we want to shape it and how we want to offer it. Each day, at every moment we can create meaning and value. We are always "Poised for Grace", poised to receive Grace, poised to offer Grace. The opportunity to "Open to Grace" is in the seam between contrary complements. It resides in the gaps between here and there, now and then and you and me. This opportunity is there for everyone. The question is not "do we receive this opportunity", but rather "how well are we taking advantage of this opportunity?"
Each one of you who is receiving this letter is a gift in my life and has offered the opportunity for so much meaning. I appreciate your dedication to your yoga, to yourself and to this path. Let's keep getting together to do yoga. This practice refines our skills and keeps us centered and connected even if we are miles apart. As one beautiful interpretation of Namaste reminds us "when I am in my heart and you are in yours, we are one." Nothing could be more meaningful and purposeful than that.
The inner journey and the outer landscape are a reflection of each other. Create meaning and purpose in one and see it reflected back to you in the other. It's your life, live it on purpose, Live Deeply™."
Love and blessings,
Jamie
Visit Jamie Allison's web site at:
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The 5 Keys to Stress Relief
These helpful suggestions come from the latest edition of the Chopra Center's online newsletter, "Agni," and they seem very appropriate to share here...
The 5 Keys to Stress Relief
"Do you remember the last time you were so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away? For most of us, it’s even easier to get caught up in our own stories, interpretations, and emotions – becoming so identified with a mood that it completely colors our worldview.
Consider this common scenario: You’re at work when your manager calls and asks to immediately see you in her office. Depending on your typical thought process, you may immediately begin to worry, “What did I do wrong? I wonder if my job is on the line . . . if I get fired, it could take a long time to find work in this economy.” Your dread builds and you really don't want to go see your manager.
Or (particularly if your predominant dosha is Pitta), you may find yourself getting angry, thinking, “After all the work I’ve put in, I’m not putting up with any criticism. This company is lucky to have me here.” You head towards your manager’s office feeling belligerent and ready to defend yourself.
The 10-Ton Thought
Whether you react in fear or in anger, the thoughts in your mind create stress in your body. Your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises, your breath becomes shallow, your adrenalin surges, and you produce higher levels of cortisol. Your ancient fight-or-flight response is gearing up, but no woolly mammoths are roaming through the office ― “just” thoughts convincing you that your survival is at stake.
While your thoughts may seem wispy in comparison with a hungry, hairy predator, they clearly have immense power. Something happens that violates your sense of how things should be, and you perceive danger, whether real or imagined. Numerous studies show that chronic stress accelerates aging and makes you more likely to develop a serious illness, including heart disease, stomach ulcers, autoimmune diseases, cancer, insomnia, migraine headaches, panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.
Choices that Relieve Stress
Fortunately, there are many valuable practices that can help you go beyond the primal fight-or-flight response. You can learn to experience a restful response ― a mind-body state that is as natural as the stress response, but infinitely more peaceful and healing.
1. Connect to Your Body. While the mind is constantly flitting to thoughts of the future and memories of the past, the body lives in the only moment that truly exists: the present. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to go out of your mind and tune in to your body. Allow yourself to feel all your bodily sensations, including ones that your mind might label unpleasant, such as tightness in your jaw, churning in your stomach, or stiffness in your neck. Your body never doubts itself and it will guide you toward the most evolutionary choices. This guided meditation podcast by davidji will help you tune in to your body’s wisdom and release stress.
2. Meditate. Meditation gives you access to the inner silence and calm that lies beneath the mind’s noisy internal dialogue. Meditation allows you to experience profound relaxation that dissolves fatigue and long-standing stresses. Studies have found that a daily meditation practice can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decrease anxiety and depression, and reverse the biological markers of aging.
Given the numerous healing benefits of meditation, the Chopra Center offers instruction in Primordial Sound Meditation at all of our programs and events. In addition, there are certified Primordial Sound Meditation teachers throughout the world. Click here to find one in your area
3. Understand Your Unique Stress Response. Your mind-body constitution (known as your dosha) plays a great role in how stress affects you. Here are the stress patterns of the three main doshas:
* Vata: Those with predominantly Vata constitutions have the greatest tendency toward anxiety and worry. Normally creative and enthusiastic, in the face of stress, Vatas tend to blame themselves for their problems and become extremely nervous and scattered.
* Pitta: Pitta types are usually warm and loving, but if they’re out of balance, typically react to stress by finding fault with other people and becoming angry.
* Kapha: The most even-tempered dosha is Kapha. Kapha types are usually easygoing and gentle, but when faced with overwhelming conflict or stress, they may withdraw and refuse to deal with the situation.
Ayurveda offers specific recommendations for each mind-body type, including the most effective ways to cope with stress. Take the dosha quiz here to identify your mind-body type and learn more healing techniques.
4. Practice Yoga. Yoga is another timeless healing practice for releasing stress and the damaging effects of the fight-or-flight response. Not only is yoga an excellent physical exercise that increases your flexibility and strength, but it also balances the mind and body, calming the nervous system, increasing the production of stress-relieving hormones, and releasing stored toxins.
With a regular practice, you begin to experience a sense of calm and wellbeing that extends beyond the yoga mat into your daily life. You gradually stop dwelling on stressful thoughts and feel more lighthearted and joyful, even in the face of life’s inevitable upsets and disappointments.
5. Learn the Skills of Conscious Communication. When we aren’t able to clearly communicate our needs, we experience a lot of stress and frustration in our lives. Fortunately, conscious communication isn’t an inborn gift but a learnable skill. With practice, you can learn to express your needs, ask for what you want, and create more fulfilling relationships. The skills of conscious communication are a vital component of the Chopra Center’s Perfect Health program and our emotional healing workshop, Free to Love, Free to Heal. Click here to learn a powerful conscious communication technique that you can begin using right now.
To paraphrase the master teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, life sometimes feels like one insult after another. Still the goal isn’t to try to control the flow of life so that we’ll never experience stress or frustration again; the secret lies instead in giving ourselves a great deal of patience and compassion as we learn to befriend our mind. No matter how long we’ve been stuck in habitual thought patterns, we can learn to remain peaceful and joyful even when life is stressful."
The 5 Keys to Stress Relief
"Do you remember the last time you were so absorbed in a suspenseful movie or masterful novel that the rest of the world dropped away? For most of us, it’s even easier to get caught up in our own stories, interpretations, and emotions – becoming so identified with a mood that it completely colors our worldview.
Consider this common scenario: You’re at work when your manager calls and asks to immediately see you in her office. Depending on your typical thought process, you may immediately begin to worry, “What did I do wrong? I wonder if my job is on the line . . . if I get fired, it could take a long time to find work in this economy.” Your dread builds and you really don't want to go see your manager.
Or (particularly if your predominant dosha is Pitta), you may find yourself getting angry, thinking, “After all the work I’ve put in, I’m not putting up with any criticism. This company is lucky to have me here.” You head towards your manager’s office feeling belligerent and ready to defend yourself.
The 10-Ton Thought
Whether you react in fear or in anger, the thoughts in your mind create stress in your body. Your heart beats faster, your blood pressure rises, your breath becomes shallow, your adrenalin surges, and you produce higher levels of cortisol. Your ancient fight-or-flight response is gearing up, but no woolly mammoths are roaming through the office ― “just” thoughts convincing you that your survival is at stake.
While your thoughts may seem wispy in comparison with a hungry, hairy predator, they clearly have immense power. Something happens that violates your sense of how things should be, and you perceive danger, whether real or imagined. Numerous studies show that chronic stress accelerates aging and makes you more likely to develop a serious illness, including heart disease, stomach ulcers, autoimmune diseases, cancer, insomnia, migraine headaches, panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.
Choices that Relieve Stress
Fortunately, there are many valuable practices that can help you go beyond the primal fight-or-flight response. You can learn to experience a restful response ― a mind-body state that is as natural as the stress response, but infinitely more peaceful and healing.
1. Connect to Your Body. While the mind is constantly flitting to thoughts of the future and memories of the past, the body lives in the only moment that truly exists: the present. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to go out of your mind and tune in to your body. Allow yourself to feel all your bodily sensations, including ones that your mind might label unpleasant, such as tightness in your jaw, churning in your stomach, or stiffness in your neck. Your body never doubts itself and it will guide you toward the most evolutionary choices. This guided meditation podcast by davidji will help you tune in to your body’s wisdom and release stress.
2. Meditate. Meditation gives you access to the inner silence and calm that lies beneath the mind’s noisy internal dialogue. Meditation allows you to experience profound relaxation that dissolves fatigue and long-standing stresses. Studies have found that a daily meditation practice can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decrease anxiety and depression, and reverse the biological markers of aging.
Given the numerous healing benefits of meditation, the Chopra Center offers instruction in Primordial Sound Meditation at all of our programs and events. In addition, there are certified Primordial Sound Meditation teachers throughout the world. Click here to find one in your area
3. Understand Your Unique Stress Response. Your mind-body constitution (known as your dosha) plays a great role in how stress affects you. Here are the stress patterns of the three main doshas:
* Vata: Those with predominantly Vata constitutions have the greatest tendency toward anxiety and worry. Normally creative and enthusiastic, in the face of stress, Vatas tend to blame themselves for their problems and become extremely nervous and scattered.
* Pitta: Pitta types are usually warm and loving, but if they’re out of balance, typically react to stress by finding fault with other people and becoming angry.
* Kapha: The most even-tempered dosha is Kapha. Kapha types are usually easygoing and gentle, but when faced with overwhelming conflict or stress, they may withdraw and refuse to deal with the situation.
Ayurveda offers specific recommendations for each mind-body type, including the most effective ways to cope with stress. Take the dosha quiz here to identify your mind-body type and learn more healing techniques.
4. Practice Yoga. Yoga is another timeless healing practice for releasing stress and the damaging effects of the fight-or-flight response. Not only is yoga an excellent physical exercise that increases your flexibility and strength, but it also balances the mind and body, calming the nervous system, increasing the production of stress-relieving hormones, and releasing stored toxins.
With a regular practice, you begin to experience a sense of calm and wellbeing that extends beyond the yoga mat into your daily life. You gradually stop dwelling on stressful thoughts and feel more lighthearted and joyful, even in the face of life’s inevitable upsets and disappointments.
5. Learn the Skills of Conscious Communication. When we aren’t able to clearly communicate our needs, we experience a lot of stress and frustration in our lives. Fortunately, conscious communication isn’t an inborn gift but a learnable skill. With practice, you can learn to express your needs, ask for what you want, and create more fulfilling relationships. The skills of conscious communication are a vital component of the Chopra Center’s Perfect Health program and our emotional healing workshop, Free to Love, Free to Heal. Click here to learn a powerful conscious communication technique that you can begin using right now.
To paraphrase the master teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, life sometimes feels like one insult after another. Still the goal isn’t to try to control the flow of life so that we’ll never experience stress or frustration again; the secret lies instead in giving ourselves a great deal of patience and compassion as we learn to befriend our mind. No matter how long we’ve been stuck in habitual thought patterns, we can learn to remain peaceful and joyful even when life is stressful."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Remembering and Forgetting
As we begin the Fall Season - I too, begin a new Fall Session of Anusara Yoga classes, and I begin both my classes, and this season with these thoughts and insights - and even though these reflections are poised for my students, they are very much a message for me to take to heart as well...
"Life is a dance between remembering and forgetting.
When we open to grace – we literally step into the current of grace – that is the meaning of Anusara – flowing with grace – or stepping into its rich current – and bathing in its healing waters.
When we step into the current of grace – we remember who are – at our deepest essence – we remember our interconnections – we remember that we are part of an intricate web of life. We also remember who we want to be…
And – we remember beauty. We remember that the sun always shines after the dark – even if in the dark we forget the light.
Summer and all its myriad of activities has ended. We slowly begin to forget and let go of that season, and as we begin class one more, in this fall session – some of us may be returning after the hiatus of a season or more – some after only a couple of weeks – it does not matter – we are hear once again, because we remember…
We remember what the practice has been for us in the past – for it brings us into alignment – and into our optimal blueprint. When our body is this place – we remember – and we forget what it is to be out of alignment…
We yearn to come to that place of alignment, just as we remember beauty – every time we see a sunrise or a sunset.
But life, being what it is – we forget – we forget beauty, we forget to love as deeply as we can – we forget to be as compassionate as we can be.
Yet every season and every day – offers us the opportunity anew to remember – and to start once again.
Every time we don’t come to the mat – we forget.
When we harbor anger or fear – or frustration – we forget. But the beauty and hope is – we can always remember – even when we are in the midst of our deepest pain – we can still see light at the other end of the tunnel.
We remember that there is grace – and when we step into its rich and delicious current – we are opening to grace and all that it offers – we imbibe of its healing waters and we are baptized in its tributaries – we open the door to transformation and we say yes to the whole river and spectrum of life.
I invite you today to let go of the past – and to step onto your mat.
I invite you to open to grace and to remember all the beauty, and good that you do and are..."
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The River and the Autumnal Exquinox
On this day of the Autumnal Equinox, and two days after arriving from Paris, I steal away to the river for about 45 minutes...
I am somewhat jet-lagged and dealing with a scratchy throat, but I make my way down to the river that has been mine...
It is still and quiet, and I watch a blue heron perched on a log in the river. I float towards him, trying not to paddle much - to see how close I can get to him. But as I get closer, he flies away. He does not seem very interested in making a connection with me!
The river is silent. I am very much aware that it no longer really speaks to me. We simply commune, and somehow that is enough...
For nearly two years I have visited this river - and for one of those years I vigorously paddled its waters. It is very familiar to me - and I delight in its sights and the characteristics of its landscape - which are always changing. It is good to be here once again after witnessing and experiencing rivers and oceans nearly a half world away - particularly after visiting shores that saw the spilling of so much blood and thousands of lives lost...
I do not need to stay here very long...I acknowledge that one season has been left behind, and we are entering into a season full of radiant colors. It is a season of letting go and of preparation for the coming winter...
I am somewhat jet-lagged and dealing with a scratchy throat, but I make my way down to the river that has been mine...
It is still and quiet, and I watch a blue heron perched on a log in the river. I float towards him, trying not to paddle much - to see how close I can get to him. But as I get closer, he flies away. He does not seem very interested in making a connection with me!
The river is silent. I am very much aware that it no longer really speaks to me. We simply commune, and somehow that is enough...
For nearly two years I have visited this river - and for one of those years I vigorously paddled its waters. It is very familiar to me - and I delight in its sights and the characteristics of its landscape - which are always changing. It is good to be here once again after witnessing and experiencing rivers and oceans nearly a half world away - particularly after visiting shores that saw the spilling of so much blood and thousands of lives lost...
I do not need to stay here very long...I acknowledge that one season has been left behind, and we are entering into a season full of radiant colors. It is a season of letting go and of preparation for the coming winter...
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Sur le Seine
On my last full day in Paris, I take a boat ride on the Seine for an hour. I would like to ride a kayak, but I suspect you would need a permit for it.
Instead, after a day of roaming the city, exploring and offering prayers at churches, and eating a brasserie, I sit back, under the beating sun, and ride by the Louvre, and other sites, until finally disembarking at the Eiffel Tower.
It is a beautiful day, and I have not been to be on my own river in the last week or so, and thus I yearn to be in as close proximity to water as is possible. I relish momentarily ducking under one of the many "ponts" - or bridges, and smile as I recall a dear friend once telling me that you do Paris with a lover and wine and brie - not with a diaper bag! Those days are certainly behind me at least! (The diaper bag days...)
I think of traveling to Normandy yesterday to visit the landing beaches - Omaha and the others - and the cemetery for the fallen American soldiers - which was all at once - beautiful and sad and sobering - and a monument to so much loss. So many young men who lost their lives on D-Day and the days that followed...
Water gives life, and in some instances, it takes it away as well. Water can be calming, but also fearful and dangerous. Water has played just an important part in my healing process these last couple of years, but now, it simply is what it is - and I enjoy its presence...
Instead, after a day of roaming the city, exploring and offering prayers at churches, and eating a brasserie, I sit back, under the beating sun, and ride by the Louvre, and other sites, until finally disembarking at the Eiffel Tower.
It is a beautiful day, and I have not been to be on my own river in the last week or so, and thus I yearn to be in as close proximity to water as is possible. I relish momentarily ducking under one of the many "ponts" - or bridges, and smile as I recall a dear friend once telling me that you do Paris with a lover and wine and brie - not with a diaper bag! Those days are certainly behind me at least! (The diaper bag days...)
I think of traveling to Normandy yesterday to visit the landing beaches - Omaha and the others - and the cemetery for the fallen American soldiers - which was all at once - beautiful and sad and sobering - and a monument to so much loss. So many young men who lost their lives on D-Day and the days that followed...
Water gives life, and in some instances, it takes it away as well. Water can be calming, but also fearful and dangerous. Water has played just an important part in my healing process these last couple of years, but now, it simply is what it is - and I enjoy its presence...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Prayers at Notre Dame
I arrived in Paris, the City of Lights, shortly before 6 AM this morning.
After a nap, we made our way around the city, re-visiting many sites, but I especially chose to go back to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I have visited this lovely Cathedral every trip I make to this city.
The first time I visited was on my 50th birthday, in 2005, the very day that Charles de Foucauld, the French mystic and martyr, and one of my favorites, was being beatified.
In this magnificent church, filled with energy of prayers offered throughout many centuries, I offered my own for myself and a dear friend - for our families and our intentions - but most of all in gratitude for many blessings received.
I also enjoyed a walk by the Seine, recalling the Ardha Chandrasana - half moon pose I did by its banks three years ago.
What a gift to be here once again!
After a nap, we made our way around the city, re-visiting many sites, but I especially chose to go back to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. I have visited this lovely Cathedral every trip I make to this city.
The first time I visited was on my 50th birthday, in 2005, the very day that Charles de Foucauld, the French mystic and martyr, and one of my favorites, was being beatified.
In this magnificent church, filled with energy of prayers offered throughout many centuries, I offered my own for myself and a dear friend - for our families and our intentions - but most of all in gratitude for many blessings received.
I also enjoyed a walk by the Seine, recalling the Ardha Chandrasana - half moon pose I did by its banks three years ago.
What a gift to be here once again!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Off to Paris! (Sacred is the Pause - Poem)
I will be off to Paris shortly, and am not quite sure of my connectivity there...I plan to enjoy moments of quiet and stillness on the long plane ride. So I leave you with a poem I wrote last night, finishing it at midnight before I went to bed...
Sacred is the Pause
Sacred is the Pause
Sacred is the pause
between the breaths
"Sacred is the pause
that draws us into stillness."
Every pause invites us
to slow down and be still
"Be still and know,
for I am God."
May I see the grace
in every moment
and every pause
"Each pause can be
a blessing moment."
May we always pause
between the breaths
And may we always
"Break for blessings;
[with] a deep breath...
[so that we may truly]
honor the wisdom of pausing."
For sacred is the pause
that draws us int stillness
(All quotes except the second by Macrina Wiederkehr - second is from Psalm 46)
between the breaths
"Sacred is the pause
that draws us into stillness."
Every pause invites us
to slow down and be still
"Be still and know,
for I am God."
May I see the grace
in every moment
and every pause
"Each pause can be
a blessing moment."
May we always pause
between the breaths
And may we always
"Break for blessings;
[with] a deep breath...
[so that we may truly]
honor the wisdom of pausing."
For sacred is the pause
that draws us int stillness
(All quotes except the second by Macrina Wiederkehr - second is from Psalm 46)
Monday, September 14, 2009
O Pilgrim of the Hours
As I finish packing for a nearly a week in Paris, I pause, and drink in these words by Macrina Wiederkehr, reminding me of the beauty of each new day, and of making each moment and each hour sacred...
O Pilgrim of the Hours
Each morning
night's curtain
opens on an new day.
You are invited
to join the great opening.
Open your ears.
Open your heart.
Open your eyes
to the sacred path
you travel every day,
the path of the hours.
Great the hours
with joyful awareness.
Greet the hours
with faithful presence..
Great the hours
with a reverential bow.
Greet the hours
with a sacred pause.
Reverence each hour
as a small stepping stone
on your pilgrimage
through the day.
Receive the gift
of seven sacred pauses.
Practice waking up
seven times a day.
O Pilgrim of the Hours
Each morning
night's curtain
opens on an new day.
You are invited
to join the great opening.
Open your ears.
Open your heart.
Open your eyes
to the sacred path
you travel every day,
the path of the hours.
Great the hours
with joyful awareness.
Greet the hours
with faithful presence..
Great the hours
with a reverential bow.
Greet the hours
with a sacred pause.
Reverence each hour
as a small stepping stone
on your pilgrimage
through the day.
Receive the gift
of seven sacred pauses.
Practice waking up
seven times a day.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday Morning Ruminations
I will be off shortly to teach a workshop on the chakras at Golden Heart Yoga in Annapolis, a great community.
I have recently finished meditating with a spiritual brother in my lineage, and feel ready to tackle the day - which is radiant and beautiful...
I sit at Starbucks and read the paper with my husband, and am drawn to reading my horoscope - something I have not done in years, and this is what Holiday Mathis has to say:
I smile, because it is true - and I have shared this with many...
I rejoice in having received my new murti - a sacred statue of Siva doing Eka Pada Angusthasana II - hand to toe pose - and the new energy it has brought to my sacred space. I write these lines to a friend:
"Siva arrived yesterday [on 9/11] and I meditated in the afternoon and this morning with him - very POWERFUL!
I put him where the big Buddha was - where my altar used to be - so when I sit - he is to my right - my altar in front - and Shakti to far left and upside down Siva to left of altar.
The Siva/Shakti embracing is behind me - on top of the book shelf.
When I meditated this morning - I felt the Siva and Shakti energies merging into me from opposite sides of the room, and dancing up and down my spine. I also felt anchored by the meditating Siva on my altar - and the one behind. Amazing!"
I realize that Siva is guarding and standing vigil in the four directions - East and West, North and South...
I continue to enjoy gems of wisdom from the book - Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr, and hers are the last words I read at midnight before retiring:
I have recently finished meditating with a spiritual brother in my lineage, and feel ready to tackle the day - which is radiant and beautiful...
I sit at Starbucks and read the paper with my husband, and am drawn to reading my horoscope - something I have not done in years, and this is what Holiday Mathis has to say:
"An emotional wound has been healed.
It's been a slow process, but suddenly you realize
that you no longer have the pain,
a remarkable and full recovery has taken place.
Celebrate!"
It's been a slow process, but suddenly you realize
that you no longer have the pain,
a remarkable and full recovery has taken place.
Celebrate!"
I smile, because it is true - and I have shared this with many...
I rejoice in having received my new murti - a sacred statue of Siva doing Eka Pada Angusthasana II - hand to toe pose - and the new energy it has brought to my sacred space. I write these lines to a friend:
"Siva arrived yesterday [on 9/11] and I meditated in the afternoon and this morning with him - very POWERFUL!
I put him where the big Buddha was - where my altar used to be - so when I sit - he is to my right - my altar in front - and Shakti to far left and upside down Siva to left of altar.
The Siva/Shakti embracing is behind me - on top of the book shelf.
When I meditated this morning - I felt the Siva and Shakti energies merging into me from opposite sides of the room, and dancing up and down my spine. I also felt anchored by the meditating Siva on my altar - and the one behind. Amazing!"
I realize that Siva is guarding and standing vigil in the four directions - East and West, North and South...
I continue to enjoy gems of wisdom from the book - Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr, and hers are the last words I read at midnight before retiring:
"In the middle of my morning's work
I break for blessings;
a deep breath...
I honor the wisdom of pausing."
"When you work you are a flute
through whose heart
the whispering of the hours
turns to music."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"When your spirit
mingles with Spirit,
you are transformed
into a temple of God."
"Work is love made visible."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"A bitter heart is not good fertilizer
for the fruit I want to bring forth
from my day's labor."
"Each pause can be a blessing moment."
"Equanimity is the stability of mind
that allows us to be present
with an open heart
no matter how wonderful
or difficult conditions are."
"I stand before what is with an open heart.
And with an open heart I dwell in possibility."
"Sacred is the pause that draws us into stillness."
"Open my heart that I may see
the grace that waits for me in every moment."
Teach me to live awake."
"Sometimes the most important thing
in a whole day is the rest
we take between two deep breaths,
or the turning inwards in prayer
for five short minutes."
~ Etty Hilesum
"I don't know what your destiny will be,
but one thing I know -
the only ones who will be really happy
are those who have sought and found
how to serve."
~ Albert Schweitzer
"Even if you have a lot of work to do,
if you think of it as wonderful,
and if you feel it as wonderful,
it will transform into
the energy of joy and fire,
instead of becoming a burden."
~ Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
I break for blessings;
a deep breath...
I honor the wisdom of pausing."
"When you work you are a flute
through whose heart
the whispering of the hours
turns to music."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"When your spirit
mingles with Spirit,
you are transformed
into a temple of God."
"Work is love made visible."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"A bitter heart is not good fertilizer
for the fruit I want to bring forth
from my day's labor."
"Each pause can be a blessing moment."
"Equanimity is the stability of mind
that allows us to be present
with an open heart
no matter how wonderful
or difficult conditions are."
"I stand before what is with an open heart.
And with an open heart I dwell in possibility."
"Sacred is the pause that draws us into stillness."
"Open my heart that I may see
the grace that waits for me in every moment."
Teach me to live awake."
"Sometimes the most important thing
in a whole day is the rest
we take between two deep breaths,
or the turning inwards in prayer
for five short minutes."
~ Etty Hilesum
"I don't know what your destiny will be,
but one thing I know -
the only ones who will be really happy
are those who have sought and found
how to serve."
~ Albert Schweitzer
"Even if you have a lot of work to do,
if you think of it as wonderful,
and if you feel it as wonderful,
it will transform into
the energy of joy and fire,
instead of becoming a burden."
~ Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturday Morning Ruminations
It is quiet, and it is still - and I continue to enjoy the insights and gems from Seven Sacred Pauses by Macrina Wiederkehr. She writes, that opportunites for praise are everywhere. And I would add, if you have the eyes to see, and the ears to hear. But most of all, if you are willing to quietly sit in silence. To that soul, much is given...
"I stepped outside, happily observing that reasons for praise were visible everywhere I looked:
"I stepped outside, happily observing that reasons for praise were visible everywhere I looked:
- the crow with its glistening black feathers standing in the green grass surveying the meadow,
- the few brilliant yellow feathers in the tail of the flicker,
- the sun casting soft shadows on the hills,
- the old pecan tree pushing forth a few new green leaves,
- the freshness of the air after last night's storm,
- the community of toad stools that grew up in the night,
- the few cars moving down the country road,
- the angel-like mist rising from the pond,
- the sweet longing in my soul to raise high the chalice of my life..."
"It is necessary for me to see the first point of light
which begins to dawn.
It is necessary to be present alone
at the resurrection of the Day,
in the blank silence
when the sun appears."
~ Thomas Merton
"Prayer goes deep at night.
Images dissolve. There's only God,
and silence, kindness, and grace."
~ Coleman Barks
"The darker the night,
the lovelier the dawn
she carries in her womb."
~ Dom Helder Camara
"For those who have come to know God,
the whole world is a prayer mat."
~ Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
which begins to dawn.
It is necessary to be present alone
at the resurrection of the Day,
in the blank silence
when the sun appears."
~ Thomas Merton
"Prayer goes deep at night.
Images dissolve. There's only God,
and silence, kindness, and grace."
~ Coleman Barks
"The darker the night,
the lovelier the dawn
she carries in her womb."
~ Dom Helder Camara
"For those who have come to know God,
the whole world is a prayer mat."
~ Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Friday, September 11, 2009
River Ruminations on 9/11
I arise at 3:30 AM to take my parents to the airport. While Labor Day signals the end of summer for many, the day they return is truly the end of summer for me...
It has been a summer of many blessings...So many blessings of love have come to me, in a shower of grace, that I have offered back to others...
I am home before 4:30 AM. I pause at the kitchen momentarily, and retrieve the beautiful pink rose a dear friend gave to my mother on her 80th birthday, and bring it up to my altar, where I sit in utter deliciousness until about 6 AM, meditating, and then giving thanks for the all the summer blessings received, and praying for all those who suffered a tragic loss on this day, eight years ago...
By 6:30 AM, I have seen a husband off to work, started a load of laundry, and have stepped into the river, with rain softly coming down, baptizing me, and cleansing my body and soul. I stay there, at the edge of the river for a while. It is too cloudy to actually witness a sunrise, but I know that somewhere, someone is truly beholding one. Still, I know the sun is shining, even behind the clouds...
I sit in my car by the river for an hour, reading from the book, Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, by Macrina Wiederkehr, each quote and paragraph I read, more breathtaking than the other. I am moved very deeply to the core...
"Dawn breaks through night shadows. Fading darkness makes way for morning light. Golden rays exchange places with shining stars. All of nature leaps from the tomb of sleep and death. Everything stirs with renewed life. It is the hour of joy - a little resurrection. Rising from sleep, I raise high the chalice of my life. Dressed in robes of joyful anticipation, I enter this day with an open heart. This is the awakening hour. This is the hour of praise. "O medicine of dawn; O healing drink of morning!' Offering both words and silence, I join in the dance of creation. What will this day be like? Will I choose to walk through the hours mindfully? 'To affect the quality of the day is the highest of arts,' Henry David Thoreau tells us. And the mystical poet Jalaluddin Rumi reminds us, 'The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you; don't go back to sleep..."
I get lost in the words, and the quotations, and soon an hour has passed, with me reading, by the river, with not a soul in sight...
I come home and do a little yoga mindfully, and then go for an hour walk in the rain, offering more prayers...
I return, and find I want to spend the day in silence, doing my chores, and going about my many tasks...What a blessing to be able to do so!
I share some quotes from my morning reading at dawn. More will come later...
It has been a summer of many blessings...So many blessings of love have come to me, in a shower of grace, that I have offered back to others...
I am home before 4:30 AM. I pause at the kitchen momentarily, and retrieve the beautiful pink rose a dear friend gave to my mother on her 80th birthday, and bring it up to my altar, where I sit in utter deliciousness until about 6 AM, meditating, and then giving thanks for the all the summer blessings received, and praying for all those who suffered a tragic loss on this day, eight years ago...
By 6:30 AM, I have seen a husband off to work, started a load of laundry, and have stepped into the river, with rain softly coming down, baptizing me, and cleansing my body and soul. I stay there, at the edge of the river for a while. It is too cloudy to actually witness a sunrise, but I know that somewhere, someone is truly beholding one. Still, I know the sun is shining, even behind the clouds...
I sit in my car by the river for an hour, reading from the book, Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, by Macrina Wiederkehr, each quote and paragraph I read, more breathtaking than the other. I am moved very deeply to the core...
"Dawn breaks through night shadows. Fading darkness makes way for morning light. Golden rays exchange places with shining stars. All of nature leaps from the tomb of sleep and death. Everything stirs with renewed life. It is the hour of joy - a little resurrection. Rising from sleep, I raise high the chalice of my life. Dressed in robes of joyful anticipation, I enter this day with an open heart. This is the awakening hour. This is the hour of praise. "O medicine of dawn; O healing drink of morning!' Offering both words and silence, I join in the dance of creation. What will this day be like? Will I choose to walk through the hours mindfully? 'To affect the quality of the day is the highest of arts,' Henry David Thoreau tells us. And the mystical poet Jalaluddin Rumi reminds us, 'The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you; don't go back to sleep..."
I get lost in the words, and the quotations, and soon an hour has passed, with me reading, by the river, with not a soul in sight...
I come home and do a little yoga mindfully, and then go for an hour walk in the rain, offering more prayers...
I return, and find I want to spend the day in silence, doing my chores, and going about my many tasks...What a blessing to be able to do so!
I share some quotes from my morning reading at dawn. More will come later...
"Set the clock of your heart for dawn's arrival.
Taste the joy of being awake."
~ Macrina Wiederkehr
"Joy is God in the marrow of our bones."
~ Eugenia Price
"I arise at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you;
don't go back to sleep."
~ Rumi
"Not knowing when the dawn will come
I open every door."
~ Emily Dickinson
"To God belongs the East and the West;
and wherever you turn,
there is the face of God."
~ The Qur'an, Surah 2
"God's hands are cupped around our becoming."
Ranier Maria Rilke
"I cannot cause light.
The most I can do
is to put myself
in the path of its beam."
~ Annie Dillard
Taste the joy of being awake."
~ Macrina Wiederkehr
"Joy is God in the marrow of our bones."
~ Eugenia Price
"I arise at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you;
don't go back to sleep."
~ Rumi
"Not knowing when the dawn will come
I open every door."
~ Emily Dickinson
"To God belongs the East and the West;
and wherever you turn,
there is the face of God."
~ The Qur'an, Surah 2
"God's hands are cupped around our becoming."
Ranier Maria Rilke
"I cannot cause light.
The most I can do
is to put myself
in the path of its beam."
~ Annie Dillard
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
River Ruminations on 9/9/09
This is a day signifying completion from a metaphysical perspective - and it is also symbolic of seeing the light at the other end of the tunnel...
The days are getting shorter, and it is darker in the mornings. I want to sleep in and stay in bed for a while...But I get up to meditate, and when I finish, the river beckons, and I know that if I do not visit today, it will be at least a couple of weeks before I do so again. So I don my hat - "Aligning with Grace," and hoist my kayak and healing vessel, "Grace," into my truck, and drive down to the river, seeking to align with grace once again, in body, mind, and spirit...
The river is quiet, and so densely covered with hydrilla that much of its surface, especially along the river banks is green...
I paddle upstream - up the middle which is relatively clear - enjoying a few blue herons here and there perched up floating logs and branches. I think to myself - that next week - the river my eyes will behold instead will be the Seine in Paris...Ahhh!
While I do not relish the long flight over the pond to Paris, I look forward to being in the "City of Lights" once again!
I paddle, then drift, content in the waters, giving gratitude for all that has been, and all that is, and for what is to come - as I re-visit my life as an examen of conscience. So much has been attained and experienced throughout the course of the last couple of years since I began visiting this river, even though not too long ago, I could not see or find my way to the other side. But now, I rejoice in a deep knowing, and the reunion of all that God had seemed to put asunder. Except that now I truly know and understand that nothing was of his doing. Suffering can so often be rooted in erroneous thinking. But it has its purpose. It can purify the soul in so many ways...
I shared with a gifted therapist recently - that everything seems more vibrant - the colors - the moments seem fuller and richer. I cannot fully pinpoint the moment when the shift happened - or why. But he said wisely, that God had simply decided it was enough sadness and suffering. Yes, the fruit of practice was instrumental, but it was ultimately a gift of grace...
This river has yielded so many lessons. My dialogue with it continued throughout the course of this year now nearing its close, but our relationship has now entered a different phase...There is no sense of urgency as there once was...There are no attachments - to things or to people...This river no longer shouts its lessons in my ear. And I no longer paddle upstream, working through my emotions...
Yes, I give thanks, for I read that "Gratitude is the heart's memory," a French Proverb someone "Tweeted" this afternoon...
Tonight I will celebrate my husband's birthday on an auspcious day - and we will very appropriately taste and drink a bottle of Australian shiraz by the name of: "9..."
The days are getting shorter, and it is darker in the mornings. I want to sleep in and stay in bed for a while...But I get up to meditate, and when I finish, the river beckons, and I know that if I do not visit today, it will be at least a couple of weeks before I do so again. So I don my hat - "Aligning with Grace," and hoist my kayak and healing vessel, "Grace," into my truck, and drive down to the river, seeking to align with grace once again, in body, mind, and spirit...
The river is quiet, and so densely covered with hydrilla that much of its surface, especially along the river banks is green...
I paddle upstream - up the middle which is relatively clear - enjoying a few blue herons here and there perched up floating logs and branches. I think to myself - that next week - the river my eyes will behold instead will be the Seine in Paris...Ahhh!
While I do not relish the long flight over the pond to Paris, I look forward to being in the "City of Lights" once again!
I paddle, then drift, content in the waters, giving gratitude for all that has been, and all that is, and for what is to come - as I re-visit my life as an examen of conscience. So much has been attained and experienced throughout the course of the last couple of years since I began visiting this river, even though not too long ago, I could not see or find my way to the other side. But now, I rejoice in a deep knowing, and the reunion of all that God had seemed to put asunder. Except that now I truly know and understand that nothing was of his doing. Suffering can so often be rooted in erroneous thinking. But it has its purpose. It can purify the soul in so many ways...
I shared with a gifted therapist recently - that everything seems more vibrant - the colors - the moments seem fuller and richer. I cannot fully pinpoint the moment when the shift happened - or why. But he said wisely, that God had simply decided it was enough sadness and suffering. Yes, the fruit of practice was instrumental, but it was ultimately a gift of grace...
This river has yielded so many lessons. My dialogue with it continued throughout the course of this year now nearing its close, but our relationship has now entered a different phase...There is no sense of urgency as there once was...There are no attachments - to things or to people...This river no longer shouts its lessons in my ear. And I no longer paddle upstream, working through my emotions...
Yes, I give thanks, for I read that "Gratitude is the heart's memory," a French Proverb someone "Tweeted" this afternoon...
Tonight I will celebrate my husband's birthday on an auspcious day - and we will very appropriately taste and drink a bottle of Australian shiraz by the name of: "9..."
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
In the Center of God's Heart
Today is my mother's 80th birthday. I know that not everyone gets to have a parent live a long, healthy, and beautiful life. Not everyone has had the gift or benefit of a good relationship with their parents - and there are some - that for one reason or another - are not close to them either. And not every person can call her mother a friend...
We began the day by going to breakfast and then by walking the labyrinth. I invited three friends that have played significant parts in my life in the last few years - two of them beautiful yoginis - to join in this special celebration. A couple of friends knew each other - but all three had not met. Yet, meeting in an embodied state was a mere formality - because through my sharing - I know there was already knowledge and love there already present...
I wrote a poem briefly, when I came back from that experience, and before I dashed off to take my mother to Mass at our parish, Holy Trinity in Georgetown - where my son went to grade school, and where he received his First Communion and Confirmation. We ran into the parents of my son's best friend from kindergarten. high school, and the University of Virginia - who were celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary...
At one point, while sitting at the center of the labyrinth, as the energy, prayers, and meditations of my friends, my mother and I merged, I had a vision of us all sitting in the center of God's Heart. In many ways, I cannot describe the experience, and though this poem is perhaps not one of my finest, still it truly captures the essence of the day...
In the Center of God's Heart
on my mother's 80th birthday -
I meditate at the center
of the labyrinth
with dear souls and friends
filled with grace and beauty,
all playing a significant role
in my life
I drown in their energy
and the strength
of their prayers -
both ancient and new,
each one of them sitting
on a different petal,
merging prayers
and tears
The image arises within
And I can see very clearly -
that we are sitting
in the center of God's Heart
We walk in and out -
tandem souls in rhythm
my eyes catching sight
of this beautiful verse:
"God wants the heart."
God received
many hearts today,
freely offered
and given
and taken
A life -
joyously celebrated
and landmarks
of many kinds
noted privately
in the company of souls
who gathered to sit
in the center of God's Heart
(Quote from The Talmud)
We began the day by going to breakfast and then by walking the labyrinth. I invited three friends that have played significant parts in my life in the last few years - two of them beautiful yoginis - to join in this special celebration. A couple of friends knew each other - but all three had not met. Yet, meeting in an embodied state was a mere formality - because through my sharing - I know there was already knowledge and love there already present...
I wrote a poem briefly, when I came back from that experience, and before I dashed off to take my mother to Mass at our parish, Holy Trinity in Georgetown - where my son went to grade school, and where he received his First Communion and Confirmation. We ran into the parents of my son's best friend from kindergarten. high school, and the University of Virginia - who were celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary...
At one point, while sitting at the center of the labyrinth, as the energy, prayers, and meditations of my friends, my mother and I merged, I had a vision of us all sitting in the center of God's Heart. In many ways, I cannot describe the experience, and though this poem is perhaps not one of my finest, still it truly captures the essence of the day...
In the Center of God's Heart
on my mother's 80th birthday -
I meditate at the center
of the labyrinth
with dear souls and friends
filled with grace and beauty,
all playing a significant role
in my life
I drown in their energy
and the strength
of their prayers -
both ancient and new,
each one of them sitting
on a different petal,
merging prayers
and tears
The image arises within
And I can see very clearly -
that we are sitting
in the center of God's Heart
We walk in and out -
tandem souls in rhythm
my eyes catching sight
of this beautiful verse:
"God wants the heart."
God received
many hearts today,
freely offered
and given
and taken
A life -
joyously celebrated
and landmarks
of many kinds
noted privately
in the company of souls
who gathered to sit
in the center of God's Heart
(Quote from The Talmud)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Meditation and Pause Points III
Here is the conclusion to Sally Kempton's insights from her most recent newsletter on the "Pause Points" which meditation offers us as gateways to Samadhi. The previous two posts contain the first and second excerpts from her wonderful essay...
"Often, when I'm working on a deadline, or preparing a class, and feeling strong time pressure, I'll walk outside to stretch, or just walk from one room to the other. The energy of that intense focus will still be fueling me, but my mind will have taken a brief vacation from the task. Such a moment will often bring a heightened awareness of Presence. My mind, suddenly released from the confines of focused attention, will expand and let go, and there will be an opening into stillness. A moment when the mind is just absorbed in itself. A fleeting Samadhi.
If you take some time to look into your day, you'll discover your own natural Pause Points. You're walking to the subway, or getting out of your car, and you take a moment to look up at the sky. You're about to eat, and you let yourself sit for just 30 seconds, connecting yourself to the food. Or you sit for just a moment after eating, and let the food settle. Sitting at your desk, or talking to someone, you pull your attention back and focus on the space around objects and people becoming conscious of how much spaciousness embraces the solidity of objects. And in that recognition - let your mind release and expand.
That's the gift of the Pause Points. They are there to open you into spaciousness right in the midst of a tough day, when your schedule is crammed and your mind is tight or worried or just busy. Sometimes, its enough just to notice the spacious context of your experience. To inhabit that spaciousness for a second or two. To let it swell up, if only for a moment, and embrace you. To let yourself be, just for a second or two, in retreat."
Today, on this Labor Day, may you find your own Pause Points!
Visit Sally Kempton at:
www.sallykempton.com
"Often, when I'm working on a deadline, or preparing a class, and feeling strong time pressure, I'll walk outside to stretch, or just walk from one room to the other. The energy of that intense focus will still be fueling me, but my mind will have taken a brief vacation from the task. Such a moment will often bring a heightened awareness of Presence. My mind, suddenly released from the confines of focused attention, will expand and let go, and there will be an opening into stillness. A moment when the mind is just absorbed in itself. A fleeting Samadhi.
If you take some time to look into your day, you'll discover your own natural Pause Points. You're walking to the subway, or getting out of your car, and you take a moment to look up at the sky. You're about to eat, and you let yourself sit for just 30 seconds, connecting yourself to the food. Or you sit for just a moment after eating, and let the food settle. Sitting at your desk, or talking to someone, you pull your attention back and focus on the space around objects and people becoming conscious of how much spaciousness embraces the solidity of objects. And in that recognition - let your mind release and expand.
That's the gift of the Pause Points. They are there to open you into spaciousness right in the midst of a tough day, when your schedule is crammed and your mind is tight or worried or just busy. Sometimes, its enough just to notice the spacious context of your experience. To inhabit that spaciousness for a second or two. To let it swell up, if only for a moment, and embrace you. To let yourself be, just for a second or two, in retreat."
Today, on this Labor Day, may you find your own Pause Points!
Visit Sally Kempton at:
www.sallykempton.com
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Meditation and Pause Points II
Yesterday, I shared with you some excerpts from Sally Kempton's latest newsletter on "Pause Points," these fleeting opportunities that meditation affords us to experience Samadhi. Please scroll down and review yesterday's entry before reading this one for greater clarity...
Where are the Pause Points
"There's a potential Samadhi present in the moment just after waking, when you first come to consciousness, yet haven't yet identified who and where you are. You're awake, but there are no thoughts. The day hasn't rushed in yet. You haven't collected your customary identity markers. You're just - present.
There's a Samadhi lurking in the moment of adjustment when your gaze moves from focusing on something close by, to focusing on the horizon. If you would let yourself attend to the process of moving your gaze, you'd find that moment of open spaciousness in between the close object and the distant one.
There's the powerful opening into spaciousness between one thought and another, the space where a thought dissolves back into the mind, before another thought arises. And in that space, if you can notice and stay there for a second or two, you'll catch the pure vibrating energy of pure Awareness, right in the midst of your thinking.
And of course, there's the most intimate and accessible of all these fleeting Samadhis - the space at the end of the inbreath and at the end of the outbreath. You find it in meditation by following the inbreath to its end point, then holding the breath for just a second or two - and focusing on the emptiness that appears for just a moment.
These last two Pause Points are formal meditation practices - in fact, famous ones. But once you start training yourself to notice, you'll find that all sorts of unexpected Pause Points show up spontaneously through the day, in moments when the last thing you'd expect is stillness..."
For the conclusion, stay tuned tomorrow!
Visit Sally Kempton at her website, and browse through her wonderful articles:
www.sallykempton.com
Where are the Pause Points
"There's a potential Samadhi present in the moment just after waking, when you first come to consciousness, yet haven't yet identified who and where you are. You're awake, but there are no thoughts. The day hasn't rushed in yet. You haven't collected your customary identity markers. You're just - present.
There's a Samadhi lurking in the moment of adjustment when your gaze moves from focusing on something close by, to focusing on the horizon. If you would let yourself attend to the process of moving your gaze, you'd find that moment of open spaciousness in between the close object and the distant one.
There's the powerful opening into spaciousness between one thought and another, the space where a thought dissolves back into the mind, before another thought arises. And in that space, if you can notice and stay there for a second or two, you'll catch the pure vibrating energy of pure Awareness, right in the midst of your thinking.
And of course, there's the most intimate and accessible of all these fleeting Samadhis - the space at the end of the inbreath and at the end of the outbreath. You find it in meditation by following the inbreath to its end point, then holding the breath for just a second or two - and focusing on the emptiness that appears for just a moment.
These last two Pause Points are formal meditation practices - in fact, famous ones. But once you start training yourself to notice, you'll find that all sorts of unexpected Pause Points show up spontaneously through the day, in moments when the last thing you'd expect is stillness..."
For the conclusion, stay tuned tomorrow!
Visit Sally Kempton at her website, and browse through her wonderful articles:
www.sallykempton.com
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Meditation and Pause Points
Once again, I am choosing to share a newsletter with you. I have received so many lately containing precious gems to be digested. This one comes from Sally Kempton, a well known meditation teacher, and she speaks of the "pause points" in meditation which are gateways to the Samadhi experience.
Sally Kempton has also been known as Swami Durgananda, and she spent several decades as a monastic living in an ashram. She regularly writes a column for Yoga Journal that is my favorite. I have had the pleasure of studying with her in the past. Here are her insights and words of wisdom. Enjoy!
"The Pause Point, the Gap, the space that naturally occurs at the beginning and end of every activity in life. These natural pauses, are hard-wired meditation opportunities, doorways in the flow of experience. They happen constantly, over and over again. At these Pause Points, the out-flowing mind is invited to turn within, fold into its own source, and inhabit the Presence at the heart of reality.
But if you're not looking for them, you usually miss those moments...
Why is this a big deal? The great text of Vedanta, Tripura Rahasya, calls these pause points, 'fleeting Samadhis.' Samadhi is the Sanskrit name for the state of absorption in the Self, the real source of the mind, the ever-present such-ness that is our deepest truth, and that connects each of us on the deepest level. Samadhi is one of the biggest deals in yoga. In classical meditation practice, its a goal that meditators aim for, and its considered rare and hard to attain. The paradox, though, is that through the Pause Points, Samadhi is totally accessible - if you have the subtlety to notice. Every time a Pause Point presents itself to you, you have an invitation to go into a deeper reality, to rejuvenate yourself at the wellspring of your own Source. Yes, it may only last an instant, then dissolve with the next thought. But with practice and awareness, you can become adept at using those instants to touch the primordial bliss of your true nature, the ever-present Self."
More on Pause Points tomorrow!
Visit Sally Kempton at:
www.sallykempton.com
Sally Kempton has also been known as Swami Durgananda, and she spent several decades as a monastic living in an ashram. She regularly writes a column for Yoga Journal that is my favorite. I have had the pleasure of studying with her in the past. Here are her insights and words of wisdom. Enjoy!
"The Pause Point, the Gap, the space that naturally occurs at the beginning and end of every activity in life. These natural pauses, are hard-wired meditation opportunities, doorways in the flow of experience. They happen constantly, over and over again. At these Pause Points, the out-flowing mind is invited to turn within, fold into its own source, and inhabit the Presence at the heart of reality.
But if you're not looking for them, you usually miss those moments...
Why is this a big deal? The great text of Vedanta, Tripura Rahasya, calls these pause points, 'fleeting Samadhis.' Samadhi is the Sanskrit name for the state of absorption in the Self, the real source of the mind, the ever-present such-ness that is our deepest truth, and that connects each of us on the deepest level. Samadhi is one of the biggest deals in yoga. In classical meditation practice, its a goal that meditators aim for, and its considered rare and hard to attain. The paradox, though, is that through the Pause Points, Samadhi is totally accessible - if you have the subtlety to notice. Every time a Pause Point presents itself to you, you have an invitation to go into a deeper reality, to rejuvenate yourself at the wellspring of your own Source. Yes, it may only last an instant, then dissolve with the next thought. But with practice and awareness, you can become adept at using those instants to touch the primordial bliss of your true nature, the ever-present Self."
More on Pause Points tomorrow!
Visit Sally Kempton at:
www.sallykempton.com
Friday, September 4, 2009
Keep It Simple!
These wonderful insights for the month of September come from the "Jewels in the Lotus" Newsletter...
"The theme this month seems to be to simplify! Paring down to simplicity, cutting the strings of anything that holds us back, has become a necessity. We have spent the last few months, (years, lifetimes) in an intensity energy. We’ve spent time “pruning weeds” and digging deep into the core of our being. There has been a lot of letting go, and release of attachments on many levels of our lives. Now, as time marches us forward, it is time to look ahead with joy!
Amazingly, some of us are now beginning to glimpse the true nature of conscious creation and are feeling the weights that have burdened our souls finally lifting. If you are still struggling with the tricks of the mind, simply take a break. BREATHE. Call in all of your energy, filled with the golden light energy, and explore the joy in the world of limitless possibilities.
Yes, we still have our earth plane lives to deal with. There are all those pragmatic and earthly tasks to attend to. But, when you fully connect with your higher self, and at the same time, keeping your feet fully planted on the earth. the tasks become lighter and more joyful. You bring your energy into balance and harmony. When you learn the art of conscious creation – the earth becomes your canvas and you can begin to create with awareness. Painting with color, big and bold strokes and joyously connecting to all that is. Nature stands out in clear, high relief. Textures are sharp, clear and crisp. Hearts are connected, souls are connected and we feel free. Freedom in form has been the goal for eons and there are those who are living it. Those who are aspiring to live it. And, those who are still holding on to the old way of being. Ask yourself which you would choose?
Let go of trying to control things and surrender to the flow. Live every moment with a passion, embracing all that comes your way. Life is now a beautiful tale unfolding in a magical way! The flow and synchronicities are boundless.
Take charge of the reins of your being and step into the higher realms. Flow with it and see where it all goes.
By bringing your body into balance, and merging the masculine and feminine aspects that lie within you to bring you into wholeness- will strengthen the already beautiful you. And as you unite these divine qualities, you streamline and simplify even further. Keep what fits in the now moment and discard the rest. Feel the fullness of life in the truest sense and own your radiant expression.
So worry not, revel in gratitude and know the joy in keeping things SIMPLE!
"The theme this month seems to be to simplify! Paring down to simplicity, cutting the strings of anything that holds us back, has become a necessity. We have spent the last few months, (years, lifetimes) in an intensity energy. We’ve spent time “pruning weeds” and digging deep into the core of our being. There has been a lot of letting go, and release of attachments on many levels of our lives. Now, as time marches us forward, it is time to look ahead with joy!
Amazingly, some of us are now beginning to glimpse the true nature of conscious creation and are feeling the weights that have burdened our souls finally lifting. If you are still struggling with the tricks of the mind, simply take a break. BREATHE. Call in all of your energy, filled with the golden light energy, and explore the joy in the world of limitless possibilities.
Yes, we still have our earth plane lives to deal with. There are all those pragmatic and earthly tasks to attend to. But, when you fully connect with your higher self, and at the same time, keeping your feet fully planted on the earth. the tasks become lighter and more joyful. You bring your energy into balance and harmony. When you learn the art of conscious creation – the earth becomes your canvas and you can begin to create with awareness. Painting with color, big and bold strokes and joyously connecting to all that is. Nature stands out in clear, high relief. Textures are sharp, clear and crisp. Hearts are connected, souls are connected and we feel free. Freedom in form has been the goal for eons and there are those who are living it. Those who are aspiring to live it. And, those who are still holding on to the old way of being. Ask yourself which you would choose?
Let go of trying to control things and surrender to the flow. Live every moment with a passion, embracing all that comes your way. Life is now a beautiful tale unfolding in a magical way! The flow and synchronicities are boundless.
Take charge of the reins of your being and step into the higher realms. Flow with it and see where it all goes.
By bringing your body into balance, and merging the masculine and feminine aspects that lie within you to bring you into wholeness- will strengthen the already beautiful you. And as you unite these divine qualities, you streamline and simplify even further. Keep what fits in the now moment and discard the rest. Feel the fullness of life in the truest sense and own your radiant expression.
So worry not, revel in gratitude and know the joy in keeping things SIMPLE!
Gentle reminders to help you simplify:
(or anytime you feel that dreaded sense of overwhelm)
(or anytime you feel that dreaded sense of overwhelm)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Deepak Chopra on Meditation
This morning I received the Chopra Center newsletter, "Agni," and it had this wonderful explanation on why Deepak practices meditation, and I thought it appropriate to share with you. As a avid meditator, I found it a good summary of meditation's benefits and effects.
The Most Important Healing Tool You Can Learn
The Most Important Healing Tool You Can Learn
If you were to ask me what the most important experience of my life has been, I would say it was learning to meditate. Meditation has been the key to my creativity, wellbeing, and happiness. I have enjoyed it in my own life, and it continues to be one of the most powerful healing tools we offer at the Chopra Center.
Meditation takes us from activity into silence, giving our body a very deep level of rest. Rest is how the body heals itself, which it does by throwing off the stress, fatigue, and toxins accumulated during our daily life. The silence of pure awareness is extremely refreshing to the mind, which finds it increasingly easy not to cling to old thought-patterns; rigid habits of thinking and feeling begin to fall away of their own accord. When this happens, the mind is actually learning to heal itself.
The most significant health benefits of meditation are stress reduction, better sleep, lower blood pressure, improved cardiovascular function, improved immunity, and the ability to stay centered in the midst of all the turmoil that's going on around you. Meditation helps you do less and accomplish more.
During meditation, you aren’t forcing your mind to be quiet; you are experiencing the silence and stillness that lies beyond the background static of worry, resentment, wishful thinking, fantasy, unfulfilled hopes, and vague dreams in your head. Meditation brings us home to the peace of present-moment awareness. It gives us a direct experience of our Spirit and in the process dissolves the impurities which are preventing Spirit from shining forth in our lives.
In meditation we disrupt the unconscious progression of thoughts and emotions by focusing on a new object of attention. In the meditation technique we teach at the Chopra Center – Primordial Sound Meditation – the “object of attention” is a mantra that we repeat silently to ourselves. A mantra is pure sound, with no meaning or emotional charge to trigger associations. It allows the mind to detach from its usual preoccupations and experience the spaciousness and peace within.
Even more important than what we experience during our meditation sessions is the effect they have on the remaining hours of our day. With a regular meditation practice, life's inevitable stresses no longer have the power to throw us into chaotic mind-states,and all of our thoughts, actions, and reactions are infused with greater love, calm, and joy.
Love,
Deepak
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Life is Good in the River and Out of It
For the first time in almost two weeks, I arise and steal away for a few moments to go down to the river...
It is the second day in September and it is light and crisp outside - the weather more reminiscent of the end of the month than its beginning...
The river is murky and not very appealing, but there is not a soul in sight and I long to commune with its waters none-the-less...
I think of the upcoming first class of the Fall session I will begin in about three weeks, as I mentally review the postings I made online today - all alluding to my theme and opening comments for that class...
"Life is a dance between remembering and forgetting. When we open to grace we remember who we are and we say yes to the whole river of life.
We remember grace every time we step into its rich currents and surrender to its healing waters. Thus, we open the door to transformation.
Grace flows like a river and when we step into its currents we are healed and baptized by its tributaries..."
I paddle upstream, navigating a small swath that is not overwhelmed by the hydrilla which has grown exponentially, in the nearly two weeks I have visited...
I enjoy the hour I spend here, before returning home to meditate with two dear friends, going very deeply in...
I visit a friend with a serious illness who is also a gifted intuitive. She tells me that I no longer have to paddle upstream to work through my emotions...
I connect with dear friends in many ways, and am reminded of one who said we must be fully present to every moment life gifts us with, and we must be just as present to every one that we are with...
I tell a gifted therapist that for the first time in several years I am truly happy and know that everything in my life is unfolding as it should...
I tell several others I speak or write to, that life is good and then laugh when I realize the shirt I have worn today happens to proclaim that "Life is Good!"
Time goes by - every moment is magnificent - and I am grateful for so many wonderful people that I have come to know in these last couple of years...
I tell a dear friend that I feel love and blessings raining down on me like a shower of grace. And she says yes - she feels it too, and that God is EVERYWHERE!
I paddle back with Grace, my beautiful kayak and the vessel that has transported me over these waters on my healing journey - never imagining where we would be a year later, and I think to myself - even in the midst of pain and the dance between heartache and bliss - Yes! Life is good!
It is the second day in September and it is light and crisp outside - the weather more reminiscent of the end of the month than its beginning...
The river is murky and not very appealing, but there is not a soul in sight and I long to commune with its waters none-the-less...
I think of the upcoming first class of the Fall session I will begin in about three weeks, as I mentally review the postings I made online today - all alluding to my theme and opening comments for that class...
"Life is a dance between remembering and forgetting. When we open to grace we remember who we are and we say yes to the whole river of life.
We remember grace every time we step into its rich currents and surrender to its healing waters. Thus, we open the door to transformation.
Grace flows like a river and when we step into its currents we are healed and baptized by its tributaries..."
I paddle upstream, navigating a small swath that is not overwhelmed by the hydrilla which has grown exponentially, in the nearly two weeks I have visited...
I enjoy the hour I spend here, before returning home to meditate with two dear friends, going very deeply in...
I visit a friend with a serious illness who is also a gifted intuitive. She tells me that I no longer have to paddle upstream to work through my emotions...
I connect with dear friends in many ways, and am reminded of one who said we must be fully present to every moment life gifts us with, and we must be just as present to every one that we are with...
I tell a gifted therapist that for the first time in several years I am truly happy and know that everything in my life is unfolding as it should...
I tell several others I speak or write to, that life is good and then laugh when I realize the shirt I have worn today happens to proclaim that "Life is Good!"
Time goes by - every moment is magnificent - and I am grateful for so many wonderful people that I have come to know in these last couple of years...
I tell a dear friend that I feel love and blessings raining down on me like a shower of grace. And she says yes - she feels it too, and that God is EVERYWHERE!
I paddle back with Grace, my beautiful kayak and the vessel that has transported me over these waters on my healing journey - never imagining where we would be a year later, and I think to myself - even in the midst of pain and the dance between heartache and bliss - Yes! Life is good!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Be an Intentional Butterfly
I received a newsletter from a friend today that had so many points I resonated with. I wish to share a prayer and a wonderful suggestion from this newsletter called "InnerLinks."
"Send Blessings to loved ones, friends, leaders on the world stage, and all situations and events that are calling your attention.
You are important.
We are important.
Your thoughts create.
We collectively manifest.
Your actions matter.
We act as one.
Your presence changes everything.
Be an Intentional Butterfly - a participant in the ripple effect of caring. Awaken to your presence, be inspired in your actions, and hold the highest and best outcome for the planet, humanity, and all life on earth. You make a difference and you decide what that difference is."
Prayer of Returning
May the Peace of God illumine you.
May the Peace of God reside in you.
May the Piece of God that is you,
light your way.
May the Peace of God illumine me.
May the Peace of God reside in me.
May the Piece of God that is me,
light my way.
May the Peace of God illumine us.
May the Peace of God reside in us.
May the Piece of God that is us,
light our way.
Kindly,
Kathy
"Send Blessings to loved ones, friends, leaders on the world stage, and all situations and events that are calling your attention.
You are important.
We are important.
Your thoughts create.
We collectively manifest.
Your actions matter.
We act as one.
Your presence changes everything.
Be an Intentional Butterfly - a participant in the ripple effect of caring. Awaken to your presence, be inspired in your actions, and hold the highest and best outcome for the planet, humanity, and all life on earth. You make a difference and you decide what that difference is."
Prayer of Returning
May the Peace of God illumine you.
May the Peace of God reside in you.
May the Piece of God that is you,
light your way.
May the Peace of God illumine me.
May the Peace of God reside in me.
May the Piece of God that is me,
light my way.
May the Peace of God illumine us.
May the Peace of God reside in us.
May the Piece of God that is us,
light our way.
Kindly,
Kathy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)