Aligning with Grace

Yesterday I launched a YouTube channel called Meditation Pure and Simple! It is one part of a much larger project to make meditation more accessible  to all, and the genesis of this project has been a long time coming... The site will provide a daily 90 second meditation to help you center and relax. Yes, you heard that right! Just 90 seconds out of your day that will result in a new you! I hope you will visit or subscribe to the channel, or any of the other sites where I post the videos. I have also created a Google+ and Facebook page for this purpose, also entitled Meditation Pure and Simple! Meditation does not have to be hard. Just take one meditation break a day! Start with 90 seconds, and just watch what happens! Have you had your meditation break today? I've provided links to the first couple of uploads and links to the channel and other pages. Remember, these are only 90 seconds! 90 second Awareness Exercise: Observing the Breath: https://www.youtube.co...

Thoughts are powerful... I have been thinking about this a lot lately... Yesterday, I began a mini retreat of sorts, that is already filling my life to the brim with many blessings. I will not speak of it much right now, except to say, it is shifting my understanding, my experiences, and yes - even my thoughts... As I entered into this "retreat" last evening, I picked up a copy of Marianne Williamson's newest book, A Year in Miracles , which had arrived in the mail, just as the sun had begun to set, signaling the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. I had already prepared my space by lighting candles and playing soft, healing, spiritual music. I settled into a comfortable chair and began reading the entry for the day, which was perfect in every way... "I dwell in peace, knowing that God is here and God is good..." The section I read was the perfect entry to begin this mini spiritual journey, and very moved, I proceeded to read the rest of the entries for t...

I wake up feeling the pain of others, leading to the recognition and acknowledgment of my own discomforts, so deeply buried... My dreams are vivid, and three white mice insistently seek my attention with their urgent message to share... What, I know not, but upon arising I look up the significance of their visitation, and it seems they point toward the existence of latent fear, and invite those they visit to step out of the shadows. I continue exploring the meaning of mice as an animal totem, and marvel at how relevant it all seems to me... There are days and weeks so filled with suffering and sadness, it could drown us if we allowed it... There are times when prayers are needed for so many it is almost overwhelming. The cries of those in need pierce the heavens, desperately clamoring for attention... There are times when we must commit to internal growth and face our internal demons and the aspects of our lives that are not so pretty... There are times we feel so bound up an...

Stillness speaks to me, on this rainy, foggy day and oh! it has so much to say! thoughts do come and go when I am not in that space of Stillness but when I am, profound insights arise - birthed in Deep Silence the day surrenders to the nightfall as I lose myself in Stillness it reminds me to be Quiet and to Listen for what is deeper, deeper still... Stillness speaks to me, in Deep Meditation leading me deeper, deeper still... into Contemplation and Union Stillness speaks to me, on this rainy, foggy day and oh! how much it has to say!

Our lives and our days are comprised of moments... Just one moment, which leads to another... Moments are the building blocks of every hour in every day, and of ensuing weeks, months, and years... Eastern spiritual teachers observe that the present moment is all we ever have. And yet, we cannot hold on to any moment. Lord knows I've tried... I have often taught my students, that in Virabhadrasana 2 - that is - Warrior 2 pose - where the front knee is bent at a right angle with the back leg straight, torso perpendicular to the floor and the heart lifting, with arms extended to the sides at shoulder level - is a wonderful pose to illustrate the significance of living in the present moment. In this pose, our legs anchor into the earth - like firm roots - and we rise triumphantly - shoulders back, arms extended, and the heart open. If our torso remains perpendicular to the floor and our body is in alignment - we are in balance. We are in the present moment. But if we lean a...

Just a few days ago I wrote about undertaking one simple task for your day... Just for today, be more patient... Just for today, clean out one drawer... When we set simple goals like these ones, we tend to be more successful... But, what about when we aren't successful? What about when we fail? What about those moments we think we've taken great strides and thought we'd made great progress and then something reminds us that we haven't? Have we gone back to "square one?" Well, not really... You see, we can always begin again... And again... And again... Every day we wake up is precisely that - a new day - and a new opportunity. We can pick ourselves up, and dust ourselves off, and start over. We can begin again... So maybe you didn't exercise at all over the holidays. Or eat in the most healthy manner. Maybe you meant to start yesterday and did - but then had something you shouldn't have had later. Do you beat yourself up? ...

The Reiki Precepts, as they are often interpreted or presented, begin with the words,  Just for today... In other words, it can be daunting to take on a task or project, or commitment for the whole year -  for the duration of your whole entire life - or even for a week sometimes... But we can always undertake a task or commit to something for just a day... We can decide to do a juice fast for a day, or do a spiritual practice - just for this one day... And then the next day, we can do the same - that is - commit again just for that day... In time each day will accumulate on a bed of other days, creating a cushioning in our lives. A spiritual practice will flourish and nourish. A change to more healthy ways of eating and/or exercising will contribute to our well-being... At this time of year, we tend to take on more than we can ever accomplish realistically. So instead of a monumental undertaking - say to yourself, "Just for today..." Plant seeds, and in the ...

I arise on this first day of the New Year, and the energy feels different, and lighter, and I head to my meditation room to sit... I have a custom of lighting two long lasting votive candles on New Year's Eve, reviewing the events of the outgoing year, setting intentions for the incoming one, and expressing gratitude for all things - but both of my candles go out for the first time ever! I manage to re-light them, but only one manages to survive the night... Somehow, I sense, they are not needed to stand vigil - that a much greater Presence already does. I feel protected and surrounded by a legion of companions both seen and unseen, guiding me from the Beyond...Truly, a doorway has already been opened into this New Year... I end the year and welcome this new one toasting champagne with friends, having the best of times... I quietly get up on New Year's Day, and head down to the river, which I have not visited in weeks. Has it been months? I cannot remember... There ar...