Between the Worlds, Cultivating a Blue Mind, and Yearning for the Beach

This month is just about over, and I can't for the life of me, tell you where it went!

I had a lot of goals and projects, and while I took care of some minor ones, it seems I hardly made a dent on my list.

Perhaps it is the heaviness that seems to permeate so much on the planet right now - war in several places, including the conflict between Israel and Gaza, which I visited, just over 7 months ago. Even then, I was very much struck by how two people co-existed in the same, very small area - and were literally invisible to one another. The tension was palpable. I wanted to take them both by hand - the Jew and the Muslim - and say to them: "Here, look at each other! You share the same land and ancestry! You are children descended from the same man - Abraham!"

There is also the matter of the planes recently shot down from the sky, particularly the one over the Ukraine, so many innocent lives needlessly taken. It just does not seem to be to me the kind of summer I had envisioned - carefree and easy...

Nearly everyone I speak to seems to be going through something - many find themselves in transition - or between worlds - as I seem to be - between what was and that which is not yet...

Many are struggling with illnesses, searching for what is next in their lives - and often indecisiveness seems to be the only constant.

One of my friends, who is a therapist, noted at my weekly prayer group today, that those who are emotionally and spiritually gifted often pick up vibrationally on what is going on all around them, and unless they know what to do with it, and how to process it, they can easily become depressed or overwhelmed.

Even when you have the tools to deal with situations, it does not mean you can avoid feeling the heaviness, the sorrow, and the grief that is palpable all over the world right now.

All of this makes me want to literally run away to a beach, and just walk alongside the ocean, which is very grounding.

I read of a book titled, "Blue Mind," reviewed in the Washington Post yesterday, and later was struck by this description of the book on Amazon:

"Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease? In BLUE MIND, Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes how we think about these questions, revealing the remarkable truth about the benefits of being in, on, under, or simply near water. Combining cutting edge neuroscience with compelling personal stories... he shows how proximity to water can... increase calm and diminish anxiety..."

Right after reading about the book, I wrote these lines, thinking about myself:

"Yearning for the surf and tide,

for aimless strolling along the ocean's sandy side,

breathing in the saltiness of the sea

and bathing in the ocean breeze..."

We cannot run away from what is. In fact, in the daily 90 second meditation I posted today, I used this mantra, which I repeated, with every step I took on my walk:

"I stand before what is,

with an open heart.

And with an open heart,

I dwell in possibility."

~ Macrina Weiderkehr

As bleak as these times may seem, there is possibility in everything - waiting to be born. And whether or not I ultimately get my desire to ground and wade into ocean or lake waters, I cannot let go of possibility - of the possibility of birthing a new world, a new life - a different way of being with the world, and in the world...

For today's 90 second meditation, listen on YouTube or Facebook, and consider subscribing "Liking!" It is a labor of love!

YouTube - "My Heart Dwells in Possibility:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKWl3aiCZpA

YouTube Channel - Meditation Pure and Simple
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2XjLZ3NY9cLLPRMj_Bi0sw

Facebook - Meditation Pure and Simple
https://www.facebook.com/meditationpureandsimple