So busy, everyone says it today, life is so busy! And its true; we are subject to so much more data, activities and people than ever before in human history. Its progress; technological advances and population growth. And it has its advantages. I can Skype my family in Ireland, I can create my own website, blog, connect with lost friends on facebook, print my own photos, research any subject I choose to and I can work at home.
Does all this increase my happiness and peace of mind? The answer is a definite NO! And a definite YES! The choice is mine to make. I am 100% responsible for the quality of my experience.
I realize that nothing is so important that I choose it over my body's needs for exercise, proper nutrition, sleep and real time with real people. So often I choose to complain that I don't get enough sleep but who puts me to bed too late? I end up with neck pain because I didn't get up from the computer at work for four hours at a time!! I'm not enslaved and chained to my desk. There may be deadlines to meet but a two minute break every twenty minutes will make me a healthier employee and save me dollars at the chiropractor later.
So today I choose to have a joyful experience, to know that its the quality of the moments that matter most.
After all, who knows how many moments we have left? Choose well today and make it a wonderful day.
With love,
Joan
In and through all things Love is the message that Spirit would have us know; that we are loved, that we are love and that love is always the answer. Let the words you read here be a message for you today from the Universe that created you, perfect as you are.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
More Stories
I've come across ho'oponopono. Anyone heard of this beautiful Hawaiian spiritual practice?
It is based on the idea that we are always replaying DATA - old memories, formed opinions, set beliefs in our heads and so as we encounter others and situations we are full of perceptions and judgements rather than being present as our essence or pure soul. The practice of ho'oponopono then is about CLEANING, letting go of dead material and being free to be spontaneous and inspired by love, our essence, or divinity. Its very much on the lines of "the power of NOW" or non-attachment in Buddhist terms.
The unique thing with ho'oponopono is there is a mantra for self cleaning and it goes like this, (directed to your enemy, your friend, your body, your family, your boss, yourself or anyone you have ever though badly of)
I LOVE YOU,
I'M SORRY,
PLEASE FORGIVE ME,
THANK YOU.
I liken this process to coming into alignment with love, what would LOVE do here? There are many ways we come back to this place of stillness and remember who we are. The book of stories I am compiling about how Spirit talks to you is all about just this. These stories of signs and momentary encounters are all incidents that bring people back to the TRUTH, I am a spiritual being. If you have a story you would like to contribute go to www.SpiritIsTalkingToYou.com.
And remember your divinity today, you are a creative and loved being and so is every person you encounter.
It is based on the idea that we are always replaying DATA - old memories, formed opinions, set beliefs in our heads and so as we encounter others and situations we are full of perceptions and judgements rather than being present as our essence or pure soul. The practice of ho'oponopono then is about CLEANING, letting go of dead material and being free to be spontaneous and inspired by love, our essence, or divinity. Its very much on the lines of "the power of NOW" or non-attachment in Buddhist terms.
The unique thing with ho'oponopono is there is a mantra for self cleaning and it goes like this, (directed to your enemy, your friend, your body, your family, your boss, yourself or anyone you have ever though badly of)
I LOVE YOU,
I'M SORRY,
PLEASE FORGIVE ME,
THANK YOU.
I liken this process to coming into alignment with love, what would LOVE do here? There are many ways we come back to this place of stillness and remember who we are. The book of stories I am compiling about how Spirit talks to you is all about just this. These stories of signs and momentary encounters are all incidents that bring people back to the TRUTH, I am a spiritual being. If you have a story you would like to contribute go to www.SpiritIsTalkingToYou.com.
And remember your divinity today, you are a creative and loved being and so is every person you encounter.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Your Story
We have many stories don't we; the story of our lives and how we come to be where we are, stories of happy times and not so happy times. Our stories solidify the conclusions we have come to about who we are and where we are in our lives - they are the words that describe who we are. Our stories are important to our identity, who would we be without them?
Now that is a good question. Who would you be without your stories? Is it a bit scary to imagine removing those stories? Who would you be if you didn’t have them?
Maybe without those stories we would be the essence of the life that we were when we were born. Imagine that. Then we had no story yet. Who were we then?
We are still that underneath our stories. In some cases our stories have dampened that vibrant, open eyed innocence and wonder. We can reclaim it. We can loosen our attachment to our stories especially if they limit us in some way.
Lately I decided to compile stories into a book, combining my stories with other people's stories of how Spirit talks to them in their lives. I struggled with the idea of myself as an author or anthologist. Who am I to do this work having been an artist all my life? Now that's a limiting idea born out of the story I tell myself. I may be new to writing but I have endless enthusiasm for this project. That enthusiasm is who I am - the essence I was born with. I have not let my story restrict the TRUTH of who I am as a creative being. Are your stories limiting you?
Now that is a good question. Who would you be without your stories? Is it a bit scary to imagine removing those stories? Who would you be if you didn’t have them?
Maybe without those stories we would be the essence of the life that we were when we were born. Imagine that. Then we had no story yet. Who were we then?
We are still that underneath our stories. In some cases our stories have dampened that vibrant, open eyed innocence and wonder. We can reclaim it. We can loosen our attachment to our stories especially if they limit us in some way.
Lately I decided to compile stories into a book, combining my stories with other people's stories of how Spirit talks to them in their lives. I struggled with the idea of myself as an author or anthologist. Who am I to do this work having been an artist all my life? Now that's a limiting idea born out of the story I tell myself. I may be new to writing but I have endless enthusiasm for this project. That enthusiasm is who I am - the essence I was born with. I have not let my story restrict the TRUTH of who I am as a creative being. Are your stories limiting you?
Check out my website www.SpiritIsTalkingToYou.com and see if there is an author in you because I believe we all have a story worth changing but we also have a story worth telling.
NAMASTE
Monday, February 13, 2012
Be your own Valentine
"Love is all you need" The Beetles
Is your inner dialogue loving?
Do you think of yourself as a loving person?
For myself I notice that the answers to these two questions conflict.
I can be least loving to myself while trying to be loving to others. It doesn't work very well.
Sometimes I notice my judgements of others as if I sat on some pedestal of virtue but really I am judging myself equally. That does not feel good either.
When I noticed this most recently I realized I am shallow breathing as if constricted in my body, holding tight somehow. Once I became aware of this physical aspect it was easy to take a deep breath to assist in the release of all restriction including the withholding of love. What a relief it was to breathe and say to myself I let it go. It worked, in this instance anyway. Nice to have that experience and know it can be that easy sometimes.
So if you recognize any of what I describe here I offer this technique to you as a Valentine gift.
Whether there is one special person in your life or not, love can be increased as your experience in any moment by remembering to breathe deeply and let life flow through you without resistance. If you are single do not resist it, find someone to compliment. If things are not ideal in your relationship, find one good aspect to be grateful for in your partner and tell them you are grateful for it.
Choose love, self first then spread it around and have a wonderful love filled Valentine's Day.
Namaste.
Is your inner dialogue loving?
Do you think of yourself as a loving person?
For myself I notice that the answers to these two questions conflict.
I can be least loving to myself while trying to be loving to others. It doesn't work very well.
Sometimes I notice my judgements of others as if I sat on some pedestal of virtue but really I am judging myself equally. That does not feel good either.
When I noticed this most recently I realized I am shallow breathing as if constricted in my body, holding tight somehow. Once I became aware of this physical aspect it was easy to take a deep breath to assist in the release of all restriction including the withholding of love. What a relief it was to breathe and say to myself I let it go. It worked, in this instance anyway. Nice to have that experience and know it can be that easy sometimes.
So if you recognize any of what I describe here I offer this technique to you as a Valentine gift.
Whether there is one special person in your life or not, love can be increased as your experience in any moment by remembering to breathe deeply and let life flow through you without resistance. If you are single do not resist it, find someone to compliment. If things are not ideal in your relationship, find one good aspect to be grateful for in your partner and tell them you are grateful for it.
Choose love, self first then spread it around and have a wonderful love filled Valentine's Day.
Namaste.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Happy Springtime
Nothing is so beautiful as spring - when weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush; Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring the ear, it strikes like lightning to hear him sing. Gerard Manley Hopkins
I love this month because growing up in Ireland you could expect to see the first spring flowers appearing. They were always a sign of hope and that the hard winter was behind us. Snow drops and crocuses were always the first, then daffodils and primroses.
I miss that here in California where the sun can shine as strongly on any day of the year. I loose track and sometimes have to ask myself what time of the year it is. I dont have other markers such as children going back to school in the fall or set vacations in summer. Actually little about my life, as a freelance artist and writer, is set to a routine or rhythm besides night and day.
Imbolc as its called in Ireland, also known as the Feast of Brigid, on February 1 celebrates the arrival of longer, warmer days. The name means "in the belly" in the Old Irish Neolithic language, referring to the pregnancy of ewes. Lambs will soon be frolicking in the fields. New life is coming forth at every turn at this time of year. Its good to remember and allow that same energy to create newness in our minds and lives. We can do that by changing a pattern; by does something different to the usual, trying something new. Think of something you have always longed to do and just do it.
It doesn't have to be anything big; even stopping in to a neighbor and chatting a while when normally you would be too busy, would do. It was part of the Irish tradition on this day for young unmarried ladies to parade through the villages with dolls made in the likeness of St. Brigid. You never know how a small change can ripple out and renew hope and joy in your life or the life of another. Happy Springtime.
In Springtime, The Only Pretty Ring Time, Birds Sing a ding, a ding a ding,
Sweet Lovers Love The Spring.
I love this month because growing up in Ireland you could expect to see the first spring flowers appearing. They were always a sign of hope and that the hard winter was behind us. Snow drops and crocuses were always the first, then daffodils and primroses.
I miss that here in California where the sun can shine as strongly on any day of the year. I loose track and sometimes have to ask myself what time of the year it is. I dont have other markers such as children going back to school in the fall or set vacations in summer. Actually little about my life, as a freelance artist and writer, is set to a routine or rhythm besides night and day.
Imbolc as its called in Ireland, also known as the Feast of Brigid, on February 1 celebrates the arrival of longer, warmer days. The name means "in the belly" in the Old Irish Neolithic language, referring to the pregnancy of ewes. Lambs will soon be frolicking in the fields. New life is coming forth at every turn at this time of year. Its good to remember and allow that same energy to create newness in our minds and lives. We can do that by changing a pattern; by does something different to the usual, trying something new. Think of something you have always longed to do and just do it.
It doesn't have to be anything big; even stopping in to a neighbor and chatting a while when normally you would be too busy, would do. It was part of the Irish tradition on this day for young unmarried ladies to parade through the villages with dolls made in the likeness of St. Brigid. You never know how a small change can ripple out and renew hope and joy in your life or the life of another. Happy Springtime.
In Springtime, The Only Pretty Ring Time, Birds Sing a ding, a ding a ding,
Sweet Lovers Love The Spring.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Power of One
"While many of us don’t know yet how to realize our potential,
we can all learn. Most important, we can learn this while we live our
everyday lives. The key is to act in ways that shape what happens
to us day to day, instead of passively allowing events to shape us.
For example, by learning how to embrace all our experiences, we
become strengthened, expanded, and spiritualized by them, and our
extra-ordinariness then emerges."
from the Urban Mystic by Ken Mellor
This is the power of choice which is our greatest asset. We may not be able to control what happens to us but we can control how we respond to what happens to us.
Do your thoughts control you or do you control your thoughts?
Many say "I cant help it, the world gets me down, its overwhelming." I am not unfamiliar to being sensitive to the suffering I see and having moments of feeling immobilized by my own life challenges but my belief, that we still have choice in how we talk to ourselves in these moments, is what gets me moving again. I look for the smallest step I can take now and do that. Even if its as small as cleaning out a drawer or making a phone call. These are the increments of a life and start my momentum. Often its the getting started that is the hardest part.
Never underestimate the power of one, one consciousness - yours - to transform your day. That can ripple outward to those around you and if you choose to be a positive influence in the world there is no limit to how many you can inspire. So no excuses today, you hold the power. Go use it well.
we can all learn. Most important, we can learn this while we live our
everyday lives. The key is to act in ways that shape what happens
to us day to day, instead of passively allowing events to shape us.
For example, by learning how to embrace all our experiences, we
become strengthened, expanded, and spiritualized by them, and our
extra-ordinariness then emerges."
from the Urban Mystic by Ken Mellor
This is the power of choice which is our greatest asset. We may not be able to control what happens to us but we can control how we respond to what happens to us.
Do your thoughts control you or do you control your thoughts?
Many say "I cant help it, the world gets me down, its overwhelming." I am not unfamiliar to being sensitive to the suffering I see and having moments of feeling immobilized by my own life challenges but my belief, that we still have choice in how we talk to ourselves in these moments, is what gets me moving again. I look for the smallest step I can take now and do that. Even if its as small as cleaning out a drawer or making a phone call. These are the increments of a life and start my momentum. Often its the getting started that is the hardest part.
Never underestimate the power of one, one consciousness - yours - to transform your day. That can ripple outward to those around you and if you choose to be a positive influence in the world there is no limit to how many you can inspire. So no excuses today, you hold the power. Go use it well.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Paradise
"If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it."
I can hear the skeptic voice in all of us rise up in response to this statement instantly, this paradise? Look at the poverty, look at the wars; how could anyone call this life of struggle and suffering heaven? Yet if I invite you to look at a freshly bloomed rose or the innocent smile of a child your heart would open to the beauty you see before you. Similarly if you recall a struggle from your past that you have surmounted and from which you have grown you can also see the beauty in that experience.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Behind us all things assume pleasing forms, as clouds do far off. Not only things familiar and stale but even the tragic and terrible are comely as they take their place in the pictures of memory.”
Even in my darkest moments I have known that there is beauty and good and love to be found and if I can adopt the pace of nature as Emerson says; "her secret is patience," it will reveal itself in time. So take heart if you are in despair or off kilter today, all things come to pass and not to stay.
For the Glee version of the song "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTBG7FZvmc0&feature=related
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Tell me a story
We all love stories, as told in movies or novels, in short stories or tall tales. I like to write stories about events in my past and I may get that from my father who loved to tell stories from his childhood. In many ways telling our own stories helps us appreciate the life that we have been given, the journey that has been ours alone.
There is a branch of psychology called narrative psychology which has explored the effects of telling our stories in the third person. This is done either as the story told back to you from the therapist's illuminated perspective or as told by yourself as if you were describing the events as seen on a movie screen. The effect is in the removal of ourselves from the emotion of traumatic events. From this vantage point we may be able to make sense of what happened and find the meaning as it fits into the flow of our lives. This is a powerful process that serves to integrate events and shift who we see ourselves as today. We become empowered and more confident.
We do love to tell our stories! And tell them and retell them. If you are sick of yours this could be the catalyst for change you have been waiting for. If you feel stuck in your life this could be a great tool for removing blocks. Its worth a try and could be fun. Sharing our new third person stories with friends who support us helps authenticate our revised interpretations and creates an opportunity to connect which always increases our life satisfaction. So tell me a story and not the one about Johnny McGorey!!
Shall I begin it? That's all is in it!
There is a branch of psychology called narrative psychology which has explored the effects of telling our stories in the third person. This is done either as the story told back to you from the therapist's illuminated perspective or as told by yourself as if you were describing the events as seen on a movie screen. The effect is in the removal of ourselves from the emotion of traumatic events. From this vantage point we may be able to make sense of what happened and find the meaning as it fits into the flow of our lives. This is a powerful process that serves to integrate events and shift who we see ourselves as today. We become empowered and more confident.
We do love to tell our stories! And tell them and retell them. If you are sick of yours this could be the catalyst for change you have been waiting for. If you feel stuck in your life this could be a great tool for removing blocks. Its worth a try and could be fun. Sharing our new third person stories with friends who support us helps authenticate our revised interpretations and creates an opportunity to connect which always increases our life satisfaction. So tell me a story and not the one about Johnny McGorey!!
Shall I begin it? That's all is in it!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Mental health?
The new year brought news of the suicide of someone I knew from my church but had not seen in some years as she had moved back to her native England. It was news that rattled many as suicides do. This woman was a Spiritual Counselor and part of our core of practitioners. She was a very spiritually aware individual having been a seeker and a student along side me and many of my friends on the path. Thoughts of her have been my companions since her passing and I recognize our kinship in my moments of disillusionment or doubt. I wonder but will never know the thoughts that led her to take this drastic measure.
As I get older I find I have fewer answers to life's mysteries. More and more I simply give up resisting what is and find that acceptance provides me with more energy to act. Otherwise I get bogged down. Things change for good and for bad without our input - we have only so much control.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"The measure of mental health is the disposition to find good everywhere."
In order to find that good we have to look for it and sometimes even do some digging for it in some circumstances. I'm not sure I can find it in a suicide but I can certainly try to find it in my life. In fact, despite my many complaints, if I decide to shift my focus to find good, there is more there than I even imagined. That feels better than complaining. And again I have more energy to be creative and take action when I feel grateful for the good I find. It is my hope that we can find some good always in our lives and if we can't that we can call a trusted friend who can show it to us.
Namaste
As I get older I find I have fewer answers to life's mysteries. More and more I simply give up resisting what is and find that acceptance provides me with more energy to act. Otherwise I get bogged down. Things change for good and for bad without our input - we have only so much control.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"The measure of mental health is the disposition to find good everywhere."
In order to find that good we have to look for it and sometimes even do some digging for it in some circumstances. I'm not sure I can find it in a suicide but I can certainly try to find it in my life. In fact, despite my many complaints, if I decide to shift my focus to find good, there is more there than I even imagined. That feels better than complaining. And again I have more energy to be creative and take action when I feel grateful for the good I find. It is my hope that we can find some good always in our lives and if we can't that we can call a trusted friend who can show it to us.
Namaste
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
End of Year
Endings always mean new beginnings.
Every new moment affords us the opportunity to begin again. At the end of the year I tend to look back and evaluate as well as look forward and make resolutions to improve the quality of my life in the year to come. At the very least I set intentions or wish lists. For the last 7 years I have written a list of ten things that happened last year and ten things I would like to happen in the year to come. The events I record are not only in my life but the lives of those close to me. It is a record of changes.
The list for next year often includes my wishes for someone close to me too.
If you don't choose to mark the passage of the year, after all it is simply another flowing moment - just know that each moment has within it the possibility for newness. At any time we can choose differently than we have in the past. At any time we can choose to act from love and not from fear, to be kind instead of critical, gentle instead of harsh, patient or compassionate instead of judging. Each and every hastening moment has the potential for a new experience and it is unbound by the past unless we decide to let the past define it.
There is freedom in this moment, take it!
Every new moment affords us the opportunity to begin again. At the end of the year I tend to look back and evaluate as well as look forward and make resolutions to improve the quality of my life in the year to come. At the very least I set intentions or wish lists. For the last 7 years I have written a list of ten things that happened last year and ten things I would like to happen in the year to come. The events I record are not only in my life but the lives of those close to me. It is a record of changes.
The list for next year often includes my wishes for someone close to me too.
If you don't choose to mark the passage of the year, after all it is simply another flowing moment - just know that each moment has within it the possibility for newness. At any time we can choose differently than we have in the past. At any time we can choose to act from love and not from fear, to be kind instead of critical, gentle instead of harsh, patient or compassionate instead of judging. Each and every hastening moment has the potential for a new experience and it is unbound by the past unless we decide to let the past define it.
There is freedom in this moment, take it!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Love again
Who or what represents love in your life? When you close your eyes and picture the face of those you love truly and completely without question, who is there?
For me, the faces of love are my parents, first and foremost. In the past I may have had anger or resentments toward them because I felt that I did not receive some form of love I believed I needed from them. Now that is all dissolved as I have come to take responsibility for my own experiences and stopped asking for perfection from them and myself. All that remains is love. My relationships with them are the longest standing relationship of my life and our differences have been resolved.
I am still working on the relationships I have with everyone else in my life and they are at varying stages of resolution. I would like to come to that same place with each and every one but unlike with my parents their influence on me has not been as deep or demanded such urgent attention. Even so I am making a conscious effort lately to resolve issues and develop better relations with those I love because I believe it will greatly add to my peace. Being at peace I am more free. Free to be myself and to feel more connected knowing my oneness in the universal energy of life.
I am practicing by giving the compassion, understanding and generosity I would like to receive. Some days its not easy but having set the intention I am more conscious of where I am not being love. I have a long way to go yet. I begin the journey in hope and enthusiasm.
Blessings to you this day and may your circle of love grow with each moment in time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhMCBnwS220&feature=related
For me, the faces of love are my parents, first and foremost. In the past I may have had anger or resentments toward them because I felt that I did not receive some form of love I believed I needed from them. Now that is all dissolved as I have come to take responsibility for my own experiences and stopped asking for perfection from them and myself. All that remains is love. My relationships with them are the longest standing relationship of my life and our differences have been resolved.
I am still working on the relationships I have with everyone else in my life and they are at varying stages of resolution. I would like to come to that same place with each and every one but unlike with my parents their influence on me has not been as deep or demanded such urgent attention. Even so I am making a conscious effort lately to resolve issues and develop better relations with those I love because I believe it will greatly add to my peace. Being at peace I am more free. Free to be myself and to feel more connected knowing my oneness in the universal energy of life.
I am practicing by giving the compassion, understanding and generosity I would like to receive. Some days its not easy but having set the intention I am more conscious of where I am not being love. I have a long way to go yet. I begin the journey in hope and enthusiasm.
Blessings to you this day and may your circle of love grow with each moment in time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhMCBnwS220&feature=related
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Create
You are creating your day in every moment. The one moment NOW is the place of choice and action. No matter where you are, be it in line at the grocery store or sitting in a car with a sibling, parent or friend or meeting a person for the first time, BE PRESENT to them. This may be the last moment you have to give your full attention to, it may be that person's last moment to be acknowledged.
Ask what can you give rather than what you can receive. This way you activate the creative power within you. You realize you have the power to create a loving or peaceful moment. You are the center of the world you create. You are responsible for the energy you bring to a room, to a meeting, to your life.
Choose wisely because YOU have the power to create heaven or hell!
Ask what can you give rather than what you can receive. This way you activate the creative power within you. You realize you have the power to create a loving or peaceful moment. You are the center of the world you create. You are responsible for the energy you bring to a room, to a meeting, to your life.
Choose wisely because YOU have the power to create heaven or hell!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Love, Love, Love
I was speaking with my mother across thousands of mile the other day when as the phone call was finishing up she said "Enough talking about nothing!" We didn't have a lot of news for one another but we still wanted the call to last a while. My reply was, yes, on the surface it may seem like nothing but what we are really saying is "I love you." She agreed that that is the most important thing.
Three different stories have been related to me in the last week of people coming to the end of their lives and in each case the person was able to see life from a different perspective. Facing death all they saw in life was love. One individual let go of a life time of judgment and resentment, mending relations with his brother.
Wouldn't it be great if we could see this sooner, if we could learn from these people, and know only love. I have been looking at my own life to see who I have distanced myself from or if I am holding unresolved anger or resentment toward anyone. If I am withholding love in any area then I may be blocking the channel for more self acceptance and greater flow in other areas of my life. If I am truly to embody love and peace I must let go of anything that is not love from my heart.
Is there anyone in your life that you still blame for some hurt you still hold on to? In the present the only one suffering is the one holding the hurt. Can you see your part in inviting this person into your experience and what you gained from it? For me it's time to explore, through journaling where these blocks may lie and to take back the power I am giving away. I am not a victim, I always have the power to forgive and to find my part and be responsible for it. I am ready to see the truth of every situation and see only LOVE. Are you?
Three different stories have been related to me in the last week of people coming to the end of their lives and in each case the person was able to see life from a different perspective. Facing death all they saw in life was love. One individual let go of a life time of judgment and resentment, mending relations with his brother.
Wouldn't it be great if we could see this sooner, if we could learn from these people, and know only love. I have been looking at my own life to see who I have distanced myself from or if I am holding unresolved anger or resentment toward anyone. If I am withholding love in any area then I may be blocking the channel for more self acceptance and greater flow in other areas of my life. If I am truly to embody love and peace I must let go of anything that is not love from my heart.
Is there anyone in your life that you still blame for some hurt you still hold on to? In the present the only one suffering is the one holding the hurt. Can you see your part in inviting this person into your experience and what you gained from it? For me it's time to explore, through journaling where these blocks may lie and to take back the power I am giving away. I am not a victim, I always have the power to forgive and to find my part and be responsible for it. I am ready to see the truth of every situation and see only LOVE. Are you?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Blessed day
Today its a wonderful day...
because I am alive,
because I feel no pain,
because I love,
because I am loved,
because I am creative,
because I made carrot soup,
because my cat sleeps beside me,
because I went to church and met lovely people,
because I meditated,
because I set an intention and carried it out,
because I prayed,
because a friend said something nice to me,
because I have a friend,
because I did something nice for someone,
because I know my power today,
because I am free.
What was the best part of your day today?
Give yourself credit for bringing about the bast part of your day.
And if it has not been a good day, listen to this, its almost guaranteed to lift your spirits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFoXcO8llNI&feature=fvsr
because I am alive,
because I feel no pain,
because I love,
because I am loved,
because I am creative,
because I made carrot soup,
because my cat sleeps beside me,
because I went to church and met lovely people,
because I meditated,
because I set an intention and carried it out,
because I prayed,
because a friend said something nice to me,
because I have a friend,
because I did something nice for someone,
because I know my power today,
because I am free.
What was the best part of your day today?
Give yourself credit for bringing about the bast part of your day.
And if it has not been a good day, listen to this, its almost guaranteed to lift your spirits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFoXcO8llNI&feature=fvsr
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Blocks in your head!
How conscious are you of your thought patterns or behaviour patterns?
Are you creating your experience each day or simply going through the motions, in habitual routines or a busy blur?
I love being busy, I love filling my time, even in the car I listen to books on CD, my mind is kept busy. Well if my mind was not kept busy where would it go to...I guess I don't want to find out! Yet if I don't find out then unconscious ideas and thoughts may be running my life.
Situations and people that irritate me come easily to my mind and I can have great arguments in my head which really doesn't serve me or anyone. If we are all One, they are just representing a part of me that I disown and deem less attractive. I realized I could choose to bless them and as my minister says "Praise them and raise them" and that way I might heal that part of myself.
That would be better than stewing on an annoyance or rushing off to another activity and pushing irritation to one side. How can I be clear and loving with an annoyance in my breast pocket? My energy is divided, how effective can I be with blocks to love like this, lurking in the dark corners.
Ok, so I need to spend time in the spiritual practice of blessing and releasing the sticking points in my self so the flow can be clear and open. Back we come to time, time to be still and consciously choose my minds activity. I love the idea but will I take the time, in my busy day? How committed am I to growing and stretching myself? I could do these blessing exercises as I take my morning walk, that doesn't seem too difficult. Or I could set my timer for ten minutes. Either way I know its a necessary practice for me.
Signing off to take a walk...bless you all!
Are you creating your experience each day or simply going through the motions, in habitual routines or a busy blur?
I love being busy, I love filling my time, even in the car I listen to books on CD, my mind is kept busy. Well if my mind was not kept busy where would it go to...I guess I don't want to find out! Yet if I don't find out then unconscious ideas and thoughts may be running my life.
Situations and people that irritate me come easily to my mind and I can have great arguments in my head which really doesn't serve me or anyone. If we are all One, they are just representing a part of me that I disown and deem less attractive. I realized I could choose to bless them and as my minister says "Praise them and raise them" and that way I might heal that part of myself.
That would be better than stewing on an annoyance or rushing off to another activity and pushing irritation to one side. How can I be clear and loving with an annoyance in my breast pocket? My energy is divided, how effective can I be with blocks to love like this, lurking in the dark corners.
Ok, so I need to spend time in the spiritual practice of blessing and releasing the sticking points in my self so the flow can be clear and open. Back we come to time, time to be still and consciously choose my minds activity. I love the idea but will I take the time, in my busy day? How committed am I to growing and stretching myself? I could do these blessing exercises as I take my morning walk, that doesn't seem too difficult. Or I could set my timer for ten minutes. Either way I know its a necessary practice for me.
Signing off to take a walk...bless you all!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Another Day in Paradise
As I lay my head on my pillow these nights I say to the universe, thanks for another day in paradise!
Is that because I live on a white sand island and eat my fill from the trees everyday, chatting with the other bare footed inhabitants as we loll in the sunshine? NO!!
I live in Los Angeles and though we have nice beaches here it is a far cry from anyone's vision of paradise! I drive on the freeways and I walk on the concrete, I wonder about the source of my next paycheck yet I eat well everyday. I am not without the normal concerns of a life.
But that's just it. The normal concerns of a life. My last statement of the day is inspired by a character in a fabulous novel I am currently reading. The character is a doctor in a Mission Hospital in Ethopia. He is father to twins who witness his nightly declaration, "Another day in Paradise!" It mystifies them as they see the poverty, the human struggle, the daily parade of needy patients in the hospital. They think their father a little crazy. It is not until their world is turned upside down because of a coup in Addis Ababa in the 1960s, which leads to the arrest of the man they know as their father, that they finally realize the truth in his statement. A day when things are normal, when the people we love are safe and warm, when our world seems mundane yet all is well, that is another day in paradise. Not till its taken away do we fully appreciate the humdrum pace of a normal day.
So may I suggest to you that today you live in paradise. If you have family that loves you, if you have health enough to love them and to do the things that you need to do, if you have a warm dry place to lay your head tonight and a fridge with food enough to eat today, you live in paradise. If you are not being bombed, persecuted, threatened, then let me suggest that you live in paradise and that the humdrum day can be something for which to be grateful!
(The novel by the way is "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese)
Is that because I live on a white sand island and eat my fill from the trees everyday, chatting with the other bare footed inhabitants as we loll in the sunshine? NO!!
I live in Los Angeles and though we have nice beaches here it is a far cry from anyone's vision of paradise! I drive on the freeways and I walk on the concrete, I wonder about the source of my next paycheck yet I eat well everyday. I am not without the normal concerns of a life.
But that's just it. The normal concerns of a life. My last statement of the day is inspired by a character in a fabulous novel I am currently reading. The character is a doctor in a Mission Hospital in Ethopia. He is father to twins who witness his nightly declaration, "Another day in Paradise!" It mystifies them as they see the poverty, the human struggle, the daily parade of needy patients in the hospital. They think their father a little crazy. It is not until their world is turned upside down because of a coup in Addis Ababa in the 1960s, which leads to the arrest of the man they know as their father, that they finally realize the truth in his statement. A day when things are normal, when the people we love are safe and warm, when our world seems mundane yet all is well, that is another day in paradise. Not till its taken away do we fully appreciate the humdrum pace of a normal day.
So may I suggest to you that today you live in paradise. If you have family that loves you, if you have health enough to love them and to do the things that you need to do, if you have a warm dry place to lay your head tonight and a fridge with food enough to eat today, you live in paradise. If you are not being bombed, persecuted, threatened, then let me suggest that you live in paradise and that the humdrum day can be something for which to be grateful!
(The novel by the way is "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Life is an Experiment
"When you alter your relationship with yourself, your external world will alter accordingly."
-Katherine Woodward Thomas
I used to visualize this idea as two people carrying a plank (connected in a relationship dynamic.) One day, one person decides not to carry their side (to act or react differently.) Now the second person has to adjust their behavior accordingly. When we no longer act as we used to, naturally people have to act differently around us. If I decide to get healthier, to grow, to change the way I allow others to treat me, naturally it upsets the equilibrium. People around me don't necessarily like it even if they support me. Change can be difficult.
Then should I not change?
You know the answer to that! I cannot keep myself the same for the sake of other people. I then sacrifice my integrity and trust in myself, plus I may be paying a higher cost than I know for playing safe. I may be losing the chance of greater love or expanded experience of life. Plus I am not giving others the chance to grow with me, to change and explore the limitations they have set for themselves. So I endure some discomfort for a time and some friends may fall away but some others may be inspired. I have to allow the external things to do what they will do.
My concern is internal. I must follow my heart, the quiet voice beckoning me on into uncharted territories. Its a natural progression and if I want a different experience than I have had in the past I must forge on in expectation of some discomfort as I break the mold of past conditioning. I may also expect great reward and vistas never before witnessed or experienced by me in my life. The things we leave undone cause us more regret than the things we do, no matter the outcome.
Emerson said "All life is an experiment." Who knows how many days we have left, let us be brave and move beyond our comfort zone. What have you left undone?
-Katherine Woodward Thomas
I used to visualize this idea as two people carrying a plank (connected in a relationship dynamic.) One day, one person decides not to carry their side (to act or react differently.) Now the second person has to adjust their behavior accordingly. When we no longer act as we used to, naturally people have to act differently around us. If I decide to get healthier, to grow, to change the way I allow others to treat me, naturally it upsets the equilibrium. People around me don't necessarily like it even if they support me. Change can be difficult.
Then should I not change?
You know the answer to that! I cannot keep myself the same for the sake of other people. I then sacrifice my integrity and trust in myself, plus I may be paying a higher cost than I know for playing safe. I may be losing the chance of greater love or expanded experience of life. Plus I am not giving others the chance to grow with me, to change and explore the limitations they have set for themselves. So I endure some discomfort for a time and some friends may fall away but some others may be inspired. I have to allow the external things to do what they will do.
My concern is internal. I must follow my heart, the quiet voice beckoning me on into uncharted territories. Its a natural progression and if I want a different experience than I have had in the past I must forge on in expectation of some discomfort as I break the mold of past conditioning. I may also expect great reward and vistas never before witnessed or experienced by me in my life. The things we leave undone cause us more regret than the things we do, no matter the outcome.
Emerson said "All life is an experiment." Who knows how many days we have left, let us be brave and move beyond our comfort zone. What have you left undone?
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
More Love
Love makes the world go round so THEY say! And yes love motivates a great deal of what gets done in the world. Love plants trees, nurtures children, builds beautiful buildings, creates music, gives to the poor, looks out for the less fortunate, listens to the voice of reason and inner guidance.
Then there's fear, the other less attractive motivator. Its the driving force behind greed, oppression, crime, and all manner of selfish acts. The fear is, I can't have what I want any other way than by taking it by force.
Love increases our experience of peace while fear keeps us awake at night.
Imagine Love and Fear as fires within us that we can choose to feed or not. The one you feed is the one that dominates your experiences. There is so much fear in our society today that feeding the love fire may seem like going against the grain but doing so can change the quality of your relationships especially the most important one, your relationship with yourself.
Here's what "Psychology Today" says about the power of love.
"Love is probably the best antidepressant there is because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved. Most depressed people don't love themselves and they do not feel loved by others. They also are very self-focused, making them less attractive to others and depriving them of opportunities to learn the skills of love."
For more from this article with helpful tips about loving yourself (feeding the love fire) go here; http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200212/the-power-love
"Love is as critical for your mind and body as oxygen. It's not negotiable. The more connected you are, the healthier you will be both physically and emotionally."
Then there's fear, the other less attractive motivator. Its the driving force behind greed, oppression, crime, and all manner of selfish acts. The fear is, I can't have what I want any other way than by taking it by force.
Love increases our experience of peace while fear keeps us awake at night.
Imagine Love and Fear as fires within us that we can choose to feed or not. The one you feed is the one that dominates your experiences. There is so much fear in our society today that feeding the love fire may seem like going against the grain but doing so can change the quality of your relationships especially the most important one, your relationship with yourself.
Here's what "Psychology Today" says about the power of love.
"Love is probably the best antidepressant there is because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved. Most depressed people don't love themselves and they do not feel loved by others. They also are very self-focused, making them less attractive to others and depriving them of opportunities to learn the skills of love."
For more from this article with helpful tips about loving yourself (feeding the love fire) go here; http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200212/the-power-love
"Love is as critical for your mind and body as oxygen. It's not negotiable. The more connected you are, the healthier you will be both physically and emotionally."
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Persistence
”Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." --Calvin Coolidge
Have you ever felt discouraged and wanted to give up? I know I have.
And it can happen so easily especially after a disappointment. I may have had my hopes up, and attached a lot of expectation to one event but it did not go according to my visualization. It can be so disheartening. I feel the universe is telling me to forget it or that my idea was no good.
And I have to weigh up my strategy or my endeavor and ask myself do I believe in it? Do I believe I have something of value to offer, am I passionate about what I do? If I can answer yes to these questions I do what the song says..."dont lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip and pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again!"
Persist, have faith, meantime do whatever lifts your spirits, till you are ready to try again.
Listen to the song here....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6MtmkqPbps
Have you ever felt discouraged and wanted to give up? I know I have.
And it can happen so easily especially after a disappointment. I may have had my hopes up, and attached a lot of expectation to one event but it did not go according to my visualization. It can be so disheartening. I feel the universe is telling me to forget it or that my idea was no good.
And I have to weigh up my strategy or my endeavor and ask myself do I believe in it? Do I believe I have something of value to offer, am I passionate about what I do? If I can answer yes to these questions I do what the song says..."dont lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip and pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again!"
Persist, have faith, meantime do whatever lifts your spirits, till you are ready to try again.
Listen to the song here....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6MtmkqPbps
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)