As I continue to read "The Art of Possibility" I am heartened by the examples of how perceptions changed people's experiences.
One story the author, Zander, tells is of a young woman on a beach where thousands of star fish have been stranded, high and dry and soon to perish. A man approaching the girl from a distance perceives her to be dancing with a graceful movement raising her arms in the air. As he gets closer he sees that she is throwing the star fish back into the ocean. In a mocking tone he comments that there are star fish as far as the eye can see, what difference can saving a few make. Smiling the young woman reaches down and tossing one more out over the water she says serenely "It certainly makes a difference to this one."
If we don't look to measure the degrees of success or failure of a venture but approach it as someone who can contribute, it changes our experience of life. The young woman could just as easily have abandoned her task seeing the futility of her endeavor but no, she is serene in the act of contributing to this one star fish. Zander asks us to put it to ourselves, "How will I be a contributor today?" When we ask this question we more easily come into the present moment and there is no where else to be, no other person to be with, we look to contribute to this moment, to this person, to this endeavor. It shifts our thinking from - what do I get out of this or evaluating, will my effort be worthwhile?
So I declare myself a contributor today. I throw myself into life as someone who makes a difference. I don't have to understand how or why.
I am inventing myself in a way that we all are, everyday. How are you inventing yourself today and how is it working for you?
.
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.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
An "A" student of life
I'm just reading the book, The Art of Possibility and being very inspired.
The writers are a couple; he a conductor, composer and teacher, she an executive coach and family systems therapist. Published in 2000, it's message has never been more needed as it is today. We need new possibilities as we deal with a quickly changing world.
The Zanders say our realities, based on our beliefs, are all invented anyway so why not invent a positive view of yourself and the world. Give yourself and everyone you meet an A. See the Michelangelo statue inside the rough piece of clay before you and watch it emerge, encourage it's emergence. As we let go of judging by our standards we open to people we would not before have aligned with, there by opening to possibilities heretofore cut off from us.
By giving yourself an A, it does not mean you don't have to work hard anymore but it frees you to take risks as you don't have to toe some imagined line in order to deserve approval. You already have it!
It is not about raising self esteem or boasting, it simply takes you out of the idea of success/failure and brings you into the world of possibility. It allows you to acknowledge as well as be, all of who you are without having to deny any part.
Try it out for a day and see what results, I like the feel of it don't you?
The writers are a couple; he a conductor, composer and teacher, she an executive coach and family systems therapist. Published in 2000, it's message has never been more needed as it is today. We need new possibilities as we deal with a quickly changing world.
The Zanders say our realities, based on our beliefs, are all invented anyway so why not invent a positive view of yourself and the world. Give yourself and everyone you meet an A. See the Michelangelo statue inside the rough piece of clay before you and watch it emerge, encourage it's emergence. As we let go of judging by our standards we open to people we would not before have aligned with, there by opening to possibilities heretofore cut off from us.
By giving yourself an A, it does not mean you don't have to work hard anymore but it frees you to take risks as you don't have to toe some imagined line in order to deserve approval. You already have it!
It is not about raising self esteem or boasting, it simply takes you out of the idea of success/failure and brings you into the world of possibility. It allows you to acknowledge as well as be, all of who you are without having to deny any part.
Try it out for a day and see what results, I like the feel of it don't you?
Monday, July 23, 2012
Mercury Retrograde
Have you ever heard someone say Mercury is retrograde and that's why they are having a bad day or why they were late, didn't get your e-mail, missed the plane?
If not let me just explain here that this is an astrological term that means that because of how the earth and mercury are moving in their orbits it appears from our vantage point here on earth that the planet Mercury is traveling backwards. The effect of this energy, similar to the effect the moon has on the tides, is to create delays, mix ups, make us go back over old ground, make travel plans and communications go askew. Mercury is the planet associated with travel and communications, as the moon is with the emotions. When it is in retrograde we go over old territory in one way or another.
Of course what you believe dictates your experience so if you give this idea weight then expect events to take unexpected turns and not a lot of progress to be made in new ventures while old ventures get movement.
Personally I have always been fascinated by astrology having explored it in some depth in my twenties and I see it not as many do, as a prediction of something set in stone but rather as something that indicates areas of life that pull at our attention at any given time.
This week for instance I had a face to face meeting with an old friend I had not sat down with for almost two years. At the same time someone from college contacted me through Facebook - when I last saw her has been more years than I care to remember! We e-mailed every day this week finding out what the other has been up to and seeing where in our lives we have both gotten wiser.
And Mercury is retrograde right now so how perfectly appropriate to be involved in such activities.
Whether you think its a lot of rubbish or not, I ask you to look at your last week and the one coming and report your findings.
There is a time for every thing so why not take this time to review something from the past that has been asking for your attention. Its a great way to use the energy of Mercury retrograde.
Mercury goes direct August 8th.
If not let me just explain here that this is an astrological term that means that because of how the earth and mercury are moving in their orbits it appears from our vantage point here on earth that the planet Mercury is traveling backwards. The effect of this energy, similar to the effect the moon has on the tides, is to create delays, mix ups, make us go back over old ground, make travel plans and communications go askew. Mercury is the planet associated with travel and communications, as the moon is with the emotions. When it is in retrograde we go over old territory in one way or another.
Of course what you believe dictates your experience so if you give this idea weight then expect events to take unexpected turns and not a lot of progress to be made in new ventures while old ventures get movement.
Personally I have always been fascinated by astrology having explored it in some depth in my twenties and I see it not as many do, as a prediction of something set in stone but rather as something that indicates areas of life that pull at our attention at any given time.
This week for instance I had a face to face meeting with an old friend I had not sat down with for almost two years. At the same time someone from college contacted me through Facebook - when I last saw her has been more years than I care to remember! We e-mailed every day this week finding out what the other has been up to and seeing where in our lives we have both gotten wiser.
And Mercury is retrograde right now so how perfectly appropriate to be involved in such activities.
Whether you think its a lot of rubbish or not, I ask you to look at your last week and the one coming and report your findings.
There is a time for every thing so why not take this time to review something from the past that has been asking for your attention. Its a great way to use the energy of Mercury retrograde.
Mercury goes direct August 8th.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Tudors
I just finished watching the Tudors, a TV series on the reign of the infamous King Henry the VIII, of which there are 38 episodes. At first I thought the series was too much of a sexy soap opera but soon I have to admit I found it absolutely fascinating.
I learned many things from watching this series.
History was brought to vivid life as I was lured into the constantly shifting politics of the Royal Court at a time when the Reformation was taking hold in Europe. Having been raised a Catholic in Ireland and remembering Mass said in Latin I got a deeper understanding of the grip of Rome on its distant subjects and of the difficulties involved in breaking with tradition and old beliefs.
Having grown up with the effects of tension between Protestant and Catholic in my country I got to see in this TV series some of the roots of the divisions in their rituals and loyalties. Of course in Ireland the tension was also deeply linked to oppressor, (the English Protestants) and the oppressed (Irish Catholics.) It was as if the country held more firmly to it's beliefs because of the persecution.
Change is never easy and it was not in England either; this breaking from Rome, for the peasantry of that country were as much oppresses as those in Ireland. There was no religious freedom for them as their monasteries were sacked and the lands handed to those in the King's favor.
And presently in Ireland, after all the years of fighting for Catholicism, the churches are greatly depleted as scandals and rigidity leave a sour taste in a society jaded and skeptical as economic boom was followed quickly by a return to austerity. In the light of all those burned at the stake, hanged drawn and quartered, beheaded and more, I wonder at the world of men.
I am left with a line from the series resounding amid all the other thoughts and ideas and it is this...
'Praise the God of all, drink the wine, and let the world be the world.'
Amen.
I learned many things from watching this series.
History was brought to vivid life as I was lured into the constantly shifting politics of the Royal Court at a time when the Reformation was taking hold in Europe. Having been raised a Catholic in Ireland and remembering Mass said in Latin I got a deeper understanding of the grip of Rome on its distant subjects and of the difficulties involved in breaking with tradition and old beliefs.
Having grown up with the effects of tension between Protestant and Catholic in my country I got to see in this TV series some of the roots of the divisions in their rituals and loyalties. Of course in Ireland the tension was also deeply linked to oppressor, (the English Protestants) and the oppressed (Irish Catholics.) It was as if the country held more firmly to it's beliefs because of the persecution.
Change is never easy and it was not in England either; this breaking from Rome, for the peasantry of that country were as much oppresses as those in Ireland. There was no religious freedom for them as their monasteries were sacked and the lands handed to those in the King's favor.
And presently in Ireland, after all the years of fighting for Catholicism, the churches are greatly depleted as scandals and rigidity leave a sour taste in a society jaded and skeptical as economic boom was followed quickly by a return to austerity. In the light of all those burned at the stake, hanged drawn and quartered, beheaded and more, I wonder at the world of men.
I am left with a line from the series resounding amid all the other thoughts and ideas and it is this...
'Praise the God of all, drink the wine, and let the world be the world.'
Amen.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Busy Lives, your choice.
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
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
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!
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