January 25, 2011

The world is made up of many different kinds of people of various races, creeds, colors, nationalities, gender orientations, socio-economic and educational backgrounds, and other variables that contribute to the uniqueness of the individual. In a garden composed of many different kinds of plants and flowers, no one flower is better than another and no shrub thinks itself less perfect than its neighbor. Each has its being, its essence, and knows it is growing in the illusion of space and time in which it finds itself. It accepts itself for what it is and each draws in the nurturing warmth of the sun. So, too, we each need to accept ourselves and strive to be the best we can be in our patch of garden under the nurturing sun. Then, in turn, we need to accept others for who they are, without judgment, but equally in love and peace, like the flowers in the garden. Namaste!

January 24, 2011

You are responsible for your own happiness and unhappiness. Obviously, the choices you make today will impact your state of mind tomorrow and, perhaps, for days and years to come. But, there are also choices you made before you were born here in this form, in this body—choices you made in the between time, between one incarnation and the next. In that between time, you were able to discern what you had learned in your previous life, take stock, and then select sets of circumstances in your next life to help your spirit learn previously unlearned or poorly absorbed lessons. In doing so, you decided on details of your life that would provide the lessons you need—where you would be born and to whom, your gender, socio-economic and educational factors, blessings and hardships. And yet, you retained freewill, so when you were born, you could precisely follow the path you had planned, not straying from the roadmap you had created, or deviate slightly or entirely. Lessons would still be learned, but perhaps not the ones you had selected for this lifetime. And, further, in this life, because of your freewill, you are able to choose to be happy and relinquish what is making you miserable. It may take courage or hard work but it is possible—it is possible to be happy—it is your choice! Namaste!

January 23, 2011

When we believe something, especially when many, many people believe the same thing, it becomes the truth and it is given power. Truth and the reality it creates are subjective. We create and change these over time. At one time everyone believed the earth was flat and that if you ventured to the edge, you would fall off. People believed that enslaving other people was an acceptable practice, thus subjugating one group to another. It was believed that tomatoes were poisonous until this was disproved as myth. When enough people say that something is so, and especially if they say it with great authority and loudly, it becomes so. We have the power to change a negative belief, a negative reality into a positive one by simply propounding love, peace, and kindness with great authority, expressing that these are preferable to any negative ideas being expounded. It is thus that we can change the world paradigm to one of the greatest good for all. Namaste!

January 22, 2011

The breath connects our internal world to the external world. When we breathe in negativity and then breathe out that negativity to the universe, we darken the scope that is the ambiance of our environment. When we absorb negativity and allow it to grow within, our perspective of ourselves and others changes. We become, in essence, the negativity we have absorbed, just as the food we eat becomes part of our cells, for good or ill. When we fill ourselves with love, peace, and joy, that is what we become and that is what we send out into the world. We can express this positive nature as acts of kindness and generosity, even in the simple act of speaking warmly to others, and in small gestures of aid and peace. We can allow our positive energy to fill the world around us, filling the cells of the earth, so-to-speak, and thus not allow negativity room to enter. We can “be the change we want to see in the world” (Gandhi). Namaste!

January 21, 2011

When we practice centering meditation, we allow ourselves to become tranquil while holding ourselves still within the universe. We release thoughts and worries and allow ourselves to contemplate the very core of our being. Our breathing becomes gentle and focused . . . air quietly enters the nostrils and spreads gently downward through the core of the physical body. The physical self becomes aware of the presence of the spirit self and both are brought into balance, one with the other. Calm, gentle breathing continues, flowing in and out, as peace permeates every pore of the body. Thoughts drift by and are gently released into space. We become aware of the peace that exists, always, at the core of our being ready to inform and sustain us as we move solidly through this world. And, when we rise from our meditation, having discovered, once more, that peaceful loving center, we shine that awareness into the world around us, and in this, help to center the world in peace and love. Namaste!

January 20, 2011

Meditation is practicing being in the moment of now. Its many forms attest to the challenge of finding and acknowledging that elusive moment. One would think capturing the experience of now would not be that hard, but in fact its difficulty lies in its brevity. By the time the moment of now is touched, it slips into the past. In reality, now exists in that nano-measured time of no thought, no awareness, which allows all thought and all awareness to exist at the same time. It is the moment of being within and without time. It is very complex and yet deceptively simple. It occurs in the breath, or in moving past the awareness of breath. In that moment, there comes to be knowledge that, in reality, all time is now. This is important because it allows us to release regrets (past) and expectations (future)—we can live satisfied in the moment, in the now. We can move from now to now to now in a series of mindful, centered moments. Take a few moments during the day to center into now through focusing on your breath. This practice forms the basis and grows the control for other forms of meditation. Practice being centered in now and let that awareness inform your life. Namaste!