Archive: July 2013

Developing Spirituality

“Look within. Thou art the Buddha.”
~ Buddha

For some reason, I was fascinated with the clouds over Hans Lollick this morning. Maybe it’s because the one cloud looks so much like an elephant to me. Funny that my pipe dream is to create an elephant sanctuary on Hans Lollick, should I ever win the lottery. Hey, maybe it’s a sign that I should go pick up a ticket today LOL !! But besides the elephant, do you see the little man in prayer?

So yesterday, I had a friend graciously write me, to thank me for spreading positivity. (You are very welcome!) They also wrote that they were kicking themselves for not having taken more classes or engaged in more self learning … read more

Self-Expression & The 5th Chakra

“There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a person being themselves. Imagine going through your day being unapologetically you.”
~ Steve Maraboli

I loved how this big red glowing sun snuck out between the clouds this morning. I was certain it wouldn’t shine until it made it’s way above the thundering rain clouds. But nope, it surprised me! It always make me smile, at how easily the eye (and the mind) can be fooled …

So yesterday, I had a very enjoyable and thought provoking conversation with a friend. We were talking about being our authentic selves. As I replayed our thoughts, my meditation moved to that of Mudita … “Cultivating appreciative joy at the success and good fortune of others.”  I’ve written at length about Mudita as one of the Buddha’s 4 heavenly abodes in a previous post.  It seems the world has so little mudita these days …. read more

50 Things Money Can’t Buy

Intuition

”Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”
~ Oprah Winfrey

What a beautiful morning here today. Tropical Storm Dorian is passing just to our North, sending us a cleansing line of showers late yesterday afternoon. The air feels so fresh, with a light lofty breeze. And look at those still waters in the photo … It’s like a lake out there! A perfect day for my villa guests, who are going scuba diving this morning 🙂

So yesterday, I had one of those experiences that gives you goose bumps. I was in the midst of cleaning, when I had a very strong sense that a friend needed me to contact them. I came over to my computer to see if she was on Facebook. Turns out, she had been listening to a song for the past half hour, and thinking very intently on me. She posted the song – for me – right as I logged in here. She had been more or less meditating for the past hour, love flowing. Wow!! Did I feel that or what !!! read more

Joseph Goldstein on Mindfulness

Mindfulness - The Chinese character 念 is composed of two parts, the top 今 meaning "now; this" and bottom 心 signifying "heart; mind." "Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening — without judgment and without interference. It is like a mirror that simply reflects whatever comes before it. It serves us in the humblest ways, keeping us connected to brushing our teeth or having a cup of tea. It keeps us connected to the people around us, so that we're not simply rushing by them in the busyness of our lives. We can start the practice of mindfulness meditation with the simple observation and feeling of each breath. Breathing in, we know we're breathing in; breathing out, we know we're breathing out. It's very simple, although not easy. After just a few breaths, we hop on trains of association, getting lost in plans, memories, judgments and fantasies. This habit of wandering mind is very strong, even though our reveries are often not pleasant and sometimes not even true. As Mark Twain so aptly put it, "Some of the worst things in my life never happened." So we need to train our minds, coming back again and again to the breath, simply beginning again. Slowly, though, our minds steady and we begin to experience some space of inner calm and peace. This environment of inner stillness makes possible a deeper investigation of our thoughts and emotions. What is a thought— that strange, ephemeral phenomenon that can so dominate our lives? When we look directly at a thought, we see that it is little more than nothing. Yet when it is unnoticed, it wields tremendous power. Notice the difference between being lost in a thought and being mindful that we're thinking. Becoming aware of the thought is like waking up from a dream or coming out of a movie theater after being absorbed in the story. Through mindfulness, we gradually awaken from the movies of our minds." ~ Joseph Goldstein ~

Mindfulness – The Chinese character 念 is composed of two parts, the top 今 meaning “now; this” and bottom 心 signifying “heart; mind.”

“Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what’s happening — without judgment and without interference. It is like a mirror that simply reflects whatever comes before it. It serves us in the humblest ways, keeping us connected to brushing our teeth or having a cup of tea. It keeps us connected to the people around us, so that we’re not simply rushing by them in the busyness of our lives. read more

Choices

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore

This morning I woke up thinking about choice. From the moment that I am conscious, it feels that almost every second I am confronted with it. From the moment I decide to get out of bed (or not) …. What prompts me to rise each morning really?

Last year, I happened to read “The Big Book”, looking to understand the addiction of an acquaintance. To an outsider, drinking may seem like a choice. Either you do, or you don’t. Even for myself, having a glass (or two or three) of wine after work, has been a lifelong “choice”. I’ve spent much of this week watching that choice, as I decided to take a break from that habit. Sure enough, at 4:00ish, there is a steady pull, and a struggle that my mind goes through. As long as I feed my mind something – and this week it’s been a club soda or a fruit flavored aqua fresco – mind forgets about the cocktail. It’s been a great practice in mindfulness, because I’m seeing clearly that 90 seconds is about the amount of time that it takes for that “thought bubble” as I like to call it (along with all the associated emotions) to arise and fall. read more

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