Posts Tagged ‘peace’

I have been practicing meditation for 34 years. Falling into a state of meditation is now a habit; I can now leave the world of conscious thought for a very short period of time and become refreshed. If I lie down, or even sit in the right mindset, I find myself transported to a place of absolute inner peace.

Meditation is not a religious activity; it is instead a listening activity. I was taught to let go of all thought. “No mind,” is what my Renzi Zen Buddhist teacher called the practice. It has become a ‘letting go’ of the thousands of thoughts passing through my brain every day. We have all heard the saying, “Let go and let God.” I often wonder how any of us can even hear God. Read the rest of this entry »

From 1979 to 1992, I had a mentor who taught me about karma. She made it clear that I was not going to ever find a place to hide from my behavior. My father must have had the same lessons when he was growing up, because he told me the same thing.

I cannot do certain things that are not in line with “Right Thought” or “Right Action.” I simply cannot overcome that early training. Actually, I do not want to, yet, I see so many who seem fine with “cutting corners.”

Sometimes, I feel like I am alone. It is as though I am swimming all alone in the ocean or running on a deserted road. I honestly have been looking for others who were raised like I was raised, those who believe what I believe, among the young and restless, as well as the old and angry. Too often I ask. “Where are they who honor karma?” Read the rest of this entry »

The recent events in Boston really is a horrible reality. After the September 11 attacks, I felt like we were more on our guard to be careful here in the USA. I felt protected by our armed forces.

The first year anniversary of 9/11 I will never forget. I was taking my evening walk, and all of a sudden I heard like a rumbling like thunder. I said, “Gee, it doesn’t really look like rain coming,” but the rumbling grew louder, and louder. And then I saw the V-formation of the US Air Force fighter jets. They were low in the sky, they passed over me. I became pretty emotional and started to cry. It was not a sad cry, I was just so taken by it all. It may sound corny, but at that moment I felt so proud to be an American, and to be living in the USA. Read the rest of this entry »

To become more, to expand, and to seek more complete expression is inherent in our human condition, because it is an innate quality we possess due to our original spiritual nature. ‘Increasing’ or ‘becoming’ is what drives the expansion of the entire Conscious Universe.

We are each of us a mirror reflection of the Universal Source; we are created in the image of the Divine. We are a perfect imprint of the magnificent Holographic Web of Consciousness. And because we are spiritual beings who reflect the Divine in physical form, we also possess the innate qualities of Divinity. We are self-aware and conscious; we have the capacity for reason, sentience, imagination and creative thought; we command creative freedom and the metaphysical power to manifest; and we have the capacity for complete self-actualization, individuation and transcendence. All these qualities are the expression of our inner Divinity, a direct reflection and extension of the Higher Self. Read the rest of this entry »

Every day we are bombarded with different types of situations and issues to deal with. We come into contact with different people from all walks of life. Truth is, we don’t know what path they have taken to get where they are at, or what prices they may have paid in order to do so. When conflict arises with people, you must always keep that in mind.

I am reminded of a story I read in the news, of a man who slapped a crying toddler on a plane. He ended up getting arrested for it, but that’s not the point. He was flying to Atlanta to take his only child off life support. Does that excuse his actions? No. It does however explain why his nerves would be more frayed than usual. Read the rest of this entry »

Early in life I looked for comfort in nature. As a rejected only child (my parents wanted six sons), I was often wandering on my own in nature’s garden. Long-term friendships did not exist, because my dad was in the military. We moved as much as seven times in nine months. Nature was my trusted playmate and my elder teacher.

My strong religious upbringing gave me cause to read a great deal, but dual faiths in one household sent me mixed messages, so I questioned everything related to the patriarchal faiths of my parents. Read the rest of this entry »

All of us, in our own way, experience stress on a daily basis.  At times stress is manageable and life seems to flow smoothly.  At other times the storms move in and we can easily become overwhelmed.

Several techniques can be utilized to reduce stress and manage pressures:

Watch your diet

When I experience stressful events, I am more careful about food selection. I avoid caffeine and sugar. I eat more fruits and vegetables. I even avoid red meat to some extent. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people desire to have a mystic experience. They wish they could see an angel, an apparition, have a vision or hear the voice of the Divine. Many people consider other individuals who have seen or heard such things as being very lucky. But luck has nothing to do with it; nor does being a saint or a strict religious person.

The key to having a mystic experience lies in taking the time to connect with the Divine in the silence of your own soul, or meditating on spiritual things. We have to connect with Spirit in order for Spirit to connect with us; and then we have to get out of our own way. Read the rest of this entry »