hope
Finding Serenity
What is spiritual serenity, and how does one get to such an enlightened place? I’ve put forth this question many times throughout my life, and I’ve also had it asked of me. People hear what I do for a living and they immediately assume I walk around chanting Buddhist chants, or waving sage throughout my sacred space 24 hours a day. If only!
I don’t have the answers any more than the next person does. There are some things I have learned and seen, as I am sure I have yet more to learn and see. It is an endless cycle of not knowing and then knowing, the same cycle we all go through. The same lessons. It is only in how we apply them that we become different. We grow differently and start to use parts of ourselves that perhaps someone else, who is growing ‘at their own pace’ may not be using yet. And that is okay. Continue reading
Poco A Poco
I thought today of how certain expressions tend to stick in our minds; thoughts which we adopt for a while, or even a lifetime. It can be the words of a famous writer we have read somewhere, an expression in a song, or even just the ideas of somebody we just had a brief conversation with.
Internationally renowned author and speaker, Wayne Dyer, once said, “You will never get everything done.” It’s a good feeling at the end of the day, to know that we’ve gotten through much on our ‘to-do list.’ But for me, I also gain some comfort from such as words of wisdom as Wayne Dyer’s, as well as the poem, Desiderata, which advises us to, “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste.” Continue reading
Feng Shui Your Life
If you’ve been feeling stuck, depressed, or just in need of change, tap into the power of Feng Shui. This ancient Chinese art, of arranging the home for maximum energetic potential, is easier than you think to apply in your everyday life.
The best way to start is to create routines and rituals for yourself. Everything in the natural world exists according to a series of daily patterns or routines, and we are no different! Take time each day to meditate, incorporate gentle physical activity such as a walk or yoga, sit down and eat mindfully at each meal. It’s also crucial to create a sacred space to escape from the stresses and sensory input of the modern world.
Are you the kind of person who finds it difficult to start things? Make a dream board filled with visual representations of your hopes, dreams, and aspirations, then place it where you can see it multiple times a day. Continue reading
A Restlessness Of Spirit
“You really don’t seem to live in one place for more than five minutes,” said my cousin in her strong Liverpool accent. These words still echo in my mind from decades ago, when my parents and I spent a couple of years in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Soon after we were moving again! I have continued this way of life in my adulthood, moving to several different countries, and even other continents.
Perhaps I get my restless spirit from my father, typical Sagittarius that he was, just like I inherited his tendency toward alcohol addiction. A lot of moving around is not meant to be harmonious for a Cancerian female, like myself, but I recall a friend of mine compiling my Astrological chart a long time ago, saying that a strong Gemini influence in my chart was the cause of this. I am no specialist in Astrology, but find it fascinating nonetheless. Continue reading
Wisdom From The Garden
As living beings having a human and earthly experience, we are bound by natural law. Natural law is simply the order of things and one of the primary natural laws is that things unfold over time. This law represents the seasonal dynamic of life.
Many times, people will have a desire, something that they would like to experience in relationships or within their career. I am confident that our desires are meant to be fulfilled, but it is important to understand that the fulfillment of our desires unfolds over time.
Just like a garden, it is crucial for us to recognize the process by which things come into being. I want tomatoes in my garden. So, I started some tomato plants from seed. When I planted the seeds, I trusted that they were growing. This is often the first step to manifesting. We must trust that the natural order is working in our favor. Continue reading
Happiness Is Here And Now
Too often I hear the lament, “When will I be happy?” The answer is simple – right now!
Our mind is our own worst enemy but it can also be our best friend, if we let it. Understanding simple concepts of universal truths can go a long way towards our mind knowing these truths and accepting them as fact into our world.
One of the biggest universal lies is that happiness is a permanent state of being or, worse yet, that everything has to be perfect for you to be happy. That’s a lie. The simple, universal truth is much easier and also much more freeing. Happiness comes in moments, happiness is where you are right now, with exactly what you have. Continue reading
A Tale Of Two Wolves
As a child, I always enjoyed parables, and even in my middle years I still like listening to a story that has real meaning behind it. Recently, I discovered a fabulous story.
A young Cherokee child gets into an argument with one of his peers whom, until now, he felt he had been on good terms with but on this occasion, however, felt that the other boy had been most unjust to him.
In anger, the Cherokee boy runs off to seek advice from his wise grandfather, an elder of the Cherokee tribe, who loves teaching his grandchildren all about life. After telling his grandfather of his injustice, the old man wistfully looked at his grandson and said that he too, in his life, had similar experiences that resulted in him feeling great anger. “It is like there is a fight between two wolves going on inside you,” said the old man, “and indeed a terrible fight.” Continue reading