I haven't posted in a while because I have been working on a new website. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, I thought this was worth a look. It's a 2008 Cannes Film Festival short film winner. Just under 6 minutes.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Be gentle with yourself
A few days ago I flew here to Florida to take care of my Mom as she faced some health issues. As I write it’s early morning. I was woken up a few minutes ago by the sound of my Mom’s slippered feet as they shuffle past my bedroom door on her way to the kitchen. It’s pill time. I can hear the pull tab on the tomato juice pop loose. I can hear the front door open and the plastic bag that houses the New York Times be discarded. I can hear the flicking of her Bic lighter as she lights her first cigarette.
As she begins another day, I lie here in a whirl of worry. Every sense alert. I never had children but I imagine this is the feeling parents have listening for the whimpers of a new born baby or waiting on a Saturday night to hear the car pull up the driveway delivering the teenager home safely. I am vigilant, keenly aware of my Mom's every movement, falsely convinced my attention will make a difference.
But then I remember what I know about the mind. I take a deep breath and remember, ever so vaguely, that there is more than meets my senses. There is another level of reality that is often unseen but no less real. Yes, just as there are invisible laws of physics, there are spiritual principles, qualities and laws at work underneath and around everything.
I know there is more than meets the eye but the truth is, this morning, it is hard to experience, hard to feel, hard to believe in serenity and love and compassion in the midst of fear and worry and anxiety. As she turns up the volume on CNN, the physicality of the day-to-day screams far louder than the subtlety of patience and forgiveness.
But that’s okay. This morning, I know there is a bridge between my physical and spiritual life. I just don’t feel it. Today, I am not blessed with the relief that so often comes from a morning in meditative prayer. But, that’s okay. Someone, somewhere has my back.
For now, I am doing what I can do. Learning what I can. Being of service as much as I can, which often feels like not enough. These days are tough but many, like my dear ole Mom, have it far worse. I must be gentle with myself and just proceed.
TODAY’S LESSON
Life is at its richest when you accept that two seemingly contradictory things can exist at the same time.
As she begins another day, I lie here in a whirl of worry. Every sense alert. I never had children but I imagine this is the feeling parents have listening for the whimpers of a new born baby or waiting on a Saturday night to hear the car pull up the driveway delivering the teenager home safely. I am vigilant, keenly aware of my Mom's every movement, falsely convinced my attention will make a difference.
But then I remember what I know about the mind. I take a deep breath and remember, ever so vaguely, that there is more than meets my senses. There is another level of reality that is often unseen but no less real. Yes, just as there are invisible laws of physics, there are spiritual principles, qualities and laws at work underneath and around everything.
I know there is more than meets the eye but the truth is, this morning, it is hard to experience, hard to feel, hard to believe in serenity and love and compassion in the midst of fear and worry and anxiety. As she turns up the volume on CNN, the physicality of the day-to-day screams far louder than the subtlety of patience and forgiveness.
But that’s okay. This morning, I know there is a bridge between my physical and spiritual life. I just don’t feel it. Today, I am not blessed with the relief that so often comes from a morning in meditative prayer. But, that’s okay. Someone, somewhere has my back.
For now, I am doing what I can do. Learning what I can. Being of service as much as I can, which often feels like not enough. These days are tough but many, like my dear ole Mom, have it far worse. I must be gentle with myself and just proceed.
TODAY’S LESSON
Life is at its richest when you accept that two seemingly contradictory things can exist at the same time.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
See Beyond the Barriers
You woke this morning feeling hemmed in. You woke feeling as if there was something missing but I am here to tell you that that is only an illusion. There is nothing missing. In the language of the universe it is impossible for something to be missing because there is nothing outside of the universe. So, what you feel is missing is only missing because you have chosen to not see it.
I know. Your mind and its perpetual loops of dissatisfaction and fear are loud. Like the megaphones on the streets of Prague during the communist occupation spitting out propaganda 24/7, your mind is telling you things that are simply not true. You must out-yell them. You must do everything in your power to supplant them with different, more supportive, more empowering, more truthful messages.
This work you have undertaken to see beyond the surface is not easy. The ruts you have formed in your mind are deep and well traveled. You will need heavy equipment to plow through the barriers that have held you back but that is the work you have signed up for and the path you are paving for others. It is a worthy endeavor.
I want you where you want to be. I want you enlivened and happy and fulfilled. I will lighten your load if you are willing to put down the burden. The struggle, the toil, the trials and tribulations are not required. The pain is worth your notice, your acknowledgement, your understanding, your gratitude but then you must release it. You and your upbringing have created the dissonance so it deserves your attention but it need not take up residence.
You often say, there is more than meets the eye. There is also more than inhabits your initial reactions. Beneath the familiar feelings of disappointment or boredom or frustration is a cacophony of good feelings: hope, joy, pleasure, connection, service, serenity, excitement, passion, abundance, prosperity, fun….it’s all right there but you must be willing to reach for it. You must do the work to set aside your current feelings and circumstances and see, actually see in your minds eye, what you want.
I know. Your mind and its perpetual loops of dissatisfaction and fear are loud. Like the megaphones on the streets of Prague during the communist occupation spitting out propaganda 24/7, your mind is telling you things that are simply not true. You must out-yell them. You must do everything in your power to supplant them with different, more supportive, more empowering, more truthful messages.
This work you have undertaken to see beyond the surface is not easy. The ruts you have formed in your mind are deep and well traveled. You will need heavy equipment to plow through the barriers that have held you back but that is the work you have signed up for and the path you are paving for others. It is a worthy endeavor.
I want you where you want to be. I want you enlivened and happy and fulfilled. I will lighten your load if you are willing to put down the burden. The struggle, the toil, the trials and tribulations are not required. The pain is worth your notice, your acknowledgement, your understanding, your gratitude but then you must release it. You and your upbringing have created the dissonance so it deserves your attention but it need not take up residence.
You often say, there is more than meets the eye. There is also more than inhabits your initial reactions. Beneath the familiar feelings of disappointment or boredom or frustration is a cacophony of good feelings: hope, joy, pleasure, connection, service, serenity, excitement, passion, abundance, prosperity, fun….it’s all right there but you must be willing to reach for it. You must do the work to set aside your current feelings and circumstances and see, actually see in your minds eye, what you want.
Cultivate your mind. Feed it. Take the time and make the effort to see beyond the barriers that lay right in front of you. See the beautiful rolling hills of uninterrupted possibility and the golden gifts that await you at the horizon and in your heart, right here and now, you will be made whole. Nothing's missing. You are whole.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Today's Message - Why meditate?
You come here to this spot on your couch to tap into the reservoir of goodness that exists in the world, everywhere, all the time—even in you. You know that as you proceed through your day people will interrupt you, rocks will fall in your path, flowers will bloom right beside but go unnoticed. That’s why you sit here with me. You know that right beyond the front door of your physical experience are rolling hills and green pastures waiting for you to play and be your best.
You come here to remember. You come here to remember the ever unfolding, infinitely available fields of possibility. As far as the eye can see, up and down, across and around, there is love and joy eager to be expressed. You are bathed in it. It infuses your skins and is absorbed to your core. It is what you are made of.
Close your eyes for just a moment and see yourself on a hillock on a soft, clean, unadorned, effervescent green prairie. See yourself infused with love, joy, your potential…… Feel it rise up and expand. That’s right….. Now feel it’s healing power. Close your eyes and feel it. Feel how it breaks down barriers, opens your heart, heals past hurts. Love and joy are yours always…..That is who you are in Spirit.
Now see yourself in your life…at work, in front of the mirror, in your relationship, as you pay bills. Are you different? What feeling runs through your body? Are you loving yourself? In resistance? How different is that feeling from the way you felt in your prairie? How long have you been feeling this way? Is it true? Does it serve you?
This is why you come here. You come to commune with Me so you can create a counterpoint to the whirling, reactive, often unloving, repetitive nature of your mind. You come here and sit with me so you can remember who you are in Spirit. Your task upon the earth is to bridge the gap between your human experience (including your feelings) and your spiritual capability. Your heart can be hurt but it remains whole. Your heart can be trampled but it cannot be destroyed. Your heart can break but ti still beats. Nothing, nothing, nothing, no one, no event, can snuff me out. I am more powerful that any circumstance. Embrace me. Come to me to remember who you are in your very nature—a loving, creative, gentle, trusting, abundant, kind soul. Don’t just write or read those words, FEEL them:
Loving. Creative. Powerful. Gentle. Trusting. Abundant. Kind. THAT is who you are.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Today's Prayer - Winds of Spirit
I am a child of God. I spring from the rivers of great mountain ranges and fall into the oceans that feed the world. I am a child of my parents. I am the living breath body through which Spirit expresses itself.
Beyond my body is a world. Other people, trees, fish, swamp and sea, ferns and foxtail, swan and swallow, worm and seed. This planet is rife with throbbing life. The wind blows from Kuala Lumpur to Kentucky bringing with it the sweet nectar of promise. On the winds come rain and clear skies and the possibility of newness. Beyond my mind and my limiting view of what’s possible is a whirl of life, dreams, hopes and love – unending, warm, soft embracing love. On the winds from the west come all that we seek. On the winds from the west comes Spirit.
As I stand on the ocean bluff, I close my eyes and feel the breeze on my face. Not an inch is left untouched. As Spirit swirls around me a smile come across my face as I feel the transformation take hold. The wind did not pass by me. It did not choose someone else. It didn’t ignore me or miss me or judge me undeserving of its attention. No. It wrapped itself lovingly around me and I chose to welcome its arrival.
Love, companionship, loyalty, steadfastness, ease, flow. That is the cloak that clothes me in the wind. That is the essence of who I am. So in this moment, on this Monday morning, I stand at the ocean's edge so that I may feel the winds of change more forcefully. I claim my faith in its powerful rush. I succumb to the winds of change and open my mouth in a cheer of supplication, knowing that my supplication is not a call of weakness but a cry of strength. I put down my sword and set aside my suitcase full of well-earned fears and proclaim to the world that I trust in its essential goodness. I need only bring myself to this party for me to reap its joyful rewards.
I am whole. I am beautiful. I am an open channel to the creative energy that shows itself in every wave that laps at my feet. No wave is like another and so it is with me. Each breath, each thought is born anew. I stand proud and wise and strong against the elements. I am who I am and who I am is enough. I have all that I need. A tsunami may come, the baking sun may burn, the ground beneath my feet may rock and roll but I will stand aloft, tall and proud and unphased by the onslaught because I know who I am. I know who I was born to be – a loving, powerful, passionate woman committed to sharing my gifts with the world.
Thank you wind, thank you God. Just as the winds are always blowing, so are you. Thank you for the strength and wisdom and patience to proceed. Thank you for the rains and the sun that arrives soon after. Thank you for the sand storms and the clarity it brings in its wake. Thank you for the tumors and the courage they birthed. Thank you for the love and comfort I have in my life. And finally, thank you for all the gifts handed down to me through the generations – my parents, theirs before them and theirs before them. Privilege, suffering, joy, pain, disappointment and laughs.
You are my faithful companion on this road. I hold out my hand for yours. As I feel your warmth and strength, I close my eyes and proceed. One foot in front of the other, I walk down this road knowing you will guide me safely to my dreams. I release all fear, all trepidation, all ambivalence and know that nothing can come between me and my journey when you are my guide.
One foot in front of the other, I proceed knowing that all is well. I am loved.
Beyond my body is a world. Other people, trees, fish, swamp and sea, ferns and foxtail, swan and swallow, worm and seed. This planet is rife with throbbing life. The wind blows from Kuala Lumpur to Kentucky bringing with it the sweet nectar of promise. On the winds come rain and clear skies and the possibility of newness. Beyond my mind and my limiting view of what’s possible is a whirl of life, dreams, hopes and love – unending, warm, soft embracing love. On the winds from the west come all that we seek. On the winds from the west comes Spirit.
As I stand on the ocean bluff, I close my eyes and feel the breeze on my face. Not an inch is left untouched. As Spirit swirls around me a smile come across my face as I feel the transformation take hold. The wind did not pass by me. It did not choose someone else. It didn’t ignore me or miss me or judge me undeserving of its attention. No. It wrapped itself lovingly around me and I chose to welcome its arrival.
Love, companionship, loyalty, steadfastness, ease, flow. That is the cloak that clothes me in the wind. That is the essence of who I am. So in this moment, on this Monday morning, I stand at the ocean's edge so that I may feel the winds of change more forcefully. I claim my faith in its powerful rush. I succumb to the winds of change and open my mouth in a cheer of supplication, knowing that my supplication is not a call of weakness but a cry of strength. I put down my sword and set aside my suitcase full of well-earned fears and proclaim to the world that I trust in its essential goodness. I need only bring myself to this party for me to reap its joyful rewards.
I am whole. I am beautiful. I am an open channel to the creative energy that shows itself in every wave that laps at my feet. No wave is like another and so it is with me. Each breath, each thought is born anew. I stand proud and wise and strong against the elements. I am who I am and who I am is enough. I have all that I need. A tsunami may come, the baking sun may burn, the ground beneath my feet may rock and roll but I will stand aloft, tall and proud and unphased by the onslaught because I know who I am. I know who I was born to be – a loving, powerful, passionate woman committed to sharing my gifts with the world.
Thank you wind, thank you God. Just as the winds are always blowing, so are you. Thank you for the strength and wisdom and patience to proceed. Thank you for the rains and the sun that arrives soon after. Thank you for the sand storms and the clarity it brings in its wake. Thank you for the tumors and the courage they birthed. Thank you for the love and comfort I have in my life. And finally, thank you for all the gifts handed down to me through the generations – my parents, theirs before them and theirs before them. Privilege, suffering, joy, pain, disappointment and laughs.
You are my faithful companion on this road. I hold out my hand for yours. As I feel your warmth and strength, I close my eyes and proceed. One foot in front of the other, I walk down this road knowing you will guide me safely to my dreams. I release all fear, all trepidation, all ambivalence and know that nothing can come between me and my journey when you are my guide.
One foot in front of the other, I proceed knowing that all is well. I am loved.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
A good laugh
Laughter is good for the soul and my recent run-in with the medical establishment means I am in need of a healthy dose of it. This does it for me every time:
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