Happiness Never Decreases By Being Shared

My niece and nephew, who REALLY know how to make a person feel looooooved... 

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
- Lord Buddha

Have you shared your happiness today? Have you let the joy in your heart reach out and put a smile on someone's face? It's so easy with a gesture or a word to change the energy in a room, to change the direction of someone's day. Energy and enthusiasm are even more contagious then lethargy and apathy. Every time we use our own positive energy to influence the life of just one person, for just one moment, we bring a little bit of light and healing into the world. Imagine if we all did this all the time! Our planet would shine like a star.

Even  when we don't feel too bright and shiny we can do this by "practicing the opposite." In yoga it's sometimes referred to as "bhavana" or cultivation of a certain state of mind. In the Western vernacular sometimes we call it "fake it 'till you make it." If you feel sad or out of sorts, don't deny your feelings, but put a little energy (or a lot!) into practicing the opposite and you will feel a shift inside. Share this will another person and your happiness will increase and increase and...

The universe is a vessel full to the brim with wisdom and beauty

 

r u m i
9" x 10", Mixed Media --- L I S A   D I E T R I C H

Know, O my son, that each thing in the universe is a vessel full to the brim with wisdom and beauty. It is a drop from the river of His Beauty...It is a hidden treasure because of its fullness. It has exploded and made the earth more brilliant than the skies. It has sprung up and make the earth like a sultan wearing a robe of satin.
- Rumi

God is Awake

Found this quote today...

Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. When you have laboriously accomplished your daily tasks, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
–Victor Hugo

Seize This Moment for Change

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

- Andy Warhol

It's easy to fall into the trap of waiting for change. Waiting for things to get better, waiting for someone or something to make us happier, thinner, richer, more positive...insert your *wish* here ______.

But the truth is if you want something to change you've got to change it yourself.

This is good news because THAT is an empowering thought and as you all know, 

"you are what you think."

The other good news is that it starts NOW in this present moment because that is all there really is. 

So, whatever it is you want to change forget "seize the day" and seize this very moment my friends. 

Be that change NOW!

Sat Nam 

( Kundalini yoga mantra meaning "Truth is my Identity"...and it's yours too by the way:-)

Lao Tzu on True Wisdom

This quote really caught my eye:

"Those who know others are intelligent; those who know themselves are truly wise . Those who master others are strong; those who master themselves have true power." 

-Lao-Tzu

I notice a lot how much time I spend thinking about other people.

Often, this is in seemingly good ways. I think about troubles in their lives and how I can help. I think it is important that we reach out and try to help each other, I mean, what else are we here for really? But, it is also important to honor people's ability to struggle with and solve their own problems on their journey through life. And it is important to make sure that our "helpful impulses" stay pure and don't become another way to criticize, judge and attempt to control others.

As the quote points out "self mastery" is the greatest power any of us can achieve and it is perhaps in our own self development that we help the rest of our world most of all.

Let go and Live

Image above is by the amazing artist Rick Berry. View his work online at www.braid.com.

These words are so beautiful and so true; embrace them. 

Let go. 

Live.

Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life.
 

What is it you would let go of today? 

--Mary Manin Morrissey

Keeping an Untroubled Spirit

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The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.

– Marcus Aurelius

I love this quote because it so simply sums up the philosophy of yoga. First, we must calm the mind, then we can reflect clearly on what really is, seperate from the illusion and ignorance of avidya. But, as always, easier said, than done.

Two things that help me to keep an "untroubled spirit" when I find myself getting caught up in the illusionary drama of a situation.

1. I sit down and breathe a 5/5 ratio 5x (5 breath cycles of an inhale with a count of five and an exhale with a count of five.) If that doesn't work, I do five more rounds...and then another...another, and so on.

2. I think of 5 things that I am grateful for right now at this moment in my life and I think of  five things that are going right. (These could be big or small. Sometimes it might be just being grateful that I am not out of milk for my morning coffee, or happiness that I am doing a better job flossing my teeth at night. I am not being cute here. When the chips are down it is important to remember that there are always some small, wonderful things going right and to be grateful for. We need to start there.

Please leave some comments and share some ways that you keep an "untroubled spirit" and a clear view of things as they are.

Living the Length and Width of Life.

Image by  JoesSistah via Flickr

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

– Diane Ackerman

Is there something that you can do today, in this very moment, to open up to the endless possibilities and abundance of this Universe?

Can you open your arms in gratitude for the light on your face, even if your heart is heavy with darkness?

Can you take one step forward, setting fear aside if only for a moment and embrace, "what if?"

Stop, just now, and open the palm of your hand. See what falls into it.

Om shanti, shanti, shanti - Om peace, peace, peace.

How Much Gratitude Can You Handle?

Image via Wikipedia

We often hear people say, "Don't sweat the small stuff."

That's great, and I agree, but if you are feeling a bit stressed out that comment might just turn your dial to ELEVEN instead of helping you to let go and feel better.

Gratitude is really all about PAYING ATTENTION to the "small stuff", and seeing the beauty, wonder and goodness available to us in each moment.

In paying attention to the "small stuff" we often find it is really the "big stuff", and in fact the "only stuff." Our lives are truly only lived moment to moment and how present and aware we are in each of those moments is often a great measure of the joy we experience.

So, how much gratitude can you handle today?

Try this experiment:

Say "thank you" for EVERY little thing that you do or encounter... And I mean EVERY LITTLE thing.

When you put cream in your coffee say, "Thank you for this delicious cream in my coffee." See if it tastes a little sweeter.

When you put on your shoes say, "Ah, hello and thank you beautiful feet for carrying me on my way today." See if you have a little more spring in your step.

When you do the laundry say, "I am so grateful for you: water, soap, washing machine. Thank you for making my clothing clean and fresh." You may find this mundane task feels a little lighter and your clothes seem a little softer.

When you have an argument with your spouse say, "I am so grateful to live in a world where we all have different perspectives, let our communication be peaceful and harmonious and create no illusion of separation between us." You may find you return to the discussion with a more open heart and a clearer head.

When you drink a glass of water say, "Thank you for the amazing refreshment of this pure water, may it nourish my body." See if you can feel the rejuvenating energy of the water entering every cell in your body.

You may say, "Hey, that's an awful lot to be saying to myself during the day." But, the truth is the nature of Mind means that we are constantly saying things to ourSelves. Mindfulness and gratitude help us to ensure that we are saying things that will elevate us to higher planes of existence and fill our hearts with the boundless bliss that is our True Nature.

May every little thing in your life be filled with beauty and may you feel wonder and gratitude for it.

Namaste.

How to Be a Miracle

© Jeroen Neele Photo Gallery

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.

— Phillips Brooks

The Value of Life

Love this earth. Love each other. Period.

The value of life does not depend upon the place we occupy. It depends upon the way we occupy that place.

-- St. Thérèse de Lisieux

Put a Grateful Thought in Your Heart

L to R my brothers Richard and Christopher (who I am forever grateful for) and Me.

We are never more than one grateful thought away from peace of heart.


— Brother David Steindl-Rast


This morning I woke up with a overwhelming sense of gratitude for my family. In particular, my brothers. They were both such cute, sweet babies (they are five and eight years younger than me so they will forever be babies to me:-) and somewhere along the way they have become wonderful, talented grown men. Still not sure when that happened...how time has flown.

Today and every day I can take a moment and look at this picture on my mantle, or in my heart where I carry it always, and the gratitude just rolls in. How lucky am I to have these boys in my life? Quite lucky I think, quite.

Take a moment and pause in your day. Take a deep breath. Find a picture in you pocket, or in your mind that fills your heart with gratitude.

May your heart be filled with peace.

Love, and Jai Bhagwan (Victory to the Light)

The Source of a True Smile

The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.
Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding.


— Thich Nhat Hanh
Peace Is Every Step

Put a big smile on your face this morning and greet the beauty of the day.

Namaste.

Always something to be grateful for...

Image by ...-Wink-... via Flickr

If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel,
we can find something to be thankful for.

— Terry Lynn Taylor

Trust in Yourself and You Will Know How To Live

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As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.

— Goethe

Trusting ourselves, believing in our abilities and intuition is one of the hardest things for most of us to do.

Whether it comes in a moment, as a flash of clarity, or becomes some thing we know deep down in our bones over a long period of time, learning to trust ourselves is one of the greatest forms of liberation.

Today, when you are confronted by moments of self doubt, or fear, try just letting it go. Just like that. Just that simple. "Pretend," if you have to, that you are someone who already does this all the time. Try that on as you might try on a beautiful new coat...you may find it is a good fit, and never take it off again.

Affirmation:
Today I trust in my own Truth; my intuition, abilities and judgement. I abide in constant gratitude for my perfect and whole place in an abundant Universe.

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Gratitude and Giving

There is probably no greater way to experience gratitude then through giving to others.

When we give with hands open, arms stretch out, we are also assuming the best possible posture to recieve. When we become captivated by our own pain, or our own fear of not having enough, we close ourselves off to the infinite abundance that is Source. Source that pours into us, and pours out of us, in a ceaseless, bountiful flow.

Staying open in this way is usually easy enough to do when times are good, but what about when things go terribly, horribly wrong? How do we continue to give, when we feel the Universe has abandonded us?

I think the answer is we simply have to make that choice, and then try our best to stay grounded in it, in every moment. No easy task, but I believe the alternative is a cold and empty

Image via Wikipedia

place.

This year I have come to know a little bit about a man, named Matt Logelin, who made this choice when his life took an unimaginably tragic turn. I can only imagine the depths of his sorrow; the enormity of his anger and feelings of abandonment. (You can read Matt Logelin's blog, matt,liz and madeline, here.)

In a nut shell:

On March 24, 2008, little Madeline Elizabeth Logelin came into this world.

The next day, her mother left it.

From this impossibly tragic event, a community was born. A community of individuals, united in their desire to help and support Madeline and her father, Matt. This community formed the basis for what would become a worldwide charitable foundation:

The Liz Logelin Foundation – For the Love of Liz.

I am sure he had many a day where he crumbled into a heap. But, that is not the choice that he made overall, or what he has carried forward with. Instead, he has used his time and energy to reach out for help from others, and to help those who find themselves in similar tragic situations.

So strong and large was the community that spontaneously formed around Matt and Madeline, it seemed not only natural, but necessary to harness the strength of that network and turn it into something – something that could help ease the pain and lighten the load felt by widows and widowers everywhere. And it all sprang from the Love of Liz.

I hope that you will consider The Liz Logelin Foundation, in your charitable donations.

Also, the foundation is currently accepting applications for those in need. Visit the web site, for more information.

Image via Wikipedia

Be universal in your love.

You will see the universe to be the picture of your own being.
Complete and total perfection will come about only when we feel that our perfection is no perfections as long as the rest of humanity remains imperfect.

If we call ourselves children of God, then others are also children of God. If we do not share with them what little we have, then what right have we to call them our brothers?

They may be traveling a few miles behind us, or they may be fast asleep.
But they must reach the Goal before perfect perfection can dawn on earth.

- Sri Chinmoy

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How Not To Piss Off God.

Image via WikipediaWell, now that I have your attention!!!

In reality, my concept of God is not one that maintains that there is a "figure" out there to be angry or pleased with us. I believe in a non-dual, energetic and universal form of God. But, to each her own...

The reason for this post title is a quote I came across this morning that I really love. It is from Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple. She says:

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."

I think in a way, that is very true. It is in some way an insult to the grand and glorious creation of this Universe when we, for what ever reason, fail to notice it's splendor.

And this ties in very much to our study and practice of gratitude, because gratitude is the ultimate "offering back" to the beauty and bounty that surrounds us. Taking time to notice and appreciate all that we have been given is a sacred and profound form of prayer, and one that is available to us in every moment.

So, in your day today don't fail to notice

the fragile beauty of some lingering sprig of green grass

the white pristine silence of falling snow

the cornflower blue of a child's eyes

the warming golden radiance of the sun

or, the color purple in a field somewhere.


Om shanti.

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In the End What Matters Most...

Shiva's Om by Teal Marie Chimblo

As you embark upon a new year, consider these wise words:

In the end what matters most is
How well did you live
How well did you love
How well did you learn... to let go.

May your year and your life be filled with peace, and empty of suffering.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Om, Peace, Peace, Peace.

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Gratitude Around the Table

Sitting down to eat is one of the easiest places for us to incorporate mindfulness and gratitude into our lives.

We have to eat many times a day, and so it is an ideal opportunity to take a deep breath, center our selves, and express our gratitude for the nurishment of our bodies.

An added benefit is that studies show that people who pause before eating, and eat in a calm, mindful manner, eat less, and digest what they eat much more fully. This is also a good way to heal the disjointed and unhealthy relationship many of us Westerners tend to have with food as a result of eating too fast and on the run, consuming poor quality food, and fixations with our weight and appearance.

Here is one offering for a meal time prayer from the Zen tradition known as, Gokan-no-ge, the "Five Reflections."

First, let us reflect on our own work and the effort of those who brought us this food.

Second, let us be aware of the quality of our deeds as we receive this meal.

Third, what is most essential is the practice of mindfulness, which helps us to transcend greed, anger and delusion.

Fourth, we appreciate this food which sustains the good health of our body and mind.

Fifth, in order to continue our practice for all beings we accept this offering.

You can read more about this tradition, here.

As you sit down for you next meal, take the time to take a deep breath, and give thanks for the pleasure and benefits that food provides.

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