short video by a wonderful speaker
let it rain peace!
Post by Words of Peace Global.
Wishing you a peaceful, rainy day.
Musemother
let it rain peace!
Post by Words of Peace Global.
Wishing you a peaceful, rainy day.
Musemother
Showing posts with label inner peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inner peace. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
WINTER SOLSTICE
Just reading Wikipedia and Aurum Astrology blog from sister Sue Raven, http://aurumastrology.blogspot.com/to find out the real meaning of the solstice. Why did people around the world, even before Roman times and the Saturnalia, celebrate the sun in the middle of winter? Of course it has something to do with the longest night and the return of the light - apparently solstice comes from the Latin: sol for sun, sistere for to stand still, because from earth perspective, it appears that the sun stands still for a moment.
So I guess ancient philosophers thought, we should stand still too and honour the sun. Dec 22 at 5:30 am is the beginning of the solstice in fact. But we can start celebrating tonight.
I plan to put up the Christmas tree with my kids who have just arrived from their various Universities. We'll have their favourite meal (French onion soup) and decorate the tree with bright shiny things, and remember all the wonderful moments we spent together in 2011.
Usually people wait until the New Year to make their resolutions, but my astrologer sister suggests that the new moon following the solstice on Dec 24, would be the best time to plant seeds for the coming year.
One way to do this is to write a list in your journal or on a piece of paper of what you want to attract for the new year. What is it you would like to feel? Can you imagine in your heart, instead of activities, feelings you would like to experience, ie more joy, harmony, peace and serenity.
Write them down in the present tense, like you do for affirmations.
example: I attract loving and gentle people to me in 2012.
I experience peaceful resolutions with co-workers.
My heart is full of abundant love for those around me.
I manifest what I truly desire.
Write it down, then burn it in the fireplace or over a candle (with something fireproof underneath).
Let your wishes fly away, let them go, so they have a better chance of manifesting.
May you live consciously, with peace and joy as your heart companions in 2012.
Happy Celebrations, Kwanza, Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah...
musemother/jenn
ps sign up for new classes or free newsletter at www.jenniferboire.com
So I guess ancient philosophers thought, we should stand still too and honour the sun. Dec 22 at 5:30 am is the beginning of the solstice in fact. But we can start celebrating tonight.
I plan to put up the Christmas tree with my kids who have just arrived from their various Universities. We'll have their favourite meal (French onion soup) and decorate the tree with bright shiny things, and remember all the wonderful moments we spent together in 2011.
Usually people wait until the New Year to make their resolutions, but my astrologer sister suggests that the new moon following the solstice on Dec 24, would be the best time to plant seeds for the coming year.
One way to do this is to write a list in your journal or on a piece of paper of what you want to attract for the new year. What is it you would like to feel? Can you imagine in your heart, instead of activities, feelings you would like to experience, ie more joy, harmony, peace and serenity.
Write them down in the present tense, like you do for affirmations.
example: I attract loving and gentle people to me in 2012.
I experience peaceful resolutions with co-workers.
My heart is full of abundant love for those around me.
I manifest what I truly desire.
Write it down, then burn it in the fireplace or over a candle (with something fireproof underneath).
Let your wishes fly away, let them go, so they have a better chance of manifesting.
May you live consciously, with peace and joy as your heart companions in 2012.
Happy Celebrations, Kwanza, Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah...
musemother/jenn
ps sign up for new classes or free newsletter at www.jenniferboire.com
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Abundance and Need
Wealth is not measured by how much you have, but by how little you need.
Abundance, therefore, is a state of mind. Right now, what I need is a little time and space for my inner light to shine on me. A little niche, or cleft inside, to focus on the stable, the real, the solid connection with Source.
Visiting Venice was truly an experience. One of the wonders of the world I guess. A city built on stone and brick and wood, slowly being eroded by water, surrounded by canals and lagoon, basically in a river delta that would have silted up had the engineers not tinkered with it over the centuries. Like an aging dowager with too much rouge and tatty ancient lace, Venice is tired. She still likes a good party, a glass of wine and some carpaccio. But she will not be here for much longer. Meanwhile the tourists visit in the millions every year.
It reminded me of the state of the world. Unstable, foundation being eroded by the changeable waters, an island in the sea, floating, sinking, rising according to the tides and floods.
What am I anchored to? where is my foundation? I am an island in the sea.
I have found a deep root, thanks to my teacher. A very solid link to source of peace and stability. It doesn't pay to forget it. The soul only drinks from the clear pure water of Source, and is easily tired of flashy, bright baubles, and light conversation. There is abundance within. How much do I need?
musemother
Abundance, therefore, is a state of mind. Right now, what I need is a little time and space for my inner light to shine on me. A little niche, or cleft inside, to focus on the stable, the real, the solid connection with Source.
Visiting Venice was truly an experience. One of the wonders of the world I guess. A city built on stone and brick and wood, slowly being eroded by water, surrounded by canals and lagoon, basically in a river delta that would have silted up had the engineers not tinkered with it over the centuries. Like an aging dowager with too much rouge and tatty ancient lace, Venice is tired. She still likes a good party, a glass of wine and some carpaccio. But she will not be here for much longer. Meanwhile the tourists visit in the millions every year.
It reminded me of the state of the world. Unstable, foundation being eroded by the changeable waters, an island in the sea, floating, sinking, rising according to the tides and floods.
What am I anchored to? where is my foundation? I am an island in the sea.
I have found a deep root, thanks to my teacher. A very solid link to source of peace and stability. It doesn't pay to forget it. The soul only drinks from the clear pure water of Source, and is easily tired of flashy, bright baubles, and light conversation. There is abundance within. How much do I need?
musemother
Friday, July 23, 2010
Value of Retreats
Yesterday was the Cultivating Your Inner Garden Retreat, at my home. Eight women joined me to create a wonderful space of inner focus and exploration.
A retreat is a funny thing. On the outside it doesn't look like much is happening. But for the mind, it can be like a pressure cooker; asked to reflect on a question in silence, it can seek to run like quicksilver or mercury - when you press on it it scatters in a hundred different directions. Or it can settle and center in the breathing body, thoughts mesmerized by the soothing rhythm or the soughing of wind in the leaves. Nature can soothe, like lapping water on the dock, or soft music: combine the two with a journal, some yoga and walking, an inspiring quote, and voila - a sacred space is created. Ritual also does this, by repeating a song or phrase, lighting a candle flame, walking in a labyrinth towards the center, ancient routines to entrain the wild horses, corral the mind into a focussed pattern.
What do we gain? a heat or pressure is created, and something shifts. Sometimes it's seismic, sometimes subtle, but we gain clarity or understand a problem in a new way. We may feel like nothing has happened on the surface, but clarity, like a strong focussed beam of light has just lit up a dark corner, illuminated an area of shadow.
If we are gentle with ourselves and trusting of the process, a retreat can be restful, rejuvenating, relaxing, even while we are focussed inwards. It does take effort to stay inside the container provided by a retreat. The container is created by the structure of the day, by the respect of the retreatants for the focus and concentration required - by the ritual activity or by the relaxed interior gaze of the questions posed in our journalling.
Time spent on retreat stretches, loses its shape, becomes eternal for a moment - then elastic, returns.
How to follow up on a retreat and put into practice the learnings made? Take baby steps, give yourself reminders to stop and breathe; regular practise is built over time by paying daily attention to our need. For instance, I need peace and quiet to reflect, so I build a time in my scheudle for meditation and writing, even if only fifteen minutes a day. I post reminders to myself on my mirror, and I write affirmations to help strengthen my resolve to be kind to myself. I practise paying attention, slowing down when I feel the rushing happening. I don't expect to transform myself overnight, but I listen to the impulse, the desire for peace, the desire for soul food. I pay attention to my hunger, and I feed it.
I am worthy of taking care of my inner needs, as well as my physical ones.
I deserve to experience this peace of mind.
I allow myself to take all the time I need.
nameste,
Jenn, retreat leader
A retreat is a funny thing. On the outside it doesn't look like much is happening. But for the mind, it can be like a pressure cooker; asked to reflect on a question in silence, it can seek to run like quicksilver or mercury - when you press on it it scatters in a hundred different directions. Or it can settle and center in the breathing body, thoughts mesmerized by the soothing rhythm or the soughing of wind in the leaves. Nature can soothe, like lapping water on the dock, or soft music: combine the two with a journal, some yoga and walking, an inspiring quote, and voila - a sacred space is created. Ritual also does this, by repeating a song or phrase, lighting a candle flame, walking in a labyrinth towards the center, ancient routines to entrain the wild horses, corral the mind into a focussed pattern.
What do we gain? a heat or pressure is created, and something shifts. Sometimes it's seismic, sometimes subtle, but we gain clarity or understand a problem in a new way. We may feel like nothing has happened on the surface, but clarity, like a strong focussed beam of light has just lit up a dark corner, illuminated an area of shadow.
If we are gentle with ourselves and trusting of the process, a retreat can be restful, rejuvenating, relaxing, even while we are focussed inwards. It does take effort to stay inside the container provided by a retreat. The container is created by the structure of the day, by the respect of the retreatants for the focus and concentration required - by the ritual activity or by the relaxed interior gaze of the questions posed in our journalling.
Time spent on retreat stretches, loses its shape, becomes eternal for a moment - then elastic, returns.
How to follow up on a retreat and put into practice the learnings made? Take baby steps, give yourself reminders to stop and breathe; regular practise is built over time by paying daily attention to our need. For instance, I need peace and quiet to reflect, so I build a time in my scheudle for meditation and writing, even if only fifteen minutes a day. I post reminders to myself on my mirror, and I write affirmations to help strengthen my resolve to be kind to myself. I practise paying attention, slowing down when I feel the rushing happening. I don't expect to transform myself overnight, but I listen to the impulse, the desire for peace, the desire for soul food. I pay attention to my hunger, and I feed it.
I am worthy of taking care of my inner needs, as well as my physical ones.
I deserve to experience this peace of mind.
I allow myself to take all the time I need.
nameste,
Jenn, retreat leader
Monday, March 08, 2010
Clear your mind
After ecstasy, the laundry!
Zen philosopher
Don't you love coming home to your own bed after being away on vacation?
But don't you also hate the laundry? there are several piles of laundry on my floor right now. My husband did a few loads yesterday, and even folded them in neat piles (guess he was desperate for some clean socks and underwear). I managed to get two more loads done today, and my daughter is doing her own, (so I really can't complain).
But besides the piles of white, dark and pale on my wood floor, it's the mental clutter and confusion that got me down today. I was so clear on my purpose a few weeks ago, then I left for vacation and relaxed my mind, with lots of reading by the pool, swimming in turqouise waters, drinking afternoon wine and singing and dancing whenever possible.
This morning, back to ordinary life and reality: off to the dentist with my daughter, so I postponed my own writing and reflecting (tried to write in the dentist's reception area but the local radio station playing top 20 music made it difficult). Of course, she snuck in a quick shopping stop since we were downtown. And a quick stop to buy sushi for lunch (and groceries).
Did I mention I then needed a nap? 3 hours of sleep two nights ago, between airports and flights had created a serious sleep deficit (not to mention watching the Oscars till midnight last night). All that to say, during my nap, or somewhere in the end of it, I began to mentally berate myself for all the things I wasn't getting done, for my lack of energy and focus, for the confusion I felt after reading about mommy blogs with hundreds of thousands of followers (and comparing them to my meagre following), and then the flood of things I had not done or was unclear about doing just got worse.
Finally I jumped out of bed, since it wasn't feeling very restful, and got back on the computer. Re-reading some of the emails I received while away, I ran across one from Jennifer Louden, a link to her Facebook page www.jenniferlouden.com and an entry on Simple Action. It recommended taking one step at a time, not trying to do it all at once (ie write a paragraph not a whole chapter), and also recommended being kind to myself, ie not beating myself up mentally. How timely was that! I had just been writing in my journal about how I needed to feel ok right now, and stop feeling as if there is something wrong with me.
Then I ran into a message from Lao Tzu, through my sister Sue, which said, clear the mental clutter: Cease all restless activity and your true nature will appear. Correct your mind.
That would describe my nap, lots of useless, restless mental activity, making lists of all the things I need to do - since I have a chorus concert and competition coming up and my quartet is singing two new songs also, there is a lot I felt I should be doing today.
My advice to myself is simple: let go of mental anguish, clear up mental clutter. Sit in the quiet of your room and listen to soothing music. Make a mini-retreat and write in your journal. Help yourself out of confusion by staying in the present moment. I am not this flotsom and jetsom rushing downstream in the muddy waters. I am clear water. Relief and stillness floods my being just to be reminded of that.
Nameste,
jenn/musemother
Friday, February 12, 2010
Being Present and Belonging
“The shortest distance in the world is the one between you and yourself.” John O’Donohue
Even though the above statement is true, the loneliness I can experience being estranged from my own Presence is the loneliest feeling in the world. Even if I am somewhat connected to others, if I am not connected to mySelf, I don’t feel as deep a connection to the others.
Sometimes it can feel like I’m miles away from myself when I am not really present, like a divided self living in one body. That feeling of being lonely, even in a crowd, of not belonging anywhere, is a feeling of not being connected. We are lonely for ourselves, essentially. We are longing to meet face to face with that inner Friend, to see our own face in a mirror of calm. This meeting brings a feeling of immense satisfaction, serenity and peace.
When I am self-aware, or present and conscious, not in the psychological sense, but in the way of being present inside or mindful, then I am also aware of the inner observer watching and listening, stepping back from thought and mind’s chatter. Through meditation, through looking at myself in the mirror within, comes a stillness of the mind that also brings a feeling of being with a larger Presence. I feel a oneness with myself (and my Self) that does not come from reading a book or staring at a candle. It feels like the two halves have been united, there’s a wholeness about me.
How does my own lack of connection manifest? On a daily basis, I work alone. I am in my home, writing, reading, and surfing the web on different topics or blogging about what interests me. Sometimes I am working on a book project or poetry. But mostly I am alone all day, except for my dog and cats, and occasional hungry teenagers ravaging the kitchen for food. Craving human connection, I wait for my email box to fill up with replies to emails I have sent, or information, or replies to blog posts, or replies to replies I have left on other blogs – some days I wonder, why is the world so silent? Having nothing new in my inbox is a sad feeling. When there is mail, it's like a confirmation that I am here, and someone is responding to me.
I feel such a longing for belonging – for finding my tribe, for meeting like-minded women who are a bit windy mouthed as I am, who want to hash things out, research, search again, find all the alleys and byways and tributaries of subjects of interest, about our sexuality, about our need for presence, and peace, about mid life and menopause, about independence and starting anew, about creativity and compulsivity .... about life in general. But I know that ultimately, I need to love being with myself, and then I will love even more being with everyone else.
I fill my need for presence and connection in different ways. I meditate, I practise yoga. I have a bi-monthly women’s circle meeting with cherished friends. I teach occasionally, to get out of the house. Mostly I am a bit of a hermit, but a hermit with an email habit. I love to get emails from people. So if you’re reading this blog, please send me a comment.
Love to hear from you,
Jenn/musemother
Ps Happy Valentine’s Day
Monday, September 21, 2009
International Day of Peace 2009
Celebrate World Peace. Click below for a message of peace from the children of the world:
http://worldpeace.org/
Inner peace is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Click below for the website of Words of Peace Global, featuring video clips and information on the message that peace is possible:
www.wopg.org
What can you do for world peace today (and every day?)....give yourself a minute to absorb the message or prayer for peace in the heart.
Make room in your busy day for a moment of peaceful reflection, and act accordingly.
Breathe for peace. Do a yoga stretch for peace. Calm yourself for peace.
Plant a rock for peace? http://www.plantingrocksforpeace.org/
There are many ways to experience peace - make a small step for peace today :)
ps It is also Leonard Cohen's Birthday, so Happy 75th Leonard. Your songs and poems bring peace and light to this darkened world.
put a little love in your heart,
musemother
http://worldpeace.org/
Inner peace is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Click below for the website of Words of Peace Global, featuring video clips and information on the message that peace is possible:
www.wopg.org
What can you do for world peace today (and every day?)....give yourself a minute to absorb the message or prayer for peace in the heart.
Make room in your busy day for a moment of peaceful reflection, and act accordingly.
Breathe for peace. Do a yoga stretch for peace. Calm yourself for peace.
Plant a rock for peace? http://www.plantingrocksforpeace.org/
There are many ways to experience peace - make a small step for peace today :)
ps It is also Leonard Cohen's Birthday, so Happy 75th Leonard. Your songs and poems bring peace and light to this darkened world.
put a little love in your heart,
musemother
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Finding my still center of peace
What I need today is to find my still center of peace.
Yesterday I had such a hectic day, although it was Tuesday it felt like a Monday. Monday I was at a funeral in Toronto with family all day, and sort of in another world, off emails and phone calls, away from the list of chores and household stuff.
While I was driving into town to pick up a table yesterday, my mind still in a bit of a haze, the thought came to me that what I really want is to find that calm center inside of me, to weather the storm of activity.
I need to stay calm in the face of busy, scheduled days.
I need to stay calm for my teens, facing their return to or beginning of, college.
I need to stay calm to thinnk about what projects I want to work on today, out of the many options presenting themselves: poetry reviews, interviews, articles, course planning and research, blog writing and research, book draft to work into a final form, and meetings, rehearsals, singing practice and volunteer work.
I need to stay calm in the face of whining cats who are always hungry.
I need to stay calm in front of family members who irritate.
I need to stay calm for my own sanity and health.
I need to find my calm center as I drive, walk, eat, sing, talk, meet, rest.
There is no other thing (besides eating, breathing and sleeping) that I need to do more of.
So that's my focus for today, and maybe even, if I'm lucky and I remember, for the rest of the week.
Luckily, I had a yoga class this morning that reminded me of my calm center, and brought me there, as well as a meditation practice that roots me.
Happy September,
musemother
Yesterday I had such a hectic day, although it was Tuesday it felt like a Monday. Monday I was at a funeral in Toronto with family all day, and sort of in another world, off emails and phone calls, away from the list of chores and household stuff.
While I was driving into town to pick up a table yesterday, my mind still in a bit of a haze, the thought came to me that what I really want is to find that calm center inside of me, to weather the storm of activity.
I need to stay calm in the face of busy, scheduled days.
I need to stay calm for my teens, facing their return to or beginning of, college.
I need to stay calm to thinnk about what projects I want to work on today, out of the many options presenting themselves: poetry reviews, interviews, articles, course planning and research, blog writing and research, book draft to work into a final form, and meetings, rehearsals, singing practice and volunteer work.
I need to stay calm in the face of whining cats who are always hungry.
I need to stay calm in front of family members who irritate.
I need to stay calm for my own sanity and health.
I need to find my calm center as I drive, walk, eat, sing, talk, meet, rest.
There is no other thing (besides eating, breathing and sleeping) that I need to do more of.
So that's my focus for today, and maybe even, if I'm lucky and I remember, for the rest of the week.
Luckily, I had a yoga class this morning that reminded me of my calm center, and brought me there, as well as a meditation practice that roots me.
Happy September,
musemother
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sweet Reminder
It's so interesting to read about our explorations into space, and the recent anniversary of our trip to the moon - one giant step and a new view of planet earth.
Today I watched a video that reminded me that there's really no other place to be right now than on earth, and that something divine is unfolding here, right now, in spite of war, poverty, hunger and misery perpetrated by human beings on human beings.
The only place to be, and the only thing to do, is feel peace within.
For a long time I've wondered what the best use of my time is, how to help the world, and in this little video (linked below), I was reminded that peace is the coolest thing, the oldest and the newest thing going around. Always brand new, cause it's always happening now. And so I want to share it with you.
Watch this short video - it's a sweet reminder from a wonderful teacher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i71RqYVVsM\
Today I watched a video that reminded me that there's really no other place to be right now than on earth, and that something divine is unfolding here, right now, in spite of war, poverty, hunger and misery perpetrated by human beings on human beings.
The only place to be, and the only thing to do, is feel peace within.
For a long time I've wondered what the best use of my time is, how to help the world, and in this little video (linked below), I was reminded that peace is the coolest thing, the oldest and the newest thing going around. Always brand new, cause it's always happening now. And so I want to share it with you.
Watch this short video - it's a sweet reminder from a wonderful teacher.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i71RqYVVsM\
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Peace and Cake
It's funny about blogs. Now that I am aware that there are people who subscribe and follow this blog, I am more conscious about what I want to say, and who I am saying it too. Most of the time what I write is a spur of the moment inspiration. I also realize that there are men reading this, not only women - (maybe the 'go pee when you have to' on my list of 7 Tools doesn't make sense to a man - is it only women who hold it in while they continue scurrying around doing a million other things that need doing?)
Anyway, today is worth writing about. Today was Debra's 50th birthday party, and she prepared a garden party for us, where we were treated like queens. She prepared food herself, had some of it catered, from salads and wraps to chocolate cake and fruit platter. We drank champagne, and chatted with some of her friends we didn't know yet. She had about 15 people there, including her mother-in-law, so I figure she has a lot of good friends, a lot to be grateful for.
As the party wound down, a few of us sat still drinking tea and talking about stuff - about massage (since our gift to her was a certificate for an hour and a half massage); about how we are all so tense, hold on to so many tensions inside. I had a wonderful conversation with Doris, 78, who suddenly asked me, 'how do you relax? sometimes I can't sleep more than 3 hours a night. I don't know how to turn it off, the mind is always thinking.'
I thought I could share a few tips about breathing, the slow relaxing outbreath, the yogic centering breath, but really it wasn't the place for that. But when I mentioned the word Sabbath, talking about the book I'm reading called Sabbath, Restoring the Sacred rhythm of Rest (Wayne Muller) http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Wayne%20Muller&page=1 her face lit up. "Synagogue! that's where I feel at peace, she said. "I sit and close my eyes, listen to the music, sometimes we have to sing along, and I feel transported." Wouldn't it be nice to find an inner temple to be transported to?
Isn't that what we all want? a way to find that sacred space in which we forget our worries, let go the 'holding' we do, and just come back, settle back into simplicity, into a comfortable feeling of being at home with ourselves, of being rocked into serenity. Some of us find it in music, some of us find it in churches, or by the lake, but all of us have this natural urge to feel peace within.
That is a topic that I can safely say transcends gender. Women, men, mothers and fathers, we all want to feel that simple, homey, feeling of peace.
It's right under our noses, it's so close and attainable. If we can leave it some space, & breathe into it. Allow it to catch up with us. Stop for a moment and catch the wind in your sail, let the calm inner self be where you are. Stop holding on. Surrender your restlessness. "Quench our thirst with Sabbath tranquillity" as Wayne Muller puts it. Lose our fear of resting and non-doing. Find our wellness in just being.
I wish that for Doris, and I wish it for Debra, and I wish it for all of us.
nameste,
jenn
Anyway, today is worth writing about. Today was Debra's 50th birthday party, and she prepared a garden party for us, where we were treated like queens. She prepared food herself, had some of it catered, from salads and wraps to chocolate cake and fruit platter. We drank champagne, and chatted with some of her friends we didn't know yet. She had about 15 people there, including her mother-in-law, so I figure she has a lot of good friends, a lot to be grateful for.
As the party wound down, a few of us sat still drinking tea and talking about stuff - about massage (since our gift to her was a certificate for an hour and a half massage); about how we are all so tense, hold on to so many tensions inside. I had a wonderful conversation with Doris, 78, who suddenly asked me, 'how do you relax? sometimes I can't sleep more than 3 hours a night. I don't know how to turn it off, the mind is always thinking.'
I thought I could share a few tips about breathing, the slow relaxing outbreath, the yogic centering breath, but really it wasn't the place for that. But when I mentioned the word Sabbath, talking about the book I'm reading called Sabbath, Restoring the Sacred rhythm of Rest (Wayne Muller) http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Wayne%20Muller&page=1 her face lit up. "Synagogue! that's where I feel at peace, she said. "I sit and close my eyes, listen to the music, sometimes we have to sing along, and I feel transported." Wouldn't it be nice to find an inner temple to be transported to?
Isn't that what we all want? a way to find that sacred space in which we forget our worries, let go the 'holding' we do, and just come back, settle back into simplicity, into a comfortable feeling of being at home with ourselves, of being rocked into serenity. Some of us find it in music, some of us find it in churches, or by the lake, but all of us have this natural urge to feel peace within.
That is a topic that I can safely say transcends gender. Women, men, mothers and fathers, we all want to feel that simple, homey, feeling of peace.
It's right under our noses, it's so close and attainable. If we can leave it some space, & breathe into it. Allow it to catch up with us. Stop for a moment and catch the wind in your sail, let the calm inner self be where you are. Stop holding on. Surrender your restlessness. "Quench our thirst with Sabbath tranquillity" as Wayne Muller puts it. Lose our fear of resting and non-doing. Find our wellness in just being.
I wish that for Doris, and I wish it for Debra, and I wish it for all of us.
nameste,
jenn
Monday, March 09, 2009
Running on Empty, Kicking the Adrenaline habit
Recently while researching relaxation exercises for my class, I came across The Art of Extreme Self-Care, by Cheryl Richardson. I had not read her before, and found the book extremely beneficial. Here are a few tips excerpted from it, adapted by me:
Let go of being General Manager of the Universe – or the Overarching Boss of Everything. Be open to receiving help, and to asking for help when you need it. This models good behaviour for your children, releases resentment at having to ‘do it all’, and lifts the weight of the world off your shoulders. (I had to break my leg before I accepted that I couldn’t do it all alone, and asked my husband for help. Don’t wait for that to happen!)
Make a list of What You Can Do to support me, and decide together where you will leave it for family members or spouse to find it. You will have to let go of controlling how and when it is done, and be ready to accept their way of doing things. Folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, chopping veggies for supper, feeding the cats - start with the small things.
Make an Absolute No List: for instance, I no longer rush,. I no longer start the day without meditation or yoga; I no longer keep anything in my home that I don’t need or want.
Turn down the Noise in Your Life: protect your sensitivity with silence; limit your exposure to bad news on TV, in newspapers, on the radio.
Alongside the tips for Self-care on the bookshelf was Take Time for Your Life, also by the same author. In it is an exercise or little quiz to find out if you are an adrenaline junkie, plus some tips for kicking the adrenaline habit:
Kicking the Adrenaline Habit: (fight or flight syndrome)
Living on the next adrenaline rush creates a constant hum of anxiety in the body and ultimately exhausts you. Check the following statements to find out if this applies to you:
- Do you repeatedly check your email or voice mail throughout the day?
- Do you put things off to the last minute, use tight deadlines to get things done?
- Do you frequently speed when driving?
- Do you always feel pressed for time?
- Do you juggle several projects at once?
- Do you wake in the middle of the night, with thoughts racing, unable to sleep?
- Do you often forget to follow through on commitments?
- Do you double-book social engagements or appointments?
- Are you usually late for appointments?
Helpful pointers: (and note that it’s a hard habit to break)
Arrive 15 minutes early for every appointment. Write it in your agenda for earlier, and block out more time between appointments.
Stop trying to cram several things into one small space of time. This causes stress and is inefficient.
Adopt a regular Relaxation Practice on a daily basis, i.e. take a long bath with candles and music; Hang a Do Not Disturb sign on the door; Listen to guided relaxation tape before bed;
Eliminate interruptions and distractions by turning ringer off the phone, turning off the TV, putting your number on the Do Not Call list (telemarketers won’t call), clear up junk and visual clutter from your relaxation space.
Do Not Spread yourself too thin. Learn to say No and disappoint people, gently.
Be prepared for feeling antsy or bored as you shift to a calm, peaceful energy from rushing all the time. If you feel uncomfortable, you’re on the right track. Adrenaline keeps you disconnected from your feelings, the thing that makes life rich.
Most importantly, get support from a coach, friends, or group (ie women’s circle or class).
have a peaceful day,
musemother
Let go of being General Manager of the Universe – or the Overarching Boss of Everything. Be open to receiving help, and to asking for help when you need it. This models good behaviour for your children, releases resentment at having to ‘do it all’, and lifts the weight of the world off your shoulders. (I had to break my leg before I accepted that I couldn’t do it all alone, and asked my husband for help. Don’t wait for that to happen!)
Make a list of What You Can Do to support me, and decide together where you will leave it for family members or spouse to find it. You will have to let go of controlling how and when it is done, and be ready to accept their way of doing things. Folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, chopping veggies for supper, feeding the cats - start with the small things.
Make an Absolute No List: for instance, I no longer rush,. I no longer start the day without meditation or yoga; I no longer keep anything in my home that I don’t need or want.
Turn down the Noise in Your Life: protect your sensitivity with silence; limit your exposure to bad news on TV, in newspapers, on the radio.
Alongside the tips for Self-care on the bookshelf was Take Time for Your Life, also by the same author. In it is an exercise or little quiz to find out if you are an adrenaline junkie, plus some tips for kicking the adrenaline habit:
Kicking the Adrenaline Habit: (fight or flight syndrome)
Living on the next adrenaline rush creates a constant hum of anxiety in the body and ultimately exhausts you. Check the following statements to find out if this applies to you:
- Do you repeatedly check your email or voice mail throughout the day?
- Do you put things off to the last minute, use tight deadlines to get things done?
- Do you frequently speed when driving?
- Do you always feel pressed for time?
- Do you juggle several projects at once?
- Do you wake in the middle of the night, with thoughts racing, unable to sleep?
- Do you often forget to follow through on commitments?
- Do you double-book social engagements or appointments?
- Are you usually late for appointments?
Helpful pointers: (and note that it’s a hard habit to break)
Arrive 15 minutes early for every appointment. Write it in your agenda for earlier, and block out more time between appointments.
Stop trying to cram several things into one small space of time. This causes stress and is inefficient.
Adopt a regular Relaxation Practice on a daily basis, i.e. take a long bath with candles and music; Hang a Do Not Disturb sign on the door; Listen to guided relaxation tape before bed;
Eliminate interruptions and distractions by turning ringer off the phone, turning off the TV, putting your number on the Do Not Call list (telemarketers won’t call), clear up junk and visual clutter from your relaxation space.
Do Not Spread yourself too thin. Learn to say No and disappoint people, gently.
Be prepared for feeling antsy or bored as you shift to a calm, peaceful energy from rushing all the time. If you feel uncomfortable, you’re on the right track. Adrenaline keeps you disconnected from your feelings, the thing that makes life rich.
Most importantly, get support from a coach, friends, or group (ie women’s circle or class).
have a peaceful day,
musemother
Monday, February 23, 2009
Remembering Where Home Is
Did you ever chant Aum before or after a yoga class?
Once I was reading a poem and said the word Home at the end of it, and realized the resonances with Aum.
Last night on the Academy Awards for motion pictures, the Indian man who won best score for Slum Dog Millionaire talked about the silence before and after Aum. On national TV!
He thanked his teachers, and I wondered if he meant spiritual teachers or musical ones....
in any case, Home is where the heart is, and Heart is where Home is.
believe that you are never far away from your Home, because you carry it with you.
Be at peace, by coming back Home, by paying attention to where the Heart feels best.
have a beautiful day at Home,
nameste,
musemother
www.wordsofpeace.com
Once I was reading a poem and said the word Home at the end of it, and realized the resonances with Aum.
Last night on the Academy Awards for motion pictures, the Indian man who won best score for Slum Dog Millionaire talked about the silence before and after Aum. On national TV!
He thanked his teachers, and I wondered if he meant spiritual teachers or musical ones....
in any case, Home is where the heart is, and Heart is where Home is.
believe that you are never far away from your Home, because you carry it with you.
Be at peace, by coming back Home, by paying attention to where the Heart feels best.
have a beautiful day at Home,
nameste,
musemother
www.wordsofpeace.com
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Holiday peace
Hre it is, the five minutes break in the middle of the afternoon, when I pause from writing Christmas cards, running errands, letting the measurers/installers and carpet samplers finish up and leave, and now...here I am at my laptop in front of the window.
It is stark white in front where snow has smothered the lake, dark brown almost black where the island meets the horizon in tree branches, and a glowing pewter mixed with light gray and white with gold touches where the sun lowering itself in the western sky shines through.
Just for moment, the time for 3 birds to wing past my window, then a fourth, there is a calm peaceful feeling.
So this is how it must be, to let the landscape's silence enter, and fill up the cracks and crevices not already filled with busy thoughts and plans and desires. Let the cup fill up with emptiness, yes, the white empty snow.
Now the sky is growing darker, and the silver ball of sun pours out a stronger light.
may the light shine on you, may the inner light be discovered and may the light of love envelope you and yours over this holiday season,
musemother
It is stark white in front where snow has smothered the lake, dark brown almost black where the island meets the horizon in tree branches, and a glowing pewter mixed with light gray and white with gold touches where the sun lowering itself in the western sky shines through.
Just for moment, the time for 3 birds to wing past my window, then a fourth, there is a calm peaceful feeling.
So this is how it must be, to let the landscape's silence enter, and fill up the cracks and crevices not already filled with busy thoughts and plans and desires. Let the cup fill up with emptiness, yes, the white empty snow.
Now the sky is growing darker, and the silver ball of sun pours out a stronger light.
may the light shine on you, may the inner light be discovered and may the light of love envelope you and yours over this holiday season,
musemother
Monday, October 20, 2008
Words from the heart
When the heart speaks....
Become quiet
and in that quietness,
a voice begins
to call. I hear,
but not with these ears.
When the mouth is moving,
the heart is silent.
When the mouth becomes silent,
the heart begins to speak.
When my ears are listening
to other sounds,
the heart is quiet.
When those sounds stop, the heart
begins to say what it has to say.
When I dance for the world,
running here and there,
doing this and that,
the heart is silent.
But when I stop -
then the heart begins
to dance
the dance of joy.
adapted from the words of Prem Rawat
by Jennifer Boire
Dear readers, I have been silent on the blog, but my heart has been very active! We had two wonderful visits to Canada from Prem Rawat, also known as Maharaji, on the Words of Peace Global North American tour. Montreal and Toronto were both sold out events, and I was caught in the whirlwind of preparation and conference organizing.
Suffice it to say, that there is no deeper well of wisdom on the planet right now than the words coming from this wonderful man.
I invite you to click on www.wordsofpeace.ca to hear him for yourself, although nothing can compare to seeing him in person.
The gift of knowing how to go within is what he gives, not just words.
enjoy the fall weather, the colours are magnificent, without and within,
musemother
Become quiet
and in that quietness,
a voice begins
to call. I hear,
but not with these ears.
When the mouth is moving,
the heart is silent.
When the mouth becomes silent,
the heart begins to speak.
When my ears are listening
to other sounds,
the heart is quiet.
When those sounds stop, the heart
begins to say what it has to say.
When I dance for the world,
running here and there,
doing this and that,
the heart is silent.
But when I stop -
then the heart begins
to dance
the dance of joy.
adapted from the words of Prem Rawat
by Jennifer Boire
Dear readers, I have been silent on the blog, but my heart has been very active! We had two wonderful visits to Canada from Prem Rawat, also known as Maharaji, on the Words of Peace Global North American tour. Montreal and Toronto were both sold out events, and I was caught in the whirlwind of preparation and conference organizing.
Suffice it to say, that there is no deeper well of wisdom on the planet right now than the words coming from this wonderful man.
I invite you to click on www.wordsofpeace.ca to hear him for yourself, although nothing can compare to seeing him in person.
The gift of knowing how to go within is what he gives, not just words.
enjoy the fall weather, the colours are magnificent, without and within,
musemother
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