“The main character of your story is you, but the role that you are playing is not you. You have practiced that role for so long that you have mastered the performance. You have become the best actor in the entire world, but I can assure you that you are not what you believe you are. Thank God, because you are much better than what you believe you are.”

“I don’t have to be the way everybody wants me to be. I don’t have to be what I believe I should be according to my own lies. Your story is your creation. You are the artist with the force of life flowing through you. If you don’t like your art, you have the power to change it.”

 Excerpt From
The Voice of Knowledge
Don Miguel Ruiz

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The following quote is from page 83 of The Way of Harmony by Jim Dreaver:

     If you look into the heart of all authentic spiritual traditions, both of the East and the West, you'll find the same message being said over and over again:  the treasure you seek most is to be found within the depths of your own being.

     Jesus taught this when he said the kingdom if heaven is within you. First find the riches within, he stated, and then the spiritual way to a happy and balanced life.

     The Buddha taught that suffering is a result of ignorance, and that enlightenment -- wisdom and bliss -- is your natural state. The Hindu Upanishads say "You are That" -- you are a manifestation of the divine, the One power behind all reality. The Islamic Sufis teach that when you strip away the veils of ego, the personal "self," what is left is God in human form. The Tao Te Ching tells us that when your mind and heart open to the deeper flow of...

I am grateful for the clear and ongoing guidance I am receiving from medical authorities as glimpses of personal freedom begin to peek out from behind the clouds of this past year. A close friend made this comment when told I had received the first dose of protection against COVID:  "Thank you for being willing to contribute to herd immunity." It had not occurred to me that I was doing that and I didn't know how to respond. She reminded me of the importance of that and I realized she was sincere. I wasn't just doing it for myself; I was contributing to the welfare of others.

I know quite a few people who will refuse the shots and it is, after all, a matter of personal choice. Some will do so because of their past experience with flu shots and others have conditions that don't allow them to receive the shots. Those who believe the entire past year has been a lie or hoax will continue refusing to accept any medical guidance or opportunities for preventative treatment. I may not...

I often participate in the free 21-day meditation experience offered by Deepak Chopra with Oprah Winfrey. Each session takes just twenty minutes and I would encourage you to visit their web sites and consider participating at some point.

One day a meditation focused on being successful in the care of your body. A journal is provided after you meditate to bring your experience into your practical life experience.

I want to share this idea with you and ask if you have learned how to hear your body's messages, its voice. A very simple example comes from my own life. Years ago, when learning to buy and prepare healthier foods, I attended a women's retreat one weekend. One of the speakers was presenting ideas on introducing brown rice, unrefined sugars, higher nutrient foods to our families. This was 30 years ago so it was all new to us at that time.

One of the things she said that day struck me as so simple that I have never forgotten it. She put out the idea that most of us...

I awoke one morning with these words from a song recorded by Lyle Lovett repeating in my barely conscious mind. I lay still for several moments, as I tend to do, and let the world re-enter my awareness. The light was dim and I heard a bird singing outside my window. My face smiled because I love waking up to birdsong. There it was again:  Here I am, yes it's me...

What? I had not listened to that cd in some time. Why so clearly this morning? I remain still and softly close my eyes, letting myself feel. It slowly becomes clear to me. Here I am and everything is different in my world and yet nothing has changed. It is still me, waking up in my same bed, slowly feeling the day begin, listening to a bird sing outside my window, wondering where I went during the night, feeling the anticipation of writing as a new day dawns.

"Here I am, yes it's me..."  We are all experiencing changes we have not created as we seek to cooperate in keeping ourselves &...

The feeling of my body breathing occupies my awareness this morning. My abdominal and intercostal (rib cage) muscles are tighter than usual. The challenges of self-quarantine, filling the hours, and not slipping into negativity require this awareness. Not breathing well can result in oxygen-deprivation to the brain which only makes it harder to cope with aloneness.....harder to experience this time as all-one-ness.

In this moment, all that I can control is my attention to my breath. The tightness is restricting the flow somewhat so I breathe more consciously into the ribs and abdominal area.

My practice today will focus on loosening the torso and conscious breathing.

It is enough. Namaste.

Has anyone taught you to breathe consciously? 

Contact me with questions, appointment requests, or whatever is on your mind and heart:   [email protected] Please consider joining my online meditation group

The importance of mindfulness, being aware of the present moment, is no longer new to most of us. Being aware of our own level of awareness is an ongoing practice. Mindfulness is easier in a yoga class because the teacher calls us to our breath and to what we are doing and experiencing in our bodies. In guided meditation, we are invited to focus on the flow of our breath and to notice our thoughts. How do we take all of this into our everyday lives?

I first noticed my own awareness levels when my first yoga teacher's voice began to live in my head. I would hear her guiding me to feel my breath or notice my thoughts when my mood shifted. Everyday things became lessons in mindfulness.

Intention is a powerful form of thought energy. It guides the flow and sets the tone for my experience. It is about consciously flowing with life rather than reacting or trying to control it. Awareness of my first thought reminds me to form a conscious intention for my day. How does this work?

I grew up hearing the phrase "The eyes are the windows to the soul." When my granddaughter was nine months old, this phrase came alive again for me. When she would meet someone she hadn't seen in a while or someone totally new to her, she would look deeply into their eyes for a very long time. She didn't blink. There was no challenge, no fear or confrontation. She was just looking. They asked us what she was doing, why she just kept looking into their eyes. Her parents' response was, "She just does that." I responded differently, "She is learning you; reading your soul." She was my little Soul Reader.

I have a new friend in my life, one of those instant connections with a familiarity and ease that seems paradoxical to the circumstances. We had a conversation last night about cities we had either visited or lived in. It was exciting and fun to share memories of experiences not shared, places not visited together. It was so fun! My friend looks into my eyes when we talk; as I do his....

The importance of mindfulness and being aware of the present moment are no longer new ideas yet being aware of our own level of awareness is an ongoing practice. Mindfulness is easier in a yoga class because the teacher calls us to our breath and to what we are doing and experiencing in our bodies. In meditation, we are invited to focus on the flow of our breath and to notice our thoughts. How do we take what we are learning and practicing in a class off of the mat?

I first noticed my own awareness levels when my first yoga teacher's voice began to live in my head. I would hear her guiding me to feel my breath or notice my thoughts when my mood shifted. Everyday things became lessons in mindfulness.

It took awhile but, at some point, I began to notice my first thought of the day. Rather than jumping up as I awoke, I would turn onto my back, place my hands on my belly, take a few slow breaths and notice my first thought. Some mornings, my first thought was soft, peaceful and...

The Inner Stillness that I Am dwells in the very depths of my being. It is that sweet place that remains peaceful even when my mind, emotions, body - or perhaps all three - are in chaos.

During a particularly challenging time in my life, I let myself collapse in primal tears in the middle of my dining room. My mind and emotions were filled with fear, frustration, anger and disappointment. My body shook with the intensity of it all and my tears erupted into screams. In the midst of this I became aware of this oasis of peace in the core of my body, behind my naval. It felt so weird to be in both experiences at once but it told me that I was okay; I wasn't losing my sanity. Chaos was clearly under-girded by deep abiding peace.

That was many years ago and I now understand that the Inner Stillness is the essence of my being; it is True Self. My practice now is establishing me in this Inner Stillness so that I may live from this place: consciously, peacefully, powerfully live from the...