Affirmations for Spiritual Success

Thou art Wisdom,

And Thou dost know

The cause and end of all things.

I am Thy child;

I want to know

Life's true mystery,

Life's true joyous duty.

The wisdom in me shall show

All things that Thou dost know,

That Thou dost know.

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

From Falling Up

SNOWBALL

I made myself a snowball

As perfect as could be.

I thought I'd keep it as a pet

And let it sleep with me.

I made it some pajamas

And a pillow for its head.

Then last night it ran away,

But first -- it wet this bed.

When i was young, ending one year and beginning another was a very big deal. As I have matured into my senior years, I have come to see time in general as a mental construct. Whether on a clock or a calendar, time makes it possible for us to organize our lives and coordinate with others. In reality, at least for me, time is a mental construct. When the sun sets by 5pm in winter, I happily put my pajamas on before cooking dinner if the fancy strikes me. Of course I live alone so this choice affects no one but me. Bedtime remains the same, by 10pm.

In a few days, by our calendar, 2023 begins. It happens on a Sunday this time. In other cultures, this may not be so. Why do I bring this to your attention? Because many in our age group live alone and holidays can be a challenge to our mental and emotional wellbeing and stability. When most people in our culture and among family & friends are celebrating, we are wondering if anything worth watching will be on tv. 

This doesn't...

I took this picture in Alaska and believe it fits with this quote from one of the great masters of our lifetime, Paramahansa Yogananda. I am quoting from a book of his titled Whispers From Eternity page 184:

 Make me the eagle of progress, soaring far above little lanes of narrowness and bigotry. Call me higher and higher, that I may fly above all clouds of earth-vibrations.

With the sharp talons of my soul, I will tear all birds of miseries which prey upon man. I will keep the skies of human mind free from all hawks of ignorance which attack the dove of peace.

I want to fly with balanced wings of right-living, in the fine regions of Thy perception. Above the tornadoes of worry-vibrations, I want to fly higher and higher, and climb to those unimagined heights where Thou dost dwell.

Make me Thy tame eagle of progress.

Contact me with questions, appointment requests, or whatever is on your mind and heart:   ...

Saying thank you is such a simple thing & it comes naturally to many of u in the grocery store or a doctor's office. A number of years ago I walked to my car after teaching a yoga class. It was almost 10:00 PM. A police care was parked next to me and I felt grateful and safer. I stowed my yoga gear and decided to leave a note on the windshield. Pulling out one of my business cards, I wrote:

Thank you for showing up for work tonight.

I felt safer as I walked to my car after teaching a class. 

I lived less than 10 minutes from there & my phone rang before I made it home. It was the police officer calling to thank me. He told me he had never been thanked for doing his job before and he was blown away.

That didn't feel right to me so I started a new habit. Whenever I see a police officer or a fire fighter and I can approach them without interrupting them, I ask to shake their hand and I thank them for showing up because I appreciate them and all that they do for...

What can I do about anything? Well, I can live in the present moment and be conscious of what I am thinking and doing. For example, it is midmorning and I plan to grocery shop before lunch. I know if I do that on an empty stomach my choices will include foods I prefer not to have in the house like cookies and big bags of chips. Knowing this about myself gives me clear choices. Choosing to have a healthy snack is for my highest good so that is what I will do. Making this choice is based on past experience when I had cookies instead...and came home without enough protein to get through the week!

Experiences like this are bringing me into the awareness that my personal power is stronger in the now and that making choices that result in my highest good creates peace in the present moment.

True power exists in the now. Peace exists in the present moment. I am creating my experiences moment-by-moment whether I'm conscious of that or not so practicing present moment awareness is...

Today is election day in the United States. RecentlyI have heard myself repeatedly share with students and friends that it is important to remember that what we need is the balance created by opposites. To walk without falling, I must distribute my weight evenly between my right and left legs. To create another human being, male & female elements are required. I could go on and on but instead, I will say just this:

May we create balance & harmony

in our state and national governments.

May we remember that it isn't necessary

that we all agree

all of the time.

It is necessary that we seek

to listen and understand one another

in order to

create the highest good of all.

God Bless America.

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

The title of this blog is actually a quote from a New Moon Gathering presented by Sarah Taylor early in 2022. The essence of her presentation that night was that I am here to be uniquely me and that it is perfectly fine to not be understood or accepted as I live my truth.

I wasn't raised that way, were you? In my teen years I was told to "just be yourself" but what was meant was "Behave the way we (parents, priests, nuns, teachers) tell you to behave." I was taught very clearly to figure out how to earn the approval of those I loved and those who had authority over me and were held up as virtuous role models. It was a lot to deal with when my role models fell off the pedestals they had erected for themselves and others. Witnessing their choices and the judgement that followed taught me a lot. I became a bible teacher because of my love of God. I could only teach from what I knew and believed at the time. When my awareness expanded years later and I began to speak and live from that...

There are times that I long for the darkness of night for it is in the darkness of night that I sleep deeply & awake refreshed. There are other times when I long for the light of morning for it is in the morning that I begin anew and use what I have learned and the gifts I have been given to experience and share love, compassion, and peace. This all sounds too perfect, doesn't it? Well, it is perfectly human that's for sure! What about times when I feel overwhelmed by life? My country is struggling with itself and, in my opinion, it is because everyone wants to be right; everyone wants to be in charge. Do you remember when you were growing up and adults would say "Now, now. No fussing. It's nice to share."? Well, it is still true. 

I was at an event last weekend at a gorgeous hotel in Southern California. It sits on high cliffs overlooking the ocean. Deepak Chopra was hosting an event  titled "Well Within." A little over 300 people were in attendance and we were...

This morning I listened to a short meditation on my Chopra app. It was titled "Observe the Mind." Less than 10 minutes long and a very simple technique. As you inhale, you think "Present Moment." As you exhale, you think "Peace." I have learned to appreciate simplicity. When I got out of bed, I found myself silently using these 2 simple phrases as I brushed my teeth, fixed tea, and dressed for my walk. I walk 20-30 mins every morning and using this technique as I walked drew me to clearer awareness of what I was feeling in my body as well as what I was seeing and hearing. I was immersed and enamored by each moment. 10 or so minutes into my walk, I was fully in the present moment.

Matching the words with the inhale and exhale was more natural when sitting. I chose a different technique when I walked. It was simpler to match the individual words with individual steps.  

It went like this:

Left: Present; Right: Moment; Left: Peace

Right: Present; Left: Moment; Right: Peace

...