It has been years since I have heard anyone say  "Go with the flow, Catherine." It has been years since I have thought or said it to myself. One week ago today circumstances took away my plans & many of my choices. The day did not go as I had expected. As I sat waiting to see a doctor in the emergency room of a huge hospital, acceptance and staying in the present moment were my wisest choices. I did not like what I was experiencing but I needed help and I was in the right place to get it. "Go with flow, Catherine" came to mind.

I was a member of a wonderful 12 step group for many years. Al-Anon was where I learned the value of living in the moment which involved letting go of the past and realizing I could dream & plan but I had no control over the future. I also learned that being present in the moment is vital to my sanity but it is not always fun or easy, especially in a situation like the one last week. I was hurting and could not change that on my own. As I sat...

From The Art Of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh

(My outline)

1. Reverence For Life

 Cultivate: openness

 non-discrimination

 non-attachment to views

 —> frees us from anger, fear, intolerance

2. True Happiness

 Commit to practicing generosity in my thinking (taught to hide what I think)

        my speaking (taught to please others)

        my actions/behavior (please others) 

Happiness —> depends on my mental attitude

 if my choices deny my truth, will I experience happiness?

3. True Love

 Cultivate: loving-kindness

 compassion

 joy

 inclusiveness

4. Loving Speech and Deep Listening

 KNOWING that words create happiness OR suffering, 

 I am Committed to Speaking

 - truthfully

 - using words that inspire confidence

       joy

       hope

I am Committed to Listening...

I decided the other day to re-read, or at least skim through, I book I read a while ago, This time I chose The Book of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz. Chapter 3 is titles "The Lie of My Imperfection." Even typing that I stop and re-read the title out loud.Then I read the highlighted parts several times and sit with my eyes closed, breathing these truths in, trusting that I am absorbing them into my bone marrow, into the depths of my being. As I look back over my life, all 76 years of it, I see that being able to see these truths and then allowing myself to heal so that my True Self could manifest  has been the crux of my human journey. I do not know where you are in your human/spiritual journey but thought you might appreciate a few of Don Miguel Ruiz's thoughts.  

Excerpts From
The Voice of Knowledge
Don Miguel Ruiz
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-voice-of-knowledge/id365546022
This material may be protected by copyright.

“The way I learn about myself is by...

Serenity is defined as a state of being in which a person is untroubled, calm, and peaceful. I began seeking and exploring this state of being quite early in my adult life. As a member of Al-Anon, my mind opened to the possibility of developing this trait rather than continuing to try to fix and/or change others. That was a gift I do not even try to describe! It was during those mid-life years that I discovered yoga and meditation as tools to bring balance to my life mentally, emotionally, and physically. As you may know, I taught Hatha yoga for many years and that included a brief meditation at the end of practice. I also began holding monthly full moon meditations for those interested. During those years, I was privileged to witness transformation in my students as they became faithful to their own practices, desires, and goals. 

Life is definitely a journey of discovery. Discovery includes trying on different types of exercise, exploring meditation to find what fits...

This will be the last blog I publish in my 76th year of life. It has been a year of mental, emotional, and physical challenges. Most of these have been a result of living with this ongoing covid pandemic. It looked as though we were going to emerge from the worst of it when variants began to manifest. Not as deadly but an added threat to be sure. No vaccines provide 100% protection so even those fully vaccinated are vulnerable. Even so, the vast majority of those requiring hospitalization have been the non-vaccinated. 

This issue of getting vaccinated or not is a source of mental and emotional challenge for me, unless a person has medical issues that make vaccination unwise of course. When something is as widespread and deadly as Covid has been, why would any one risk it? When a person can contribute to more widespread immunity, why would any one refuse to do so? Would we be in a much better place nation-wide, as far as immunity and freedom of movement, if more people had...

The sunrise this morning took my breath away. It was brilliant with color, gold, several shades of orange, red, pink, yellow...an absolutely glorious beginning! My son sent me the video he recorded on his way to work and I have already watched a number of times. It is one of the experiences that makes me grateful that I am an early riser. This experience floods my heart and mind with questions like this one:  Are we, as human beings, meant to shine as brightly in our lives? I hope so!

A new day to just be me. I have lived long enough to know that dressing, speaking, aligning my opinions to gain acceptance, and other choices I have made in my 70+ years are simply that. Choices - which either bring me a sense of satisfaction or fulfillment or they don't. Now and then someone will ask my "Why?" I said, did something, or didn't do what they expected. When I was much younger, I wanted the approval of others. I wanted to belong, fit in or fit the mold I'd been given, e.g. military...

May these quotes from Ancient Sages bless and inspire you to see your True Self more clearly. May you love yourself more in the process. 

The Tibetan Book of the Dead:

Remember the clear light, The pure white light from which everything in the universe comes, to which everything in the universe returns; The original nature of your own mind.The natural state of the universe unmanifest. Let go into the clear light, trust it, merge with it. It is your own true nature, it is home.

 An Apache Blessing:

May the Sun bring you new Energy by Day. May the Moon softly Restore you by Night. May the Rain wash away your Worries. May the Breeze blow new Strength into your Being. May you walk Gently through the World and know its Beauty All the Days of your Life.

 Taught by ancient sages on opposite sides of our planet, centuries apart. Beautiful truths, spoken beautifully. Handed down so that we can absorb then into our minds and hearts and, in the process, recognize our Oneness...

Our calendar tells us that this is a week of endings. Starting next Saturday, January 1, 2022, it will be a week of beginnings. What emotions come up for you when you think about endings? It could be an entire range of things from being grateful something is ending to feeling sad and wanting something to go on forever. I am reminded once again of this oh-so-human tendency to judge our honest and appropriate emotions. Some of us will feel both of those things and possibly even more. Can that just be ok? Other human beings on our planet recognize the coming and going of a year on totally different dates than we do. Yet my experience has been that we apply way too much significance to placement of a new calendar on a wall or on the screen of a laptop or phone.

I am inviting you today to allow this Friday to be a day like any other, unless this year ending brings you joy of course! And let This Saturday be a day like any other, unless a new year beginning fills you with hope of course!

Are you feeling down or depressed this holiday season?

Peace Be With You

 Are you feeling beyond lonely because you are alone?

Peace Be With You

Do you wish someone would call to see how you are?

Peace Be With You

 Are you unable to make that call to someone else you know that is also alone?

Peace Be With You       Maybe you could send someone a text instead.

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