Thoughts: Serving with joy….
Thoughts: Being mindful of being mindful….
We sometimes think that being mindful means being critical of ourselves and very watchful. We think that meditation provides us with a big brother who is going to watch over us or whip us into shape if we do something wrong.
But mindfulness practice is not about punishing yourself when you lose track of your breath or your thoughts. Mindfulness does not criticize or set conditions for you. Nor is it about rewarding you.
Rather, it is helping you to discover the alertness that already exists in your mind, by dispelling the dullness that has covered it up.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Writings: De-Clutter & let the light in….
This coming week in Victoria, BC, a class begins that I’m pretty sure you’ll find useful & inspiring. It’s called SIMPLIFY> Spring Cleaning for Home, Heart & Soul.
I hope you sign up soon – the class starts April 2nd – so here’s more about the class.
And I’d also like to introduce you to Sarah, who offers the class – here’s an article she wrote that’s a good place to start.
(I attended a presentation she put on last week & it was fantastic – great, timely…it’s clear she’s a good mentor for folks who are clearing their space & bringing lighter energy in!
Here’s more:
5 Reasons We Hold on to Stuff – And How to Let Go
by Sarah Downey
De cluttering takes being a brave and insightful detective of our own inner process.
When the problem is: ” I can’t let go of this thing,” the reason is usually: Material things remind us of emotional things.
We might be having trouble letting go because we actually need to bring some mindfulness in – so that we can integrate, and reflect and move on.
Here are 5 common ways we block ourselves from letting go of stuff – and solutions to help us to let go and move on.
Forgiveness. Sometimes you will have trouble getting rid of an item because it carries an association with a person or situation that you need to forgive.
Solution: Give up any notion that the past could have been different – and take back your energy. Do it for you.
Superstar. Sometimes an item will remind you of who you wanted to be and what you wanted to achieve.
Solution: Ask yourself, “Does the past vision of me resonate with where I want to go? What’s my future vision of me?” Often we simply haven’t made the time to reflect and catch up to who we are today. Let go of that old vision if it doesn’t spark your fire for moving forward.
Usefulness. Oh, yes. You’ve got ‘that thing that might be useful in the future’. Most likely even your not-so-deep-down self knows that it will probably not get used.
Solution: Decide to have faith. What you need will come to you when you need it.
Reminds me of So & So. Okay, you love that thing because dearest So & So gave it to you. They love you and you want to remember that.
Solution: Put the sentiment in your heart and let go of the thing. Honour yourself and your connection with So and So. Take some time to reflect and make it special. Acknowledging your connection with them will allow you to let go of the thing.
I want to be remembered. I’ve got to keep that thing because I want my grandchildren to know how special I was.
Solution: Make a Legacy chest. This could be a shoe box or a small chest. Don’t burden others with stuff! Be real about what’s truly important to pass on. Keep only what fits in the box and leave space. Keep in mind that life could be long!
The lessons aren’t easy, but ever so worth it.
They enrich our life in many ways beyond de-cluttering.
This little article was reprinted with permission from Sarah’s blog & website, The Magic Well.
From her site: I’m Sarah Downey – intuitive systems and meaningful wealth advisor, here to help you invest powerfully in your purpose, and give your brilliance space to grow. With 20 years of facilitation, spiritual, financial, and organizational experience, I love empowering big dreamers (like you) with the clear guidance they’ve been waiting for.
The goal is simple: to create systems for living and working that tap into your personal magic, and help you tune into your deepest desires and goals. Translation? I’m here to get you focused, well-ordered, and ready to roll, so you can start putting more of your work and genius out in the world.
Writings: Masks off, and real eyes….
In the wake of the German air crash, I thought Jeff Brown’s remarks were targeted not on the blame and the “reasons,” but on the heart. I like his use of “realeyes” for when we realize…here’s Jeff:
A depressed, messed up pilot takes his issues out on a plane load of innocents, and people express surprise that the company he works for didn’t know.
I understand the need to point fingers, but I don’t know what anyone who walks past me on the street is thinking or feeling. It is such a masked world! What surprises me is that it doesn’t happen more often, given the society wide prohibition against owning and admitting our personal issues, our shadow, our emotional pain and confusion.
There is no one answer to the madness of the world, but I am certain that developing a practice of inviting – rather than shunning – people to share their pain with each other would go a long way to easing the suffering on this planet. There is so much misplaced aggression, much of it because we are conditioned to repress our anger, our grief, our confusion, in the name of social acceptability.
For God’s sake – when are we going to give others permission to take off their masks, disguises and adaptations and share their truths with their fellow humans? When are we going to realeyes that we are all in this together, that we are all hiding something fundamentally human below a needless bushel of shame? When are we going to sit down together and share our shadow freely, like friends on a confusing journey through time?
It’s like this giant avoid-fest that does little more than perpetuate suffering and insane behavior. I assure you – there are no thoughts, feelings or issues that someone else hasn’t experienced.
We are all traveling down similar roads. It’s time for a new paradigm that begins by throwing our masks in the garbage and inviting one another to share our truths, warts and all. Invited Self-Revealing and Lovingly Supported Release would be a wonderful place to begin a truly authentic new earth.
Jeff Brown, author of Soul Shaping
(Here’s his Facebook page, as well)
Writings: Borders are where we come together, sometimes
Funnier: Can’t see forest for the trees…
Don’t know about you, but possibly the biggest thing that gets in the way of me accepting the ways of spirit is thinking too much. That is why I suggested in another place that maybe we make too much of what we think. Of what we understand. Of whether we would pass the test & get ’em all right.
In that sense, I think I’m a little like the Lone Ranger in this story. Well, maybe a lot like him:
The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert. After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep.
Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, “Kemo Sabe, look towards sky, what you see?”
The Lone Ranger replies, “I see millions of stars.”
“What that tell you?” asked Tonto.
The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says,
“Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies.
“Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning.
“Theologically, the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant.
“Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What’s it tell YOU, Tonto?”
“You dumber than buffalo. Someone stole tent.”
Wordplay: Poetry is good for your soul! with Benjamin Myers
I love this article by the poet laureate of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Baptist University’s Benjamin Myers, in which he addresses the essential question: Why poetry? Thank you, Dr. Myers, for your wisdom, and thanks to the Tulsa World for sharing it:
When people ask me about the purpose of poetry, I am tempted to respond that the world needs as many as possible of pastimes that do no harm and that, after all, an evening spent reading poems is far less cerebrally damaging than most electronic or chemical forms of entertainment. This answer, however, is unlikely to satisfy anyone. It doesn’t even satisfy me. There must be more to this poetry business than a bit of pleasantry.
Perhaps, however, the best thing about poetry is its refusal to be useful, at least in the usual sense of the word. No one has ever been asked in a job interview if she has read “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” The answer to that question wouldn’t tell most interviewers what they want to know. When we talk about purpose, we almost always are talking about utility, practicality, and — ultimately — money, yet we know, instinctively, that there is inherent value in beauty, ingenuity, and creativity. Only a fool stands before the Grand Canyon or Michelangelo’s Sistine frescoes and asks “What is the point of that?”
Wordplay: Today’s word: Arbitrage
I love folks who leave me more informed than when I started. This morning’s xkcd.com comic by Randall Munroe did that….
First of all, look up “arbitrage”…I found:
The simultaneous purchase and sale of an asset in order to profit from a difference in the price. It is a trade that profits by exploiting price differences of identical or similar financial instruments, on different markets or in different forms.
Sound like the way parents get to hear two angles from their kids? Or maybe a real estate is both the buyer and seller agent? Or buying Canadian currency at today’s exchange rate of 1.21 CAD to 1.00US, then re-selling it back at 1.00CAD to .85US?
I know people who did all these things, in the last week.
Randall’s thought:
Arbitrage
by Randall at http://xkcd.com/
About Brother Ian
Over the centuries, Brother Ian has been collecting stories & information & discourses for the purpose of elevating the human condition as needed, dissecting it when necessary, and building the case for hope.
In the spirit of noting that organized crime, organized baseball, organized labour, and organized religion tend to engender controversy & occasional discord, I promise to be neither organized or critical of those who are.