On The Wings of Dreams

Impermanence

 

 

There are many spiritual paths that speak to the idea of not being caught up in the material world. In fact, most of them  do at some level or another.

It is, however, from Buddhism that we find the most direct approach to this concept. Included in the backbone of Buddhism, the  Four Noble Truths, is the law of impermanence. The Dalai Lama says this  about it:

‘Everything is changing from moment to moment, constantly. This process of momentary change is not due to a secondary  condition that arises to destroy it, but rather the very cause that led a thing  to arise is also the cause of its destruction. In other words, within the  cause of its origin lies the cause of its cessation.’

We might understand this in a very simple context. The seed that brings the flower into being also contains within it the catabolic process that will lead to its decay and death. We then see how attachment to form creates suffering.

We move through our lives thinking, “When this  happens I will be happy” or “When I attain that circumstance, my suffering will  stop.” This kind of thinking is what keeps us trapped in endless cycles of  unhappiness, because the reality is that once the thing happens or is attained, something new arises in our minds as the carrot on a stick that tells us we can only be happy when ____________ (fill in the blank).

In Taoism many of the texts (beautiful poems worth  reading for their own sake) speak of being like water. Water is fluid and  flowing. It moves over and around and through. Water can wear away  mountains and bring new life to a barren desert. But when water stops and  pools with no new influx, no change, its stagnates and becomes polluted and unhealthy. The flexibility of water is another clue for us to  follow.

To bring this into context in our own lives, lets take a look at examples of personal changes now occurring.

“Breakdown or Breakthrough” says Zen Master  Osho. When everything is in flux, and the foundations upon which you’ve built your life crumble, whether through illness or loss of job or home or a loved one, our inner spirit has a choice on how we might react.

Breakdown is, “My world has come to an end.  I’ve lost things that matter greatly to me, and there is nothing for me now.” We fall into depression, anxiety or nihilism. In this state we have no hope, no energy and are paralyzed in our ability to meet  life.

Breakthrough takes the same situation of loss and  approaches it with an open mind and heart. “This thing has happened and I’ve encountered great losses, but the Universe in its state of constant change has just made room in my life for newness to enter.” We can then open our hearts and trust that new opportunities will arise. That what is happening now may be very painful, but if we meet it with eyes and heart open, we are not, as the Zen Masters say, “tossed away.” We can realize that this state of loss is as temporary and impermanent as the previous state of “having” was.

Recently a dear friend of mine (and husband to  Laura, owner of On the Wings of Dreams) Jeff, suffered a severe blow to his health. Out of nowhere he contracted a rare blood disorder that put his life at risk.  Fortunately, the care of good doctors and the incredible support of the “best wife in the world” (his words), plus the reaching out of so many friends and family with love and compassion brought him through this difficult and dangerous time. Oh, and let us not forget Jeff’s own loving and courageous spirit! That was integral, too!

Here’s what Jeff brought away from his experience.

Since my recent health issue, several people have asked me “How has your life changed?”  My response is typically “I don’t know…yet.”  Do I feel different, emotionally, spiritually, morally?  Sure, I am grateful to be alive, and for this I give thanks to anyone who will listen -  family, doctors, friends, co-workers, the dog – but has my outlook on life really changed?  Sure, during my time at home, I see things in my life – like how little I previously did around the house, or how foul and out of shape my physical body has gotten, or how little time I actually spend with friends – that needs tweaking, but is that a factor of simply having time at home to see, or a result of my illness driving a desire to shake up my entire philosophy on life?  Couldn’t this episode simply be another life experience – albeit a drastic one – meant to teach me where my true priorities lie?  But does this make me a different or better person, or simply a more eager listener?

Those of you who know me well, know that I am not one to dwell on the past.

No one can change what has happened, so why expend energy trying or worrying about “why me?”  Rather, spend this energy focusing on what the past is trying to teach us, make the necessary adjustments, and move on.  We all have the same potential for goodness and happiness; sometimes, it is just a matter of listening to life’s experiences and not repeating the past that makes the difference.  Don’t block the river waiting for the boat to cross; the river will only find a new path, and not necessarily one to your liking.

Jeff’s take on impermanence is an important one and has two facets.  First, his gratitude for the positive aspects of his experience are obvious.  Gratitude, like forgiveness, has a way of healing our hearts, and creating honest exchanges of love and compassion between us.  It is an appropriate response to having come through a difficult and dangerous time, whole and well.  Gratitude isn’t trying to hold onto anything, instead it is about giving and receiving.

The second aspect is perhaps more challenging for most of us, but just as vital.  He is not picking the experience apart in self-pity or continuing to live through his illness in his imagination.  Instead, he is letting go of the past – bringing the lessons of it with him into his life, but not holding on.  This letting go of the past can be very difficult, but we must learn to do it, that we may live our lives fully engaged, with happiness and joy.  Our focus needs to be on the present.  The Now.  

I think this quote is from Deepak Chopra:

The past is history,

The future a mystery,

This moment is a gift.

Jeff doesn’t know yet just how his recent trip to the borderlands will effect his life in the long term, but he continues to move forward each day.  This reminds me of the old Zen saying, “Only go straight, don’t know.”  That saying has helped me through many a challenging life passage.

Another friend lost her home recently, and through  trust and perseverance another was found. Of course the in between space was devastating, but through it all this friend worked hard to keep her trust  alive and to move through these difficult changes with grace. Yes, she was afraid and yes she shed her share of tears, but that is simply part of the human journey. It is never all happiness, all the time. The most difficult times can be the breakthrough that strengthens our spirits, deepens our compassion and reawakens us to the joys and wonders of life.

I can’t say that I enjoyed going through my own dark nights of the soul.

In  the middle of them I sometimes could not see the light. In other words, I  had no idea how situations would resolve themselves, or how my suffering would ever end.

Like so many others, it was the support of friends and family that sustained me through the worst of it. The transformations that eventually arose came from the simple daily practice of not attaching to any sort of circumstances in order to be happy, and turning to my own heart to generate love, hope and joy in the middle of the worst of times.

I  learned to smile for its own sake, not because of exterior conditions.

As we experience the many changes and upheavals that  are part and parcel of our world, we can help the flame of our spirits thrive. We can reach out to others to give and receive and we can remain  steadfast in the surety that each small thing we do elevates everyone – all beings.

We cannot always see the results of these acts of  kindness and compassion, but they matter. They matter more than all the big things that we see on the television and hear on the news. They are real. They are about humanity and how we live together.

“Do not attach to outcome” is one of the main messages of Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text.

‘Detaching end from act, with act  content,

The world of sense no more stain his  soul

Than waters mar th’ enameled  lotus-leaf.’

We have no control over how things will turn out. We do, however, have control over our own state of being as we meet each new challenge with that noble, loving spirit that is the best part of us.

In this we remake our world anew.

In this we are transformed.

In this we find…..

Peace -

Tee

Friendship

“Human affection, ardent and comprehensive as it may be, cannot hope to encompass the whole world.  It must be satisfied to render assistance to the few who may come within its easy reach; for it is the individual touch that imparts healing.”  

Judge Charles F. Moore

 

I opened with a quote from my great-great-uncle, who in 1926 wrote a little book called Comradeship.  I have a signed copy.  It’s very cool!

 

This month in particular I have been extremely aware of, and grateful for, those “individual touches” in my life.  The ones that create all the good healing.  

 

While each of us is always very much alone in our own skins, when we nurture true and loving friendships, we are not lonely there.  Our most intimates are always within easy reach, whether they are next door or hundreds of miles away.  How easy is it to picture the face of a dear friend or to hear her laughter in your head?  It’s no effort at all.

 

Another quote:  “There are days, and many of them, when everyone longs for the touch of a kindred soul.  There may be contentment, but no joy without it.”

 

All too true.  Happiness that is not shared just bangs around within our selves.  Whenever we see something beautiful, or get some good news, most often our first impulse is to share it with a loved one!  Conversely, when we are sad or hurt, our impulse it to reach for them for comfort.

 

One of my favorite things in life is to witness someone I love in full happy joyousness.  Nothing can beat that, not even something good happening to me!

 

More quotage:  “There is nothing that so stimulates one’s effort to make good as to be perfectly sure that someone you love believes in you.”

 

How true is this?  If even one person on the planet believes in you completely, suddenly you can move all those mountains and jump over all those chasms.  Self-doubt is the most insidious of things, but the power of kindred who says, “You can do it!” is often all we need to succeed. Maybe we feel we can’t do it for ourselves, but for someone we love?  Absolutely!  

 

Quote again:  “What we need to understand is that, if proper attention be paid to the human unit, the human race may be trusted to take care of itself.”

 

What good old great-great-uncle Charles is speaking to here, is the overwhelming nature of the suffering world.  All over the planet countless beings are enduring hardship, and in most cases our personal efforts can do nothing to alleviate, much less stop, that suffering.  So what do we do with our empathy?  Turn in to our own corner of the world, to the person next to you, to your family and dear friends.  

 

The interconnectedness of humanity is becoming more and more apparent as our world grows smaller.  We are beginning to realize that uplifting one person can make a difference to the whole.  Judge Moore, way back in the 1920’s, was probably speaking to the impossibility of actually reaching people in need who were on the other side of the planet.  At least personally reaching them.  Yet we find this perspective true in new and exciting ways.  Like that movie, “Pay it Forward”, our one act of kindness can spread with lightening speed from person to person to person.  We are that connected.

 

Yes, it’s a fine thing to contribute time and money to good causes, but not at the expense of neglecting those in our immediate sphere where a real difference can be made.  Where your hands and your heart can sooth the suffering – sometimes even remove it – with the smallest of efforts.

 

Last quote:  “There is more of the milk of human kindness in the world than we are prone to believe.  Most people are disposed to be friendly, if they are only given the chance.  If you want your acquaintances to come into your heart and abide there, open the door and make them welcome.”

 

Opening our hearts can feel like a risky business, and yes we must take care of who we let in.  Yet open our hearts we must.  Not blinded by a need to fix everyone and everything, but so that we may experience that true kinship with another, with others.  Life is all about risks, and if we are in awareness and mindful (in that we truly take the time and effort to get to know another), then opening our hearts is like opening the door to a beautiful garden.  Well tended, that garden will grow and thrive in our seasons of warmth, and will survive the difficulties of the darkest cold nights.  

 

I think of my friends, my loved-ones, and how different they all are.  How one makes me laugh, the other makes me think, the next shares my interests, another keeps me grounded.  So many gifts wrapped in such unique packages.  Each one a blessing, not to be taken for granted.  How we expand each other in our exchanges of tears and of laughter!  How our insights elevate us, and our silliness creates childlike delight!

 

So, sappy as I am, here’s to friendship!  Here’s to that sharing that only comes when we open those heart-doors to another!

 

Peace,

Tee

Stretch

Many of us have been required to leave behind our comfort zones and move into some new territory, lately.  It’s not surprising, considering the upheaval that the world economy and environment are now experiencing. It requires us humans to evolve and adapt.

But it’s been awhile since we’ve had to stretch this far.  Maybe since the great social revolution of the 1960’s.  Some of us have been around long enough to remember at least the tone of those times.  They were wonderful and scary, magical and dangerous.  I think we may be at another crossroads like that one, another fork in the path.  What do we do with it?

The good thing about leaving your comfort zone is that it can be exhilerating.  Those first few steps might take a lot of nerve, but the momentum builds much sooner than we expect and then we’re negotiating the new territory.  It’s like being a child again – everything is suddenly new and interesting.  Cultivating the wonder of a child can help us to overcome our fears of the new and strange.

Because those first few steps are the most difficult, we can sometimes shy away from taking them.  What if we step over a cliff edge or into quicksand?  While there are no guarantees against that, the chance is the same that we will walk into a cooling stream or a field of flowers.  The thing is that we are human beings and it is our job to change, to grow and stretch so that we elevate our experience.

One spiritual pattern I’ve noticed is that people who often reach for “heavenly” guidance are being asked to shift their focus into “earthly” guidance.  “Earthly” as in this planet we live on and whatever consciousness it holds.  If you are used to the ethers, the grounded can be a very different experience.  What a huge stretch!

Another patten I’ve found quite fascinating is how the Buddha’s eight-fold path is becoming a model for sustainable living.  I haven’t heard it mentioned that way yet, but take a look at the eight-fold path:

Right View

Right Intention

Right Speech

Right Action

Right Livlihood

Right Effort

Right Mindfulness

Right Concentration

All of them are easily applied to shifts we need to make in how we live on this planet together.  Right speech, for example, translates into how our media has become a divisive, exploitative thing used to gain ratings rather than to report truthful and useful information to the public.  The field of journalism is considered so important to the success of our nation that its freedom is protected in the Constitution, making Right Speech integral to a balanced, prospering world.

Right Mindfulness, when applied to human interactions, can translate as our ability to be aware of each other and treat each other with respect and dignity.

Right Effort reminds us to work and rest in equal balance, as well as to apply those work efforts to positive areas of our lives.  In other words, not to be busy for busy-ness’ sake, but instead to give our full effort appropriately to the task at hand.

You can do this with the entire Eight-Fold path applied to all levels of life and culture.  It’s a good excercise when considering how we might stretch.  Apply these concepts to different areas of your life, and see how you can change them for the better.

Another thing that helps when you are being asked to step out of your comfort zone is to know that you are not alone.  People all over the world are experiencing this in thousands of ways.  Perhaps if we started giving each other a bit of a hand it could get easier for all of us.  Actually, I think we are already beginning to do that!

There’s a quote attributed to Carl Sagan that goes:

It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

Often when moving out of comfort zones, we are also moving out of delusion.  It can be challenging to see things with more objective clarity and recognize the tasks before us.  But if we really are determined to get out of our own suffering and help all beings to do the same, then we’ve got to see things as they really are and trust that our creative intelligence, our minds and hearts, hold the solutions we need to move forward with inspiration and grace.

It’s easy to keep choosing the known over the unknown.  Even if the situation is not the best one we are capable of creating, we know what we are doing and feel comfortable at some level.  But the unknown, the Great Question Mark, is where all the excitement is.  It’s where we can find our soul’s bliss, our heart’s desire.

Comfort zones, like an old pair of shoes, may be something we think we like, but are in truth no longer good for us.

Now, if you want to ask me about comfy zones, I have a whole different story about those.  Comfy zones are all about giving it all a rest and snuggling up with some loved-ones.  I highly recommend them, whenever you get the chance!

Peace-

Tee

Meditation

I thought I should finally come clean. In reality, I believe all this spiritual nonsense is a bunch of hooey. It’s a waste of time to smudge or meditate or care about your fellow humans. And what about all this stupid playing with rocks, like there is something special about them? Come on, people, wake up to reality! It’s a dog eat dog world and if you aren’t looking out for number one, then you’re just a schmuck!

April Fools!!!!!!

Of course those are not my views at all. In fact, this month I’m going to focus on one of the most important spiritual tools we have – meditation.

I’m often surprised by people’s reactions when I mention meditating as a possible practice to help them find peace, happiness or just general well-being. It seems that meditation has a reputation for being an esoteric and mystical thing meant only for gurus on a mountain top.

Far from it!

Meditation is both a practice and an attitude. And, just like learning a musical instrument or even learning algebra, it takes some discipline and some time to get to that place where it clicks and you are playing a song or solving an equation.

I had let my meditation practice slip and slide away for a while, but in the past few months I’ve reincorporated it into the end of my yoga practice. After some time away, I can’t understand why I ever stopped and let resistance get the better of me. Now, receiving those benefits that only come with meditation, I thought it was a perfect time to discuss it a bit.

While meditation does have deeper spiritual meanings that focus on the release from suffering for all beings and detachment from the ego, it also has a personal aspect, and that’s what we are exploring here.

When approaching something new, the best place to start is at the beginning, and the beginning of meditation practice is breath. If you are interesting in learning to meditate, don’t go rushing off to a cushion and try to sit still with an empty mind for an hour. Very few people can jump right in and create a meditation practice on the first go.

Instead, begin by noticing your breathing throughout each day. Take three slow deep breathes whenever you think of it. Do this repeatedly for a few weeks, and you’ve got a foundation upon which to build.

After you’ve spent some time learning to focus on your breath while engaging your normal routine, it’s time to take it to the next step. This is akin to slowing entering a pool of cold water rather than jumping in all at once.

You don’t need a cushion. A chair or the floor will do just as well. It does help to find some solitude. Somewhere quiet where you will not be interrupted and where the atmosphere is soothing. Light some incense or candles if you like. It’s also wonderful to burn sage (aka – smudge) first, as it sets a tone and helps to ground you. Also, try siting outside when the weather is good. We are not, however, going to be here that long this first time. Set yourself a goal of 5 or 10 minutes to begin.

Sit quietly and again, focus on your breathing. Notice your inhalations and exhalations with calm attention. Attempt to quiet your thoughts. Inevitably, a thought will, however, arise. That’s what the mind does, it makes thoughts, so don’t judge yourself. Give the thought a nod and then watch it float away. Don’t hold onto it, and return your attention to your breathing. Thoughts will continue to arise. Continue to let them arise and pass away, always returning to your breath.

As those wise in the ways of meditation know, it can be a good idea to listen to the same music and/or burn the same incense, each time you meditate. Your senses remember sounds and smells so very well, it helps facilitate the meditation by signaling to your subconscious “it’s time to meditate.” Eventually just lighting your meditation incense or putting on your meditation CD will begin to promote a meditative state immediately. Similarly, don’t use that particular music or incense for other activities, especially driving!

Finally, many of us find that crystals can facilitate meditation. A really fun thing to do is visit a shop that sells crystals and spend some time holding different ones until you find one that creates a sense of calm and peace. Or perhaps you already have a collection of crystals and you might spend time with each one in meditation until you find one that resonates with your practice.

In a perfect world, you would meditate every day, gradually increasing the time from 5 minutes, to 10 minutes, to 15 minutes, etc … but in our busy lives, that isn’t always possible. Yet to make progress, you’ve also got to make a commitment. So be realistic when setting your meditation goals, but stick to them. Two or three times a week is often enough to see steady, reliable progress.

The experience is somewhat different for everyone, but eventually you will notice that you have extended periods of time where your thoughts do not intrude. Even from the first, you are likely to finish your meditation with a feeling a lightness and a lessening of burden. After some time and practice, you can arise from a meditation practice feeling as if you’ve just had a good night’s sleep. Rested and alert.

There are also interesting and wonderful side-effects from a meditation practice. When your mind is still and you are centered in yourself, you often receive ideas and insights that are quite wonderful. Insights that can’t break through your normal mind chatter and have been hovering around just waiting for you to get quiet.

Occasionally you may also experience spontaneous dreamlike visions of an archetypal nature that cannot only be quite beautiful, but informative as well. These may not be the goals of a meditation practice, but they are some of the benefits.

For some people it helps to use mantras to keep the mind from obsessing on its usual worries and concerns. There are plenty of mantras you can use from different traditions, but you can also make up your own.

There is the most famous mantra of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Om mani padme hung, which is quite beautiful orally, and very popular among meditators. For more mantras of this nature, there is a great wikipedia article on mantras if you’d like a more in depth explanation. These mantras have great spiritual significance and are rooted in deep traditions, but for the beginner it may be simpler to create one. Think of a mantra as a one sentence prayer, such as “May I bring light to the world this day,” or something of that nature.

The most important thing when taking on a meditation practice is to not judge yourself. Be as gentle and kind to yourself as you would to someone very dear to you. Meditation is not a quick fix, it is part of a lifestyle that promotes peace, well-being and healing not only for yourself, but as the Buddhists put it, to all beings.

A meditation practice is a wonderful journey, which can add many new dimensions to your life. I know I’ve quoted it here before, but I’d like to end with the Metta prayer, which although not a true mantra, I have used in meditation practice many times.

May all beings be peaceful
May all beings be happy
May all beings be safe
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature
May all beings be free!

Peace-
Tee

photo of Tee meditating by Grace Liggett 2001

Changing Times

March 2009

Let’s start with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.

It is actually normal for life to be difficult during times of great change.

Here’s another quote – that old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times.

Well, we do! So although the sands may be shifting under our feet, there is always the chance for something wonderful to be born in such times.

Possibilities and opportunities abound more than ever when the paradigms are shifting. What once worked fractures and dies away, but before a new way comes to fruition, there’s quite a bit of struggling about with each other. There are aspects of the old ways that we don’t want to lose, and rightly so. We question how we might translate them into a new world view.

There are old destructive patterns that we know must go, but that some of us seem to cling to even more fiercely. It can be a challenge to understand why. It usually comes down to the known feels safe, even when it isn’t. The unknown throws us into what is not expected, and therefore we must trust in ourselves to negotiate our way through.

How do we do that? There are several helpful measures we might take. One is, when everything is in flux, it is even more vital that we act out of a sense of honesty and integrity. When we don’t create falsehoods and fabrications in our lives, there is less complexity for us to cope with. The answer always remains the same, because the answer is the truth. There’s less mental effort wasted and much more ease of being on a day to day basis. Of course, this is always true – but it becomes absolutely necessary during changing times.

The next helpful measure I’ll offer to you anecdotally. A friend was recently laid off from his job in lighting sales. Even though the company promises him a return to work within a few months, this friend is not sure he wants to go back. He sees the opportunities arising for him as we begin to seriously addressing our energy situation. Lighting is an integral aspect of energy conservation and use. Here is a chance for him to engage the new, what is barely just beginning, and get it on the ground floor. Not only could this help him in his private life and in his career, but it also helps us all if he participates in his livelihood by improving our use of energy through better more efficient means.

We can look at what our new priorities are and attempt to adjust our lives to thrive in new situations.

Here’ yet another old saying: “the only thing you can count on is change.”

It’s a good one to take to heart. When we release our expectations and are willing to see positive possibilities within the shifting patterns, we create the perfect environment for good things to happen.

Rob Brezney (www.freewillastrology.com) is always fond of saying how much the Universe is attempting to shower us with love and blessings. Rob is one of my heroes!

Even when the news is mostly bad about failing economies and job losses and rising costs, can you manage to clear that from your vision so that you might see what the boons are? What graces are replacing those losses?

I’ll use a metaphor from physics, now. There is a principle that states that energy is never lost, but only changes form. It’s call the Conservation of Energy. My point is that even when there seems to be a lot that is slipping away, that we are losing, there is much to be gained. To be found. To be renewed.

A combination of imagination and clear sight (you can add a pinch of steadfastness, here) can lead to all sorts of new and interesting ways to love and live and learn our lives. Structures that become unstable must be rebuilt. Here’s our chance, right here and now.

So as the days unfold and the pundits sound off about their thousands of varying and increasingly dismal news stories about what’s happening in the world, take the precious time to see for yourself what is uplifting, what can be mended and what must be released.

Let’s have a little faith, a little trust in ourselves, and keep our eyes open and our minds receptive.

Therein lies the strength and beauty of being human.

Peace,
Tee

Crystal Buddies

Considering that On the Wings of Dreams Shop has, for the second year in a row, donated a percentage of crystal sales to the local Audubon Society, I thought this an appropriate month to write a Reflections on this theme.

Just why are we so attracted to these lumps of rock and stone? Other
than the obvious reason of many of them being quite beautiful.
There’s nothing like a sparkling amethyst or shimmering moonstone to
delight us visually.

But these bits of our planet have an appeal that goes beyond the
visual. Many of us have had the experience of placing one in our palm
and feeling the energy race up our arm and directly into our minds and
hearts.

Many types of crystals have unusual properties used in science and
technology. Things like computers, ultrasound devices and watches.
Yet here in Reflections we attempt to focus on the spiritual.

What is our spiritual connection to crystals and gems?

Books have been written on this subject, and provided reasons and
interpretations. There is, however, nothing like personal experience
to let us know just how special they are. While books can be useful,
each person tends to resonate differently with particular stones.

The anecdotal often helps to explain a point. One crystal I resonate
with is Sugilite – a mostly deep purple stone found in only a few places in the world.

This stone is known for its ability to aid those whose nature is
particularly spiritual to exist materially. It’s also recommended for
use by people with migraines. I did not know about either of these
qualities before I was attracted to sugilite. Sure, I like the color
purple, but it was holding one in my hand that blew me away. The
soothing quality of this stone, at least to me, is remarkable.
Interesting that I also suffer from migraines.

I often speculate that just as plants and animals hold a particular
kind of consciousness that humans often find difficult to understand,
so does the mineral world. Our communication and exchanges with these
other kingdoms is not scientific in the usual sense. Instead, the
connection seems transverbal and mysterious.

It’s somewhat easier to understand our feelings toward plants and
animals, as they are life-forms. But what of minerals, that don’t fit
our definitions of life? They don’t breathe, or reproduce or even
move! At least not without a mudslide or earthquake to help them
along. And yet they call to us. We can feel their power and energy
at intuitive levels.

Because the “why” of this is unanswerable, let’s focus on how we can
use them to enrich and enhance our lives.

Here, we can get just a little bit scientific in our methods, in that
we can experiment. Place a stone in your palm and close your eyes.
Focus your awareness on the place where skin and stone meet. Do you
feel heat? Cold? Perhaps a tingling (very common). Stay with this,
and don’t hurry. Notice where the sensations change and move.

Move the crystal to your throat or your third eye. Do the sensations
change? How about your emotions, your state of being? What’s
happening there? Quiet your mind and your thoughts and just notice
what is happening.

Although there are many wonderful, energetic stones that you can
purchase, you can do this experiment with seemingly regular rocks you
find out in nature. Some of my favorite stones have been found this
way. It’s the connection that matters. They do become your buddies.

Working with stones you might notice that you are more attracted to
certain crystals at different times of day, different seasons,
different phases of your life. Once you become familiar with how you
react to a particular crystal, you can reach for it whenever you feel
a need of its energy.

Having crystals around the house for their visual beauty and their
energetic properties can benefit us all in many ways. And I can’t
help but think that the crystals themselves enjoy this exchange with
us. Connection and communication with the plant, animal and mineral
kingdoms helps us to heal and sustain our world. We are, after all,
not alone on this planet. We share it with some very interesting
“others”.

Peace,
Tee

p.s. here is a cool and related link:

A New Year

Contemplative, reflective. The death of the old gives birth to the new, once again.

Yes, it is a celebration, and for good reason! We’ve made our way through space and time in a circle around the sun. Alright, maybe it’s an elliptical path we travel!

Regardless, the Wheel of the Year has turned, and with it we experience our own ups and downs – our own gains and losses. But here we are, again, embarking on a brand new journey.

And it is new in so many ways. The world has changed at a rapid pace since the dawn of the new millennium, and shows no signs of slowing down. There is a lot to acclimate ourselves to, and even more to integrate. How will we adjust? Cope? Thrive?

How, indeed.

Believe me, I’m not sitting here in my corner of southern Virginia with all the answers. Just like you, I’m listening, watching, waiting to see what possibilities and opportunities open up in the midst of challenges and confusion.

Because they always do so. In fact, I believe that’s just when the best opportunities open up.

What we are looking for are opportunities for healing, for expanded compassion and for true freedom of the mind and spirit.

Basically, to put a stop to all this suffering and truly learn to be human – together.

That’s quite the task for seven billion plus people.

Yet, that’s not quite the whole story. We also must learn to take proper care of all the varied life that supports us. We can’t separate out from it. Personally, I would never want to, but my opinion here is irrelevant. We must. We have no choice.

And therein lies the beautiful opportunity. This is the fertile ground that brings forth our creativity and our noble spirits. Our genius.

Some may argue that when things get tough, the worst parts of human nature arise. That may be true in finite times and places, but always and forever there is a Christ, a Buddha, a Gandhi, a Mohammad – and on and on.

I like to think that maybe there could be seven billion of them here and now – all primed to wake up to their true natures!

Eternal optimism? Hopeless Idealist? If you like. It’s a label I’m comfortable with.

But as I sit here on this eve of 2009, hours away from turning the calender page, I am filled with a dogged and persevering surety of purpose.

Opportunities? You bet!

Here we go.

Peace -
Tee

The Only Peace There Is

Lately we’ve been bombarded with a lot of news, both good and not so good. Some of us are experiencing great difficulties. Some are holding our own, and some are even finding our way. No matter our experience, most of us would like to find a bit of peace to wrap around ourselves and loved ones like pretty paper around a gift.

If you are like me, you may have spent a significant amount of time searching for peace. Wanting it. Frustrated that it is so difficult to maintain. You come upon a bubble of peace suspended in space and time and then POP – the bubble is burst by ___________________ (fill in the blank).

But those moments that appear and disappear like stars shining between swiftly racing clouds allow us to know peace exists. Peace is possible.

Over the past few years I’ve been learning a great deal about the quest for peace. It’s been along haul, as I can be both stubborn and thick-headed. So, I am not surprised that is has taken lots of lessons and even more contemplation for any kind of understanding to come. What I have learned is that you never find peace, you create it. And the irony is that it is often best created through the process of surrender.

But let’s back up a bit. Peace in not a promised land “over there”. In other words, it is not that peace is somewhere you are not and you must get there.

I can hear a thousand voices saying things like, “But what if you live in a war zone?” or “what if there is a hurricane going on?” There are endless variations of “what if”.

Still, I stand by the idea that peace is a potential and the way you “find” or “gain” peace is to create it. Amid all circumstance, you are best effective and endure the least suffering if your inner state of being is peaceful. Otherwise, you get tossed away by fear and your choices and actions are not necessarily beneficial to yourself or others.

My best teachers were those experiences where I was able to create peace within myself while my outward situation was complete chaotic turmoil. My ability to surrender my fear or despair (or sometimes just frustration) allowed me to find room within to create something new – peace.

It’s always about what is inside of us creating our outward experience. Or at least how we experience the outside.

Now this wisdom is not something I came upon through experience alone. No, it has been said by many people in many times and places.

The Buddhists know it. Buddha said “all suffering arises in the mind,” as one of the Four Noble Truths. Mind being the inner space of ourselves. Our consciousness, or our being.

The pagans have their own version in the Charge of the Star Goddess. “And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery, for if that which you seek you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.”

One translation of Christ’s words in the gospel of Luke is “The kingdom of God is within you,” rather than “among you”.

Contemplating these, and other, powerful messages has been part of my work. But the other part has been to observe what happens in my own life when I surrender or let go of, what I think will make me happy and accept what my situation or circumstance actually is. In other words, I stop the fight. Stop the struggle against something. Instead, a smile on my face and in my heart creates an opening for patterns to shift and change. Peace is created.

The process goes something like this: Whatever it is you are caught in, thoughts or feelings or experiences – drop your engagement. Just stop, and look at it as if it does not belong to you. The longer you have been holding it, the more perseverance that is required, but don’t give up. Then smile at it. How could I possibly do that? you might ask. It is so terrible, so frustrating or just plain wrong.

But drop it you must and look at it for just what it is. Smile at is because it is part of being human, no matter what it is. Being human is sad, funny, tragic and beautiful all at once. It deserves your good humor. Smile at it and give it your compassion, which is your humanity. By doing this, which is a form of stepping outside the ego, you engage what the Buddhists call emptiness, the ground of being or true nature. It is from there possibilities arise. Possibilities for change, for healing, for recovery. You don’t look for them, you open to them.

The world will spin and all sorts of things will arise that have the potential to create suffering or unhappiness within us. There is no destination, no set of circumstances that will come together and suddenly everything will be fine and dandy stretching into the far future.

What can happen, however, is that as more and more people create their inner peace, it in turn creates a powerful network, which contains within it the potential for real transformation. We all contribute to this pattern in both obvious and subtle ways, but it is not important that we see immediate results. What is important is that we unlock that powerful love that resides in our hearts, creating the peace that might heal the world.

And so I’ll end this as I always do, but this time know it for what it is – a blessing that you will create your own….

Peace -
Tee

Happy Holidays!

Reflections Extra: A New Path

I think we are all a bit manic after all the excitement leading up to the election. Whatever our feelings about the outcome, there is a lot of emotional energy we are coping with. What to do with it? That’s the question.

Now more than ever it is time to ground ourselves and find our place of peace within. It’s time to reach out to each other in positive ways, not allowing the ideas of winning or losing to get in the way of our positive potentials.

There is a lot of inspiration to work with at this stage of the game. The path to that inspiration is focused, calm attention. It is through inclusive compassion that we can now create the sense of unity we require to move forward.

We came to the crossroads and we made a choice. Now we’ve placed one foot on the new path we have chosen. What is important to remember is it is not only the path that matters, but also the way we keep our hearts as we walk it.

It helps if we can understand that the place in our hearts that feels joy so intensely is the same place that feels grief. They are one in the same at the core. I experienced this first hand upon the death of my father, over a decade ago. In the moments after his passing, I was filled with wrenching grief. I stepped outside into a rainstorm and let the water wash over me. In that small moment in time, I realized that if I did not assign any labels to what I was feeling, that it also felt like joy. That joy and grief were just different sides to the same emotional coin.

That understanding has aided me ever since. When experiencing emotional overload, I have learned it is best not to hold onto it. Send it out as a blessing to all Beings. Releasing that power to the benefit of all has amazing consequences.

Your heart, which was overfilled and threatening to burst, suddenly feels peaceful. Your thoughts do not attach to whatever outcome you have experienced, but instead a dedicated and purposeful empowerment arises. Grace enters in, and your ability to act returns. Overwhelming emotions have a paralyzing effect, which is why compassion is the antidote. Compassion is simply love in action.

I have mentioned the paradox of connectedness/separateness several times in these essays. It is the idea that we each feel alone in ourselves, but at the same time are intricately connected to each other and all of life. By allowing ourselves to feel that connectedness, we open our hearts in ways that heal.

I keep hearing that old Police song in my head, “One World is Enough for all of Us.”
Especially this line: “We can all sink, or we all float, ‘cause we are all in the same big boat.”

Gotta love Sting.

Peace,
Tee

email me @teespirit@gmail.com

Crossroads

I promise you I won’t talk about politics here. The Crossroads theme isn’t just about whom we elect as our next President, although it is certainly a part of it. By now we’ve all heard enough and pretty well know our choice. If you are like me, you might be somewhat overwhelmed by all the political speak at this point!

The Crossroads I’m talking about is a much greater choice than the single leader of one country, even if that country is the United States. We’ve all heard the issues – the environment, our financial institutions, our government and human rights (which includes a whole plethora of issues, like education, health care, etc.).

The choice is about integrity and vision. The choice is whether we choose to become proactive leaders each in our own right. Do we take some responsibility? Do we feel we have any power at all when it comes to how things are done and what choices are made?

The answer is a resounding, YES!

Spiritually speaking, we all walk the paradox of being autonomous versus interconnected. Every day we feel alone in ourselves, and yet we are intimately connected to all life in may ways we never see or feel. That’s changing.

In the coming decades we shall see more and more results of our personal actions and choices as they influence the grand “Big Picture”. The question is, will we step outside of our comfort zones and get involved?

Personally, I am somewhat of an introvert. Don’t get me wrong, I’m friendly and love interactions with others! Really! But I prefer lots of time alone and hate crowds of all kinds. It’s what makes writing such a perfect occupation for someone like me. But, there it is – the comfort zone I need to address. The world needs people of good conscious to be involved – to take some risks!

And here’s the thing – in the end, we can only defeat ourselves. If we truly believe in our ability to heal our world, that is just what we will do. There are no defeats in the life-long path of integrity and compassion. There is just this day, and then the next one. We wake up each morning with the ability to choose our attitude, even if our actions are sometimes preset.

Hope is good. We need hope. But what we need even more than hope is fortitude and perseverance. In my twenties, I expected to have all of my life goals wrapped up by the time I was 35 years old. That seemed plenty of time to me, and I could not imagine waiting decades before I accomplished them. What I’ve learned since then is that we can never control the timing of fruition. It’s the path itself, and the steadfastness of your heart while walking it, that matter.

While none of us might see the results of every choice we make, you can bet that someone will experience those results. Maybe several generations down the line, or perhaps someone half way around the world that you never will meet. Those are the things you can’t control. What we can control is when we come to a crossroads, we search our hearts, dump our self-interest and smile. That’s right, the smile part is very important. It invigorates and energizes each thing we do.

Our next leader will require the support, the commitment and the engagement of the American people. We can’t sit back and allow corruption to be the foundation of our social and economic systems. That is not who we are, and not what our country or our Constitution is found upon.

It’s simple, not special (to quote an old Zen Master). It is the fact that we live our lives, use our voices and hold our commitments with integrity and great compassion that grants our ability to be leaders in a rapidly changing world.

I heard recently that what makes Americans so unique is our creative and entrepreneurial spirit. We are amazing at inspecting a huge proverbial mountain and figuring out a way to climb it. That’s our strength and our gift to the world. Only our complacency can get in the way. Only our silence.

I’ll end with a few good quotes to ponder:

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.”
H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

“An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.”
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936)

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
- Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

“Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”
- Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Peace,
Tee

Email me @ teepspirit@gmail.com

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