Archive for September, 2012
Live Your Truth
Thursday, September 27th, 2012
Meditation:
You are not here to chase someone else’s truth. You are here to discover your own truth. Trust that. Speak that. Live that. Be your truth, always.
Truth is found somewhere between two stories. Go to the space in between and live the truth that emanates from our heart. You have always known your truth. The world will celebrate your truth as you celebrate your Self.
It is time to express your truth.
Breathing into Our Divinity
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012
Take a nice breath in – allowing.
And a long breath out – releasing
Drop in just a little bit more, inside ourselves, inside the Divine.
Drop in now, and on your next breath, sit in the Divine place of you.
Where is your Divinity residing?
Just listen, notice, and be.
Breathing in, I am Divine.
Breathing Out, I am Divine.
There it is – Divinity.
There you are – the Divine.
Allow your breath to show you the way.
Remembering we are always one breath away from peace.
Welcome home. Welcome to your divine self.
Be peace.
Enjoy this Meditation on Your Divine Self.
You Are the Miracle You Have Been Waiting For
Monday, September 24th, 2012
Sitting in meditation I heard, “You are a miracle. Your healing work is a miracle. Your breath is a miracle. Your life is a miracle.”
You are the miracle you have been waiting for.
Right here. Right now.
Mantra: I am the miracle I have been waiting for.
Relaxing into the Unknown
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
Welcome to the Unknown. As I sat in meditation this week, I was drawn to the unknown, unnamed, and unthought. As my mind started conjuring up fearful thoughts, my body fidgeted, I took a long inhale and exhale. I let silence fill me. And then my higher meditative self welcomed me home – welcomed me to the unknown. I am having a ‘reception’ for my unknown self. I am not ready to embrace it yet, but I will offer the unknown a toast.
As I read though my emails, there was a message to remind me just how much I can relax into the unknown. “It’s not impermanence per se, or even knowing we’re going to die, that is the cause of our suffering, the Buddha taught. Rather, it’s our resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation. Our discomfort arises from all of our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness. When we resist change, it’s called suffering. But when we can completely let go and not struggle against it, when we can embrace the groundlessness of our situation and relax into its dynamic quality, that’s called enlightenment, or awakening to our true nature, to our fundamental goodness. Another word for that is freedom—freedom from struggling against the fundamental ambiguity of being human.” Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change, Pema Chödrön
How are you with uncertainty? What ways have you embraced relaxing into the unknown?
Photo by Mary Anne Flanagan
The Teacher and Student
Wednesday, September 19th, 2012
“You Don’t Need a Guru. You ARE one. You are the Guru of your own life.” That line from a recent post by Jennifer Boykin felt like it hit me over the head.
I am the Guru of my own life.
I have sat with many, many amazing teachers over the years. And I still do. I, like many people, who facilitate and share their knowledge, hesitate when someone calls me their teacher. For years, I called myself “a guide.” I often feel like an air line stewardess who gives the necessary information needed and shares where the best escape route is located should you want to exit. I resisted being called “teacher.”
I was relieved when I read Jonathan Fields blog post, When Do You Know Enough to Teach? In his post he wrote:
It’s about being of service, helping others find ways to move forward without proclaiming yourself the sage or all-knowing guru. It’s about earning a living by opening your heart and sharing whatever learnings you’ve gleaned from your far-from-complete path with enough humility to inspire others to discover their own truths. It’s about the power of knowing the right questions, the right resources and the right primes, not just dropping the right answers.
As I sat and reread this I realized that being a teacher is about being of service; sharing what I have learned, what I have experienced, and what ideas have worked for me. At any given moment, I am the teacher and the student – the one guiding and the one learning. My work as a shaman and a life coach has taught me to help others discover a path of healing, to illuminate processes that allow for deeper understanding, and to ask powerful questions that ignite insights.
I don’t have the answers. I have many questions. I have lots of ideas. I am the teacher and student at the same time.
And yes, I am the Guru of my own life. If someone learns something from my life experiences, that is a gift.
I am the one I have been waiting for – I am the one I have been seeking and I am the one who I have been learning from all along.
What are your thoughts on being your own Guru? How are you a teacher for yourself?
Feel free to share your thoughts and comments.
The Door Is Open
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
As I was leaving the office of my spiritual teacher, she said, “I’ll stay up here and will listen if the door is locked.” And all I heard was, “I will listen if the door is locked.” I paused and looked up. Laughing, I turned to her and said, “Now, there’s a great metaphor of life.”
“That’s good. I will listen if the door is locked,” my teacher repeated.
“And guess what?” I shouted up.
“The door is open,” my teacher said.
“Yes, the door is open.” The door is open.
And so it is.
The Wild Territory of the Heart
Thursday, September 13th, 2012
I have noticed how listening to my heart has yielded some changes. Rather than reacting, I am responding. I am no longer saying yes when I really want to say no. And I am opening to people and work that has meaning. It’s a path of uncertainty that I am opening to more and more. I feel like I am in the wild territory of my heart. I am an adventurer in my own life, digging deeper, exploring the unknown. The exploration of my wild heart has me curious, scared, vulnerable, humbled, hopeful, and grateful. It’s a journey of the heart and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
And you? What is the wild territory of your heart saying to you?
As Pema Chödrön said in her book, The Wisdom of No Escape, “Wholeheartedness is a precious gift, but no one can actually give it to you. You have to find the path that has heart and then walk it impeccably….It’s like someone laughing in your ear, challenging you to figure out what to do when you don’t know what to do. It humbles you. It opens your heart.”
The Easiest Pathway – Our Breath
Wednesday, September 12th, 2012
The easiest pathway of light is to remember our breath – to remember ourselves.
The easiest pathway is through the breath.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Effortless.
Always effortless.
Mantra: Breathing in, I am the light.
Breathing out, I shine my light.
Let’s shine our light today.
Be peace.
Photo taken by Mary Anne Flanagan
World Peace Begins in My Mind
Monday, September 10th, 2012
“When we know how to create peace in our own mind, we can transform the world.” -Sakyong Mipham Runpoche
My School Lessons
Friday, September 7th, 2012
The classroom of life is teaching me to: Take more risks. Learn from many teachers. Give more than expected. Be inspired. Rest. Be kind. Relax. Dream. Do it afraid.
I am enrolling into a new semester of life.