Time flies

Old Clocks (Photo credit: servus)

How do you describe time passing? Is it by the moments, the events that have happened? Or is it something more fundamental, but less tangible like the intensity of our focus? True, there are clocks, heart beats, wrinkles that can gauge the tempo of life, but the more you poke around the concept of time the more it falls apart. It gets left right out of some physics equations altogether. It is as if it is just too messy, to arbitrary to deal with in a strict mathematical description of how the world works.

 

There are indelible moments in life where seconds hold the essence of the story. In one second, I was a woman, in the next second I was a mother; there are defining events that mark life. I am fascinated by the experience of time slowing down when we are intently focused on the present moment. Somehow, our attention to this one eternal moment of presence alters reality. If life is a stream, focus on the present moment is like living in the eddy. The world is racing, unaware, forward, and you get to stay still, anchored in clarity.

 

Roots

Connecting to the earth, it is so vital to our well being. It is very easy to encase ourselves in homes and cars, completely forgetting that we are animals. We are part of nature, part of the natural world. Nature is all around us all of the time, we just have to turn our minds to it.

There is a vital energy, chi, that is emitted from the earth itself. There are Qigong exercises devoted to collecting this energy and using it to refuel the body-mind. There is a nourishing quality to this energy, which is probably why it has been associated with the Divine Mother archetype. Earth energy builds, restores and repairs.

Connecting to the earth energy is the easiest from of energy healing. All you need to do is to visualize roots extending downward into the earth and allow the nourishing energy flow upward. Breathe easy and let the energy flow freely, without restriction. Stay with the connection as long as you feel happy, rested and secure. It is really the best way to recharge.

Going and Flowing

I have been playing around with action and intent for the past few days. I have been incredibly productive the last few days, which has largely been through focused action on my part. Going into last week, I knew I had more work to do than there were hours in the day. I had two options, 1) freak out and ulcer my way through it, gripped by panic at every break, or 2) start each day with a meditation, follow my impulses faithfully, allow my work to be simultaneous and fluid, basically flow. I chose 2.

The outcome was great. I got a bunch done and though tired, I was not a bundle of nerves by the end. The funny thing was for me that when the pressure eases, I find it easy to slide back into the worry train. It is that head/heart battle. My heart has rest, my brain says go! “Surely, action is needed:, says brain. “Nope.”, returns heart, “Not the right time, now you sit.”

My heart is always right though. A few minutes of sitting peacefully drinking tea, letting the task go, my solution sailed right on through and into my silent mind. Had I pushed forward, and forced the task ahead, it would have been wrong. Off. Not quite. Now, it is perfect. Or pretty darn close. Heart is smart!

Daily Posting – Life Changing

It has now been two months since I took the postaday2011 challenge. This short time has been amazing. Life changing, really. I have a bunch of reasons why I am now completely smitten with blogging daily and why I plan on blogging as long as I live. Here goes:

1. It has challenged me as a writer. It can be tough generating content to write about some days, but I always do. I have always managed to find something to post no matter how small. Some of my best posts were written when I thought I had nothing to say.
2. It shuts up my inner critic. The critical inner voice says things like “You don’t have anything good to say.” or “Nobody cares what you think.”, but blogging is an act of defiance and creativity and I generate a stronger inner ally every time I write.
3. Daily writing is an act of love. Taking the time to do something purely for joy makes my heart happy. It is selfish and self-indulgent; and I love it. I now steadfastly guard my writing time, where before I would let it slip for days or months.
4. I’m strengthening my style. Each time I post I develop my writing muscles and I learn to edit with care. I find I am generating my ‘voice’ that other writers seem to think is a big deal.
5. Daily writing is a powerful commitment. The act of committment is powerful. I have found that I have naturally started to add other small things to my day that I know will help me live the life of my dreams. Things like drinking water, exercising, and meditation. I was doing these things before, but the power of a daily commitment to writing has shown me how important small, consistent actions can be.
6. Blogging connects me to a community. I love the diversity of amazing and interesting authors out there and the passion people have for all sorts of things. There really is something for everyone out there.
7. Blogging flexes my civil rights muscle. The power of publishing with no editor is huge. Before the advent of the interwebs, nearly all written material was published and distributed by businesses in the print industry. This means that everything published had to meet the editorial standards of the publisher; who was likely more interested in profitable words rather than honest words. Blogging means anyone can broadcast their message to millions of people, for almost no cost. Revolutionary!
8. I can help with my words. I love the possibility that I could help someone with something I write. Even if it is just that they get a chuckle out of my odd, nerdly sense of humour.
9. Blogging primes the writing pump. I find I am more interested in writing the more I do it. Also I have started to think that writing a novel or non-fiction book is possible since I can see how small daily efforts can add up. I have more ideas and I have more motivation.
10. It shifts my focus from the HOW to the NOW. I am building my second career as a holistic practitioner and I have big dreams of opening my own retreat centre. As a natural planner and worry-wart, I tend to spend a lot of time agonizing over HOW I am going to MAKE this happen. Not productive. But needing to generate something to write in this blog gets my mind focused in the present moment. I begin to fully experience my life as it is right NOW, as I think about how I might write about it. Every moment and experience becomes a potential topic, filed away for later use. It is a delicious feeling.

How has daily writing helped you? Any words of wisdom from long-time bloggers to a n00b?

Free your spirit

Image by petrichor via Flickr

Unforgiveness is the sticky bond that ties us to painful memories. Energetically, whatever we focus on, good or bad, gets a dose of our energy. The more hate and anger we harbour puts more fuel into the energy ties that keep the person in our experience. Forgiveness is the ultimate act of freedom for your soul.

We often confuse forgiveness with saying “It’s Okay”; somehow excusing the person or letting them off the hook. This is a mistake. When we  are harmed by another, intentional or not, it does not serve us or them by just forgetting the incident happened. What do we learn from the experience if we just cover it up? But equally, we cannot make the other person ‘pay’ for their transgression if we hold hatred and anger in our hearts. It only poisons us.

If you acknowledge forgiveness as a feeling of freedom and releasement, then you can easily experience the power of forgiveness to transform your life. Try these steps to find your freedom:

1. Write a list of people you need to forgive. Make sure to include yourself on the list.
2. Pick one person on the list to forgive. Since forgiveness is an internal shift in your feelings, you do not need the other person to participate in the process. In fact I would advise against it in most cases, because ultimately it does not matter what they say or do, it only matters how you feel.
3. Repeat the affirmation “I am willing to forgive _____” several times. Notice how you feel. Pay attention to any tightness or clenching in your body. Tightness in your muscles indicates resistance.
4. If you feel anger and contraction, or any sense of resistance at this point, you can back up a step and say the affirmation “I am willing to think about forgiving ______”.
5. If you still feel contracted or angry then visualize yelling at the person. Tell them exactly how you feel; do not go into repeating the events, stay focused on the feeling. Let it all out. The time for holding it all in is over. Do this for 10 minutes.
6. Go back to the affirmation “I am willing to think about forgiving ______”. Stay at this step until the sentence feels too long and bulky. Test out dropping the words ‘think about’. Notice what happens to your body. Use the feelings of relaxation as your guide to the next step.
7. Move on the affirmation “I am willing to forgive _____”. Again, pay attention to your muscle tension. Where are your shoulders? Are you clenching your hands? Is your jaw relaxed. Stay here for as long as you need to. Experiment with dropping the words “willing to”.
8. The last affirmation is “I forgive ______”. At this point the feelings of release and freedom will flow naturally.
9. Repeat. Go through everyone on your list and forgive them in the same way. Be sure to forgive yourself as well. Naturally, there will be some people who keep winding up on the list over and over, particularly if they are still in your life. That is perfectly ok. It is ok to be angry. It just doesn’t do us much good to hang on to it. The process gets easier and easier the more you practice it.

Test it out in your life. Observe your relationships shift on their own accord without any effort on your part. What else might shift in your life, now that you are free?

The power of clutter clearing

Image via Wikipedia

I just finished de-cluttering my bedroom closet. It is just one of those to-do list type things that stick around in the back of your mind for far too long. As Denise Linn says “Clutter clearing is modern day alchemy”. I must say that I whole heartedly agree. Nothing moves energy faster than clearing space for it to move in your home. I alway notice a wonderful shift in the energy, not just in the room, but also in me.

I like to approach clutter clearing with the attitude of an archeologist, or maybe a psychologist. If you view everything in your environment as a symbol and the location and placement of objects as intentional (maybe on a  very subtle level), then you get a wonderful glimpse into your mind-set when you put all that junk there in the first place. This elevates clutter clearing to something deeply spiritual. It is delving into the corners of your mind and clearing out the cobwebs.

There are many forms of clutter that can clog up our space. Karen Kingston has a fantastic book “Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui” that goes through the types of clutter we could have and many helpful tips on how to get rid of it. Denise Linn also has several great books on the subject and puts it in a straight forward way “If you don’t use it or love it, it is clutter.”

So give it a try. Test out this experiment. Clear the clutter from one area of your home (it could be as big as a room or small as a drawer) and observe how your energy shifts. Pick an area connected to an issue you are dealing with right now. For example, if you have trouble with your finances, clear out your purse; if you have trouble in relationships, clear out your keepsakes from old flames; if you have trouble in your work, clear out your desk.

And if you are really finding yourself stuck, call on one of the many wonderful professional organizers out there. I’m not biased or anything but my sister just happens to be the BEST!