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Tuesday, 03 January 2012 05:25
Radiating Loving Awareness in 2012!
Before the turn of the calendar, I spent time in meditation reflecting on my visions for 2012 and specifically loving intentions. I don't believe in resolutions, but something more like positive additions and adaptations. However, I try to be very clear on my intentions. I realize I tend to get frustrated and angry at the state of the world a little too often. To be blunt, this world can be so f**ked up! War, violence, murders, hate, lies...I refuse to regularly read or watch the news - I would be sooo depressed all the time. I also recognize that embodying resistance or ignorance will not improve the situation. So my practice is to create the awareness every time I have these overwhelming feeling come over me, instead fill my heart with love and lightness, then extend it out. My hope is that we awaken and start to act- to accept responsibility and peace towards one another - on a small scale starting in our homes, our social circles, and even to strangers. Individual kindness and respect can make positive shifts in our evolution. The good news is that at the end of my meditation on intentions for filling my heart with love, I opened my eyes to see that the wick of the candle created a heart! Awww...Well I'd like to believe it's a good omen of something :)
I wanted to share a random story of some insight that I recently received from a homeless lady here in my city. For the last couple years, I would chat with this lady whenever I pull up to the traffic light that she inhabits. You may find this odd, but I have to admit, our conversations first began with my selfish curiousity of how people get to this point to where they are on the street and living day to day for the essentials of survival - food, water, air, shelter, and love. I've seen it in other countries, but in the US, it truly baffles me. But if you look at it from a survival standpoint, aren't we all trying to do the same? The judgmental nature would say they are "bad" people, drug addicts, or they deserve this...This is definitely not for me to decide because I'm sure there are some ninjas living in wealthy neighborhoods, dressed in fancy clothes, and driving elegant cars as well haha...In fact, this homeless lady was articulate and charismatic. Over time I expected to see her there as part of a usual day and listen to her stories. When she was not there anymore for a month, I strangely missed her enthusiastic greeting and unwavering positive presence at the street light. In fact, this lady never even asked me for a cent and didn't ever want anything from me...That is somewhat my personal gauge on when to even concern myself with people.
Anyhow, the point of this story is that I believe people and situations are placed in our life at certain times to teach something. You know the saying - a reason, season, or lifetime. One recent evening before Christmas, I was having a horrible day dwelling on my earthly desires and consumed with my unrelenting needs. Hehe. After not seeing this lady for a month, I was surprised that she appeared again on a cold December night. (Although the truth is I was really hoping I would not seen her again because she finally got her situation together and moved on to bigger and better things :/ ) I also knew she was struggling with cancer and trying to get medical attention for a quite some time. However, the update was that she finally had surgery, but the cancer had become so aggressive that she didn't know how much longer she would live. I told her I was really sorry to hear this, that I didn't know what to say, and wished her the best over the holidays since I would be away with family. Here's me with my fussy day and bad attitude, and she continues with her usual upbeat personality and explains..."I have to look on the positive...Doctors told me a year ago I would never make it this far. My birthday is December 24th and I cant wait to celebrate that day because I am just so thankful that I am still alive." Well, I found that to be an interesting perspective from someone with not much to her name, but a grateful heart and desire to live...
I haven't seen her since I've been back in town. I hope she enjoyed her birthday and I even thought about her on the 24th. I don't know her and I don't even know if she is still alive, but for some reason I don't think I will forget how she spoke those words...because I do know she truly meant them.
When I think about her story, I just cant help to wonder about the hows and whys of this stranger. Maybe she had too many tough cards handed to her? Did anyone love her? Did she give up on life as we know it? Maybe she was genuinely happy because she didn't desire anything more than survival? Maybe it was all by choice? Sure it's not my problem and I will never know. The thing that resonates the most of this symbolic being is that humans are all on different paths, yet we are all the same in many ways. The only thing I do know is that I have a choice...people always throw out the phrase loosely about living life to the fullest. Lets be honest here, who is really doing this? Can you think of someone? And what does that really mean to you? I'm working on it. Yet, sometimes I can't figure out exactly what I'm afraid of and what is holding me back...
Life happens when we keep moving, growing, and changing. There is no time like the present...Old patterns will repeat until we finally learn our lessons, gain wisdom, and strive for higher consciousness. Fear only exists when we don't face our demons or the things we can't explain or don't understand. But as long as we have fear, we won't be free to live...
I've been enjoying indulging in the many works of Joseph Campbell lately. He was a true scholar and genius. One of his ideas as mentioned in the hero's journey, or monomyth, is that the people closest to death or defeat experience a rebirth, that sense of second chance, or life in the fullest. "When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss." As a result comes an experience of freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. He refers to this as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past.
I'm not saying we have to face adversity or welcome pain and suffering in order to get back up again or have this awareness, but for me it means that the true life experience and journey is when you take the risk of the adventure without fear of outcomes (succeed or fail), welcome transformation or paradigm shift, and experience the present moment with pure intention. Most importantly, never give up!
Today is January 2, 2012. It's a new year, new choices, and new outlook with many journeys ahead. As I mentioned by my intentions in the meditation, mine starts with bringing more love into my life...Love for others, love for myself, true love for the first time, love for everything I do and chose, love for doing what make me happy, love for my career, love for music and art, love to embrace fear, love for life...Just following my bliss :)
The New Year is a wonderful shift because it gives us a chance to think about and learn from the past, yet hope for a new beginning...a clean slate. I love writing down my hopes, plans, and dreams every year! I have had many of them become a reality in one form or another and it makes me believe life is truly what you make of it. Again, I think it comes down to choices...
“Follow your bliss. If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.” - Joseph Campbell
I hope you will take some time to reflect on your visions for an abundant year as well. I believe we have to know what we are looking for in order to see. We are all creators of our own reality and path. Nothing goes as exactly as we plan, but some of us who are are born seekers and dreamers live for the experience - creating, unfolding, and writing the story.
Wishing you bliss in all your days!
XOXO, Lindsay
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Mind, Body, Spirit
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Friday, 28 October 2011 18:58
"Oh, the places you'll go!"
It has been a moment since I've last posted on here...this last month has quite a remarkable and unusual journey. There have been a lot of changes in my life from a new job to setting different priorities, conscious awareness to re-patterning. It all started when a dear friend kindly suggested a few months ago, that despite my desire to help others and take on the problems of the world- both through profession and personal relationships, that I needed to take care of número uno. Thanks bud. I never really, really knew what that meant until recently! To sum it up, I finally devoted time to ME. I've heard this analogy while listening to a an online Dharma talk by Kosho McCall which I think best describes my approach...sometimes you dig a lot of small holes, but once in a while you have to dig one really deep one.
I'm generally try my best to be positive and lead a happy life, but I just wanted to experience how life would be and what would happen if I changed some things around and enlightened my being. Some areas were plain and simple not working for me, so I got to a point where enough was enough. Dedicating time to conscious and subconscious awareness is the first step to any re-creation of your reality and raising your vibration. I'm a big believer in manifesting and exploring what the human mind is truly capable of! There are many different theories, meanings, and explanations to the process of manifesting confined by semantics, but here are the 5 steps I adopt for this incomprehensible phenomenon. 1. initial awareness 2. understanding and recognizing your pure intention (or what I like to think of as having no agenda and clarity of intent) 3. release of past programming (of beliefs and attitudes to allow transformation) 4. connecting to source (through allowing and receiving) and 5. understanding our reality (the power of thought, feeling, and energy). Change is always inevitable, but the conscious awareness transformations invite a world of extra sunshine to the journey. However, its not an easy task and for me it is a roller coaster that requires much dedication, medication, practice, and most importantly, love. This wondrous "me" time has led me to a new understanding of the way my reality works, uh and doesn't work. But it's all the path to light...Ultimately, I feel like I've stepped into one of my favorite childhood books by Dr. Seuss "Oh, the places you'll go!"
I can't explain just what I've been doing lately, but it entails a lot of meditation, energy work, yoga, reading, studying, sound therapy, dharma talks, quantum physics, clearing out anything negative, guidance from my dear friend Sylvi Salinas, limiting processed foods and products and juicing yum!, minimal if any alcohol, listening to my body and it's needs - physically, mentally, and spiritually, deliberate action and thought... And asking a lot of questions "why" to form a basis for intention. All good stuff!
One of the biggest earthly solutions to life improvement I can recommend is - GO BUY A JUICER!! It is an incredible addition to my daily routine. I've never been one to chomp on fruits and vegetables all day! The Food Pyramid suggests an average of 4 servings of each per day. Yea you've got to be kidding me...But through juicing it is possible every day! I make fresh juices 2-4 times a day and can't believe how much better my body feels. In addition, I just imagine how I'm getting so many vitamins and improving detoxification. Funny thing a friend told me is if I keep going through the 10 lbs bag of costco organic carrots like I do that I might turn orange! Hmm, well so far I'm ok. ;) I bought Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer from Costco. Best $90 I've spent! If you need ideas and recipes, feel free to email me. I get really excited about this! I think you can't go wrong and will love it.
Anyway, that's the scoop for now. As the season is finally changing, I'm ready for whatever weather comes my way. As for this moment, I'll savor the Zen. Speaking of...I recently heard Zen described as "abiding in the moment". I think that's perfect. Zen it is.
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Fitness & Nutrition
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Tuesday, 20 September 2011 15:35
This was my morning meditation today. I really enjoyed it and thought it was way too good not to share with y'all. Namaste!
Put all of your sorrows in a black box, put all of your joys in the gold box...The gold box is for you to count your blessing, the black box is for you to let goooooo.... :)
Published in
Mind, Body, Spirit