"Join the revolution: fall in love" - this is a quote on the wall of my friends' house where I was baby-sitting all last week. I love that 10-month old, so smiley and intent on walking, I even loved changing his diapers.
But I don't want to talk about baby sunshine. He's pure love already.
We live in a culture that bonds around what is going badly, what is wrong. We are steeped in a culture of fear. It is thought highly inappropriate to talk about what is going well. Can you imagine being at a cocktail party and talking about how great your hair looks today, how great you look in that suit, or how much you've been enjoying your life?
It is a revolutionary act to approve of yourself or others.
It is a revolutionary act to find the world and your life right rather than wrong.
It is a revolutionary act to fall in love with yourself, just as you are, in the midst of your life as it is, even before you become perfect (which you surely will one of these days...).
Imagine if the thing you were striving for was yours already. Imagine coming home to yourself, whole, happy, right now.
Join the revolution - fall in love with yourself right now, work-in-progress or not.
Fall in love with your life. Fall to your knees with gratitude with the privilege of being able to love, for no reason at all, for every reason there is...
It is OK to live and love even with an imperfect life and imperfect world. It's the only option we've got...
"You can open as love and live as love, even though
you are not fully received by those you love.
You can open as infinity and offer your deepest truth,
even though your gifts may be refused by those you want to serve.
You can live as openness even though your daily life
may seem tawdry in light of your heart's deepest shine."
- From "Blue Truth," by author and teacher David Deida
Friday, July 27, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The 11th Day
I haven’t come to this 10 day silent meditation retreat to become enlightened, I’ve come because even though I’ve got a sweet and loving inner dialogue, I find there’s often a lot of clutter and noise in my mind, and I began to wonder if my mind could do with the equivalent of push-ups. I mean, I take really good care of my body, and my mind’s been feeling a little flabby these days.
I am sure you can relate: in an unchecked mind, the voices can be self-defeating, and deafening.
Even if I am not after enlightenment, per se, a little Nirvana is always nice. Nirvana is a Sanskrit word that literally means "to cease blowing,” as when a candle flame ceases to flicker. I like this version: a still, sweet center, which remains intact, no matter how the storms rage around you. It’s not about getting the winds to be silent, but to find the space in you that never moves.
So, as I sit in meditation these 10 hours a day, I get really good at observing what is happening now, not what I wish was happening now. It’s kind of like taming a wild animal. You’d expect a wild animal to snort and protest and charge up against the containing walls. But if you were an animal tamer worth your salt, over and over again, you’d extend your hand with the kindness and effort of training.
I don't develop hard-willed discipline, I develope loving kindness toward myself, on a bodily-integrated level. I get to experience, directly, what it is like to come back to my center, with loving kindness, amid the raging storms of my mind, amid the sweet and intelligent wanderings of my mind, amid the very real pains and panics of my body. When the storms rage, I can be sweet peace for myself. I have the direct experience of not abandoning myself when the going gets tough, no matter the weather, no matter what life, my mind or my body throws my way.
As I get more prowess with the practice, I realize how much I love and respect my mind and body. I realize how I deeply trust myself to wander as well as self-correct. I begin to really enjoy the process, regardless of the painful hours. My mind is toned, on its way to being buff, actually! I notice more space, less clutter internally.
I feel like I am flirting silently with body and mind, with no witness but myself.
Enlightenment? Flirting? Join me for my July Tele-Class (Yes, it’s FREE)
Enlightened Flirting: Taming the Voices in Your Head
Thursday, July 26, 2007
8:00 - 9:00pm EST
Still searching for your ever-elusive glow and radiance?
Feel incapacitated by the viciously self-defeating voices in your own head?
Far from frivolous, flirting is the key to your kingdom.
Uncover:
• what stops you
• how to move beyond being stopped
• and how to step boldly into enjoying and celebrating who you are!
Learn to apply a simple and sweet three-step process to tame those crazy voices so you can experience more peace, self-confidence and enjoyment immediately. Whether it’s at a bar, at home or at work, you’ll learn how to fearlessly flirt with enlightenment!
Learn more and register: use this link:
http://www.redefiningmonogamy.com/teleseminar.html
I am sure you can relate: in an unchecked mind, the voices can be self-defeating, and deafening.
Even if I am not after enlightenment, per se, a little Nirvana is always nice. Nirvana is a Sanskrit word that literally means "to cease blowing,” as when a candle flame ceases to flicker. I like this version: a still, sweet center, which remains intact, no matter how the storms rage around you. It’s not about getting the winds to be silent, but to find the space in you that never moves.
So, as I sit in meditation these 10 hours a day, I get really good at observing what is happening now, not what I wish was happening now. It’s kind of like taming a wild animal. You’d expect a wild animal to snort and protest and charge up against the containing walls. But if you were an animal tamer worth your salt, over and over again, you’d extend your hand with the kindness and effort of training.
I don't develop hard-willed discipline, I develope loving kindness toward myself, on a bodily-integrated level. I get to experience, directly, what it is like to come back to my center, with loving kindness, amid the raging storms of my mind, amid the sweet and intelligent wanderings of my mind, amid the very real pains and panics of my body. When the storms rage, I can be sweet peace for myself. I have the direct experience of not abandoning myself when the going gets tough, no matter the weather, no matter what life, my mind or my body throws my way.
As I get more prowess with the practice, I realize how much I love and respect my mind and body. I realize how I deeply trust myself to wander as well as self-correct. I begin to really enjoy the process, regardless of the painful hours. My mind is toned, on its way to being buff, actually! I notice more space, less clutter internally.
I feel like I am flirting silently with body and mind, with no witness but myself.
Enlightenment? Flirting? Join me for my July Tele-Class (Yes, it’s FREE)
Enlightened Flirting: Taming the Voices in Your Head
Thursday, July 26, 2007
8:00 - 9:00pm EST
Still searching for your ever-elusive glow and radiance?
Feel incapacitated by the viciously self-defeating voices in your own head?
Far from frivolous, flirting is the key to your kingdom.
Uncover:
• what stops you
• how to move beyond being stopped
• and how to step boldly into enjoying and celebrating who you are!
Learn to apply a simple and sweet three-step process to tame those crazy voices so you can experience more peace, self-confidence and enjoyment immediately. Whether it’s at a bar, at home or at work, you’ll learn how to fearlessly flirt with enlightenment!
Learn more and register: use this link:
http://www.redefiningmonogamy.com/teleseminar.html
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