Birthday Surprise

The International Students Surprised me on my birthday with a cake and sang both in Portuguese and English.

Complete Mantra:
I sit, gently I hear your Name
Whispered on wind and rain
Touching my skin so softly

On fire, my heart is aflame again
Burning from deep within
Waiting for this dream to end

I surrender my fear
...

And my foolish pride
And my tears
I come home to you
Again and again

Gurmukhi: Ang Sang Waheguru
Translation: The miracle of God, and the experience of God is within each and every cell and fiber.

Imagine a woman who embodies her spirituality.
A woman who honors her body as the sacred temple of the spirit of life.
Who breathes deeply as a prayer of gratitude for life itself.
~Patricia Lynn Reilly

Painting by Elisabeth Slettnes

THE ESSENCE OF REALIZATION

The Essence of Realization
You are not a thing. You are not a thinker. You are not a feeler.

Make no mistake about it, for we are already in the maze of words. Forget the words (they are just thoughts – and go to the essence).

...

What is luminous, ever-present and prior to any mental cognition? You are that.

The seeker is a thing, a thing on a mission. Both the thing and its mission are illusions of the mind already wedded to lack and inadequacy. That is the core delusion.

It is also the Wound.

The seeker is the mask that is the inevitable outcome of the Wound as well as that which keeps it partly hidden. No matter how hard we try the pain of the Wound will always be with us. It is the permanent scar of our primal scarring.

The false identity will always coalesce around a thought, for it is a thought and thoughts can only know other thoughts! Reflect on that; thoughts can ONLY refer to other thoughts – it is a universe of thought.

How does that happen?

It happens this way. One thought fixates on another. The connection of the two thoughts creates an entity (“you”).

Fixation occurs in two flavors. One, it (the subject thought, i.e., “you”) will judge another thought as bad (or good). That is flavor one. The second flavor clings, where the subject thought (“you”) claims another thought as itself. This is how the false “you” is created. It is created a hundred times or more everyday. In this way it is made into a deeply embedded and inevitable habit. We call this habit the psyche.

So what to do?

Just notice without ever judging or clinging. Just softly and graciously notice the whole show of appearances. That’s the whole teaching.

This is, in essence, pure Buddhism. It is simple, but it’s not, necessarily easy, but it doesn’t need to be difficult. Only the mind (the “you” thought) will judge it so and thus make it so.

Just softly and graciously notice. That’s all.

KNOW

Know

that you were conceived in perfection.
that you are a sacred being.
that you never came here to prove yourself.
that your birth is all the proof you will ever need.
that your parents were not equipped to accept you exactly as you are.
that, as a result, they used Fear and Force to mold you into the being they thought you should be.
that you may not be able to be yourself as you truly are, for you have absorbed those projections.
that love is a birth right and never needs to be earned.
that the Power that created you created the mountains and the oceans.
that the only meaning Life possesses is for you to express your love and joy.
that we live in a time where the foundations of this culture are built on Fear.
that this Fear is what makes this time unique, as well as to make it such a challenge.
that our false identity is also built on a foundation made of Fear and that this Fear is passed through the generations.
that on account of this identification with Fear that we hoard, we flee, we secure ourselves in the many prisons of the psyche.
that the challenge of our lives is to see how to bring the false to light.
that when the false is brought to light that we liberate ourselves from the dense web formed as a consequence of our personal and group invalidation.
that the root of Fear is Invalidation.
that we are healed through understanding and the return to Heart and Love.
that the root of Invalidation is the failure to see our inherent perfection and Authentic Self.
that the time of Light and re-birth remains ahead of us.
that we bring that world to possibility by reversing the legacy of Invalidation.
that this reversal arouses Authentic Compassion and Clear Seeing.
that Authentic Being arises first in our own lives and only then arises in the whole world as the light of our collective Authentic Selves.

Dance with the Hummingbird

Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine. Begin by exhaling as much air as possible from your lungs before taking in a deep, slow breath through your nose, refilling your lungs. On your next exhalation, make a soft humming sound like a bee. When you run out of breath, take another deep inhalation, continuing the humming sound as you exhale. Begin with a few minutes practice, working up to 10-15 minutes at a time. When you have finished your humming breath practice, lie down and relax for a few minutes.

 

Dance is a surrender of the small self to the greater mystery.

Painting by Julia Watkins (and thanks to Nicole Gruel)

My body supports me in living a creative and happy life.
I love every part of my body, every cell is filled with energy and vitality.
I have all that I need.
...

I am safe.
I belong.

Following the Way

Verse 23 of the Tao Te Ching

To talk little is natural:

Fierce winds do not blow all morning;

a downpour of rain does not last all day.

Who does this? Heaven and earth.

But these are exaggerated, forced effects,

and that is why they cannot be sustained.

If heaven and earth cannot sustain a forced action,

how much less is man able to do?

Those who follow the Way

become one with the Way.

Those who follow goodness

Become one with goodness.

Those who stray from the Way and goodness

become one with failure.

If you conform to the Way

its powers flow through you.

Your actions become those of nature,

your ways those of heaven.

Open yourself to the Tao

and trust your natural responses…

Then everything will fall into place.

Lao-tzu
Lao-tzu urges us to follow the Way and to follow goodness. How true is it that those who follow goodness become goodness!! Its simple, you are what you do, you follow negativity, negative will come, you are disrespectful, disrespect will come to you, you are self-centered, and you will be all by yourself. Life will always give back what you give to it. Living as nature does is how we are supposed to live. When troubles come bend not break, for after the storm you will be standing tall once again. Nature moves along naturally nothing is forced every action is as it is supposed to be. Every reaction is in line with the Way. I think conforming to the Way is probably one of the hardest steps. First when I see the word conform or what have you I immediately feel the urge to do the complete opposite. If we live as nature does, if we flow like a river, listen more and talk less the power of the Way flows through us and with us. When our actions are one with nature we are living a Tao centered life, and our ways transform into the ways of heaven.

Overview

Your Present Hexagram

Overview is a time for composure and contemplation. As a result of profound introspection, a hidden force reveals itself, and may influence others without their being aware of it. Do not underestimate the power of such a subtle force. Like the wind blowing across the treetops, its presence is perceived through the effect it has on everything it touches.

Shallow wells rarely strike water and shallow minds often come up empty. The ability to keep still and simply observe deepens resolve and attracts good fortune. Discern the difference between what is deep and what is surface within yourself — and you will be able to distinguish between the two in the world as well.

During a period between events, the practice of stillness with awareness is fruitful. Only by observing and absorbing the true nature of things — by apprehending the rhythms and cycles that guide all creation — can we discover the laws that apply to our own individual lives. Examine yourself and the overall situation — not just with the thought of discovering truth, but with the vision of concentrating your personal power.

Brunch Buffet today

A good turnout for the Brunch Buffet that I do every third Sunday of the month.

Plus this morning sunrise I never get tired of the view...

Gift

I just love this beautiful gift I received of rocks as I collected them, I arranged them on a plate made by a friend in Meaford who collects trilobites from the shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario and makes molds to create his plates

Thank you Arnie for the wonderful gift, I've arranged them to the way I see my life.

I Ching reading

60: Limits and Connections

Limits are necessary to give purpose and direction to life. Swimming in a sea of boundless opportunity would eventually lead to exhaustion and drowning. Winging it alone in a sky of boundless opportunity would lead to being lost. In human affairs, the making of choices and alliances implies limitation, for in choosing one path or partner, another must be abandoned.

One key to a successful life is to select your limits consciously and carefully -- to be discriminating in the setting of personal boundaries and knowing when to join in formation. Thrift, for example, often precedes prosperity, just as the letting go of selfish interests leads to greater personal reward. Only by consciously accepting useful limits can one's energy be channeled to good purpose and lead to lasting relationships.

Point yourself toward a middle way between discipline and freedom of spirit. Limits will come of their own accord; but to be able to consciously select your affiliations in life -- that's knowing how to fly! At the same time, don't go overboard with discipline. Even limitation must be limited, so that in attempting to bring order and direction into your life you do not choke off vital sources of enthusiasm, love and spontaneity.

Similarly, in relationships, agreed upon rules should strike a balance between being too strict and too soft. If too strict, they build frustration among partners, and ultimately become destructive. If too lenient, sloppiness becomes acceptable, and positive energy is dissipated. The best path is one that allows for the fulfillment of both partners' potential, while supporting self-discipline and focus.

42: Increase

Whatever form it takes, periods of increase are exhilarating, as long as you go with the flow while it lasts, and keep the interests of significant others in mind. Like white water on a river, periods of increase are often of short duration; it furthers one, therefore, to shoot the rapids now, while the opportunity is there.

A good sense of direction in times of opportunity involves commitment to the needs of one's primary relationships. Only by realizing that to lead is really to serve, can an effective individual contribute to a lasting increase in prosperity for all. In times of general increase, those who contribute most directly to the common good will also receive the greatest rewards.

When opportunities for increase arise, supreme good fortune comes to those who act swiftly and boldly, while avoiding the trap of letting their actions be only self-serving. The most enduring strategy is to work to raise the tide of your whole pond, rather than to try to swim upstream on your own.

When the times favor prosperity, and when leadership is in the hands of the broad-minded, supreme good fortune results.

A Beautiful Life

A Beautiful Life

This blessed life of mine I am grateful for,
Every moment seems special, more beautiful than before,
Hand picked just for me, are my days,
...

Divinely guided are all my ways!

The trees seems to exist just for me,
Bursts into blooms for me to see,
They put out their shoots in tender green,
To awaken within the shrine of dreams!

The gentle breeze, laden with perfume,
Perfectly blended with the season’s best,
Reverberating through the trembling palms,
Rhythmically swaying to the winds musical trance!

The joy of the twinkling stars at night,
Translucent rays of silver dreams,
Shimmering with love and quiet peace,
Heaven’s call to love life it seems!

The color of spring’s magnificent robe,
The shoots that appear as leaves of gold,
The bud that burst forth into song,
Mirroring life in brilliance bold!

The song of the stream's, gurgling cheer,
As laughter of children ringing out clear,
The song bird are orchestrating a choir,
Trees as props against heaven’s amphitheater!

This blessed life of mine, so full, so rich,
I’ll never trade for another or ever switch,
For riches and treasures that perish and decay,
Nothing can make me throw it away!

I count my blessings moment by moment,
I live my life richly instant by instant,
Ardently enjoying the here and the now,
This, my life a gift from above!!

 

Posted on FB by my friend AB

The road to Happiness

There is no way to happiness.
Happiness is the way.
So, treasure every moment that you have.
And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special.

And remember that time waits for no one.
So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school,
Until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds,
Until you have kids, until your kids leave the house,
Until you start work, Until you retire,
Until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night,
Until Saturday morning, until you get a new car or home,
Until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer ,
Until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth,
Until your song comes on, until you've had a drink,
Until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again,

To decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy
Happiness is a journey, not a destination

Work like you don't need the money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one's watching.

Getting ready for Christmas

Joseph got Engaged

"Regardless of where we find ourselves in life, regardless of our circumstances, it's what we do with life, how we live it and ultimately how we serve that is the important thing. "Henry Ripplinger from his book The Angelic Letters Series

Potential

“The way of love is not
a subtle argument.

The door there
is devastation.

Birds make great sky-circles
of their freedom.
How do they learn it?

They fall, and falling,
they're given wings.”

You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don't.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.”

― Rumi

Dare to Believe

dare to believe
when you believe
you'll find power
you'd never dreamed of