Whole Living Today

“I peacefully resist all the discouraging voices I hear.”

“Our lives and our minds are often full of voices telling us what we can’t do and who we can’t be. There never seems to be a shortage of reasons why we shouldn’t try new things, take risks, or do our best. There are always plenty of negative blocks to our realizing our highest dreams and goals.

It’s very easy to fall in line with discouraging voices. We do it because we’re afraid of failure, success, or the unknown. We do it to try to gain other people’s approval or to belong to the crowd. And all the while we know deep inside that we’re capable of so much more.

When we stop allowing the negative voices to stop us, we begin to discover just how wonderful we can be, how wonderful life can be. When we peacefully resist all the discouragement, we find the courage within ourselves to be what we can be and do what we can do. And that’s why we’re here.”

from Green Spirituality: Reflections on Belonging to a World Beyond Myself by Veronica Ray

Well, it would be nice to be able to tell you that I’ve been on vacation for the past week on some hot, tropical island… but, in all reality, the past week just slipped away. For the last month or so I’ve been taking the time to initiate some new changes into my life, get myself organized and just a general detox of both my body and environment. I’m beginning to feel a new flow of energy in my life. I apologize for the lapse in posts but we must remember that it is important to always take the necessary time to recharge ourselves as well. So, with that, I’m back to my regular posting. Thanks for continuing to follow my blog.

~Tania

Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band

The Quiet Place

It’s very still here.
There is a peace and silence that is deafening.
It is a place where nothing seems to be able to touch me.
It is a place where I can stand and
     watch the whole world spinning by,
          whirling in its array of activities
               and struggles
                    and conflicts
                         and joys
                              and anguish;
yet I remain still, untouched.

It’s neither a warm or cold place.
It’s neither an easy or difficult place.
It’s neither a sad or happy place.
It just is.
There is no activity here.
There is no hurry to get to the next appointment
     or finish the next project or to …
there is just IS.

There is a certain detachment that allows observance here.
There is no judgement,
     but rather a tremendous and profound permission granted
          from some unknown source
               to simply be and accept.

Others could confuse this place with depression,
     for in this place there is such an absence of emotion.
But when you settle into this place,
     you realize that there is profound peace.
This is not depression.
This is oneness.
Feelings run deep here,
     yet merge into the oneness of being.
Pain and joy are one.
Sadness and elation are one.
Ecstasy is the constant state — yes, bliss.
Yet this is not how I would have described those terms
     in my human ego’s perceptions.
Ecstasy and bliss are states of being,
     not states of doing.
And the ego know nothing of being.
The ego only knows doing.

How does one get to this place?
Everyone is on their way to here in their own time.
Every experience is preparation.
Every moment is a step closer,
     even when you feel like you are running the other way.
It’s all part of the journey to the quiet.
It’s a place where everything is reduced
     to its simplest form and meaning.
It’s a place where the criteria for choices becomes
     whatever allows you to continue being;
          not getting caught up in doing.
Many struggles may lead you to this quiet place.
Yet when you arrive,
     suddenly there is peace.
Everything else has simply fallen away.

How did I get here?
Carrying wood.
While carrying and stacking firewood to provide heat for the winter,
     I suddenly arrived here.
Carrying wood made sense to me.
Carrying wood helped me to get to “being” instead of “doing.”
How long can I stay here?
Each time I arrive here I am able to stay longer,
     but then my ego pulls me back into “doing.”
Yet each time I come back here,
     I get into deeper chambers of this quiet place,
          and I get more comfortable with “being” and not “doing.”

It’s very still here.
This place is where God lives within me.
This place is my soul.
This place is my oneness with every creature
     and with every point in time.
This place is my truth, my essence.
This place is sacred and to be honored above all else.
This place is Love.

Intuitive Living: A Sacred Path by Alan Seale

New Beginnings, Growth & Balance

Spring Equinox – March 20th – the day when day and night are of equal length, light and dark; nature in perfect balance. A day to celebrate the return of longer days of sunshine and warmth.

Spring can also be so much more if we observe how nature changes with the seasons. Spring is a time of new beginnings, new growth, planting seeds, purification, and for clearing out the old. Following the rhythms of nature and developing harmony with the ways in which nature cares for itself, we can also create balance within our own lives.

Trees, plants, grasses and seeds that have laid still throughout the winter slowly emerge from their dormancy. Buds develop and grow into new leaves and flowers, plants and grasses emerge through the ground from their resting roots, and seeds sprout; all from the extended sunlight, warmth, rains, and fall’s nourishment. Birds and animals are more active, returning to their daily routines. Try to take some time on the next spring-like day to notice all the new growth that nature provides us. Smell the freshness in the air. Listen to the song birds that have returned. Nature provides us with the hope and promise of new beginnings and growth after winter.

Winter was a time of rest, a time to replenish energy for the start of the “growing” season – Spring. Now that spring is just about upon us, it is time to listen to nature and utilize this energy, this potential for new growth. Seize this energy and blossom!

Spring cleaning is actually an old ritual that was performed to remove any negativity from the previous year and to prepare the home to allow for the new to come in. Spring cleaning can be thought of on many levels, from physically cleaning your home to purifying your body, mind and spirit. We all hold onto “stuff” – useless, outdated or worn-out items we’ve collected over the years, maybe a couple extra pounds, and chances are; old emotions, hurts and pains. Spring is a great time to release ourselves from the past. Change allows us to grow. We all need to grow and develop, to explore possibilities. Living with the past keeps us in the past, missing the present – missing what we are now, what we can be.  Breaking free from the past allows us room for the present – be it closet, attic or emotional space. Once we release ourselves from the past, the present is free to enter into our lives. We are free to continue on with our journey, to experience life fully as it is meant to be. Open the windows, let the fresh air in. Try not to look upon the cleaning as a chore but as a chance to let “the new” into your life.

Spring is also a good time to cleanse our bodies after the sluggish winter. Our energy levels are high, and fresh foods and herbs are more available. A rest from the heavier, warming foods of winter will work wonders to rejuvenate and remove toxins from the body. Eating only fresh fruit and vegetable juices, herbal teas, lots of water and steamed or raw vegetables for several days will start you on your way to better health and nutrition. There are many methods of cleansing diets and two books that provide a wealth of information are “Staying Healthy with the Seasons” by Elson Haas and “The Ancient Cookfire” by Carrie L’Esperance. Several useful and abundant herbs for spring cleansing include: dandelion root and leaves, stinging nettle, chicory, parsley and peppermint. A brief overview of these spring herbs will get you started. Dandelion greens are high in vitamin A and can be used in salads or as a tea. Dandelion roots can be made into a bitter tea (don’t sweeten it, the bitterness is how it works – you’ll get use to it) as an excellent tonic for the liver and blood purifier. Dandelion roots are very high in vitamins and minerals. [Read a complete article on dandelion] Nettle is high in chlorophyll to provide energy and acts as a very good blood builder. Chicory and parsley have some of the same properties as the dandelion greens. A strong peppermint tea freshens the breath and body odors as well as relieves headaches. During a cleansing diet, the toxins you have stored in your body are released back into your blood stream to be released. It is vital to consume lots of water, with lemon is ideal, and get fresh air to flush these toxins out of your system.

Plant your “seeds”. What are your goals, dreams, aspirations? What do you want to harvest?

Start your groundwork now, the lazy days of summer will be here before you know!

So important to stay in the present… “in joy” life… to be your Self.

What I Am ~ Emma Burton