Be Creating

Today as I sit at the lake and listen to the birds chirp, the animals scurrying through the underbrush and the wind in the trees I find myself struggling to focus on the present moment.   As I near the end of my six weeks surrounded by nature away from the noise of the city, the TV, the radio and the neighbors I find myself anxious each time I shift awareness towards my return to the city. Then this morning my friends and I must have been in harmony as all of us were thinking about the sounds of silence and the healing power they can provide.  First, my friend Jenny McFadden from Australia shared a lovely meditation. The Great Bell Chant ( available online ) consists of a wonderful video, chanting and the words of Thich Nhat Hanh. Then Kelli Spencer posted  “ Okay, long story short...a friend posted the lyrics to a song that prompted me to look for it on YouTube where I came across the song The Sound of Silence . And now, you're asking for me to get to t...

The hummingbird is sacred to native peoples throughout the Americas and they celebrate it as  a symbol of embodying tireless joy and the ability to drink deep of the sweet nectar of life.   What a wonderful description of living a mindful life. Mindfulness is the cultivation of focused awareness on the present moment.   It is a tireless sense of joy of life and all it has to offer.   When you are mindful you let go of the past, you aren’t worrying about the future you are consciously in control of your mind and focused on the present.   It is the present of the NOW!   JWT Worldwide, one of the world’s largest marketing communications brands, named mindful living as one of the top 10 trends that will shape the world in 2014 and beyond. Google offers its employees a program called Search Inside Yourself – developed by Chade-Menge Tan.   The program has been shown to build compassion which is beneficial to individuals, their communities and...

Small shifts can make a big difference if we just take them one at a time. Our five senses are the way we interact with our physical environment and you may be taking them for granted.  Taking pleasure in feeding your senses can also feed your soul.  Touching, tasting, smelling, seeing and hearing are all channels to create peace in your life.  First, take time to show you cherish your environment by clearing the energy in your space and clean it out.  After you have cleared your space, learn what specifically resonates with your senses and begin to take pleasure in the small connections you make with your environment.  Savor your senses and be totally present as you interact with your environment.  Thich Nhat Hanh in Peace Is Every Step shares a lovely story of taking an hour and a half to eat one small cookie. He reminds us that “Eating mindfully is a most important practice of meditation.” When’s the last time you took time to savor your food. ...

Where do your thoughts come from?  They often appear to arise from nowhere and yet with a bit of exploration you may find that something someone said, something you read, a song you were listening to, a TV show, or your awareness of something around you sparked a thought.  Becoming more aware of what ignites your thinking can allow you to be more selective in what you pay attention to.  How necessary are most of your thoughts?  Much of your thinking may be drawing your attention away from the present moment.  Your thoughts are where you store your desires, fantasies, memories, dreams, shoulds, have tos, and more. They are the home of the past and the future. Learning to quiet your mind and let go of some of your thoughts opens the door to mindfulness.  Ask yourself: ·          Is this thought true? ·          Where did this thought come from? ·    ...