tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38855290991567470302024-03-14T03:07:07.685-07:00Hilda Porro's BlogHilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-85861340032770567312012-04-08T08:48:00.000-07:002012-04-08T08:48:47.344-07:00I've Moved!!Happy Easter!<br />
<br />
I've moved my blog to hildaporro.wordpress.com.<br />
<br />
Come visit!<br />
<br />
: )Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-54314687826680047472012-02-23T06:22:00.002-08:002012-02-23T06:22:34.253-08:00"Whose Camp?" Revisited<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><a data-mce-href="http://hildaporro.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/img_11191.jpg" href="http://hildaporro.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/img_11191.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://hildaporro.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/img_11191.jpg?w=300" height="200" src="http://hildaporro.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/img_11191.jpg?w=300" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: default; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1119" width="300" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><em>This is a re-post of something I wrote about a year ago. It's a topic that's been coming up in conversation recently so . . .</em></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">We are given this one “wild and precious” life. (Regardless of whether you believe in past or future lives, I’d say that this one is wild and precious). It surprises me, then, how easy it is to focus on other people’s lives and what they are doing or not doing, what they could or should be doing or how things could be if only they would have been doing, or seeing, or understanding, or listening, or . . . It is surprisingly easy and even entertaining to see other people’s issues and come up with the appropriate – and obvious – resolutions.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">And all the while, our own lives and issues and choices remain unattended to. It is impossible to ponder and contemplate other people’s lives while paying close enough attention to our own. There is no one left manning our own camp which sits lonely, abandoned and neglected.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">So I ask, whose camp are you in? Where do you spend most of your time, in your own camp or in someone else’s? And if you’re in someone else’s, has another person stepped in to manage yours? If so, how is <em>that</em> working out?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">“Camp” is defined as a “temporary structure used on an outing or vacation”, which could be a quite adequate description of life. Our light bodies are given a physical body for this temporary human existence. Interesting that another definition of the word “camp” references battle and battlefields and a group of troops. I suppose that we have the option – the daily option, or even the moment-to-moment option – of making life a pleasant vacation-like experience or a constant struggle, battling everything around us and, oftentimes, ourselves.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
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</div>A well cared-for camp would provide the sense and feeling that everything needed is available. Right here. I feel secure because I know that I have everything that I need. If things feel a little vacant or lacking, it’s up to me to make the repairs and make my camp as welcoming and comforting as I can. It is amazing what pure, positive attention can do to bring warmth and transformation.<br />
<div> </div><div><br />
</div>After all, this is my one wild and precious life.</div>Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-69558668221849995062012-02-05T07:24:00.000-08:002012-02-05T07:24:07.259-08:00Remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5wRx1gdjxLs/Ty6ekL1d6YI/AAAAAAAAACM/iScEyLG2f5w/s1600/IMG_0978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5wRx1gdjxLs/Ty6ekL1d6YI/AAAAAAAAACM/iScEyLG2f5w/s320/IMG_0978.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">S C R E A M I N G. . . . .. LOUD. PRIMAL. RAW. ETERNAL. IT’S VASTNESS AND PAIN OVERWHELMS. It takes everything, every bit of available energy not to bolt, run, as fast and as furious as possible. And I do bolt. I hide in projects, in obsessions, in organizing, in food, in friendships. I run. The problem is that it doesn’t make the<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">S C R E A M I N G .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">stop. It’s endless. Relentless. I finally stop and realize that I’m exhausted from the energy of avoidance. I decide to quit. I sit. I try to remember to breathe but my annoyance makes my breaths short and shallow. My own scream rises from the depths of me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“WILL YOU PLEASE, PLEASE STOP!”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Which only makes that sound of raw, desperate pain louder.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Geez, have you always been wailing so? I can’t imagine that you’ve always been this, uh, blaringly loud.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">She stops, shocked to hear any un-screamed words directed her way. She sits, alert, a skeptical look in her eyes.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">She begins timidly, “Yeah, I mostly wail. I’m not sure why that would surprise you, though.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have a vague sense that I know her, that we’ve met before. I try to find the memory. She watches me in utter amazement.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Wow,” her head shaking slowly. “You seriously don’t remember.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I start to say that there’s something familiar or that my memory is just not great, or something but then find myself completely disoriented. I know that I’m still sitting on my couch, in my living room. I can still hear the wind rustling the blinds and can feel the cool fall breeze on my arms. But I’m here and not here. What had started to feel like panic has opened into something impossible to describe. It’s familiar, so familiar that I find I have tears running down my cheeks. It’s home. That’s what it feels like. Home. Oh my God, I’ve missed this. I take a few breaths, taking it in. I realize that my heart feels wide open and, as I notice how my heart feels, I feel it opening even wider, like a fully blossomed rose. I don’t know how long I rest in this before remembering that I had been communicating with the Screamer when time seemed to have stopped.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I look for her for a slight instance and then I feel my body smiling. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“You’re me!” And I laugh out loud and can sense her (me) laughing too. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“You’re my darkness, my fears. You’re all the things that I push away. You carry all the scary memories from my whole life. You’ve always felt so separate from me. I’m having trouble grasping what’s going on.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And then my own voice but not my own voice said, or perhaps it was just a knowing that wafted in from nowhere or from everywhere, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am home and can never really leave. From this perspective, even the darkest and scariest thoughts and memories fill me with wonder and amazement. Humanity is wondrous. I remember my most painful experiences as though they were other flavors to taste in a wide spectrum of flavors. I know, too, that I have yet to experience some truly blissful “flavors”. </i>I am wonderfully overwhelmed with gratitude.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My cat jumps up on the couch and rubs up against my arm. I am in my living room. My body feels profoundly relaxed. I look for the Screamer, smiling. I know that little time has passed yet something is fundamentally different.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“So flavors, huh?” She finds me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, that’s what it felt like, even the really scary stuff. In that place, it all seemed – I don’t know – valuable and important. Like I wouldn’t be me if all of it hadn’t happened.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“That’s true. You know that eventually I might start screaming again, right?”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I nod, staying with her this time. “I’m sure I’ll forget but maybe we can help each other remember.”<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-54798289666361894462012-01-15T05:54:00.000-08:002012-01-15T06:19:59.802-08:00How We See<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsB74IudtZM/TxLaIT00v-I/AAAAAAAAACA/304SY02UWik/s1600/IMG_1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rsB74IudtZM/TxLaIT00v-I/AAAAAAAAACA/304SY02UWik/s200/IMG_1594.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Anais Nin</i></div><br />
I took my car in for service a few months ago – just the regularly scheduled maintenance. What’s nice about it is that they wash the car as part of the service, and I’m not one to wash my car very often. I enjoyed the time in the waiting room, reading a good book and sipping a cup of hot coffee. Before I knew it, my car was ready. Nice and clean. I was pleased - at least until later that day when I was driving towards the sun. With the light coming from a certain angle, I realized that the windshield was really dirty. I tried to clean it with the windshield wipers but that didn’t accomplish anything. I was really angry! What the heck did these people do to my car? I was home by this point and figured I’d clean it some other time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For several weeks, at certain times of day when the sun was at a certain angle, I would again notice the dirt (or whatever it was) clouding my vision. Sometimes I’d get mad. Sometimes I’d try to figure out what I could do to clean it (since the regular wiper fluid wasn’t helping at all). Maybe windex or vinegar or . . . I mostly just let it annoy me. And I didn’t actually do anything about it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then one day there was a bug on the inside of the windshield and, as I brushed it off with my finger, I couldn’t help but realize that the yuck on my windshield was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">on the inside</i>. I had to laugh. I picked up a napkin and simply and easily wiped it clean.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I learned so much from this inconsequential experience in my life. The way we choose to see what happens in our day-to-day experience is the most powerful choice that we make. Even the tiniest detail of our lives – especially something that stirs an emotional response – can reveal a profound truth. It is an awareness practice and we have the power to choose.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How often do we blame all the things on the outside – other people or circumstances – for our own lack, especially our lack of peace of mind? For some reason it seems easier to think that something “out there” can create peace “in here”. How much energy do we waste in annoyance over things that are far beyond our control? Blame can feel good and somehow empowering and it’s true that, at times, we have to move through blame to a deeper truth. But living in constant blame will never create an atmosphere of inner peace. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We live in a society that generally supports our willingness to blame. We love drama. Stepping out of the role of victim takes discipline. Refusing to collude with another person’s grip on being the victim also requires discipline. Instead, we must consciously choose to see ourselves and others as whole human beings and open our hearts in compassion.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-19844930218120001832011-12-17T14:33:00.000-08:002011-12-17T14:33:22.644-08:00Reminders<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-coCsE53eMYw/Tu0YaQBRi_I/AAAAAAAAAB4/_alFtUsJAC4/s1600/reaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-coCsE53eMYw/Tu0YaQBRi_I/AAAAAAAAAB4/_alFtUsJAC4/s1600/reaching.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was recently in a dear friend’s car and, a moment after she started the car, a kind voice announced, “You are now connected.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What a wonderful reminder. I have spent much of my life feeling alone and believing that I was carrying worlds of responsibility. It’s not uncommon: we carry the weight of our children’s well-being, our bills and debts, our relationships – and on and on. There is much to worry about if we so choose. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The weight of our day-to-day responsibilities can be lightened when we are conscious of our connection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are, now and always, connected to the light, to the Divine. Coincidence that it’s the same word? (Being connected to the light light-ens our load).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I like to imagine that my feet our rooted deep into the core of the Earth, receiving nurture and stability from Mother Earth and that my arms are reaching up to the heavens, receiving light and love from the heavens, from Father Sun, Grandmother Moon and all the Stars. The experience is one of profound connection.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Lovely that a car can provide a wonderful reminder of the connection that we’re invited to live. In our curious human experiences, reminders can come from anywhere.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What are your favorite reminders?<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-80659533118884073712011-11-29T05:14:00.000-08:002011-11-29T05:14:07.781-08:00Seeing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crE_EZrLYoE/TtTZYSJLnnI/AAAAAAAAABw/rWdoYlhsb7M/s1600/IMG_0978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crE_EZrLYoE/TtTZYSJLnnI/AAAAAAAAABw/rWdoYlhsb7M/s320/IMG_0978.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
"You know what I've always thought?" She asks in a tone of discovery, and not smiling at me but a point beyond. "I've always thought a body would have to be sick and dying before they saw the Lord. And I imagined that when He came it would be like looking at the Baptist window: pretty as colored glass with the sun pouring through, such a shine you don't know it's getting dark. And it's been a comfort: to think of that shine taking away all the spooky feeling. But I'll wager it never happens. I'll wager at the very end a body realizes the Lord has already shown Himself. That things as they are" - her hand circles in a gesture that gathers clouds and kites and grass and Queenie pawing the earth over her bone - "just what they've always seen, was seeing Him. As for me, I could leave the world with today in my eyes."<br />
<br />
From <i>A Christmas Memory, </i>by Truman CapoteHilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-37153227259278766992011-11-19T14:06:00.000-08:002011-11-19T14:06:23.482-08:00Honesty is the Best Policy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHfTtox8dtM/TsgoFuhdamI/AAAAAAAAABo/g_m70IZ7e-Q/s1600/pinocchio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jHfTtox8dtM/TsgoFuhdamI/AAAAAAAAABo/g_m70IZ7e-Q/s200/pinocchio.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">I don’t know of anyone who would disagree that honesty is the best policy. If for no other reason than that it’s simply easier to be truthful. I recently heard a woman say that she always tells the truth – because she can’t keep track of what she’s said otherwise. We generally expect truthfulness from others. Trust is an important foundation in on-going relationships.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A complicating factor, though, is the inherent assumption that we’re being honest with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ourselves</i>. But are we? We are social animals and, as a result, our preferences are powerfully influenced by the people around us. Some people create personas that are easy-going and cooperative which are wonderful qualities. But is it possible that we lose something along the way? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At different stages in our lives, we make decisions. We decide where we want to live, what we want to study, what job we want to take, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if we lose sight of some of our passions and dreams in the process. I am not advocating not making life decisions – they are obviously necessary and with each experience, no matter how pleasant or unpleasant, we learn and, ideally, grow.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is there a way to keep our unlived passions alive? A way to re-visit those ideas that make our hearts sing and bring smiles to our faces?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">In the Gospel of Thomas, one of the Gnostic texts, Jesus said, “I<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">f you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” I believe that we’re meant to live lives filled with joy and passion. It seems that many people get caught in the day-to-day without much consideration for anything else. It takes a certain amount of relaxed discipline or effortless effort to allow our truest selves to surface. If there is no still silence, we will never be able to sense our deepest longings.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">What is your passion? What is your heart’s desire? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Be honest now.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-22209460841952591892011-10-09T05:29:00.000-07:002011-10-09T05:29:43.283-07:00Beginner's Mind<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">"For Zen students the most important thing is not to be dualistic. Our 'original mind' includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few."</span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Shunryu Suzuki<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I’ve heard of the concept of “beginner’s mind” in many different contexts. In the shamanic tradition, one of the archetypes we work with is the Serpent, who shows us how to shed the past the way she sheds her skin. When Serpent sheds her skin, it includes the eyes. She truly sees with new and innocent eyes. And we ask her to show us her way, to help us to see things as if never seen before.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">From “beginner’s mind” it is easier to have a “beginner’s heart” as well. There is an openness that is revealed. Judgments and criticisms may arise in the mind but they are recognized and easier to release. I’ve noticed that my mind likes to categorize experiences and people. I guess that makes sense: the world seems much more manageable and more easily controlled (or so it seems) when everything can be conveniently filed away. The clear disadvantage of my practice of mental filing is that I miss so much!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">When I listen from a beginner’s mind, I don’t assume that I know how the sentence is going to end and I stay present to the speaker’s expression and experience. There are many things I don’t know and haven’t experienced. Although that is an obvious statement, I realize how often I listen from a ‘knowing’ place.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The same concept applies to “seeing” the world. When exploring a place we’ve never seen before it is usually easy. We’re more likely to notice the beautiful subtleties of a new place. But in our day- to- day life? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Can we maintain this position of innocence when dealing with what is familiar and “known”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we greet the people we see each and every day and see them with new eyes without making assumptions about who they are and how they’re going to react and behave? Can I look at myself in the same way? Am I willing to give up that comfortable illusion of control?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Yes. I am willing. I choose to open my eyes with curiosity. What will today hold?</span><o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-30770416796434874582011-09-24T11:28:00.000-07:002011-09-24T11:28:01.236-07:00MOVING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;"><i>"Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth."</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;"><i> Rumi</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QDSJAZnD9L4/Tn4gYtjl4fI/AAAAAAAAABg/HrJkkQwn3Xw/s1600/backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QDSJAZnD9L4/Tn4gYtjl4fI/AAAAAAAAABg/HrJkkQwn3Xw/s320/backyard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I just googled “most stressful life events and am disappointed to find that moving is not in the top ten. On one list, it’s number 28. While I was moving last month, a few people reminded me that moving is one of the most stressful things to go through. One of the top three, I was assured. And that gave me some encouragement.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I moved out of my home of almost 20 years, where I had raised my children. Part of the stress came from actually moving “stuff” and figuring out what to keep, what to store, what to give away or throw away. Time constraints brought another level of stress. Some guilt was part of the stress. Concern about Christmas morning. Concern about Muffy, my cat, who has spent his lifetime enjoying the wild outdoors of my old neighborhood. Maybe that sounds silly – nearly being willing to spend 364 extra days for a traditional Christmas morning and a happy cat. But those were the thoughts rumbling around in the still-dark early morning hours.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As the moving process began, it seemed that the walls were talking to me. That the very structure of the house had been storing our stories and history. My daughters’ bedrooms somehow showed me all the looks and moods they had witnessed – from diapers to Barbies to forts to Spice Girls to Facebook to . . . . The house reminded me of the dreams I had when I first moved in. The hopes that carried me – us – through the years. It also reminded me when those dreams didn’t come true.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Moving brought with it a shake-up of one level of security that I had come to take for granted. I was surprised to find out how much my “stuff” was giving me a sense of safety. It sounds a little absurd in the telling, but as I started sorting, giving away, throwing away the “stuff”, I found myself becoming spacey, absent-minded, ungrounded. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I felt very connected to my home and the land around it. I had a fire pit in my back yard that held meaning for me. It was in that physical place that I had stepped into my shamanic path and I had learned and grown there, at the fire, both alone and shared with a community of friends. Clearly it wasn’t the physical location that held the power or meaning but walking away from it stirred something. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Security. Stability. Foundation. The sense of feeling grounded and connected. All of these are fundamentally important. Important, too, to bring these to conscious awareness and be sure to build a strong, deep root structure for ourselves. To live in awareness of the truth that wherever we find ourselves standing is sacred ground.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-28114398412690550742011-08-18T05:03:00.000-07:002011-08-18T05:03:40.767-07:00Selfish or . . . . ? <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><i>If we love our heights, if we overcome our fears of cultivating the seed of divinity within us and if we reach the stars, we will have the feeling of returning home. The highest and the holiest are inside us. We start discovering the kingdom of heaven by loving, affirming and empowering that part of the universe over which we have responsibility - ourselves.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> </i>L. Robert Keck, <i>Sacred Eyes</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The underlying message of so much that I read is that I need to love, affirm and empower myself. At first glance, it sounds selfish – selfishness being one of the worst possible offenses, in the culture in which many of us were raised. But if I think about flying and oxygen, it starts to make sense: the flight attendant advises, if oxygen masks should become necessary, put your own mask on first in order to help the people around you. Without helping yourself first, you are no help to those around you.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And life can sometimes seem like a flight in peril. I spent many years doing what I thought was right and good: I took care of everything around me first, including children, family, home, profession, etc. I remember many years ago, when my children were young and my job extremely demanding, I traveled to Atlanta for business and had an unexpected free day. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’m not sure that I can find the words to express what I felt. I had no idea what I wanted or liked to do. It was a feeling that scared me; I hadn’t realized that I was lost, or how long I’d been lost.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I remember finding a book and I read it in a hot bath. I enjoyed a long, quiet walk and met old friends – people who knew me when I was full of enthusiasm for life – for dinner. I felt very lucky and blessed for having had the experience of reconnecting with myself.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now I understand that I need to love, affirm and empower myself. “Love others, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">as you love yourself.”</i> I guess I need to remember that relationships require time, effort and energy – and that includes my relationship with myself.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-81275221310281233892011-07-28T11:30:00.000-07:002011-07-28T11:30:32.132-07:00Flow vs. Clench<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoTitle"><i><span style="font-family: "Allegro BT"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Flow</span></i> <span style="font-family: "Batang","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">vs</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial Black";">Clench</span><span style="font-family: "BernhardFashion BT";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>“Flow” defined: to move along in a stream; to circulate; to well forth; to issue from a source; to proceed continuously and smoothly . . . </i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Clench” defined:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to close tightly; grip; to grasp firmly; to knot up.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Examples of flow: breath is long, slow, nurturing, conscious. It’s felt deeply in the belly.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText2"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Examples of clench:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>breath is short, quick, without thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s trying to survive.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>Flow . . . softening. Striving for nothing. Rejecting nothing.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText2"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Clench . . . trying or expending effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attempting to stay ahead of one’s self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Defending against what might be coming next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trying to figure things out before they happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hoping to stay “safe” by staying ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Even the judgment that flow is better than clench is a form of clenching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn through the experience of contrast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is impossible to know or understand light without experiencing darkness, happiness without sadness, flowing without clenching.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><i>Is it possible to simply notice? Notice the shortness of breath and then choose to deepen the next inhale without making up a story about it, notice the tension in the body and choose relaxation. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><i>Sometimes the noticing is followed by a judgment: “Oh my God, I’m barely even breathing and my shoulders are so knotted up and I’ve been lost in my thoughts and criticisms all day.” Which in turn is followed by a judgment of the judgment: “That’s not being very accepting or living in the moment. I don’t even know what that means. I don’t even know how to breathe right or to trust. And God knows what ‘surrender’ is. Maybe other people don’t have as many responsibilities as I do. I’ll never get this right.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><i>On and on. We create layers upon layers of harshness where flow and presence are hard to imagine, much less experience.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;">Remember every moment is new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a chance to begin again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an opportunity for softening – striving for nothing, resisting nothing, proceeding forth from a source, moving along in a stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deep, slow, conscious breaths come and nurture one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They allow the mind-body to relax and find peace.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-46367759197142914392011-07-18T13:38:00.000-07:002011-07-18T13:38:08.255-07:00Making Friends with Anxiety<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><i>Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> Ralph Waldo Emerson</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was sitting on a plane recently, on my way home from a pleasant vacation. I relaxed and may have even dozed off for awhile. Interesting. A few years ago, relaxing on an airplane would not have been a possibility. Just the thought of getting on a plane would start that constricted feeling in my chest and make my heart beat too fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it wasn’t just planes: long car rides, crowded theaters. . . any place where I felt I couldn’t make a quick escape could send me into a panic.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Panic attacks. They start with a small tightness in my chest, and the feeling grows and grows. Can’t breathe. About to lose all control over my bodily functions. May cause a scene, screaming to escape wherever I am. May die.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For awhile I decided that the best way to avoid anxiety was to avoid any situation where it could be an issue – a very limiting way to live. I started gathering information about anxiety and started asking questions. Why has this phenomena appeared in my life? What is anxiety trying to tell me? Looking back, I probably have to thank anxiety for starting me out on a spiritual path. Anxiety was an invitation (a demand?) to take a look at my life and decide if I liked what I was seeing.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Years ago, my hope was to STOP the anxiety from ever happening again. It hasn’t happened that way for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In certain situations, I still feel that familiar tightness begin, but instead of pushing the feeling away, I welcome my old friend. I thank anxiety for letting me know I’m in an unfamiliar, potentially “dangerous” situation. I breathe and bring myself to the present moment.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Years ago, the suggestion that I welcome anxiety would have made me very angry. All the books I read had similar suggestions: when a panic attack begins, just ride it out and soon you’ll be on the other side of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even better, when the panic begins, say “Yes!” and try to bring it on. Obviously, I thought, those authors had never experienced the hell that I had.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But they were right! It’s very hard to make yourself have an anxiety attack. Panic seems to get stronger the more you push it away – and weakens by being invited in and welcomed.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Every now and then, I still feel that old familiar tightness, and I ask Anxiety how big it needs to get. I breathe and pay attention. The tightness subsides and I relax.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-85238595253121044142011-07-06T07:01:00.000-07:002011-07-06T07:01:26.862-07:00Butterfly Power<div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Act as if what you do makes a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>William James<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Each year, my cousin participates in organizing a project for “Make a Difference Day.” I remember one year when they decided on an environmental project aimed at restoring mangroves along the Florida coastline and removing pepper trees which had invaded the coastline creating unfavorable conditions for the native plants and animals. Over 300 people of all ages were involved in the project. Not only did they begin the transformation and restoration of a beautiful area for plants and other wildlife, but they also created a strong sense of community and belonging.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On a MUCH smaller scale, at a restaurant one morning for breakfast, I noticed that the waitress was having a hard day and working especially hard. I felt that I was able to connect with her briefly, hear her story and thank her sincerely.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Edward Lorenz, considered one of the founders of chaos theory, was a meteorologist who was testing a model of weather prediction. In taking a mathematical shortcut, he discovered that a tiny change in the formula drastically affected the outcome. He posed the question of whether the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could set off a tornado in Texas.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How interconnected is each aspect of the universe? Do our actions, words and thoughts impact the world around us? Lorenz discovered that “although humans dream of the power of prediction and control. . . in nature, society and our daily lives, chaos rules through the butterfly’s power.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oftentimes in day-to-day life, we can feel pretty insignificant. It can be hard to imagine that our actions have much impact. We sometimes feel isolated and simply focus on our individual responsibilities and let the rest take care of itself. The idea that I can “flap my wings” and create ripple effects extending far beyond me is both exciting – and a little scary. I feel a sense of responsibility and connection to the world around me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The social sum total of everybody’s little everyday efforts, especially when added together, doubtless releases far more energy into the world than do rare heroic feats.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Robert Musil.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I am awed by those individuals, like my cousin, who manage ‘heroic feats’, whose efforts positively impact the earth and so many individuals. It’s exciting to hear about and imagine the positive ripples. I’m also aware of the almost imperceptible stirring I cause when I ‘flap my wings’ consciously.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-68501954119749501112011-06-22T18:37:00.000-07:002011-06-22T18:37:42.116-07:00The Weight of Thoughts<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">I went for a walk on the beach recently. I was alone; it was fairly early in the morning. There were a few people fishing off the beach and a few people walking. Mostly, there were large expanses of sand, water and sun. I walked and enjoyed the beauty. My mind was fairly quiet. Sometimes thoughts would come and I’d follow them and they would pass. Even the really enjoyable thoughts. I remembered some funny things that really made me laugh and even those thoughts passed.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another experience that comes to mind was a fairly recent dinner with a friend. We were having a really nice time talking, sharing and laughing. At one point, we both started laughing at something silly that had happened and the thought arose that perhaps my friend was laughing AT me, that maybe I had done something inappropriate or wrong. The thought didn’t pass. It got bigger. My whole body joined the energy of the thought. I felt constricted in my chest. I felt ashamed. All my joyful energy drained out of me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As I compare the two experiences, I feel confused. What gives thoughts their ‘weight’ or staying value? And do I have any choice in the matter?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the past, I might have stayed in the feeling of shame that resulted from the dinner experience. It could have taken me hours, even days, to shift out of the feeling, sometimes without ever knowing, consciously, the trigger. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My choice, my intention, is to let ALL thoughts that bubble up pass. If my mind notices something worthwhile, some divine inspiration, I can choose to look more closely. I’m giving my body new directives about how to respond to negative, shameful thoughts. Apparently the “default settings” had been to catch any negative, shameful thought and join in. I’m turning that off. I choose to be an ‘equal opportunity’ thought processor. Funny, happy thoughts now get equal attention as negative, shameful thoughts. They are equally weighted. I’ll watch them all bubble up and pass. Like the waves on the shore – reaching up then receding into the vast ocean.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-75300104534164904852011-06-17T06:17:00.000-07:002011-06-17T06:17:21.671-07:00A Conversation<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ok. What do I do? How about I simply stay with you as best I can for as long as I can.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m surprised. You’ve been so reluctant to even acknowledge me, much less be with me.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I know. I’m so, so sorry. I was afraid. I thought I wanted to die myself and didn’t think I had the strength.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You’ve always been mistaken about that, you know. About strength. You somehow still think that it’s YOUR strength, your “expertise” that keeps everything going. I don’t even know how you can maintain believing something so crazy. That’s actually part of why I had to leave. There’s a power, an unlimited power that you can tap in to, which is where true safety and security rest. It’s not about doing more to have safety and security. It’s about relaxing into it and letting yourself stop your own mechanisms and habits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that crazy running around was needed – when you were a child. You are no longer a child and have had powerful experiences of the Truth. But somehow you continue rejecting the fullness of the Truth. Why do you want to stay small and scared?</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It doesn’t feel like I have a choice.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You can feel how saying that lie hurts your own heart. Your whole self is fine-tuned to recognize Truth. You know, in your heart, that you have the power to choose and always have.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve thought that you were causing me pain and making crazy, unreasonable demands.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve been trying to get your attention – and you experience that as pain. I don’t think it would feel painful if you didn’t grip around it or try to push me away. Stop being so afraid. Just because the people around you were afraid does not mean you have to be. You get to choose.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The thought of that makes me want to just lay down and give up.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That may be the best idea that you’ve had in a long time. You see, you don’t have to work hard at living. You can simply live. Be curious. Explore. Feel. You actually don’t have to figure things out before they happen. That’s exhausting. You constantly worry about being wrong and making a mistake. What you have to realize is that you made up the rules of what’s right and acceptable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just broaden those!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if everything is ok just because IT IS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You are actually concerned about being bored! My goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will definitely feel different. Perhaps initially you will sense some kind of vacancy, sort of like life slowing down. That’s just a relative perception; you’ve been trying to stay ahead of life (which is impossible, by the way).<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You’re still confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there’s YOU – life force, clarity, joy. YOU are shaman. YOU see people’s wholeness. Actually you see people’s Truth and wholeness with stunning clarity. <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is also “you”. That’s your adult persona self. Extremely competent and sufficient. This is the face you most often show the world (although that is changing). “you” are bound by the lies you were told and carry the wounds of your experiences. “you” are guarded, afraid and doubtful. “you” analyze and figure out and think you can master Truth through discipline, study and intellectual understanding. “your” work has been valuable – but limited. “you” are not on a path to freedom.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And who are you?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glad you asked! We can say that I’m you-essence. I appear to be a child but I carry the wisdom of the ages. Because I appear to be a child, you’ve been afraid of me and have refused to listen to me. I sometimes cause big movements of energy in your belly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER HOW ALIVE YOU REALLY ARE!!! I know that there is pain and fear in your story and I’m here to remind you that there is more. That who you are is way more than those experiences.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I thought that I sensed wailing cries from you?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes, sometimes I shed loud tears in my hunger for you to relax and experience the fullness of life. Please do not fear me. I am your ally. Tears are part of the fullness of life’s experiences.<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></i>What’s needed from me now?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Simply, a powerful choice to live fully. A sincere willingness to let go of the past and the false structure you’ve created for your life. A commitment to living from your connection to your own heart. And you need not be concerned. What is True in its essence can never be lost. Keep coming home, to that sacred space within you.<o:p></o:p></i></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-58300596409878212912011-06-09T06:01:00.000-07:002011-06-09T06:01:50.165-07:00Synchronicity and Living in Integrity<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><i>Nothing here below is profane for those who know how to see. On the contrary, everything is sacred.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> Teilhard de Chardin</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We live in a benevolent universe and we have been given the freedom to interpret our life events, large and small, in any manner that we choose. It has been my choice to find meaning in even the smallest details. By noticing the details, I can often tell if I’m on the right track.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What is the ‘right track’? To me, it has to do with integrity. Living from integrity means that the externals, the story line, is congruent with my core values and beliefs. When my energy and focus are no something that I believe in, something that makes my heart sing, then it’s as if the universe says “Yes!”, if I choose to notice.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Living in this way involves a deep commitment to knowing Self and to aligning words, thoughts, actions and behaviors with Truth.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So how does it feel when I’m in integrity and open to synchronicity? Life is easier. I find parking spaces, people smile in the line at the grocery store, I make it through the intersection before the light changes. And when I’m not in integrity? Flat tires, sore throats, computer freezing, grumbling clients .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Too simplistic? Maybe. Do I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always </i>notice every detail? Of course not. But when I choose to notice, I’m often surprised at the clarity of the answer. I suppose there’s a part of me that has known all along whether the choices I’m making support my goals and values. Noticing the details is just one way to slow down and remember.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-7264351877945869392011-06-05T17:49:00.000-07:002011-06-05T17:49:27.227-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRxSHC7HVsE/TewjNdtOKNI/AAAAAAAAABQ/hCAH9aIGw-s/s1600/Kati+photos+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRxSHC7HVsE/TewjNdtOKNI/AAAAAAAAABQ/hCAH9aIGw-s/s320/Kati+photos+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">When</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">the words stop</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">and you can endure the silence</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">that reveals your heart's pain</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">of emptiness</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">or that great wrenching sweet longing,</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">that is the time to try and listen</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">to what the Beloved's eyes</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">most want to</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">say.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">HAFIZ</div>Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-26334927620857519832011-05-23T18:21:00.000-07:002011-05-23T18:21:13.857-07:00Listening and the Power of Silence<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Much silence makes a powerful noise.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i> African proverb</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Apparently one of the things I picked up along the way is that when someone describes a problem or situation to me, I’m supposed to fix it. I slowly realized that, not only am I not capable of fixing or figuring out other peoples’ problems, but other people don’t usually want me to fix them! Another old habit of listening and responding is, as I’m hearing the other person’s story, I’m also thinking of an experience that either matches or tops what I’m ‘hearing’. In some situations, this can be a fun exchange, but sometimes it’s not what’s needed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So, what to do??<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Listen. Make listening an active verb. Listen with your whole body. What I have found is that, when I listen with my heart, what I hear is beyond words. And when I’m able to stay in my heart, my response, if needed, goes to the essence of the situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">When one of my daughters was in her second week of first grade, one of her classmate’s mother died. Among the parents who knew about the situation, there was so much sadness and a nervousness with respect to the uncertainty of sharing this difficult situation with our six year olds. On the first day of school, the teacher had given the class a year-long assignment of keeping a daily journal, and on Mondays some of the kids would share what they had written. The teacher told me about the Monday after Megan’s mother’s death. Megan volunteered to read from her journal and, with some hesitation and fear, the teacher called on Megan who read “My mother died a few days ago. I went to her funeral . . . “ and went on to describe her 6 year old experience of her mother’s death. After Megan stopped reading, the class sat in complete silence for some time, then broke out in applause.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What struck me about this story was the power of slence and the ineffectiveness of words in some situations. Perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that a group of six year olds knew instinctively how to handle the situation. Sometimes it feels like we don’t need to learn more, we just need to un-learn some of the things we’ve been taught.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I heard real listening described once as an act of pure love. Being fully heard is a heart-felt experience. So simple. So powerful.</span><o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-63904780324824139402011-05-12T09:55:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:28:35.175-07:00Synchronicity - Living in the Flow<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flow is the natural, effortless unfolding of our life in a way that moves us toward wholeness and harmony.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></i>From <u>The Power of Flow</u>, by Charlene Belitz and Meg Lundstrum<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Looking back over my life, there were expanses of time where things felt easy and effortless; there were other stretches of time where it felt that there were roadblocks at every turn. Just life? I used to think so. But having become aware of synchronicity, I’ve changed my mind.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Carl Jung described synchronicity as “the coming together of inner and outer events in a way that cannot be explained by cause and effect and that is meaningful to the observer.” This is a difficult concept for a society raised on “Just the facts.” We were taught to rely on logic, intellect and events that can be seen and explained. Our entire educational system and thought patterns have been, for centuries, based on empirical information.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But in recent years, science and physics have proven that the belief of the person performing the experiment affects the outcome. That results can be affected by the intention and expectation of the experimenter.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I remember reading <u>The Celestine Prophecy</u> by James Redfield many years ago. It was the first time I heard suggested that ‘there are no coincidences’ and, through the story, I felt encouraged to play with that idea. To me, this meant noticing patterns and details, events that would have gone unnoticed previously.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For example, I remember driving down I-95 to a meeting that I was very anxious about. I was spinning the anticipated details around in my head, quickly raising my level of stress. I noticed a car that had been next to me for some time and when I looked over, the driver gave me the sweetest smile, then pulled ahead. I felt that I had been visited by an angel, and I stopped the anxiety producing thinking.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sound wacky? Maybe. But it works for me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Most synchronistic events in our lives either go unnoticed or are explained as simply coincidence, luck or happenstance. But life events started looking differently to me when I made the choice to notice -- when I was willing to see meaning in mundane events. Simply noticing makes a difference.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-44425859167863275302011-05-04T07:07:00.001-07:002011-05-04T07:07:48.462-07:00Awe and Wonder<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Some time ago, I was online looking for an article I had seen referenced in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spirituality & Health.</i> I found the article, then noticed a self-test to determine what spiritual practices would be most beneficial. I took the test and the spiritual practice that was recommended for me was WONDER.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“There is no end to the things that can awaken our wonder, from the majesty of the night sky to the smell of lilacs in the spring to the turning of the leaves in the fall. And it is all right here, a feast of epiphanies and astonishments in the daily round of our spiritual lives.” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spirituality & Health website).</i><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wonder. I like the feeling of wonder. I went from the computer to the TV and flipped to an early morning show and they were talking about .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. Wonder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Awe and wonder. I had to laugh, and felt a sense of gratitude for experiencing another mini-miracle.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The message I got was, instead of focusing my attention on what’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> working in my life (which can sometimes be a habit), try looking around at all the beauty. I looked into my backyard and chose to notice the trees and how they were swaying softly in the breeze. I noticed a few butterflies and dragonflies. I noticed the colors of the grass, flowers, trees, sky, clouds – so much to take in. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt grounded again; I felt my connection to the universe.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, awe and wonder is a choice for me now. A practice. Each day I’ll “slow down and tune into the varied world of this and that.” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spirituality and Health website)</i>. Slowing down and tuning in – that’s great advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s wonder-ful.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-20668474334934981322011-04-25T07:48:00.000-07:002011-04-25T07:48:51.205-07:00Learning Your Language<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">A man once told a story of his time in the Taoist temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said that he had an issue he was really struggling with and, after much inner turmoil, decided to ask his teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were three monks that he was working and living with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He went for a walk with the first monk and described his difficulty in great detail and finally asked: “What should I do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The monk looked at him and calmly gave him the answer of what he should do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was stunned and asked, “But how did you know that?” and the monk looked at him and said, “Well it is clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you asked me, the wind blew from the east and I saw a white bird fly in the north”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man shook his head and carried on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later the same day, he met with the second monk and, again, described his tormented situation and finally asked: “What should I do?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The monk looked at him and gave him the same answer as the first monk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man was shocked and asked, “But how did you know that?” and the monk looked at him and said, “As you were speaking, ants marched across our path from left to right and I heard a familiar bird song.” The man was baffled and carried on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still later the same day, he met with the third monk and, again, told his story, with all his concerns and worries and finally asked: “What should I do?” and the third monk gave him the same answer as the other two monks had given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man was even more confused and asked, “But how did you know?” and the monk said that as he listened, he had been aware of two birds building their nest in a nearby tree.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That evening, as the man prepared dinner for his three teachers, his frustration was evident. He was slamming pots and pans and not even attempting to hide his emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, he stopped and almost screamed at them, “You guys make me crazy! With your ants and birds and wind. I don’t even know what you’re talking about, but you’re so calm and confident and your advice is so sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is it??? What am I missing?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The three monks smiled at the man and laughed their low belly laughter, which was full of kindness and understanding, and one finally said, “You just haven’t learned your language yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your language of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each person has one and it’s yours to discover. Once you do, life becomes joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learn your language. Take the time to discover it.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The most important thing for each of us is to take the time to learn our language – the specific way that God/Source/Divine Energy “speaks” to each one of us. The ‘language’ can be as unique as each one of us is unique. Our lives are rich in meaning. But we must be open and paying attention. Part of learning our language is becoming aware of how Truth resonates in our mind, body and soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must be extremely honest and discerning. It is so easy to believe our own victim stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">When we are living in alignment with Truth, life becomes joy. We become willing to see things with new eyes, as if never seen before. Life becomes an adventure. Yes, we forget. We are sometimes kidnapped by our own stories and old beliefs. We can always return to Truth. We choose and, with a curious and open mind and heart, our ‘language’ begins to reveal itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-31437565075436610982011-04-11T15:17:00.000-07:002011-04-11T15:17:30.229-07:00ON HOLIDAY<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve decided to stay on holiday<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- on vacation - for the rest of my life. I was out of town last week on vacation and decided that it is clearly a far better way to live.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I’m on vacation, I notice more. I become far more aware of my surroundings and of the weather. I notice beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I notice how each day is different – some stormy, windy days and some calm, clear, sunny days. I notice the birds squawking and the trees and flowers. I become very aware of everything around me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I’m on vacation, I allow myself to disconnect and relax. I kept forgetting where I had put my phone, which meant that I wasn’t checking email frequently and, amazingly, the world kept on spinning without my moment-to-moment attention.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was blessed on my vacation to be surrounded by people that I love. When I’m on vacation, I take the time to appreciate the time I’m spending with loved ones. I am far more appreciative of time itself and of all the details – the delicious coffee in the morning, the food at each meal – all the things that make life pleasant.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Clearly, the wisest choice I could make is to stay on holiday forever!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although we usually use the word “vacation”, the word’s root is “to vacate”, implying freedom from something or leaving a place or activity or “formal suspension of activity” (dictionary.com).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to live fully engaged in all of my activities. I definitely don’t ever want to retire. The word sounds, well, tired. In the word’s history it meant “to leave company and go to bed” (dictionary.com). Again, I want to live all of my days fully engaged. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve decided to stay on holiday: “holy day”. I want to be aware that each day is holy. Even if I’m not “on vacation”, I can notice more, take time to disconnect and relax and I can appreciate life itself, wherever I am and whatever I am doing – even if part of that time is in my office working.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-37110336763193929952011-03-27T12:54:00.000-07:002011-03-27T12:54:13.116-07:00STILL???!!! or Still<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">I am sometimes aware – unfortunately, or at least with a measure of judgment and disappointment – of an inner-atmosphere that is not exactly compassionate or accepting.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Sometimes my attempts to sit in stillness end up in an appalled “STILL????!!!!”. “I am STILL worried about this? triggered by this? Spinning THAT thought round and round and round???”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">No specific words, really. More of an impatience with myself, a frustration and feeling of discouragement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The place of “STILL???!!!!” is a place of absolutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A place of “always” and “never”. A place of harsh judgments. “I’ll <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i> get this right.” “I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i> overreact.” “This will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never </i>be ok”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a place of duality -- of black OR white, right OR wrong. It is a place that is caught in time – which makes no sense. Just as holding ourselves in impatience and disapproval makes no sense.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I suppose that tough standards for ourselves are the result of a need for safety. In our humanity, we do our best to survive and feel safe – even if it means self-betrayal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do whatever we feel we need to do to be accepted and cared for. Bringing those tough standards and unconscious beliefs to consciousness is not always easy. On a deep level, we still believe that our survival depends upon that belief we’re holding on to. When we try to shed light on the unconscious beliefs, the old, original, irrational fears can be triggered. We fear for our very survival.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">I imagine it’s like a glitch on a hard drive that causes quirks in a computer. We can function in the world, but are sometimes quirky. We do what we need to do but are, perhaps, dissatisfied. Some unconscious beliefs are far more destructive and keep us from experiencing basic happiness or a sense of connection with life itself.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">How do we transform “STILL?????!!!!!” to still? To stillness. Peace. Acceptance. Compassion. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">I believe Rumi expresses it beautifully:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 22.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 22.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Rumi - Guest House<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">This being human is a guest house <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Every morning a new arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A joy, a depression, a meanness, <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">some momentary awareness <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">comes as an unexpected visitor. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Welcome and entertain them all! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">sweep your house empty of its furniture, <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">still treat each guest honorably. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He may be clearing you out for some new delight. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The dark thought, the shame, the malice, <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">meet them at the door laughing, <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">and invite them in. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Be grateful for whoever comes, <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-13032696605020841192011-03-19T10:34:00.000-07:002011-03-19T10:34:01.939-07:0050 THINGS<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Turning 50 this month and aware of a wide variety of thoughts, ideas, beliefs, ‘rules to live by’ etc., that I wish I had known a long, long time ago (although I probably would not have wanted to hear nor could have understood at the time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So here goes (and not in any particular order):<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1 </span></span>Love yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love yourself madly, passionately, whole-heartedly.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Everything and everyone is God. This is closely related to #1.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Learn to perceive life from a variety of perspectives: physical, mental/emotional, soul and spirit.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Be the best parent to yourself, providing loving, gentle discipline (self-discipline), including getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy food – veggies before dessert, etc. – drinking lots of water and exercising consistently.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>The things that irk the most have hidden in them the greatest lessons, although often humbling and sometimes painful.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Trust that life is unfolding just as it should.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Your true friends will be there no matter what. (See #6).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Gossip is hurtful and never a good idea.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>There is no “time out” from life and living well.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Know the difference between your thoughts/mind/intellect and your emotions/heart/feelings and consciously use both.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Trust your intuition.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>The only true problem is stagnation, which is very different from stillness, as stillness is necessary for a peaceful life.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Notice beauty.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Figure out what you love to do and create and do it often.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>You are of God, a Divine being. Everything you think, say, do, experience is of God. Act and live with conscious awareness of this Truth.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>There is meaning in everything and it’s up to each of us to find the meaning.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Live in integrity – especially with yourself.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Be bold. Take risks.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Live beyond the good or bad opinion of others. What other people think of you truly doesn’t matter.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Recognize when you’re doing the same thing expecting a different result and – with huge compassion – try something else.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Dance often.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Make love often<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Enjoy living sensually – good food, fine wine, surrounded by beauty.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>We are all connected to each other and to Nature.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Play. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>At every age, know what brings you joy and find a way to partake in that joy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Be generous, with your time, talent, money, stuff. It is in giving that we receive.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Learn something new every day.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Remember the things you dreamed of being and doing as a child and either do them or do the essence of them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Laugh often. Cry as often as you need to. (See #17).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Love yourself enough to be protective of yourself and your time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>There is always time for what’s most important to you.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Cherish true friendship.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">34.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Let the people that you love know that you love them, sometimes by saying so but more often by your actions.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">35.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Let go of all expectations of what you thought life was supposed to be and let life show you what it is.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">36.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Live what’s possible, not what’s probable.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">37.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Build on your passions.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">38.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Notice beauty – flowers, birdsong, wind, rain, sunrises, sunsets, grass, etc. and be grateful.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">39.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Give thanks for everything.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">40.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Ask questions.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">41.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Be open to true connections with every person you meet, whether <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a cashier at the grocery store or a long-lost friend.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">42.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Communicate in person as much as possible, or by telephone, i.e, don’t hide behind texts and facebook, which are wonderful ways to keep in touch but not a replacement for the real thing.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">43.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Let go of things that no longer work – including relationships, jobs, ideas, beliefs, etc., etc.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">44.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Try new things often.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">45.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Be curious, as a child experiencing for the first time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">46.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Don’t wait to do the things that are important or exciting or simply fun. Live now.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">47.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Be honest, especially with yourself, and impeccable with your word.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">48.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Pray, meditate, contemplate. Have a disciplined practice of connecting with God and make sure that it works for you, as opposed to being something you were told to do or feel you “should” do. Keep searching for your way of connecting with God until you find it and you’ll know you found it when it’s a visceral experience.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">49.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Live with love as your main purpose.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">50.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Age is only as important as you let it be.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So have I missed anything?<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3885529099156747030.post-1201001118090308432011-03-03T14:21:00.000-08:002011-03-03T14:21:29.655-08:00The Magic of Language<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">A word after a word after a word is power.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>from Margaret Atwood’s poem, <u>Spelling</u></span></i><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";">Words . . . are little houses, each with its cellar and garret. . . . To mount too high or descend too low is allowed in the case of poets, who bring earth and sky together.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>Gaston Bachelard<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 32px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Words about words – like looking up the word “dictionary” in the dictionary. There’s an absurdity to it. It’s almost circular and nonsensical. I recently read an article in which a man described a night in Indonesia. He was staying in a hut in the middle of rice paddies. It was a spectacular, star-filled night and the vast night sky was perfectly reflected in the dark, flat water surrounding him. He described feeling weightless, not sure which way was up. Something about the reflection was disorienting, as using words to describe words may be. The definition of “word” is: “a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning.” The definition goes on to say that words are “composed of one or more morphemes”, etc. etc. – which is a word I don’t know the meaning of. Interesting that I don’t understand the definition of the word “word”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We communicate through the words that we speak, hear, read, write and there’s an assumption that what we mean to say is being understood by our chosen audience. But each word is rich in its own history and meaning, in addition to being subject to individual interpretation. When I ask for a little enthusiasm for something I’m starting in my life, am I consciously aware of asking for, essentially, divine inspiration. (en-, in, within + theos, god or “possessed by god”). Clearly not a conscious request, as the word “enthusiasm” has somehow been watered down to a more cheerleader-like quality then its original magnitude may suggest.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It makes me wonder if I’m ever really saying, or hearing, what is truly being said. What is understanding? The etymology of “understanding” is “standing in the midst of.” Perhaps we are meant to allow words to engulf us, like a reflected starry sky, so that the true meaning – altered and enhanced from the original attempt to express a new idea by each murmur and expression of it – can have its impact.</span><o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Hilda Porrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05979442344576362667noreply@blogger.com0