reflect on your wisdom nature- exercise for day one

When have you felt deeply at home in your own skin....
I feel most comfortable in my own skin, most at peace, most centered and relaxed when i am doing things i love..gardening, sewing, riding my motorcycle, teaching yoga...at these times i feel connected and whole. grounded and hooked in to my deeper self. I don't think this connection ever leaves, but i think sometimes i forget it is there. In times of stress, and trauma and in daily life i forget i have this energy to ground into. life would be simpler if i could remember to rest in this deep calming energy ...remember to take moments to breathe and center. remember that regardless of the choices i have made , the life i have lived..that i have a spark of divinity in my heart . learning how to let it shine is my journey. learning how to carry calm joyful grounded energy always in my heart...being comfortable in my own skin when faced with uncomfortable situations. a knowing of my true self will provide strength to persevere no matter the obstacles in my path.

Everyday Dharma

so new adventure.. Everyday Dharma (seven weeks to finding the buddha within you)  by Lama Willa Miller... a daily journey to rediscovering what i've lost...and discovering who i can become. " step one of your spiritual journey is to discover that you have the potential to awaken your innate wisdom nature" so since the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...off i go on a wild self inspectionary adventure .....wish me luck

What do I want to be.....

what a simply difficult question. The easy answer is I want to be happy. The difficulty arises in learning how to let go of all those past hurts ...learning how to see events clearly in the present...rather than through the dingy gray filters of the past. how to keep  emotional scars from whispering painful memories into present moments. how to find the strength of spirit to continue living positively in the moment while trying not to be sucked into a black hole of negativity created by stress,guilt,loss,trauma,etc.....dancing each day to avoid that straw that you know will break your back can be very exhausting....how does one live happily ever after????

River

Her riversong draws my soul ever longing to sit eternity listening to her wisdom flow.

amazing song..one of my all time favorites.

thoughts on a touchy subject

so , Osama Bin Laden has been killed..and americans are dancing in the streets celebrating...the same way Iraqi people were celebrating the deaths of american soldiers...by dancing in the streets. and i think about how we as americans reacted to their celebration...and wonder about the hypocrisy of it all. I understand that sometimes, when all else fails decisions have to be made ..necessary evils.. and having been privy to top secret info while in the military and working for the dept of state...i understand why Osama needed to be neutralized. what i don't understand is the celebration of death..any death.. it is not something to joyfully dance and sing about.. it is a somber solemn thing that needed to be done. I think of Martin Luther King's words ‎"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."  I know that some people will not agree with what I am saying..and that is ok.. at the end of the day I have to be able to look into the eyes of my children..the greatest mirrors of my soul..and be ok with what i see reflected there. I have tried very hard to raise compassionate , intelligent, beings who will look for other routes other than violence ...but they also know that there may come a time when it is their only option.. and I hope that if it comes to that choice that they understand the seriousness and solemnity of that decision... that it is not something to be made lightly nor is it something to celebrate. Buddha says "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive" If we lose our humanity..then we are truly lost.. if we spiral into revenge and fear then there truly is no hope .  Will we learn anything from all this...Will we gain any understanding...I don't know the answer.. but my heart hopes that the world is listening, learning, and growing...and understanding that there is no future in violence. It ends badly for all involved. so if you need to feel grateful or happy that death has happened..then do it quietly ..with dignity..and with the understanding that there will be repercussions..and if we respond to them all with death..then eventually there will be no one left  . I personally am not rejoicing , I am not glad, I know it was necessary for the greater good...and I am saddened that our world is such that death is deemed necessary for peace....and I worry for the future..