The following were my reponses to different groups I came in contact with recently:
What makes us happy
As a Psychosynthesis practitioner, I have finally come to the conclusion that what brings us true and lasting happiness is to 'give what you didn't get' -- this is very loaded, of course, because a lot of inner work has to be done to move away from a victim mindset when we are so entangled with what we DIDN'T get and allow that perceived deprivation to color our whole life. There's more on all this on my blog www.theradiantself.blogspot.com.
I started writing it to 'GIVE WHAT I DIDN'T GET' - an understanding of my path and my pace, and my walking to the sound of a different drum, which people in my environment didn't comprehend... That this served me better, and made me soar on my path, is another matter of course :-)!
**********************
The anger in India... and coming from a mindset of peace
There is a lot of, and understandable, anger in India right now as a result of the carnage at the hands of terrorists this past week. Many groups have sprung up on Facebook, but few are using the language of peace, which is of course coming from a space of fear. Whatever its face, it is well worth to remember, that at the root of all anger is fear. One group named itself 'Fight for India' and below is my post on their wall:
Can the name of this group not be changed to PEACE IN INDIA FOREVER, or FOR PEACE IN INDIA or something similar without the violence of words like 'fight'... There's a lot of understandable anger around, but there's no getting around the fact that words have power, thoughts become things - also, violent words will attract violence and anger will only invite more of its own kind.
In peace!
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
On PEACE
I saw this quote by Lao Tzu on my friend Cezanna Malter's (www.joyousliving.com) message to our group today and I thought, this is it -- nothing more is needed for today's blog. This is all we need, in our hearts, and in the world.
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
(Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.))
Just a reminder, there's no blog on Saturday.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
(Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.))
Just a reminder, there's no blog on Saturday.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Dealing with the ups and downs - emotional or otherwise...
Hi All.
Here's a Rumi poem that spells it all out! Enjoy...
THE GUEST HOUSE
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of it's furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each one has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
~RUMI~
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Here's a Rumi poem that spells it all out! Enjoy...
THE GUEST HOUSE
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of it's furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each one has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
~RUMI~
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
It's official... Canada's in recession -- do you care? No, you are grateful!
It takes courage to trust and believe what I'm going to say but the fact of the matter is that no outer source is your resource! Yep... that's the truth, and the whole truth. You ARE your own resource -- and by focusing on gratitude, BELIEVING that you deserve happiness, abundance will follow you wherever you go. Try it - you'll see!
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Mon pays, c'est l'hiver! My country, is winter!
The snow is finally coming down! Not hesitant, not surreptitiously, neither sneakily when we weren't watching -- it's falling unabashedly, as though it knows it's time is here! November is bowing out... the last few days have seen the temperature go down to minus ten or lower, and hey! - this is Canada!! Let's not look around for sympathy if we don't like what we're seeing. For one reason or another we chose to make this our home, or have decided to stay regardless, so why complain each time the temperatures drop or the snow falls.
It makes so much more sense to make a gratitude list instead, for the picture postcard landscape outside; the crisp air that wakes up the senses; the lovely hot cups of coffee and hot chocolate in the awesome cafes of Montreal and in the region around; the well-heated homes where we sit in our t-shirts while watching the frostiness outside; the exhilerating outdoor activities of skiing, snowshoeing, ice-fishing; the crunching of the snow under new boots, and kicking it up for the fun of it. Ah oui - mon pays, c'est l'hiver, et je l'adore!!! I adore my wintry land!
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
It makes so much more sense to make a gratitude list instead, for the picture postcard landscape outside; the crisp air that wakes up the senses; the lovely hot cups of coffee and hot chocolate in the awesome cafes of Montreal and in the region around; the well-heated homes where we sit in our t-shirts while watching the frostiness outside; the exhilerating outdoor activities of skiing, snowshoeing, ice-fishing; the crunching of the snow under new boots, and kicking it up for the fun of it. Ah oui - mon pays, c'est l'hiver, et je l'adore!!! I adore my wintry land!
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Monday, November 24, 2008
What's your elephant quotient?
Here's a story submitted by Jim Donovan that I found both fascinating - and sad! Please read on...
Why The Elephants Don't Run
A number of years ago, I had the rather unique experience of being backstage in Madison Square Garden, in New York, during the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. To say the least, it was a fascinating experience. I was able to walk around looking at the lions, tigers, giraffes and all the other circus animals. As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.
"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They think the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."
I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they could not, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? How many of us are being held back by old, outdated beliefs that no longer serve us? Have you avoided trying something new because of a limiting belief? Worse, how many of us are being held back by someone else's limiting beliefs?
Kiki: Well intentioned friends and family will caution us not to do anything that smacks of being 'unfamiliar' or 'different' or 'risky'. How many of us have heard, "You can't do that?" These are people who don't have the courage themselves to break through self-imposed boundaries and shackles of old and weatherbeaten ideas that no longer stand the test of our times. Ideas which have held them fast to meaningless notions of life and living that do absolutely nothing for them to become happy human beings, with cutting edge beliefs promoting harmony and peace on our planet.
Again, from Jim: Challenge your own limiting beliefs by questioning them. If you begin to question a belief, you automatically weaken it. The more you question your limiting beliefs, the more they are weakened. It's like kicking the legs out from under a stool. Once you weaken one leg, the stool begins to lose its balance and fall.
Once you realize you have weakened that old belief and begun to replace it with a new, empowering one, look for references to support the new beliefs you want to cultivate. As in the example of the stool, you want to reinforce your beliefs by adding more and more "legs" to them. Find people who have accomplished what you want to accomplish, discover what they did and model their behavior.
Kiki: I can't remember her name right now, and will add it later here, but an admiral of the US Navy has said that the most dangerous words in the English language (for that matter, in any language) are, "It has always been done this way.
Jim: It has been said throughout history that what ever you believe, with conviction, you can achieve. Don't be like the poor elephant and go through your life stuck because of a limiting belief you were given or developed years ago. Take charge of your life and live it to the fullest. You deserve the best!
[Jim's version was aimed at motivating business and sales people. I edited it for the purpose of making people see how unchallenged beliefs turn us into mindless and numbed out creatures, who may die without realizing our potential, with our song still within us.]
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Why The Elephants Don't Run
A number of years ago, I had the rather unique experience of being backstage in Madison Square Garden, in New York, during the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. To say the least, it was a fascinating experience. I was able to walk around looking at the lions, tigers, giraffes and all the other circus animals. As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.
"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They think the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."
I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they could not, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? How many of us are being held back by old, outdated beliefs that no longer serve us? Have you avoided trying something new because of a limiting belief? Worse, how many of us are being held back by someone else's limiting beliefs?
Kiki: Well intentioned friends and family will caution us not to do anything that smacks of being 'unfamiliar' or 'different' or 'risky'. How many of us have heard, "You can't do that?" These are people who don't have the courage themselves to break through self-imposed boundaries and shackles of old and weatherbeaten ideas that no longer stand the test of our times. Ideas which have held them fast to meaningless notions of life and living that do absolutely nothing for them to become happy human beings, with cutting edge beliefs promoting harmony and peace on our planet.
Again, from Jim: Challenge your own limiting beliefs by questioning them. If you begin to question a belief, you automatically weaken it. The more you question your limiting beliefs, the more they are weakened. It's like kicking the legs out from under a stool. Once you weaken one leg, the stool begins to lose its balance and fall.
Once you realize you have weakened that old belief and begun to replace it with a new, empowering one, look for references to support the new beliefs you want to cultivate. As in the example of the stool, you want to reinforce your beliefs by adding more and more "legs" to them. Find people who have accomplished what you want to accomplish, discover what they did and model their behavior.
Kiki: I can't remember her name right now, and will add it later here, but an admiral of the US Navy has said that the most dangerous words in the English language (for that matter, in any language) are, "It has always been done this way.
Jim: It has been said throughout history that what ever you believe, with conviction, you can achieve. Don't be like the poor elephant and go through your life stuck because of a limiting belief you were given or developed years ago. Take charge of your life and live it to the fullest. You deserve the best!
[Jim's version was aimed at motivating business and sales people. I edited it for the purpose of making people see how unchallenged beliefs turn us into mindless and numbed out creatures, who may die without realizing our potential, with our song still within us.]
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
A way to be... A way to live...
I'm just back from a spiritual retreat where the inevitable question came up, once again: Who are we? What are we doing here? And, while here, how can we make our lives meaningful? For me, a poem by Kali Heydel (2006), shared by a friend some time ago at another retreat with the same group, said it all:
Hearts Wildly Open
Breathe
Breathe love
into the cup
of your hands
and place your flaming
palms against your heart
Let this warmth
melt your fears
like wax before a fire
and watch the delicious
softening reveal
the wildflower
of your heart.
We must live
with Hearts Wide Open.
Hearts Wildly Open.
***************************
Wishing you all the courage to have wildly open hearts...
Kiki :-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Hearts Wildly Open
Breathe
Breathe love
into the cup
of your hands
and place your flaming
palms against your heart
Let this warmth
melt your fears
like wax before a fire
and watch the delicious
softening reveal
the wildflower
of your heart.
We must live
with Hearts Wide Open.
Hearts Wildly Open.
***************************
Wishing you all the courage to have wildly open hearts...
Kiki :-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Friday, November 21, 2008
What did one fish ask another? "Hey...
... do you know of this place they call the ocean?" And, this is what is true of us all... We live WITHIN this magnificent SOURCE - a bountiful space of Light - our resource of all our inner and outer needs, and yet we don't know it! Quel dommage! - such a pity! Nope, you say. I don't know this place. If this IS true then show me how to find it! Ok then - you asked for it :-):
Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit in/on and close your eyes. A few times, take a deep breath from you nose (mouth closed) and then exhale l-o-n-g and deliberately, from slightly parted lips (opening your mouth too much will dry your mouth out). Do this 3, or 5 or 7 times (no magic with the odd numbers, just do as many times it feels right to do)... until there's a sense of balance in the mind and body. Gently, without forcing yourself, sift through the recent days, or weeks, or months when your mind was calm - you had a quiet sense of peace within... the outside world didn't interfere with your inner state in any way. Upon further reflection you actually have a sense of joy, starting to erupt in a small fountain of sorts -- and as you focus on it, it becomes stronger and bigger. Allow yourself to stay with this feeling as long as you need to. Once there's a sense of completion, you may gently return to the room and open your eyes. How did that feel?
I promise you, that doing this short and simple exercise everyday will soon enough bring you a glimpse of what other wonders there are in the Universe, for you to savour and experience.
I don't know if there's another part to my riddle, but maybe the second fish was enlightened, and told the first one: "Right here my friend, is the ocean you've heard about. You're living and breathing it every moment. Be grateful for it, and partake of its riches, that are yours to be had, but only if you want them."
(Being Saturday, there'll be no blog tomorrow.)
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit in/on and close your eyes. A few times, take a deep breath from you nose (mouth closed) and then exhale l-o-n-g and deliberately, from slightly parted lips (opening your mouth too much will dry your mouth out). Do this 3, or 5 or 7 times (no magic with the odd numbers, just do as many times it feels right to do)... until there's a sense of balance in the mind and body. Gently, without forcing yourself, sift through the recent days, or weeks, or months when your mind was calm - you had a quiet sense of peace within... the outside world didn't interfere with your inner state in any way. Upon further reflection you actually have a sense of joy, starting to erupt in a small fountain of sorts -- and as you focus on it, it becomes stronger and bigger. Allow yourself to stay with this feeling as long as you need to. Once there's a sense of completion, you may gently return to the room and open your eyes. How did that feel?
I promise you, that doing this short and simple exercise everyday will soon enough bring you a glimpse of what other wonders there are in the Universe, for you to savour and experience.
I don't know if there's another part to my riddle, but maybe the second fish was enlightened, and told the first one: "Right here my friend, is the ocean you've heard about. You're living and breathing it every moment. Be grateful for it, and partake of its riches, that are yours to be had, but only if you want them."
(Being Saturday, there'll be no blog tomorrow.)
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Off to Toys R Us we go...
OK - just do it, today! Take that child part of you shopping. Am I kidding you? No way... I'm more serious than I've ever been... Go on - take that child part of you shopping -- the one that somehow got left behind in the process of growing up -- the one whose needs were not met while young, and growing up... Oh sure, it received what its parents thought was best for her/him but it wasn't what the child wanted, at all. We don't know what beliefs it formed then... Whether it decided it just didn't deserve anything nice, or whether it bought into the negative belief that it needed to be smarter, prettier, funnier, cuter, more hard-working, a big-earner, a workaholic, or anything unnatural of similar nature, to be deserving of material things or non-material like attention, praise, acknowledgement, unconditional love etc. etc. Take THAT child shopping - for no reason at all, but simply because it lives right there within you, still waiting and hankering after love -- and once inside the Toys R Us, or any such store, walk the aisles till this part of you needs you to stop before something and buy it, and bring it home :-)!
The more care such parts within us receive -- in other words the RE-PARENTING these parts receive, will help them blossom and thrive making YOU, the you that you ARE, this here and now adult you, become more solid and grounded. And yes... this part of you DOESN'T NEED adult toys - just the plain and simple kiddy toys...
For more information on this work please use the comment space to contact me (not forgetting your email address - and if you don't want me to post your comments I won't). You may also, contact me through www.theradiantself.com for more information on Inner Child work.
Not sure what to make of this information? Just go and see the movie "W"... and see what happened to poor George W.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
The more care such parts within us receive -- in other words the RE-PARENTING these parts receive, will help them blossom and thrive making YOU, the you that you ARE, this here and now adult you, become more solid and grounded. And yes... this part of you DOESN'T NEED adult toys - just the plain and simple kiddy toys...
For more information on this work please use the comment space to contact me (not forgetting your email address - and if you don't want me to post your comments I won't). You may also, contact me through www.theradiantself.com for more information on Inner Child work.
Not sure what to make of this information? Just go and see the movie "W"... and see what happened to poor George W.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The flow of life...
I want to share with you the first half of the poem 'Every Tree'. It is a translation of a Rumi poem by Coleman Barks from his book 'The Glance - Songs of Soul-Meeting'.
EVERY TREE
Every tree, every growing thing as it
grows, says this truth: You harvest what
you sow. With life as short as a half-
taken breath, don't plant anything but
love. The value of a human being can
be measured by what he or she most deeply
wants. Be free of possessing things.
Sit at an empty table. Be pleased with
water, the taste of being home. People
travel the world looking for the Friend,
But that one is always at home!
Wishing everyone love and joy,
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
EVERY TREE
Every tree, every growing thing as it
grows, says this truth: You harvest what
you sow. With life as short as a half-
taken breath, don't plant anything but
love. The value of a human being can
be measured by what he or she most deeply
wants. Be free of possessing things.
Sit at an empty table. Be pleased with
water, the taste of being home. People
travel the world looking for the Friend,
But that one is always at home!
Wishing everyone love and joy,
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
On being grateful for what you DIDN'T get
Huh? Why would I want to do that? How CAN I do that? Aren't we supposed to be happy, and therefore grateful when we GET what we want? I can hear all these questions popping in your mind. Don't blame you for thinking this way, for that's how we are raised. Disappointments are NOT supposed to happen in our lives... and if they do we are supposed to feel sad, suffer grief, even feel depressed until the next fulfilled desire.
I'm going to invite you to do do a little evaluation of your own life while you read on about how grateful I am for all those things that DIDN'T happen in my life, and I DIDN'T get, even though I wanted them oh-so-badly! Hindsight is 20/20, and after the event I have always realized that I'm better off without some of the things I desired because I was too blinded by a sense of 'neediness' when I wished for them. This sometimes led to making compromises that went against my grain... It's a relief then to learn later that a benevolent Universe knew what indignity and/or suffering I was setting myself up for, in wanting certain things in my life, that would not serve me in any way - neither make me happy nor add to my life. This taught me then to change the way I asked for things I wanted. Instead of strictly defining wishes, I always ask for 'THIS' (my wish) OR better - allowing for the Universe to modify my desires to what is optimal for me. Doing this also gives me the necessary patience, knowing that my perfect wish is being cooked to perfection :-)...
Next time you ask for something, ask for 'THIS or BETTER'... and in the mean time give thanks that so much of what you asked for didn't come to you. It didn't come because it was not the perfect answer to what your REAL needs were, and are!
Kiki :-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
I'm going to invite you to do do a little evaluation of your own life while you read on about how grateful I am for all those things that DIDN'T happen in my life, and I DIDN'T get, even though I wanted them oh-so-badly! Hindsight is 20/20, and after the event I have always realized that I'm better off without some of the things I desired because I was too blinded by a sense of 'neediness' when I wished for them. This sometimes led to making compromises that went against my grain... It's a relief then to learn later that a benevolent Universe knew what indignity and/or suffering I was setting myself up for, in wanting certain things in my life, that would not serve me in any way - neither make me happy nor add to my life. This taught me then to change the way I asked for things I wanted. Instead of strictly defining wishes, I always ask for 'THIS' (my wish) OR better - allowing for the Universe to modify my desires to what is optimal for me. Doing this also gives me the necessary patience, knowing that my perfect wish is being cooked to perfection :-)...
Next time you ask for something, ask for 'THIS or BETTER'... and in the mean time give thanks that so much of what you asked for didn't come to you. It didn't come because it was not the perfect answer to what your REAL needs were, and are!
Kiki :-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Everything is in order
Just affirm, once, or three, or five, or ten times, this morning:
My life and my affairs are in complete order.
And they WILL be.
Other variations can be:
My house is in order, it's how the planet IS.
OR
There is divine order in all aspects of my life.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
My life and my affairs are in complete order.
And they WILL be.
Other variations can be:
My house is in order, it's how the planet IS.
OR
There is divine order in all aspects of my life.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A test of our faith
To trust that we are always perfectly positioned on our paths no matter what happens around us is a big test of faith. Yet, how can it be anything else but that, because there really is no one out there waiting to punish us for anything. The real truth of how things are is contained in this piece of wisdom from the Ojibwe (native North-American people):
"Sometimes I go about in pity for myself,
And all the while
A great wind is bearing me across the sky."
Why must we then fret, sweat, and worry?
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
"Sometimes I go about in pity for myself,
And all the while
A great wind is bearing me across the sky."
Why must we then fret, sweat, and worry?
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Friday, November 14, 2008
My Little Zen Companion...
... quotes Basho (a famous Japanese haiku poet and Zen adept) as saying: 'Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.'
Self-inquiry is a better approach to seek what the wise have always sought, with more guarantees of finding our answers within, than by blindly accepting dictums pronounced by others whose history, beliefs, circumstances, and spiritual growth may not be in sync with ours, or where we want to go. Psychosynthesis is thus an excellent medium for self-discovery - which you have to try, to discover for yourself the clarity and depth it will add to your experience of yourself, and help you get in touch with the truest, most authentic part of yourself. Amongst the multitudes of modalities there are, this is amongst the most complete, in my experience.
(Being Saturday, there will be be no post tomorrow.)
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Self-inquiry is a better approach to seek what the wise have always sought, with more guarantees of finding our answers within, than by blindly accepting dictums pronounced by others whose history, beliefs, circumstances, and spiritual growth may not be in sync with ours, or where we want to go. Psychosynthesis is thus an excellent medium for self-discovery - which you have to try, to discover for yourself the clarity and depth it will add to your experience of yourself, and help you get in touch with the truest, most authentic part of yourself. Amongst the multitudes of modalities there are, this is amongst the most complete, in my experience.
(Being Saturday, there will be be no post tomorrow.)
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Why we gossip
Think about the last time you passed any sort of unkind judgement on someone. Chances are you won't have to think too long to come up with a memory - because that's what a lot of us do - day in and day out - talking about others in negative and unflattering terms, quite unaware that when we do this what is often at play is the fact that 'an offensive is the best defence' - in other words, most of us are afraid of being judged by others, and we try to pre-empt that by 'attacking others first.' Surprised? Don't like being told this? - Well, in that case why not save your precious energy to use for enhancing your own life instead of wasting it by passing derogatory comments on others.
You ask me if I'm this angel who doesn't indulge in gossip, and I'll tell you that I used to but I stopped - when I realized that this was a mere cover up of my own insecurities. And getting rid of the habit was very hard, since it was was an old one that had settled in my bones, just as habits do - but so determined was I not to be the pathetic loser I'd started feeling I was, when I realized why I was doing this, that I taught myself to be very conscious and cautious at all times around people. Slowly I changed my instant and instinctive unkind reactions to people, what they were wearing, what they were doing, or what their appearance or profile appeared to be, by changing it to 'This is the way this soul wants to experience itself, and so be it.' I found this extremely helpful to do, and in seconds my attention moved to something else. The effort was so well worth it, making me open-minded, tolerant and most of all compassionate towards others.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
You ask me if I'm this angel who doesn't indulge in gossip, and I'll tell you that I used to but I stopped - when I realized that this was a mere cover up of my own insecurities. And getting rid of the habit was very hard, since it was was an old one that had settled in my bones, just as habits do - but so determined was I not to be the pathetic loser I'd started feeling I was, when I realized why I was doing this, that I taught myself to be very conscious and cautious at all times around people. Slowly I changed my instant and instinctive unkind reactions to people, what they were wearing, what they were doing, or what their appearance or profile appeared to be, by changing it to 'This is the way this soul wants to experience itself, and so be it.' I found this extremely helpful to do, and in seconds my attention moved to something else. The effort was so well worth it, making me open-minded, tolerant and most of all compassionate towards others.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
so UNCOOL!!!
The credit for this post goes to Jennifer Aniston :-)... for her comment on Angelina Jolie :-), made in the last couple of days I think...
What are those two doing here? Well, they're here, because I found this bit of info on MSNBC (Microsoft News) and without going into their saga, I thought it was neat how Jennifer Aniston summed up all she might have felt in one everyday word. Wouldn't it be neat if we all would control our reactive dramas over issues we had no control over to just declare 'Oh, how uncool!' - and no histrionics needed...
Yes, yesterday's blog was about how events around us mirror our inner environment and the only thing to do is to take responsibility for them - why then am I defending a reactive statement such as this one? In answer, I'll say that until we become very evolved, we have to honor the human experience, and 'manage' it in the best way possible, even as we continue to work on ourselves to become SO 'cool' :-), that we can take all 'uncool' things in our stride. What say you :-)?
People are rude? - How uncool!
People betray your trust? - How uncool!
People are sarcastic? angry? invade your space? are unapologetic after causing hurt and pain? - Oh well! How uncool!
This should help to control any small or big explosions, helping us to move away faster to a space from where we can step back, take stock and let go of negativity with greater ease, than if we were to allow ourselves to get embroiled in excessive emotional turbulence created by unchecked anger, resulting in unnecessary emotional trauma. Now that would be 'SO UNCOOL :-)!'
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
What are those two doing here? Well, they're here, because I found this bit of info on MSNBC (Microsoft News) and without going into their saga, I thought it was neat how Jennifer Aniston summed up all she might have felt in one everyday word. Wouldn't it be neat if we all would control our reactive dramas over issues we had no control over to just declare 'Oh, how uncool!' - and no histrionics needed...
Yes, yesterday's blog was about how events around us mirror our inner environment and the only thing to do is to take responsibility for them - why then am I defending a reactive statement such as this one? In answer, I'll say that until we become very evolved, we have to honor the human experience, and 'manage' it in the best way possible, even as we continue to work on ourselves to become SO 'cool' :-), that we can take all 'uncool' things in our stride. What say you :-)?
People are rude? - How uncool!
People betray your trust? - How uncool!
People are sarcastic? angry? invade your space? are unapologetic after causing hurt and pain? - Oh well! How uncool!
This should help to control any small or big explosions, helping us to move away faster to a space from where we can step back, take stock and let go of negativity with greater ease, than if we were to allow ourselves to get embroiled in excessive emotional turbulence created by unchecked anger, resulting in unnecessary emotional trauma. Now that would be 'SO UNCOOL :-)!'
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Here comes that rainbow again!
Whether you are seeing things you like, or those that you don't, your inner state is being reflected in your environment, RIGHT NOW! If it's good, be grateful - if it's NOT good, be MORE grateful ;-)... because it's just a benevolent Universe showing you what you need to work on. This is just a gentle reminder... heigh ho - here comes that rainbow again :-) :-) :-)...
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Senseless Acts Of Kindness
I chanced upon this song by Kris Kristofferson today - it made me pause and think of how we all like to talk about, and send emails all the way around the world, about stories that move us. I wondered too, about how many of us support any causes, other than our own cause :-)??? I support more than half a dozen - no matter the ups and downs of my life, and a quiet part of me is always content to know that I have regularly contributed to make the world a better place, and therefore feel very qualified to share this song here with everyone -- and pardon me if I'm too much in your face ;-)! I've searched long for the secret to happiness, and 'doing something for others' has always come out tops -- that IS the secret to being happy... especially if we can do it with the nonchalance described in the song: 'So, what's it to you?'
Here Comes That Rainbow Again
The scene was a small roadside cafe,
The waitress was sweeping the floor.
Two truck drivers drinking their coffee.
And two Okie kids by the door.
"How much are them candies?" they asked her.
"How much have you got?" she replied.
"We've only a penny between us."
"Them's two for a penny," she lied.
And the daylight grew heavy with thunder,
With the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain't it just like a human.
Here comes that rainbow again.
One truck driver called to the waitress,
After the kids went outside.
"Them candies ain't two for a penny."
"So what's it to you?" she replied.
In silence they finished their coffee,
And got up and nodded goodbye.
She called: "Hey, you left too much money!"
"So what's it to you?" they replied.
And the daylight was heavy with thunder,
With the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain't it just like a human.
Here comes that rainbow again.
~ Kris Kristofferson
Hope that warmed the cockles of your heart...
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
Here Comes That Rainbow Again
The scene was a small roadside cafe,
The waitress was sweeping the floor.
Two truck drivers drinking their coffee.
And two Okie kids by the door.
"How much are them candies?" they asked her.
"How much have you got?" she replied.
"We've only a penny between us."
"Them's two for a penny," she lied.
And the daylight grew heavy with thunder,
With the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain't it just like a human.
Here comes that rainbow again.
One truck driver called to the waitress,
After the kids went outside.
"Them candies ain't two for a penny."
"So what's it to you?" she replied.
In silence they finished their coffee,
And got up and nodded goodbye.
She called: "Hey, you left too much money!"
"So what's it to you?" they replied.
And the daylight was heavy with thunder,
With the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain't it just like a human.
Here comes that rainbow again.
~ Kris Kristofferson
Hope that warmed the cockles of your heart...
Kiki ;-)
P.S. My request to those who 'borrow' from this blog is to please give adequate credit to the source of the borrowed information - whether me, or books and people I quote from. Thank you.
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