In The Stillness

I have just returned from a three-week vacation of camping with family and friends on the shore of Cape Cod. What a glorious time was had by all. Lots of space for rest and relaxation, time for rejuvenation and recharge, time for play and laughter and most importantly time for change and growth. Bayazid al-Bistami states, "All this talk and turmoil and noise and movement and desire is outside of the veil; within the veil is silence and calm and rest." I climbed within the veil during these past three weeks. I had plenty of fun and play, but I made sure to sit in the stillness and discover the treasures to be found there as well. Creating the space for this emptiness I was able to find the stillness I needed and hungered for. Here I was able to touch hands with intuitive guidance and listen as my inner truth awakened and rose up within.

Sitting at the water’s edge, creating ritual around beach bonfires, hiking through dunes or even listening for the hoots of the owls that frequented our camp site each early morning created deeper awareness and allowed my imagination to percolate and create dreams, visions and possibilities. Journaling added jucy-ness to these thoughts.

A three-week vacation is not required for these treasures to be revealed. Taking a simple walk out-of-doors. Sitting beneath the shade of a beautiful tree. Finding a sunny spot to sit in with eyes closed as you listen to the voices of nature around you. Finding ways to connect deeper with yourself is vital to living a full and rich life. It opens the door to your relationship with your spiritual self. It gives time for creativity. It provides pause to the chaos and it sheds light onto the mundane and finds magic in the corners of our minds.

I have returned from this time feeling alive and recharged. I am excited for what the days and months ahead hold. I have ideas with endless possibilities and energy that is alive and playful. So much movement was made in my stillness!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Back and Forth

When do you stop looking back? When do you stop trying to find the answers in your past? When do you stop reliving mistakes, missteps, miscommunications and mis-alignments? Or perhaps you are someone who puts all your energies into what will happen tomorrow? You keep putting off in hopes that your situation will improve with the new day. You invest in the future with a commitment to what could happen and who might be involved. When do you stop all this and take a look at now, this moment, who you can be, what you can do, and where you can go? If we choose to spend time looking backwards we will run the risk of what is being offered to us today. Living in the past does only one thing for us. It keeps our focus on the past. It keeps us stuck there. It keeps our energies mired down in events that have long gone by and nothing we bring to them is of any use. The past is a place that if you visit too often or for too long we are running too close in a land of regret.

If we choose to spend too much time looking to the future we lack follow through with what we can do now. We invest our energies into possibilities to the point that we stall what is involving in this moment. The future is a place to visit from time to time to explore for opportunities, make flexible plans or goals, but if we visit too long we are ineffective in our efforts.

If we want to bring ourselves to this world in a positive and powerful position, we must live in the present. Spirit, the Universe, your Higher Power, (whatever your belief is), presents to us continuously opportunities that hold gifts, lessons, possibilities and promise. If we are constantly looking over our shoulder, we most certainly will miss these treasures.

It takes presence of mind and intention to live in the present. It takes commitment to the moment. It is a challenge too, for our society encourages us to live in our past or in the fantasy of tomorrow. That is how advertisers pick at our wallets and how movie directors sell tickets. These are lands that can be fun to visit if done in measured doses. When we overload, just as with too much sun or too many potato chips, we don’t feel too good. Our bodies rebel and complain. In this case our spirits suffer as well. Living in the now gives us the presence of body, mind and spirit to address what we actually have the power and thought and heart to have impact upon.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

The Phantom Judge

Who sets the standards that you live by? How often do you find yourself struggling to carry out what is expected of you? And who holds those expectations of you? Sometimes, without our even being aware of it, we are still holding on to the expectations of others from our past. These people could be parents, teachers, old lovers, or even friends. They may not even be a part of our life any longer. If we experienced a time in our life where we felt criticized or judged by them we may have an even harder time letting go of the need to try to meet those expectations, as we feel we have failed and long to “get it right”.

Living with the struggle of meeting others expectations often keeps us out of the light of our own personal power. This way of living keeps us from being our brightest and fullest self. When we judge ourselves and have expectation of our self that are not realistic we create the same scenario.

In order to live the life we have been blessed with in truth, authenticity and strength we need to see ourselves clearly. We also have to be honest with ourselves. And finally we need to hold some compassion in our hearts for our self as well.

Self-compassion softens edges. It allows fluidity. Allowing compassion to have a place in your heart allows you to walk in grace and be open to all possibilities. Compassion makes room for forgiveness and healing. Compassion makes it hard for judgment to take hold. Compassion gives you the strength to rise above doubt and discrimination.

A favorite quote by Nancy Lopez that I have copied into my journal is, “Doubt yourself and you doubt everything you see. Judge yourself and you see judges everywhere. But if you listen to the sound of your own voice, you can rise above doubt and judgment. And you can see forever.”

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

The Value of Personal Time

Having spent some recent time away with family on vacation, I have had the gift of non-schedule. Normally, my life weaves together spirit time, family time, social time, client time, and personal time…not always in that order. While on vacation I was able to play with the measures and doses of these times. Where room was made, I was able to embrace more personal time, which was lovely. Personal time for me usually has abundant quiet time. Time to reflect, to daydream, to nap, to do walking meditations, to drum, to chant, to journal, to read, to sit quietly with eyes closed listening to the birds and cicadas and more. Personal time regenerates, refuels, refreshes and revitalizes me in a most important way. I value this time. I honor this time. I celebrate this time.

Personal time also makes more room in my life. I am able to sit and discover what no longer serves me and release it. I am also able to decide on re-balancing of the components of my life.

Let’s face it, I have very, very full days! I enjoy the fullness. Rarely does it get to the point of stress or disappointment. But this is only because I have put personal time at the top of my list for good self-care! Without it, I am sure things would be dramatically different. Everything would be effected; my relationships, my work, my spiritual connection, and even my mental status. I begin to suffer. My clarity goes. My passion wanes. My vision clouds. My step slows. Personal time keeps me strong, alive and balanced.

Personal time also keeps me grounded. It affords me time to sit within the embrace of nature. It is there that I breathe deeply, relax fully, and focus clearly. Sitting beneath a tree or at the water's edge gives me pause to soak up what Mother Earth has to offer. She is generous beyond measure and our relationship complete the cycle for me of spirit, mind and body.

Personal time has become a necessity for me. I do not understand when people tell me that they have no time for it. I believe what they are not understanding is that the reason they have no time for it is because they don’t understand the enormity of what it offers and on how many levels. Imagine how your life would be different if you created space for more personal time.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade