Making Effort Effortless

The anxious student asked the Zen master how long to enlightenment. The Zen Master answered a long time, at least 10 years. The student said, "Well I will work twice as hard." The Zen master said, "Then it will take 20 years." "No!" said the committed student, "I will work three times as hard." "Well then," said the Zen master, "it will take 30 years." Are you someone who believes that it takes work to be a spiritual being and that the more effort and time you put into it the “better” you will be? Well, consider this. You are already a spiritual being. Ok. Consider this, maybe then you will see what I mean. You are already a human. Do you work at being a better human? Probably not. I understand you can improve. You can improve your health, your piano playing or your crossword skills, but overall, let’s face it, we don’t usually approach our daily life that way. But we have been led to believe that there are spiritual beings who are better at being spiritual than we are and that they have spent a good amount of time in making that so.

Your spiritual journey does not require you to get anything along the way. It is a process. It is an evolution. You are where you need to be where you are right now and if you can focus on that and BE with that you can then open yourself up to what is waiting for you to embrace. You are present to open yourself up to who you are already. You create a welcoming space for your truth and your authenticity.

A favorite quote of mine from Meister Eckhart states, "It is not by your actions that you will be saved, but by your being." How do you Be? It is simple. By not believing you must always be Doing. That does not mean it is easy; it is just that simple. So, the next time you hear that inner critic comparing your spiritual path to another’s or shaming you for a mistake or misspoken word or deed…stop doing and just be. Be present, allow the process to unfold, take in any lesson or gift in the moment, be aware of what is your truth in the moment and breathe it in. That is the work that is required. That is where and when you will find evolution, growth, change, beauty, and insight. Not in the pages of a book or an all day workshop.

Books, events, presentations and other offerings are wonderful seed planters, fire starters, inspiration makers and help us feel connected, get our juices flowing and build wonderful relationships with others. They have GREAT importance in our lives and I honor and celebrate and take part in all. But they are not a measure of my spiritual path. They are just stops along the way.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

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