Stillness

Life has been full for me lately, lots of responsibilities, commitments, celebrations, beginnings and endings. I am aware that even when all is positive or right, it is still taxing. My soul longs for stillness. It is during these times that I am reminded: Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in Being. Allow nature to teach you stillness. ~ Eckhart Tolle

For me to find the stillness within, I need to go out. I need to get out upon the Mother, sink my being into Her essence, walk upon Her belly, rest in Her arms and breathe in Her perfume. She sends to me the others. She sends to me the beings that revere Her and celebrate Her daily. The birds surround me, the insects, the tiny fur friends and they remind me of the stillness.

Sometimes in the busy-ness of my life I feel the stress creep in and begin to take away the breath of my peace. Inner peace needs rest to lean into. And when I am busy, I can forget the rest my soul needs. And as strange as this may sound, I put it on my “to do” list. I put on my list a specific time to do nothing but seek the stillness and rest my soul longs for.

Where do you find your stillness? For some it is in art, in music or dance. For some it is in exercise or cooking. Usually, the stillness is found in a pastime or a place that you can go and not be bothered by the responsibilities of your day and instead can take pleasure in the simple moment that you are in. You can create, you can celebrate, you can dream or wonder and your soul soaks it up.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

An Unusual Home of the Soul

For some social media is a part of their community. For those who are not involved in it they wonder how there can possibly be bonds made. But there are. I have developed many very close friendships with people who live all over the globe, and most I have not met face to face. Yet, with time and ongoing conversation, sharing and celebrating we have grown closer and closer. It is human nature to have connection. It feeds our soul. It gives a place to lean into. It offers us a place to vent our frustrations, to be witnessed, to be honored and to give back. “We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been - a place half-remembered and half-envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us when we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free.” ~ Starhawk

A sense of community, a tribe or a group, whether it be in person or online, helps to satisfy this longing. There is a calling within our soul to unite, to share and to tell our stories. A trust begins to build within this place, this home for our soul, where we can step out in our brightness without feeling judged. It affords us the chance to see in others the pieces of ourselves that we are worried to reveal. This home for our soul gives us strength sometimes to face our fears. It gives us a place to go when we seek support and have a need to be heard with compassionate ears.

But as with any community it is important to bring with you integrity, honor and respect for those in the group and for yourself. The fastest way to bring pain or dis-ease to a tribe is for a member to forget the importance of this. When we are blessed with the golden gift of a community that our soul truly resonates with, we need to cherish it with an unwavering appreciation. We need to have a reverence for what it offers us and we must be sure to value it with the energies of our body, mind and soul.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

A Different Face of Power

When we act out of compassion, when we act with integrity, when we bring love to our acts and when we look with eyes of kindness we bring a beautiful essence into our life and the lives of others. People are often surprised that it takes far less effort and energy to walk in peace than to walk with negativity, anger or in conflict. We become more and more power filled when we adopt this graceful way of life. We see obstacles in a different life; challenges become lesson filled gifts, disagreements become opportunities to learn, and unsettledness blossoms a chance for growth. When we meet people on our path that wish to challenge this place of grace we reside in, it gives to us a chance to step even more fully in this powerful place of love and peace. We do not allow the other’s negativity to take away from us what we have learned to honor and cherish, instead we hold them in a position of kindness neither wavering in our intention nor needing to convince them of our perspective. Instead, we bring love to the moment; see the beauty of what is unfolding as a blessing to both, and walk away with what was given to us. It may be the gift of insight, or a lesson in humility, or a chance to be seen … but regardless, we can still stay in this place of refined power.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch ... of a smile ... a kind word ... a bit of sympathy ... a sincere compliment, or the smallest gesture of love, all things that could transform someone's life. ~ Leo Buscaglia

Imagine the energy of control that is often charged up when we meet confrontation, the power that is blocked when we face struggles, and the pain that is often contained in words, imagine all that dropping away as it is met with the power of love, kindness, compassion and beauty. We like to believe that strength is big, bold and mighty. Sometimes it is, but it is more often subtle, gentle and tender. When a person understands this facet of power, they become mightier than they ever imagined and everything becomes possible.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Release the Lies

Have you noticed that sometimes someone will say an unkind thing to you and it just rolls off your back? And yet there are those comments that sting like no other and we have a hard time recovering from them. Have you ever wondered why? “It is not insult from another that causes you pain. It is the part of your mind that agrees with the insult. Agree only with the truth about you, and you are free.” ― Alan Cohen Hmmm, so could that be it? Could it be that somewhere within us we have bought into the lie of the insult? Somehow we have given agreement? No wonder we cannot let it go. I often tell my clients that when they see someone that they admire it is because they can identify with a characteristic of that person that is mirroring back the very same characteristic that resides inside of them. SO if you see someone and you think, “She is so generous and kind.” You admire her and can relate to her because the generosity and kindness within you resonates! Your soul recognizes the alignment.

Let’s now flip that, when someone insults you and you own it, your soul recognizes that it is a lie and the pain and sting and hurt created is your soul’s attempt to get you to see the truth and reject this burden. By not owning the negativity of the comment and seeking to replace the lie with the truth, you are able to walk away free of the burden.

When we have cared well for our soul and met its needs, it serves us well. It helps us identify what is authentic to us. It helps us filter troubling messages. It aids us in living in the present and not getting trapped in baggage of yesterday or the worries of tomorrow. Our healthy soul brings clarity to our view.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade