Meditation Practice

Meditation is something that does take practice.  Taking time each day to silence the mind.  To shut out all of the external and internal noice.  The internal noice is the loudest when all external noise is quieted.  That internal dialogue ..how do we quiet the noise??

Truthfully, you don't.  The more you resist the more it persists.  Don't resist those thoughts as they will take you into your quiet.  Notice the pause between thoughts.  The silence before the next thought is born within you. Ahhh..peace for a moment, then chatter,chatter,chatter.

If there is a way to silence the chatter, I have not found it in the many years of my practice.
 I have learned to put a harness on my thoughts so I can slow them down.
With the outward breathe I release those thoughts .  With the inward breathe, I breathe in peace.

Sometimes, I confess that I feel anxious focusing too much on the breathe and at those times I open my eyes and focus on something within my view that has some essence of beauty for me and focus my attention there.
 Slowing down my thoughts. I know at this moment in time there is nothing else.  A deep breathe and soon peace follows.
My mind , my actions are not needed right now.
The simple present moment is all there is..sometimes I just step outside for a few moments .a deep breathe and I guess others have called it ..gathering my thoughts together.  Thoughts are very much like seeds that we scatter so be careful where your mind may lead you. For just as the tongue is hard to control so are our thoughts.  What goes into our minds does shape who we are.
My challenge to you this week is be mindful of what you read, listen to, focus your attention on.  What could you choose differently?

Falling Debris!!

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!  I was reading a bit more about the satellite that is falling from the sky this week on Spaceweather.com.  Very interesting times we live in!
Who knew as a child when Chicken Little  was just to remind us not to be listening to doom and gloom!
Now, the real news is  warning us that Yes, at the end of the week watch out!!  The sky WILL be falling.

Isn't that how life is though?  Those unexpected events with little warning flying out of the sky at us!
Of course, when those out of the blue events are blessings they are a welcomed relief!
Yet, when it is falling debris who can help but wonder about random events.

My wish is that more random wonderful events cross your skies today!
Yes, on occasion we will have that falling debris that messes things up but better yet to look to the skies for that falling love, kindness and friendship that just happens out of the blue!
As ole Willie sings in the back ground .."Blue skies, smilin' at me, nothing but blue skies do I see"

Drought

We have been living in a drought for a very long time here in Roswell.  I feel as if my soul has been living in a drought also~
Last April was the last time that I have blogged and I am so sorry for the delay.

When one is living in a drought it is hard to have anything grow in your life.  To have no rain..no moisture to calm and soothe the soil/soul.  The ground gets hard and tough.  New growth struggles in the heat.  I feel as if the heat is never ending.  Hot and dry on the outside...Hot and dry on the inside.  Waiting..waiting for the rain..waiting for relief from the grief ..waiting for that cooler day where the light is not so intense.
Just this afternoon..there is thunder..a reminder that rain is possible that I will not just dry up and blow away.  There is relief.  Yes, relief after a fire filled summer.  Cool rain on my window pane/pain.

Weariness subsides as the cool mist comes closer and closer..Sweet Rain cleanse my soul...cleanse my pain..tomorrow will come again and again but will the rain?

The Labyrinth

"To walk a sacred path is to discover our inner sacred space:  that core of feeling that is waiting to have life breathed back into it through symbols, archetypal forms like the labyrinth, rituals, stories and myths.  Understanding the invisible world, the world of patterns and process, opens us up to the movement of Spirit."
Dr. Lauren Artress, Walking the Sacred Path

When we are born, we begin Walking the Sacred Path.
We are born and at certain moments in Life we are Born Again.
There are Mystical Experiences that throw us into the birth canal of life and we are reborn.  Leaving that life that we knew into a whole new way of viewing ourselves and the world around us.  We can fight it, resist seeing what is before us.
Eventually,we are to continue on our Sacred Path. 

I was blessed with time to go to Santa Fe recently. I was surprised to find a Labyrinth laid in stone in front of St. Frances Cathedral.  It is exactly laid out like the one in the picture above which is a copy of the Labyrinth at  Chartres Cathedral  in France.

Beginning my walk, I set an intention through prayer and began my journey.
It is always easy to begin but then there are twists and turns and it seems I might have lost my way.
Surely, I should be at the center by now.  Yet, I keep the faith and  follow the path before me.
Suspending my judgements and recognizing that the same thing happens in my own life when I am not getting the results as quickly as I had hoped.
When I see that in my ordinary life, I think, "Shouldn't I be further along??"
As I  keep walking the Center appears. 
It is representative of reaching the Divine.  The Deepest level of knowing  appears!
Centering the self and connecting with that which is Greater.
Divine Love!
The Rose..The flower of blossoming Divine Love, Wisdom and Grace.
The Path leads to our own Spiritual Opening.
A humbling experience for me.
Reminding me that there is a greater plan to my own personal journey.  It is a vital path that I and all other pilgrims are compelled to travel.
Time in the Center to reach a new balance within.
Then it is time to take that experience and begin that journey outward.
To return to my "normal" life.  I turn and begin the outward journey.  Somehow I am more anxious as I walk out.  I seem to feel an urgency to finish this walk.
Have I messed up?
Will I never get out of here?
Did I take a wrong turn?
All things that we face after we have encountered a Mystical Experience with the Divine.
That was nice and all but I have to get back now to my "real" life.
Then, I am reminded that it is all a Divine Experience.
I should not rush getting back to my "real" life because the journey IS my "real" life.
A Pilgrimage.
This particular walk, I walked alone. 

Minus Twelve Degrees!!!

Wow, what a cold spell here in Alienville!
  I am just now able to see  how much damage was done to the plant life from the Minus Twelve Degrees we experienced last week.
Looks as if my Honeysuckle around the property has died and I am wondering about my roses?
  The rosemary bushes don't look too good either.
There will be a lot of pruning this spring and then we will know.
Around town I have seen beautiful cactus just wilted to the ground and also those big century plants hit pretty hard.
So much for global warming.
There is still a coldness in the air today but like the land of enchantment that it is...by Sunday we should be back up to seventy...hard to believe..but after the coldest of days ..warmth does come.

Peace

We all share one thing in common.
Search for Peace.
Those quiet moments in the evening surrounded by friends and there is a quiet knowing that all is well.
"It is well with my soul."
When suddenly circumstances in life throw a curve ball and those which we thought would always be there are suddenly gone. 
Unfortunately too..we all experence another common thing..Sorrow...Sorrow because the time of being near is gone now.
Yet, there is a quiet knowing too, that all is still well.

"When peace, like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well,
It is well with my soul"

Peace to all of my friends today.

Dale, Peace to you, my friend.

Beauty...

The Winter Wonder Land of the West is not found in crystal snow but in  warm, sunny days with a few clouds crossing a blue, blue sky!
  The trees now just skeletons against that blue sky.
Skeletons dancing in the wind free now of all that has held onto them.
  Free of all encumbrances.
Able now to send the energy down.
Down into Mother Earth so that they can grow taller and stronger in the Spring.
We also need this time to shed all that has encumbered us in the last season and strip down to what is essential to our own growth.
To send our spiritual roots deep down into Mother Earth to comfort us and strengthen us for the newness that will come with the New Year.
I would like to share a Navajo Prayer with you to remind you to see the beauty of life and particularly your own beauty that you share with the world.
Thank you family & friends for sharing your beauty with me!

Walking in Beauty
In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again
Today I will walk out, today everything negative will leave me
I will be as I was before, I will have a cool breeze over my body.
I will have a light body, I will be happy forever, nothing will hinder me.
I walk with beauty before me. I walk with beauty behind me.
I walk with beauty below me. I walk with beauty above me.
I walk with beauty around me. My words will be beautiful.
In beauty all day long may I walk.
Through the returning seasons, may I walk.
On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.
With dew about my feet, may I walk.
With beauty before me may I walk.
With beauty behind me may I walk.
With beauty below me may I walk.
With beauty above me may I walk.
With beauty all around me may I walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.
My words will be beautiful.

Season of Light

Christmas time is here once again!  This is my little tree that I put up a few weeks ago.  It has been such a
 long time since I have had a tree in the house.
I had forgotten the warmth and beauty that the Christmas tree
provides.  A reminder of the tree of life that supports us and moves us forward in life.

At this time we are reminded of the best in people.
A Spirit of Good Will. Unfortunately, the light shining in the darkness also reminds me of how Dark it really can be.
  What would the evening sky be like without all those tiny little sparkles reminding us that even in Darkness
 there is Light?   Our souls can sometimes be filled with such darkness but it is amazing when there sparkles a little star within us. Maybe it is a smile from a stranger or a hug from a long lost friend or simply opening a book and reading something truly inspiring.

   The other evening I was sitting by my little pot belly stove gazing at my Christmas tree and picked up an old book of poetry that I haven't touched in aeon's!
What a blessing to read old familiar words and maybe that is what is so comforting about having a Christmas Tree. It is old and familiar.
When there is so much change happening so quickly it is nice to be surrounded by the old and familiar.

I have sent off a few Christmas Cards and today it is cold and cloudy.  Feeling more and more like Christmas all the time.  As usual there is the hustle of shopping but this year I am not so much concerned with finding that perfect gift but finding my own perfect attitude to what and why I am giving this year. 
Birthing within myself that simplicity of a child-like attitude of Acceptance of what will be.
Not understanding or knowing what the future may bring but a Divine Grace that whatever it may be that
Love will be my Star that leads me to true Peace.

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.........Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Glory to You..

This morning as I was contemplating Thanksgiving in the quiet morning hours I was drawn to read some Poetry and thought it would be nice to find something inspiring to share with you about Thanksgiving.  This Prayer inspired me and I hope that it will bless you too!

Glory to You!

O Lord, how lovely it is to be your guest.
 Breeze full of scents, mountains reaching to the skies,
 Waters like a boundless mirror,
Reflecting the sun's golden rays and the scudding clouds
All nature murmurs mysteriously, breathing depths of tenderness.
Birds and beasts of the forest bear the imprint of your love.
Blessed are you, mother earth, in your floating loveliness,
 Which wakens our yearning for happiness
that will last forever in the land where,
amid beauty that grows not old, Rings out the cry:
Alleluia!

What sort of praises can I give you?
I have never heard the song of the cherubim,
A joy reserved for the spirits above
but I know the praises that nature sings to you.
In winter, I have beheld how silently in the moonlight the whole earth offers you prayer, clad in its white mantle of snow, sparkling like diamonds.
I have seen how the rising sun rejoices in you,
how the song of the birds is a chorus of praise to you.
I have heard the mysterious mutterings of the forests about you,
and the winds winging your praise as they stir the waters.
I have understood how the choirs of stars proclaim your glory as they move forever in the depths of infinite space.
You have brought me into life as if into an enchanted paradise.
We have seen the sky like a chalice of deepest blue,
Where in the heights the birds are singing.
We have listened to the soothing murmur of the forest
And the melodious music of the streams.
We have tasted fruit of fine flavor and sweet-scented honey.
We can live very well on your earth.
It is a pleasure to be your guest.

Glory to you for the feast-day of life.

Glory to you for the perfume of lilies and roses.

Glory to you for each different taste of berry and fruit.

Glory to you for the sparkling silver of early morning dew.

Glory to you for the joy of dawn's awakening.

Glory to you for the new life each day brings.

Glory to you O God, from age to age.

Gregory Petrov

Turning over a new leaf....

With this Fall weather has come a desire within me to "turn over a new leaf". 
Yesterday, I took another large load to the Good Will.  Cleaning out closets, going through old papers and continuing to release the past.  It is strange how there is this tear within me.  Wanting to hold on yet knowing just like the trees surrounding me..it is a time to let go.  Let go of those leaves.  Sweeping out the past in preparation to hibernate for the winter.  Winter being a time of going within.  Time to dream.  Reflecting and lying dormant.  Quiet.  Listening.. Making time to listen within to that still small voice that is calling to us for more in life.  More love, more laughter.  More recognition of the preciousness of each day. 
As the trees, let go of their leaves, the view changes for me.  There is more sky to see.  Clarity seems to flow more easily through the breeze.  I have to admit though that I am not much of a fan of the holidays but that too I am turning over a new leave.  This year, after many , many years I am going to put up a Christmas tree.  All new lights and ornaments.  A new beginning and opening myself up to more beauty. 
Now, that I have cleared more things out of my little home, I have more space for new love, new friends, new opportunities.  "They" say that change one thing in your life and everything in your life will change.  I hope so!
I know that circumstances are fickle..but family, friends, Love and God are not!!
Yep, I am turning over a new leaf.  

Fear & Anxiety

Halloween is almost here.  Everywhere you turn on TV there is a spooky movie on..even at the movie theatres!
There seems to be a need to face our deepest fears and the darkness in our lives.  If we see it on the screen maybe we don't have to live it in our lives!
I have been at the point in my life that I only want Drama on the Big Screen ..I don't want to live with it day in and day out but we do live in a world with high anxiety.  Even right here in Roswell.

 There is an anxiousness sometimes that seems to invade the whole world.
It is  difficult to shut out  and take a deep breath and know that this too will pass.

As day follows night so too our world shifts and changes.
There is always something in life to be anxious about.
I wonder if worrying and anxiety become a habit of responding to the world?
We hear so much information  and it is almost as if the world feeds off of our fear.
Fear controls.
So, how do we stand up ..turn around and fight this terrible thing?
Faith maybe?
Faith that there is a bigger plan to it all?
Faith that God will give us the strength to handle what ever setback may come.
Faith is believing without seeing.
Faith is waiting...
Faith is a gift!
Hold on to your Faith..whatever it may be..
Be strong and know that better times are ahead!!

Looking out the window..

Looking out the window this morning on this Monday morning I am reminded of all the beauty in the world.

 We now begin to transition into what I think of as Snuggle Season.  Colder nights call us to snuggle in warmth in our homes.  Safe from the troubles of the world.  Sipping on something warm and glancing back at the year and how it unfolded before us.
  It is a time to be Thankful for the fruition of the things that we planted in our life and to notice the abundance and beauty that is before us today!
Taking a moment of Gratitude helps us realign ourselves in the Scheme of life.

In Roswell, after the Parade & SENM Fair it seems as life in town settles down a bit.  It is quieter.  Kids are settled into school and there is a rhythm that is soothing to my soul.  We all need this time..this quiet time to re-evaluate ourselves and life.
  Pumpkins have been hauled in by the truckload.  Time to search in the big skies for the Big Pumpkin!  Oops..or is that a UFO???  All things to ponder..Today, though, wherever you are..I hope you find a little beauty within yourself and your world...

Turn, Turn, Turn

There is a season...as the song goes, so goes life!
I can't believe where this month has gone.  I have completed a few home projects and this weekend I finished a 1000 piece puzzle that was given to me for my birthday this year.  Not that it took me 5 months to finish it but it seems like it.  It is a nature scene of two hummingbirds swarming a trumpet vine.  Very pretty and now completed.
I have had a few friends comment that I should glue it & frame it. When I say "No, I don't want to do that"..then the next is "Well, what are you going to do with it"  I tell them.."Tear it apart and put it back in the box and pass it on"  They have looked at me in horror with all the time I have spent working on it.  I laugh.

Many years ago, I went to a Mandala workshop where I was honored to meet my teacher Judith Cornell.     It was a week long class and on one particular day we went to class at 8am.  We were instructed to take a vow of silence for the day.  Set an intention of something that we were ready to release and then ask the Divine for a symbol to draw as a Mandala and work on it all day till about 4 in the afternoon.  We were to pour our heart and soul into the drawing and then we would do a releasing ceremony at the end of the day.

Now, I can't remember what my intention was but I do remember pouring all of my energy into the drawing and also how hard it was for me to keep my big mouth shut..hahaa.
Well, the ceremony was held outside where we were instructed to say a prayer of release and burn the drawing we had worked so hard on all day.  Wow.  What a lesson on attachment.
I had only worked one day on that drawing and the first thought of panic was incredible.  Makes me think how much longer I spend on whatever difficulty I want to release!
I have to confess that I wasn't one of the first that volunteered to burn my drawing.  Some even refused!  They did not want to let go.  But isn't that how it is in life.  With whatever we have invested so much time and effort to ...it is hard to accept that it is time to Let It Go...
So, I will wait a few days, maybe even a week and then I will pull the puzzle apart and Let It Go...

Non-attachment does not mean a lack of love ..it just makes one aware of the impermanence of everything in life.  The more you hold on, the harder it is to move forward and accept the next puzzle of life!

***Blessed be My Teacher and Friend, Judith Cornell who passed to the next life this past May.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and and profound vision with us all.  I am forever grateful for your presence in my life!***

New Point of View

I went out to Wally World (Walmart) to pick up some more primer for my painting project and I was surprised to see that there was a new paint job on our Walmart! 

The Alien murals have been wiped clean. 

I found myself  rather nostalgic.  It feels as if an Era has ended.  Now, we are like the rest of America.  Boring Walmart.  No snazzy Aliens grace our walls anymore.  Not to fear..I can just head on down to Main street and I am sure I can find a few! 

Funny, how subtle changes can create new energy to see things differently in our lives.  Sometimes, without our even realizing it, we have changed our point of view.  Maybe, we have slept on a new perception..and suddenly in conversation we realize we have a different take on something that we thought we had a handle on before.

How does that happen?

  How does change happen?

  I know that most of the time it takes a concerted effort to make changes in life. Yet ,there are those changes that maybe we aren't  aware of till much later down the road. 

In circumspect, we look back and the path we are on took a little turn that we didn't notice..maybe because we were so busy navigating.  Then suddenly,  we find ourselves on a new horizon.

  A different view in front of us. 

Storms...

Often times, storms can pop up unexpectedly in life. 
 The other night a jolt of lightening & thunder unexpectedly threw me out of bed!
 The dog & cat close to follow as I went to see the storm!
 What a storm it was!

  It brought much needed rain to our little "Alien" town.  When the sun rose the grass seemed so much more green and the sky so much more blue!  Cleansing away all the muck and mire.  Maybe that is what storms are supposed to do in our interior world...When a storm comes into our lives though it is very frightening and it may destroy some things precious in our lives.  It does wash away the dirt or it makes us get out the mop that we have not used in a while and clean it up!  Storms force us to deal with situations.  The light has flashed and afterwards we must take action.  We must clean up!  So..in the next few days, I am cleaning up around my property.  Raking, picking up debris and things will be better!

Staying Busy...

Sometimes, when life throws you a curve ball the best you can do is stay busy and not get muddled in all the mess.  I have been busy with projects around the house this summer which has helped keep me from being too muddled.  Projects whether it is cleaning, focusing on a new health regime or just spending time getting refocused on what truly is important in life seems to be the right thing  for me to do now.

Life is changing and adjustments need to be made.  I have been constantly reminded to appreciate the day!  Maybe that is just a product of becoming more "Mature"!  (Don't want to say  the "O" word..nooooo..not Oprah or Obama....) 

So, I wake up in the morning to prayers for my family and friends.   Many are having so much happen in their lives.   I have to believe that there is a Bigger Hand at play and appreciate the moments of Peace and Safety.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit in the park with some long time High School friends.  We did not have very much time but sitting down together to share a laugh and a glance made me feel safe in a way that I can't really explain. It was comforting being there together.
Here we all are...life has swirled around us but the core of who we are is the same!

It reminds me of how I feel when I take a drive out West of town and see the Capitan mountain.
It is there strong and steady.  Always there though some days the atmosphere is so odd that it seems so  distant.  Other days it is as if I could reach out and touch it...Much like God
Selah

Raise Your Hands...

Ok, Everyone!
Raise your hands...Astrologically we are reaching the Apex of Energy this weekend with the Solar Eclipse.
  Everyone, in the astrological community has been waiting for this moment for many years.  On Sunday, July 11th there will occur a Solar Eclipse and Grand Cross.
If you are interested in the specifics please google it and you will see more info than you can imagine.  I will condense it down, to the basics! 

No, the sky isn't falling but riding on this Roller Coaster it sure may feel like it on an emotional level.  But, when your world is turned upside down either by internal or external circumstances remember to look for the blessing!
  My cousin this past weekend reminded me of this.  She has gone through a heck of alot in the last three months!  When we were visiting, she reminded me of always looking for the blessing in dire circumstances..the blessing is there...we just may have to look for it!!!

Whatever circumstance you find yourself in, know that in many ways it is fated..meaning that there is no way to avoid the lesson.
 You can run but you can't hide.

So, time to pull yourself together, tighten up your seatbelt..accept the path that you have chosen and been  given in life!
Pray for Grace to carry you through and accept the responsiblity that the Divine has assigned you this go around.

Be grounded in Truth!
Be true to God.
Be true to yourself.
Be true to other people!
Raise your hands now!!!!
Wheeeeeee!!!!

Alien Madness!

 

Alien Madness has begun!

Last night in our fair city was the Opening Ceremony of the Alien Festival here in Roswell!  We have been having the remnants of Hurricane Alex which may put a damper on the fun.  My childhood memories of the 4th of July were of rain though.  In fact, in 1947, it was a lightening storm that brought down this UFO right outside of Roswell or at least that is how the story goes.

If you have never been to Roswell for the festival you must put it on your list of things to do...It is silly and fun!

I am glad that this year there will be a reprieve from the heat and hope that everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July from what ever planet you are from!

The First Day of Summer!

Happy Solstice!  Today is the longest day of the Year!  There is plenty of Sunshine in Roswell today.  Maybe, a cloud or two floating around just to tease us!  Sunshine smiles are around town.  Roswell is gearing  up for the Alien Festival around the 4th though this year there have been some miscommunication about how supportive the City is with the Alien Festival.  All in All I am sure there will be crazy fun to be had with strange aliens coming from all around to celebrate the possibility that there is life beyond little ole earth!  Summertime and the living is easy!  Let new beginnings ripen in your life like the Peaches on my Dad's tree.  The time is ripe!   The past you have sown seed and now it is  come to fruition!  That which you have put in motion is going full steam ahead!  With graduations, new jobs, new homes, comes new experiences!

 Cut  the dead wood  out of your life...get rid of those weeds and enjoy the fruits of your labor! 

Wow!  What a ride of Emotion this week!  I don't know about you but this energy has been intense.
  I have heard Happy & Sad Surprising news.  I am hoping that things will calm down this next week.  Adjustments will be made from all of the Truths that have been revealed!
Truth will set you Free.
Yet, truth can be like a big glass of water thrown in your face to wake you up! 
Change..maybe change that you have been wishing for is here now.  Time to adapt and see the road not taken and burn the bridges behind you! 
With this energy ..the universe is pushing the envelope for change..whether it is in your relationships, health...living or working environment.
Something is giving! 
Love is giving you a new opportunity to step out into the unknown.
Excitement, Challenge, but just remember we are tethered together as we ascend this next summit.
Be strong..Hold on!  Scream if you must and let's enjoy the ride~~~~~