The Way of the Heart -A way to relax your body, calm your mind and embrace your soul…inspired spiritual living with Jane Rosalea Brown, Author of In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation (Author name Jane Rosalea Booth) Meaford, Ontario
Aging and death always seem to be topics that we choose to avoid. In 2016, I took a course called ‘Conscious Aging” and I shared it with others. I realized that to have healthy and happy elder years that my ideas and thoughts about aging and death needed to change. I realized that just as when I was young, I needed to create happy moments in my life and accept what I can and cannot do. I had to look at what had value and meaning to me. I took these thoughts into my meditations and found deeper understanding.
Life is a gift, an experience, and a total wonder! I still have lots of questions about the universe and what’s it all about,, but I have learned one thing…love works. If things are not going well in my relationships, I know I have to love more fully…perhaps that is all I need to know. Love, love and more love…not always easy, but forgiveness and letting go of old baggage, love and compassion for myself and others works. Love shifts the energy around me and gratitude fills my heart.
Love these word from Sister Joan Chittister~
ADVICE FROM SISTER JOAN
“Why does the thought of getting older bother one? That is the sign that we are ready now for a whole new kind of life. We know that we have begun to move from one stage of life to another. The only thing we fail to realize is that it is up to us to create it…. It is the age of coming to understand what kind of person we have become over the years. It is the period in which we stop blaming others for who we are and decide who we want to be now. It is the time for determining what we really believe and why.
Now can begin to spend our lives on something beside ourselves… There is a great gift in teaching the generation after us not only how to live but also how to die… First, of course, we must have the courage to strike out, to refuse to quit prematurely, to develop the wisdom and live the values ourselves…”
From Sister Joan Chittister, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World
“I have become older and, cherishing what I have learned, I have become younger.“ ~ Mary Oliver ~
How beautiful we feel in the presence of love. Our spirits are lifted and the world becomes a gentler and more compassionate place. The beauty of love is that not a word has to be spoken.
When it is present, all who are in a space where love is shared have the opportunity to embrace it and to fill their hearts with it.
Then the cycle of love occurs as love flows out from those hearts who have received it and a new space is created where love continues to flow, to heal, to bring joy in infinite ways.
“Let us love since our heart is made of nothing else”
In 2004, I was ordained as a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking in the Beloved Community, by founder James Twyman. I spent two years studying about how to create peace through religions, indigenous cultures, philosophers and spiritual new age authors, holistic energy work and so on. At that time, I was going through personal challenges in my relationships at work and at home. The biggest thing I learned was that if I wanted peace, I had to create peace. I had to be peace. Gandhi said, ‘if you want change, be the change’ and his words now had deeper meaning to me.
I began to feel more peaceful through my mindfulness and heart love meditations, through forgiveness of myself and others, and saying ‘Yes’ to peace and really meaning it! I began to see people and situations in a new light. This wasn’t an instant cure for all my problems, but it did help me when my business partner left, my boyfriend left and in 2007, I had breast cancer. But during this time, I was feeling more and more peaceful and while I healed from cancer, this inner peace, a place of love within, sustained me. I healed from cancer and have been well. There was more happiness…my boyfriend became my loving husband and my business partner is still a dear friend! I wrote my book “In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation” and created Peaceful Way Women’s gatherings and met wonderful women who are still in my life today. Love and peace made this happen!
Choosing peace in your life may seem like an impossible task. It comes when you make an intention to be peaceful and calm when situations are difficult. It comes from knowing that ‘love is the answer’ to all problems. It comes from ‘seeing the beauty and blessings’ that nature provides for us each day. And feeling ‘a spiritual connection’, the great unknown mystery, an unexplainable loving feeling, that guides us to move more deeply into love and is always present.
Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun shall shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.
— Cheyenne Prayer
It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace and live in peace.
~Shenandoah Wisdom
May each of us, in our own way, create more peace in our lives each day.
Just saying the word “spring” warms my heart! It’s still cold here in Meaford,-6C with a strong north wind…brrr! But March 20/23 soon brings us the Vernal Equinox. It is the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator, making day and night approximately equal length all over the earth. It means our days will be warming and our earth will soon be ready for planting here in the Northern Hemisphere. And our season of Spring begins.
Today is a good time to give thanks for the past winter with its season of quiet hibernation, reflection, and snowflakes, each unique and beautiful. Together they provided the earth’s blanket. Thank you for the blessings of winter.
Now, we begin to feel our energies stirring and rising with our hope of warmer days, the return of birds, the birthing of animals, the spring rains, the green shoots pushing through the wet earth…quite a wondrous and magical event is our springtime. It’s an exciting time.
We all need this nourishment of spring birthing. I want to soak it up! Nature is a great teacher with each of its seasons. I especially love how spring shows us new life…renewal for us…after a cold winter. It lifts our hopes! We can plant new seeds, find new ways of being so we evolve in a peaceful way.
We need these loving energies of spring to heal through forgiveness and to return to love. So many dear hearts around the world are aching and need support…may we pray and send love to them. We pray for a return to peace in our world.
In a recent meditation I heard these words…
Be still – Know that you are loved
Be still – Feel the love within
Be still – Within the garden of love
Be still – Be the prayer of love
And a wee poem~
springtime
rest is over
new beginnings
The Vernal Equinox, March 20/23, reveals to us the balance of night and day. What a reminder to create balance in our lives! When we create an holistic balance of body-mind-spirit, light flows into our heart and it opens to bloom with the energies of springtime. We move into harmony with nature…
Step into the spring! How can you create more balance and harmony in your life? What ‘newness’ can you create for yourself and others to lift your energies, to birth a new idea, to enjoy the freshness of spring? Perhaps have fun writing a poem! It’s relaxing.
Now is the time to move from our outer world of beliefs and views to trusting our inner wisdom and intuition. As we meditate or pray, let us embark on a sacred journey that takes us within to discover and to embrace our truth…our soul self…our inner beauty and personal power…to experience an intimate relationship with all of creation.
Now is the time to begin each day with a heart of gratitude for all the gifts of abundance that we receive each day…the air, the water, the fire and the earth. Everything is presence. All is one with us. Be grateful for the beauty in nature, for all the plants, insects, animals, for visible and invisible beings, for all the people in our world, for the gift of life…that unfolds in beautiful ways when we join together in peace and harmony. Let us practice reciprocity by returning our love and caring for them.
May we hold deep gratitude in our hearts for the ‘Spirit’ that flows through us and all life…
In this way, our life becomes sacred and we evolve, create and love more deeply…
The Persian poet Hafiz says “Now is the time to know”
Now is the time to know That all that you do is sacred. Now, why not consider A lasting truce with yourself and God?
“Now is the time to understand That all your ideas of right and wrong Were just a child’s training wheels To be laid aside When you can finally live with veracity and love.
Now is the time for the world to know That every thought and action is sacred. That this is the time For you to compute the impossibility That there is anything But Grace.
Now is the season to know That everything you do Is Sacred”
Hafiz (1325 –1389) Persian Mystical Poet.
From the heart of sacredness within me, I greet the heart of sacredness within you.
Canadians are experiencing wintry days with less sunshine. I’m taking my Vitamin D and C daily! Still I feel less energetic during this time of the year. I am enjoying going for walks, reading, writing and watching movies! I love that I have time to relax and rest…a gift of retirement. But stressful events can still appear in all our lives, especially if you have a daily job, family, pets and friends who all want your attention. However, we can learn to reduce our stressful feelings. We don’t have to suffer from stress. We can release it and allow our bodies to feel relaxed and filled with positive energy.
Becoming aware of where stress settles in our body is important and learning to use our breath to relax really relieves stress and brings all the cells of our body into harmony. We often don’t think of ourselves as being trillions of cells working together, but as we move through a progressive relaxation practice, each of our cells will benefit by feeling calmer energy moving through us from our head to our toes! Once we feel relaxed, we can spend quiet moments in meditation. You can even practice this at work when you take a break!
Let’s begin!
Find a comfortable position, either lying down or sitting in a straight back chair, whichever feels best to you today. Take a few nice deep breaths, bringing your awareness fully into the present moment. Let go of any busy thoughts preventing you from tapping into your inner essence.
Take your awareness to your breath
Let your breath come and go as it will. Say…breathing in “I am” and breathing out “relaxed” As you do this breathing in and out your body will begin to relax. You will find with practice, your body will relax quickly when you say “I am…relaxed”. Our brain remembers it is time to relax!
Now become aware of the subtle movements in your body as you breathe in and breathe out. Breathing naturally noticing any physical sensations anywhere in your body. Try not to judge them, but just become aware of them as you move your awareness through your body. Simply scan your body…where do you feel tightness or pain?
As you scan your body, if you encounter tension anywhere simply use the power of your mind to melt it away, as easily as warm water melts ice. I like the word ‘dissolving”. Think of your discomfort or illness as ‘dissolving’ or melting away. Say “I allow my pain to dissolve”.
Progressive relaxation allows us to relax all our muscles, joints, organs…all our cells and we breath in and out…letting go of our tensions…
Starting at the top of your head, breath in…breath out…relax your scalp completely. Feel the skin of your forehead and temples relax. Allow your eye muscles to release, your jaw to soften, and let your ears, nose and chin, teeth tongue and gums relax. Now, just let this peaceful feeling flow down your neck. Feel it soothe your throat and dissolve any tension on contact as it glides down to your shoulders, upper arms, forearms, wrists and hands.
Let this peaceful sensation of relaxation begin to fill your torso. Feel it relax your chest, giving your heart more room to grow more expansive; more loving, giving and forgiving. Continue breathing in and out gently…Soften your belly muscles and let this relaxation penetrate even deeper, releasing any tension from your internal organs.
Now let it wrap around you, enveloping you in love and peace as it softens all the back muscles all the way down to the base of the your spine. Continue to breathe in deep, fluid breaths. Breathe in health, happiness and harmony, breathe out any tension, toxins, worries or disease, allowing anything that does not serve you to leave your body…dissolving away.
Send this peaceful feeling into your hips and buttocks. Let it glide down your thighs, relaxing your legs completely as it flows down to your knees, calves, ankles and feet. Allow any remaining tension from anywhere in your body to flow out your toes, leaving your whole body feeling very comfortable, peaceful and relaxed.
Continue to breathe deeply, relaxing breaths, feeling your belly rise on the inhale and fall on the exhale. Notice how the air feels cooler as you breathe in, and warmer as you breathe out.
Meditate…in silence to feel the love within
Now you may enjoy a few minutes in quiet meditation…your thoughts are quiet, your body is relaxed…allow yourself to simply enjoy a few minutes of peace…move your thoughts within to your heart and feel its gentle embrace…
When you are ready, breathing gently, open yours eyes and feeling refreshed, return to your day! Practice progressive relaxation everyday!
May the positive energy and love of the universe surround and flow through you!
Most of us want to have good relationships with others. We want to find a life partner, our soulmate; we want good working relationships; we want a happy family. However, creating harmonious relationships can be difficult at times. Whether we are in a working, volunteer or personal relationship, the challenge of ‘getting along’ with others is always present. Happiness may be our goal, but unfortunately it may seem like conflicts get more of our attention. Our relationships affect our everyday!
Through all my different relationships I experienced the power of love…the hurtful feelings of not being loved and the warm and compassionate feelings of being loved. The most important thing that I learned from difficult relationships was that I needed to get in touch with myself…to figure out who I was. Meditation was my “way” to knowing myself…to loving myself.
Taking time to meditate each day gave me an inner place to let go, to release my anxieties and feel the love within my heart. I just had to be still and feel it. Loving myself was not about being conceited and only thinking about what I wanted and not caring about others. I learned it was about being humble, to take time to delve into my true feelings and to have courage to open my heart to welcome loving relationships.
How are you really feeling…about yourself, your relationships…about your view of life? All our relationships help us to grow and to know ourselves and others better. What can you do today to create a more peaceful relationship with someone you love? How can you assist another to make their day brighter? How are you going to nurture yourself today?
Here are 10 few tips to assist you to create the relationships you desire:
v Focus on what you want in your relationship, rather than on what you do not want.
v Only say good things about your partner or friend.
v You cannot change another person, but you can transform yourself.
v When your heart truly opens to love, your ‘poor me’ feelings leave.
v Respect your partner’s right to choose what he/she wants to do.
v Enjoy time on your own to explore your creative side.
v Love yourself everyday and shine as brightly as you can.
v Embrace your personal power – you are in charge of how you feel and what you do in every moment.
v Forgive yourself and your partner … each day is a new beginning.
v Create a loving relationship where there are ‘spaces’ for each one to create, to love and to flow…
Love is the key in everything we experience…the more love…the more peace and happiness…the better friend you are to yourself and others…the better your relationships!
Learning to meditate is the best gift that I have given myself! It gives me a place, often a very sacred place, where I can think, feel my true feelings, and let go of my anxieties. Meditation gives me a place where I can face things about myself that I may not be willing to share with another.
What I love about meditation is its simplicity. I simply focus on my breath and allow my body and mind to relax. I often listen to soft music or go to a quiet place in my backyard to be in touch with nature. But most of the time, I just stretch out on my couch, close my eyes and allow my thoughts to soften and soon I am in a special place within my consciousness. I call it a sacred place as I always feel a divine connection…some presence that seems to be listening to me. And when I am relaxed and calm, I listen to my inner voice, my inner presence. I sometimes see images of places or people, animals, colours or shapes. I experience a feeling of relaxation, love and peace. Meditation is truly an unfolding of inner artistry…one just for me. Each of us has our creative power of visualization.
One of the first meditation/visualization I practiced is what I now call the ‘sacred rose’ but it was Dr. Robert Assagioli’s visualization that revealed the beauty of the unfolding rose…my Self…
EXERCISE ON THE BLOSSOMING OF A ROSE
Let us imagine looking at a rose. Let us visualize its stem and leaves with a bud closed.
This appears green because the sepals are closed, but at the very top a rose-colored point can be seen. Let us visualize this vividly, holding the image in the center of our consciousness … Now begins a slow movement; the sepals start to separate little by little, turning their points outward and revealing the rose-hued petals, which are still closed…The sepals continue to open…We can see the whole bud of a delicate rose color…The petals also slowly separate…until a perfect fully-opened rose is seen.
At this stage let us try to smell the perfume of the rose, inhaling its characteristic well known scent… so delicate, sweet, pleasant… Let us smell it with delight.
Let us identify ourselves with the rose itself; let us “introject” it into ourselves…Symbolically, we are a flower, a rose…The same life that animates the Universe and has created the miracle of the rose is producing in us a like, even greater miracle…the awakening and development of our spiritual being and that which radiates from it.
Through this exercise, we can effectively foster the inner flowering.
REFERENCES
ASSAGIOLI, R. Psychosynthesis; A Manual of Principles and Techniques. New York:
Hobbs, Dorman & Co., 1965.
I now have beautiful roses that bloom in my front garden…they smile and I love watching them ‘unfolding’…awakening. May your inner rose bloom in beauty and grace in your meditations.
The stress of the past Covid years certainly has affected all of us. But we can find ways to cope with anxiety and stress. “Reframing’ is one way that helps me reduce my stress and fears as I face new challenges as I age. It isn’t always easy to do! But with practice, it works! ‘Reframing” is a transformative practice that helps me lift my thoughts and spirits.
How to Reframe your conscious thoughts
When a negative thought about yourself or others comes into your mind, learn to let it go quickly and consciously replace it with a positive one. Now you have ‘reframed’ your view!
Become aware of what you are choosing to think about. Sometimes negative thoughts creep in and we don’t even realize they are affecting us! Those negative thoughts become what we think is true…and they are not! We can change, transform and evolve in new and healthier ways.
Life is challenging, and an infinite mystery…but we can find an opportunity to be more empowered, more conscious, by reframing our perspective and by making new choices. Take baby steps…and be gentle with yourself if you are feeling anxious or depressed. Taking time to change the way you think is a powerful way to heal! We can feel overwhelmed by stress and it can make us feel stuck.
When we are stressed, it tires us out! We feel drained, tired and daily chores or work can seem too much. This is why learning to be really conscious of our thoughts is so important. It can help us so our daily challenges don’t overwhelm us. Reframing your thoughts…even if you don’t believe it…your brain will think it is a new thought! “I can’t …” reframe to “I can…” whatever suits your situation. If you can manage to change, one thought…reframe it…let go of the negative thought. Try it for a few minutes…notice how your body begins to relax as it responds to a positive thought.
A new perspective
For example, I can look into the mirror and see an old lady with wrinkles on my face and think, “I look awful with those wrinkles”. Accepting how my body is changing can be difficult. However, I can ‘reframe” “Those wrinkles are ‘smile’ lines…and I have had lots of good things in my life to smile about!” Or sometimes I get discouraged when I tire easily…”I can’t garden anymore”. I reframe to think…”I will garden for 20 minutes and then take a break. Then after my break, “I will garden for 20 more minutes.” So it takes me longer to get things done, I am still gardening and loving being outdoors!
Reframe your daily routines
If you are a younger person you have different challenges…school, new jobs, relationships. Couples can be overwhelmed by work and caring for a family. Each age has its own problems and challenges to face. So finding coping ways to handle stress is important…taking time in nature…going for a walk or exercise…nutritious diet, listening to music, finding some quiet moments for meditation…nurturing and loving yourself is important. See yourself in a new, fresh ‘light’….shining brightly. It is possible! Reframe your daily life to bring more peace, love and comfort into it.
Some wise words
Many years ago, a wise person once said to me “Jane, you have the canvas, the brushes and the paint”…your life is yours to create. I didn’t want to hear this at the time…I was blaming myself and others and felt afraid and overwhelmed by so many things…but gradually, I reframed my thoughts about myself and my actions. I looked at the blank canvas, picked up the brush and began to paint my life…in a new way.
Meditation, a powerful aid in reframing
Meditation always helps me to relax, calm, focus and to open my heart. Self love is so healing and transformative. Take your new, reframed thoughts into your mediation, visualize the life you would like. Give thanks for your blessings and ask for spiritual guidance to assist you with your new views….and watch how your life unfolds in new and creative ways!
This is a holy weekend with Good Friday, Passover and Easter. We also have the sacredness of our full moon with her powerful energies bringing transformation. Powerful winds are blowing…winds of change. There is an uplifting energy that we can embrace!
It is a time of reflection, hope and renewal. As we reflect on our world, we see war and destruction but we also see strength and love of families. We see love and compassion, humanity caring for those in need. There is love spreading around the world in many ways.
Today is a holy day for Christians, Good Friday and for the Jewish faith, it is the beginning of Passover. Both faiths are about freedom, hope for a better life, renewal of community and faith in Spirit to guide us.
Whatever your belief or faith is, may we join together with open hearts…
May our hearts fill with gratitude…for our beloveds, our blessings, for life each day.
May we fill our heart with forgiveness…for all the tragic deaths past and present. May the grieving receive support, justice and love and healing.
May we find strength in our ‘faith’ and trust in a Universal love and light…a God/Goddess/Creator…whatever you believe…and align ourselves within our hearts with Spirit through prayer, meditation, sacred rituals, time in nature…soaking in the beauty of our Grandmother moon.
Spring shows us this hope and renewal with its new buds and flowers poking through the earth. Religions and sacred holy teachings also reveal light and love that is always present. In these sad and grieving times that we are all experiencing, we need this loving spiritual support. We need to support one another.
As our hearts open on these holy days, may our faith and light support us to move forward with courage to have new views or try something new…to walk a new pathway in shining light and love!
May our lives continue to grow and evolve in magical and wondrous ways,
A Peaceful Way Meditation 