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
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”
As I walked through the nearby woods on this snowy morning, I reflected on Hafiz’s words, written in the 14th century about aging.
The impermanence of the body should give us great clarity, deepening the wonder in our senses and eyes of this mysterious existence we share and are surely just traveling through. ~ Hafiz, Persian Poet , translator unknown
Hafiz’s words made me think of where I am on my ‘traveling through”. Soon I will be 77 years old. Yet, the wonder and mystery of life, a presence, still deepens within me. It still calls me to see the beauty of life, to be touched by the natural way, and to live with compassion for all beings. This presence wandered with me through the woods, as it does each day, as I reflected about the wonders of aging and the gifts that this time of life has to offer.
I realized that my “beliefs’ are melting away and like Hafiz, I feel like I am passing through…a story, my story, my creation…and what a journey it has been! Ups and downs…and in between! And I know I can keep creating, sharing and “being” my story in this present moment! I know I am captain of my journey but I am not alone…I am connected to all beings, to everything in the universe. Even as I age, my every thought and action affect everything else. So my life, as long as I am here, is important. And what I leave as a legacy is important too. What an empowering thought. Thank you Hafiz.
A Haiku from my morning walk inspired by Hafiz,
winter stillness
infinite spirit calls
deep within
By Jane Rosalea Brown
May we all move more deeply into our senses with clarity and wonder!
April 2022 – – a legacy offering from Rachael Freed – –
Legacy: Holding On and Letting Go
Welcome to our Guest, Rachael Freed of Life Legacies, Preserving Past and Present for the Future. I received a monthly newsletter from her April “Legacy Tools and Tips” that am sharing, with her kind permission. Thanks Rachael for sharing how to reflect and tips that will assist all!
April 2022– – a legacy offering from Rachael Freed –“Legacy Tools and Tips“
Reflection:
During these past few weeks, as the Minnesota winter hangs on, like Covid, isolating us indoors, I find I’ve been reading a lot, and so much of what I’ve read point to the new book I’ve committed to write. Topics such as holding on and letting go, the history of earlier pandemics, developing our strengths to weather constant change, hopeful thoughts about an end of the epidemic, and a new day coming.
Letting go and adapting to change has been a lifelong struggle for me, from letting go of papers from sixty-odd years of study and note-taking (thank goodness you can’t see my office), to years of struggle letting go of a long marriage and finding out who I was/am without a husband, to letting go of hurts and resentments from my early family life to make room for the promise of serenity, peace, gratitude, and compassion.
Let’s focus our reflection, journaling, and letter writing to holding on and letting go and ways that that dynamic has affected our lives, especially in the current pandemic; what we’ve learned from the experiences, and wisdom we can pass down to younger generations as we share our observations, experiences, and learning.
“According to Darwin’s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself.” – Leon C. Megginson
One way to reflect about letting go is to allow yourself the pleasure of examining your life and surroundings to see what you like and love, because those things may be hard to let go of, though perhaps not as difficult as painful memories and experiences.
Wislawa Zymborska, a Polish Nobel Prize winning poet, is one of my favorites because her ideas are so provocative, her words so precise yet lyrical too, and she had a sense of humor. As you read, consider how her preferences relate to yours. Here is her poem, “Possibilities”
“I prefer movies. I prefer cats. I prefer the oaks along the Warta. I prefer Dickens to Dostoyevsky. I prefer myself liking people to myself loving mankind. I prefer keeping a needle and thread on hand, just in case. I prefer the color green. I prefer not to maintain that reason is to blame for everything. I prefer exceptions. I prefer to leave early. I prefer talking to doctors about something else. I prefer the old fine-lined illustrations. I prefer the absurdity of writing poems to the absurdity of not writing poems. I prefer, where love’s concerned, nonspecific anniversaries that can be celebrated every day. I prefer moralists who promise me nothing. I prefer cunning kindness to the over-trustful kind. I prefer the earth in civvies. I prefer conquered to conquering countries. I prefer having some reservations. I prefer the hell of chaos to the hell of order. I prefer Grimms’ fairy tales to the newspapers’ front pages. I prefer leaves without flowers to flowers without leaves. I prefer dogs with uncropped tails. I prefer light eyes, since mine are dark. I prefer desk drawers. I prefer many things that I haven’t mentioned here to many things I’ve also left unsaid. I prefer zeroes on the loose to those lined up behind a cipher. I prefer the time of insects to the time of stars. I prefer to knock on wood. I prefer not to ask how much longer and when. I prefer keeping in mind even the possibility that existence has its own reason for being.”
Reflection, reading, and journaling are so useful before writing a legacy letter. They’re disciplines that help us make sense of our often contradictory thoughts. They help us discern what’s important and what’s not. All three stir our unconscious and loosen up memories that may have been hidden from our awareness, but perhaps are crucial to our beliefs and decisions today. And perhaps most important they encourage our maturing and becoming wise elders when the time comes. Here is a poem titled “Letting Go and Welcoming” [Welcoming seems a strange word but it foreshadows the dreams and wishes about what happens when we let go.] (Adapted from the book Prayer Seeds by Joyce Rupp)
“To let go of the idea that I am separate from the rest of creation. To welcome the vast opportunities to unite with my surroundings.
To let go of whatever keeps me indifferent to the suffering of others. To draw forth and act on the compassion stored within me.
To let go of inattentiveness to beauty dwelling around me. To welcome the joys and surprising wonders each day contains.
To let go of past grievances and tightly held hurts that I carry. To welcome and act on my ability to forgive and be healed.
To let go of aversion and avoidance of what is unwanted. To welcome people and events that disturb my comfort zone.
To let go of the pull of consumerism on my desires and values. To welcome simple living and the plenitude that is mine.
To let go of being imprisoned by stingy self-centeredness. To welcome the ways that life lures forth my ability to love.
To let go of what stalls or impedes my spiritual growth. To welcome quiet times to be with the Keeper of my Heart.
To let go of worry about things over which I have no control. To welcome a stronger trust in the belief that all shall be well.
To let go of the desire to have a perfect, undisturbed life. To welcome the taken-for-granted peacefulness I already have.
To let go of cherished ones who have departed this sphere of life. To welcome the steadfast love and good memories they left behind.
To let go of the old year’s troubles and unresolved burdens. To welcome the new year with hope and a sense of adventure.”
Taking Action:
1. Take some time to reflect and journal about ways in which you’ve held on and let go during the pandemic.
2. Take your time rereading Zymborska’s “Possibilities” and try writing a “Possibilities” poem in your journal. Feel free to consider Zymborska’s preferences to awaken your own if you get stuck. Have fun!
3. Reread “Letting Go and Welcoming” and then journal about how that poem affected you. Did it awaken ideas, feelings, memories, your own idealism about how you’d like to grow in the future.
4. If you learned anything about yourself or the times we’re living in, make that the core of your legacy letter to someone of a younger generation.
5.. Put your draft away at least overnight, (better two or three days) so that your unconscious can send you messages about additional things you want to add about holding on and letting go to your letter.
6.Conclude your legacy letter as always with a blessing to your loved ones in future generations.
7. Keep a copy for your own records of your learning and send copies to those with whom you wish to share this important reflection.
May this unexpected two years of Covid have given you gifts as well as painful and difficult things to deal with– Rachael Freed
Thank you Rachael,
Learning how to leave ‘legacy letters” is a great tool and a wonderful gift for your family and friends. Learn more by visiting: https://www.life-legacies.com
Enjoy your journal writing or writing a legacy letter or perhaps, some quiet meditative reflection…. Peacefully, Jane
Menopause is a transition for women that still doesn’t get a lot of attention. Menopause came on gradually for me. By 52 yrs I was experiencing hot flashes and mood swings and there was no doubt I was in menopause. My doctor’s answer was an estrogen hormone replacement therapy. Menopause was a huge initiation into my second half of life where I often felt a sense of loneliness and longing…
Dr. Angeles Arriens wrote a wonderful book called “The Second Half of Life” where life is a series of thresholds, each with a gate. You have an awareness that there is no way back to where you were before, and there is no where to go but to step through this threshold as the gate opens and experience an initiation into something new. Menopause is a threshold, a rite of passage, that we have no choice but to cross over its threshold, experience it and then decide where we will go.
It is easy for me as I look back to blame menopause for my relationship problems. But as years passed, I realized it had influenced my body’s changes and mood swings, but it also brought me an awareness of my heart and soul’s longing to discover my true Self. This awareness, this longing to be who I truly am was pushing me forward to transform. I knew I had to restore my confidence, renew my life in so many ways and to heal my broken heart. At the same time, I had two young children to care for and I hoped my choices would bring us a better life.
I began offering workshops for women to assist them to move through their transitions. Some were becoming young moms, others experiencing the ’empty nest’ and menopause and others were entering elderhood with all its challenges. I saw powerful women with great love and strength who were struggling to find happiness and peace in their lives. Many women were on some kind of threshold with their hand on a gate but not sure whether to open a gate and walk through it. A new gate can take us into a beautiful garden but often we have to move through darken times to find the garden gate.
So menopause can be quite a shocking experience. Along with dealing with hot flashes and mood swings, women suddenly realize they are getting older. In our western world, the thought of being old, being an ‘elder’, is the last thing people want. We are flooded with cosmetics, fitness and diet programs and fashions that all attempt to keep us looking younger. But who ever thinks an older woman has much to offer? Who honours the wisdom and knowledge that she carries? How are older women honoured besides being good babysitters (which I’m sure most grandmothers love to do)? So there is a sense of loss of importance from being a mother or an old worker in a business who seems to be not valued as much as before. This feeling of not being valued can leave some women in despair after menopause.
But I am happy to say that there is a shift in consciousness that is happening. Actually, it has been happening for many years, where women are connecting with one another and supporting one another through their transformations. I was fortunate. When I was 55yrs, I met Monica and we created The Golden Light Centre for Well-Being where our holistic theme was to see the connection between art-nature-spirit to help us evolve into our wholeness…our true self. We saw many women who were eager to embrace this idea of being creative, seeing the beauty in nature and ourselves and to deepen our connection to Spirit…to the great unknown that embraces and flows through all life. These women learned to meditate, to begin new jobs and to create more happiness in their families and communities.
My choice of work, working with women to open their heart’s awareness…feeling the deep love and embracing the love that is within their consciousness, has been so exciting. Menopause was not a pleasant experience for me but somehow it led me to discover more about myself, to follow my passion to work with women and to desire more peace and love in my life…and only I could do that for myself.
Clarissa Pinkols Estes wrote~
“Deep in the wintry parts of our minds, we are hardy stock and know there is no such thing as work-free transformation. We know that we will have to burn to the ground in one way or another, and then sit right in the ashes of who we once thought we were and go on from there.”
It is when we ‘go on from there’ that magical things happen in our lives. We surrender to the process, to the unfolding mystery, to a sense of a sacredness that can fill our lives if we allow it to be present. As we step across a new threshold in our fifties and go beyond menopause much lies ahead…new challenges, new opportunities…more of the unknown grace that guides.
And here I am approaching my 76th birthday still deepening, learning, wondering and in awe…and somewhere in my consciousness a small voice within still whispers ‘all is well’ and this thought brings deep peace in spite of discontents, protests and war. After menopause, after darkness, there is always light waiting to unfold…there is a beautiful beyond…it is ours to create.
On this November 11th, Remembrance Day in Canada, I am offering a ‘Candle Light Meditation’ as I remember and give thanks for the service of our Armed Forces and all those who died in past wars. Meditation helps me to move inward, reflect, feel deep gratitude in my heart…for all the sacrifices that were made for our freedoms…
A Candlelight Meditation
One of the most relaxing things I do before meditating is to light a candle. It is a small ritual that begins my meditative time and it helps me to relax, reflect and pray. I like to watch the flame flicker and bend but sometimes it is still and calm and I love its brilliant stillness. I like to be alone at this time and allow my eyes to focus on the flame and enjoy its presence
. The candlelight sets the tone and assists me to feel the sacredness of my space. This light becomes a symbol for my Divine light within and around me, the ever flowing universal energy of our Source. I allow myself to feel the love that is always presence in each moment. As I begin to feel its presence, I give deep gratitude for each experience in my life and take time to reflect on happy memories. Memories of sadness or regrets, I acknowledge but I do not dwell there…I let them go. I focus on my breathing in and out and my mind and body becomes relaxed.
Then, I feel my eyes closing and I begin to enter a deeper place of consciousness where there is a wondrous connection with Spirit. In this conscious space, I know I am safe, protected and loved in each moment. I stay in my sacred inner sanctuary until I feel it is time to return to my room feeling relaxed and peaceful. As I open my eyes, my small candle is still burning and I often sit for a few more minutes in silence and then gently blow it out to close my ritual. I continue my day with more courage and peace and a sense that I am never alone.
On this Remembrance Day November 11, 2021, may we dedicate our lives to bringing more peace and love into the world. May we never forget those who gave their lives so others may live in freedom. May our hearts open to have compassion, understanding and tolerance so we may all live and work together in a loving, peaceful way…
Peacefully, Jane
Jane Rosalea Brown, BA, CSW,
A Peaceful Way ~ Creative Spirituality for Well-Being
Author, In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation
After weeks of listening to Canadian politicians and reports on Covid 19, I welcome the Autumn Equinox that reminds me of ‘balance’ as this day has equal length of day and night. The word ‘balance’ was a key wellness word that many healers used about 20 years ago. I think it is perfect for today’s world where we are seeing so much ‘unbalance’ and extremes. Coming back into balance means coming into our heart space where love dwells and into our core energy that grounds and roots us to our beautiful earth. From our heart we can balance our thoughts in our mind that tend to take us into our fears and anxieties, and return us to healthy, kind thoughts and compassionate living. From our core, we find our courage, strength and creativity to help us transform our lives.
The fall is always a time of transformation with the falling leaves showing us that we must also prepare for cold days ahead. We see our farmers working hard to harvest their crops. They too remind us that we must prepare for days that are shorter and colder. Now is the perfect time to think about how you can bring more balance into your life…work, play, nurturing time, spiritual time with meditation. It is a time to move deeply within and tap into your heart’s guidance…to guide you in a ‘balanced’ way.
I love the poetry of Mary Oliver who had a wonderful way of connecting everyday life with her love of nature and weaving her spiritual thoughts through her words to bring ‘balance’ in her life. This poem resonates with me on this Fall Equinox, 2021…
“What Can I Say” – Mary Oliver
What can I say that I have not said before? So I’ll say it again. The leaf has a song in it. Stone is the face of patience. Inside the river there is an unfinishable story and you are somewhere in it and it will never end until all ends.
Take your busy heart to the art museum and the chamber of commerce but take it also to the forest. The song you heard singing in the leaf when you were a child is singing still. I am of years lived, so far, seventy-four, and the leaf is singing still.
~ “What Can I Say” from Swan by Mary Oliver ~
Let’s take time to listen to a ‘leaf singing’ its song! Find some quiet time for reflection, listening to the songs of nature. Enjoy the unfolding beauty of fall…
Peacefully, Jane
Jane Rosalea Brown, BA, CSW,
A Peaceful Way ~ Creative Spirituality for Well-Being
Author, In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation
Attar was one of the Attar 1119 -1220 most ancient and highly revered poets of Persia. He inspired later Sufi poets, such as Rumi and Hafiz
Intoxicated by the Wine of Love.
From each a mystic silence Love demands.
What do all seek so earnestly? ‘Tis Love.
What do they whisper to each other? Love.
Love is the subject of their inmost thoughts.
In Love no longer ‘thou’ and ‘I’ exist,
For Self has passed away in the Beloved.
Now will I draw aside the veil from Love,
And in the temple of mine inmost soul,
Behold the Friend; Incomparable Love.
He who would know the secret of both worlds,
Will find the secret of them both, is Love.
“One kind word can warm three winter months.” – Japanese proverb
Loving kindness Meditation Blessings
Meditate any way you choose for a few minutes. Then repeat these blessings first for yourself, then for your loved ones, then for those you are in conflict with, and then for the world. I like to imagine the star of light from the exercise above expanding into a circle of light into which I call those to be blessed by name, imagining them as fully as possible.
May I be at peace, May my heart remain open,
May I awaken to the light of my own true nature,
May I be healed, May I be a source of healing for all beings.
See a circle of Divine Light. Invite your loved ones into it, calling them by name. See them in as much detail as possible, imagining the loving light shining down on them and washing through them, revealing the light within their own hearts. Then bless them:
May you be at peace, May your heart remain open,
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature,
May you be healed, May you be a source of healing for all beings.
Next, think of those people who you hold in judgment, and to whom you are ready to begin extending forgiveness. Place them in a circle of light, and see the light washing away all their negativity, just as it did for you and your loved ones. Bless them:
May you be at peace, May your heart remain open,
May you awaken to the light of your own true nature,
May you be healed, May you be a source of healing for all beings.
See our beautiful planet as it appears from outer space, a delicate jewel hanging in the starry vastness. Imagine the earth surrounded by light- the green continents, the blue waters, the white polar caps. The two-legged and four-legged, the fish that swim, the birds that fly, those that creep and crawl. Earth is a place of opposites. Day and night, good and evil, up and down, male and female. Be spacious enough to hold it all as you offer these blessings:
May there be peace on earth, May the hearts of all people be open to themselves and to each other, May all people awaken to the light of their own true nature, May all creation
be blessed and be a blessing to All That Is.
Meditation author unknown.
Peace and kindness to warm these winter days,
Jane
Jane Rosalea Booth Robertson, BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master an experienced holistic workshop facilitator, promotes seeing the connection of nature, art and heart centered spirituality for inner peace and spiritual self-mastery. Jane is a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking, a Certified USUI Reiki Master, and creator of Peaceful Path Women’s Workshops and Retreats
Francene Hart’s painting ‘Receiving’ reminds us of the importance of being open to receive the gifts and healing of the universe. Sometimes we are so busy ‘giving’ of ourselves in many ways each day, we forget to be calm, open our hearts, listen and feel the love within and receive with gratitude. Some call this centering or going into our core, or being fully in the present moment. We all need to become aware of the healing light and gifts that are presented to us each day – from nature, from loved ones, from pets, from co-workers and even strangers.
So take a nice breath in and out. Close your eyes. Focus on the breathing…in and out. Feel yourself calming. Take you awareness to your heart. Open to receive these gifts…meditate for a few minutes …and then share the love you feel within.
Jane Rosalea Booth Robertson, BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master an experienced holistic workshop facilitator, promotes seeing the connection of nature, art and heart centered spirituality for inner peace and spiritual self-mastery. Jane is a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking, a Certified USUI Reiki Master, and creator of Peaceful Path Women’s Workshops and Retreats
Explore your inner knowing to discover the ‘secrets of the world’ through daily meditation. You will be amazed by what is revealed to you when you relax, quiet your mind and listen to your heart. A wise person once said to me that I already have all the tools…the canvas, the paint and the brushes…to create the world I want.
We also have all the ‘secrets’ within to allow our true being to evolve into a loving, creative and peaceful person. The world needs each of us to make this transformation. Allow the wisdom you hear, see or feel during your meditations to assist you in your daily life.
Bring your wisdom and light into the world…don’t keep is a ‘secret’ any longer.
Jane Rosalea Booth Robertson, BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master an experienced holistic workshop facilitator, promotes seeing the connection of nature, art and heart centered spirituality for inner peace and spiritual self-mastery. Jane is a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking, a Certified USUI Reiki Master, and creator of Peaceful Path Women’s Workshops and Retreats
A Peaceful Way Meditation 