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”
“The amazing thing about the human soul and the human spirit is it is never in a state of non-experience. There is something going on all the time. Even when you are sleeping. There are rivers of dream-thought flowing through the earth of your body, bringing up all types of mythic, archetypal stuff, some of which belongs to you, a lot of which belongs to the clay and a lot of which belongs to the race… So in old age, time slows a bit, the outer draw to activity recedes, and you have time for the more contemplative side of things…. You have a chance then to decipher what has happened to you, to see the hidden depths of experiences that have occurred in your life. You really have a chance to weave a new shelter for yourself.”
-John O’Donohue, Walking in Wonder
Aging continues to fascinate me! It really can be a time to ‘weave a new shelter for yourself”. ..a place of comfort and peace…a place that always contains something new and magical with unknown wonders.
In my aging shelter, I am not as busy as I used to be, but days seem to go quickly…maybe too quickly. I try to accomplish a few ‘tasks’ each day. But I spend a lot of time reading, writing, meditating, preparing for my fall women’s gathering and being outside for walks. Now warmer days are here, I am in my garden that is like a shelter me or a secret garden. It is a place I can go to be alone, listen to the birds, watch the robins and sometimes a Flicker visits…a nice place to meditate!
John O’Donohue reminds us to create a shelter to create a new way of living as we age. I love his use of the word ‘weave’ because as we age we can ‘weave’ in new ways of living and still bring with us the thoughts full of our memories or hobbies that bring us joy…a weaving of old and new. We can bring our heart love into our shelter and gratitude for having these elder years. Yes,the physical challenges are present, but we can keep in good health by exercising and having a good diet. We can accept what we can and cannot do. We can always do the most important thing in life…we can live with an open and accessible heart…we can share our love…
For those of you who are younger, you can create a shelter where you can consciously create the life you want and share your talents and gifts. It is up to you what and whom you want in your shelter so you can have more love and joy. I think we have many shelters, big and small, as we age. It may be a physical shelter like a garden or room, or a mindful creative shelter or a heart shelter filled within filled with what you value and love. We need them to nourish ourselves so we stay healthy and well.
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.
In these challenging days, we can spend a lot of time trying to understand what is happening within our families, communities and the world. Our fears and anxieties can build. Meditation can bring relief from our daily stresses, but sometimes it can be difficult to meditate and to find a place of stillness within. But I have found with the practice of focusing on my breathing…in and out…and gradually relaxing my mind and body, I begin to allow myself to move my thoughts into my heart. I like to put my hands over my heart. Our heart is a sacred space that invites us into its gentleness and love. Then I am ready to move more deeply into a place of ‘surrender’.
As you begin to relax with your eyes closed, you can visualize a place that you love…like a beach, park, garden, your room. Now gently begin to shift your thoughts away from your outer problems and allow a cozy, warm place to unfold within your heart’s consciousness. As your mind becomes quiet and your body relaxes, it will reflect this inner sanctuary.
This warm, loving feeling will comfort you as you allow yourself to be held and embraced within. Let go of trying to make things work. See yourself stretching out your hands and letting go of your worries…see them dissolving.
Now you can make room for what you truly wants to be created from within you…
Making space…releasing, surrendering our fears, opening our hearts…we begin to lift and see a new space…hope, love, new creations…
Remember we do not have to figure everything out or try to make others change. There is always the unknown in our lives….simply embrace the beauty of your true self…and miracles will begin to unfold…the universe responds, loves you, guides and embraces you!
So how do we surrender while we are meditating?
I like to begin with some mantras…words that I repeat several times.
As you begin to meditate say…
”I am revealed in surrender.”
Surrender, I awaken to your calling in this moment
I surrender…
I release my old limitations and fears,
I feel them all, see them all, touch them all
I allow them all to be released through my heart
I awaken to the calling of my heart
I surrender,
I surrender to love within my sacred heart
And in the very core of my being
I am ready to act with love and compassion
I trust in the unfolding Universe
I am filled with gratitude,
love and trust…
I listen for guidance within my heart.
Take time in silence and listen within…
Bring those beautiful thoughts back into your daily life…
John O’Donohue was an Irish poet, author and teacher of Celtic spirituality As we have just experienced the Vernal Equinox with equal amount of daylight and night, his blessing poem for Equilibrium is a lovely way to welcome our New Moon today. The New Moon a great time to set new intentions and to align yourself with the direction of your soul’s growth as we move into the freshness of Spring.
“For Equilibrium, a Blessing: Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore, May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul.
As the wind loves to call things to dance, May your gravity by lightened by grace.
Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth, May your thoughts incline with reverence and respect.
As water takes whatever shape it is in, So free may you be about who you become.
As silence smiles on the other side of what’s said, May your sense of irony bring perspective.
As time remains free of all that it frames, May your mind stay clear of all it names.
May your prayer of listening deepen enough to hear in the depths the laughter of god.”
― John O’Donohue,
From To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
“For most of us, meditation is the most important part of our spiritual practice and should always be included daily. Using a personal mantra is a powerful tool for taking us on the path of self-realization but again, this can sometimes feel stale. If you’ve had a busy day, rather than taking it into your meditation, spend a few minutes doing some breathing exercises. Alternative nostril pranayama is excellent for settling and preparing the mind to go within. When you first close your eyes, take a moment to be aware of how your body feels. If there’s any tension or tightness, breathe into that area and use your breath to soften your body. Check in with your mind, your thoughts and emotions. If you find yourself overthinking, pause for a few seconds, take some deep breaths, consciously let go of anything that’s not important for the next thirty minutes. Start by thinking of something you’re grateful for. This automatically expands the heart center”…
…”There are many different styles of meditation so, if you really feel stuck with the one you are using, try another. However, it can be confusing to keep jumping from one style to another. Mantra meditation takes the awareness from activity to silence, reconnecting us with the field of infinite possibilities and our essence. Guided meditations help to restore balance to the mind, emotions or physical body. Regular mantra meditation will take care of everything but, if you have specific needs, including a guided meditation at a different time of the day, will often be helpful.
When doubts and uncertainties arise in your practice, always ask yourself if this is your higher self talking or your ego playing games. The ego loves to create boundaries and control everything, while our spiritual path takes us to the unbounded. Before making too many changes or adjustments ask your heart for guidance, listen to and trust your inner wisdom. Remember these wise words, it is impossible said pride, it’s risky said experience, it’s pointless said reason, give it a try whispered the heart.
While there will always be bumps in the road, whatever practices you choose to follow should be fun and bring you joy. This whole universe was created to be fun. Try not to take anything too seriously, especially your spiritual practices. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
Thank you Roger Gabriel
Sometimes we try too hard to meditate. I keep my meditation practice simple with gentle breathing, some sounds (play music,chant a mantra or a sound I hear within) and then bring light and love into my heart and allow myself to feel the sacredness within…
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.
Long ago in my meditations, I received an insight that all I needed to solve my life problems was available to me each day…in my outer world and in my inner meditative world…but I had to be awake and aware!
The advantage of seeking within is that I do not have the distractions of my outer life. When I meditate, I have the opportunity to reflect, listen, visualize and connect to spirit…to the unknown wonders of the universe…to love and peace. Meditating is a wonderful gift to me, one that gives me strength and courage to make changes and to create new ways for myself.
However, most of my life is in my outer world, my daily life. So I look for deeper meaning in what is happening in it. What do I really value? When I answer this question, it often shifts my perspective and I have to make changes in myself to align with what I value. Sometimes this is not an easy task. I often seek help from friends, teachers, books, programs and courses…but all this outer learning and exploration always takes me back to meditation…to look within to discover my truth.
I often turn to my book, In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation, as a source of comfort and a reminder of the power of meditation. Many of my insights that I have received over the years are in this book. They are simple insights and may be overlooked by their simplicity, but I know how powerful they are and how they changed my life and brought me more peace. They helped me to meld my outer world into my inner world and allow both to flow from my heart with greater ease.
All of us are seeking some sense of what is happening around the world. These are challenging times. Your inner light and love can bring you comfort and peace to cope with life transitions and change. By meditating and focusing on your heart, it brings relief from your stress and provides a space where you can relax, reflect and release your anxieties. Discovering this space within has helped me move through difficult and sad times. It helps to keep me balanced and calm so I may live in a peaceful way.
Around the world our hearts are in shock and deepest grief as we witness the tragedies from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The loss of so many dear lives brings us all together as countries send aid to assist families who have suffered loss of loved ones and their homes destroyed.
Again we see the power of natural disasters and again the loss of lives leaves us overwhelmed and in extreme shock. Yet we have also witnessed in the past how resilient people are. They don’t give up and somehow they rebuild and continue on with renewed hope even if it takes years.
The federal government will match donations Canadians to the Canadian Red Cross. — up to $10 million — as relief efforts continue in Turkey and Syria following two devastating earthquakes.
May our hearts join together in prayers of love and compassion for all the families who lost their beloveds. May they all receive the support and assistance they need. May our hearts join in prayer for the beloveds who were taken. May their families find some comfort in knowing they are now in a place of peace. May they feel our love for them.
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and of unspeakable love.” ~ Washington Irving
“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.” – Helen Keller
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!
A Peaceful Way Meditation 