Moving into aging…a new way of life

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 ~

Peacefully Jane

Jane Rosalea Brown, BA, CSW

Peaceful Way Meditation Blog

Author, In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation

Author Name: Jane Rosalea Booth

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A winter walk with Hafiz

As I walked through the nearby woods on this snowy morning, I reflected on Hafiz’s words, written in the 14^th 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!

Peacefully,

Jane

Jane Rosalea Brown, BA, CSW

Peaceful Way Meditation Blog

Author, In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation

Author Name: Jane Rosalea Booth

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Heart consciousness -Baby boomer

 

I am a baby boomer and was a teenager in the 1960’s, a decade of tremendous social upheaval, war and change!  Baby boomers know all about life’s rapid changes.  We endured it and it rocked many of us to our core!! But we learned to adapt and create changes that our parents could not stop in spite of their protests.  Civil rights activists took to the streets. Drugs became visible. The Beatles had long hair!!  Women took the pill and family life changed. The cold war scared us to bits!

At the same time, there was a movement, a lifting of heart consciousness that called for peace, for opening our minds and hearts to see that we are all connected, for respecting diversity and for caring for one another and our planet.  This shift in consciousness is still evolving and it is affecting our views on aging. It may be a return to the role of an elder that was held in many indigenous cultures or take a new form or role for elders.

It may be that baby boomers are in better health and living longer but many of us are realizing that life in our 60’s and older can be an amazing time.  A time where we can have the freedoms we desired for so many years.  A time to really open our hearts wide and see the beauty that life offers all of us…young and old.

Elders/seniors have an opportunity to bring a new wave of conscious aging into their elder years. That opportunity is so uplifting and gives us so much purpose!  Many of us still play our 60’s music, (rock and roll), call for social change and justice, and desire to create more peace in our hearts and in the world.  We can stay active in our communities. Some of us want quiet, read, write poetry, sit by the water, paint, have conversations with family and friends, walk the dog.  Whatever way I choose to be…I can live each day from my heart.  I know this enriches my life and my family’s life. Perhaps the ‘hippie’ way, freedom, peace and love, rings on…

In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation  

I love this message, I posted on Facebook this morning.  I received it from a meditation, and it is from my book  “In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation”
“It is time to feed your Soul with love and healing
Kindness from within

– peaceful moments of sharing
– peaceful moments of listening
– peaceful moments of being”

Whether you are young or adult or elder, it is important to take time to nurture your self each day. This helps our heart to stay open, to forgive and to nurture others. Let’s flow together in harmony and love.

We are all on this journey together…why would we choose any other way than the ‘way of our heart’?

 

Peacefully, Jane

Jane Rosalea Brown,BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master, IONS Conscious Aging

Author ~ In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation Author name Jane Rosalea Booth

Inner Peace Reiki with Jane Rosalea Brown, USUI Reiki Master

Reiki for Horses 

Conscious Aging Program

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I Just Woke Up

I found this picture on Facebook so I am not sure who created it, but it did stimulate me to reflect on the meaning of the words, “I didn’t change. I just woke up.”  When I awaken to a new thought, vision or perception, it is an exciting moment.  It’s an ‘aha’ moment.  I have discovered something new that can change my life or encourage me to try something new. I think to awaken my consciousness, my feelings and emotions change as I see a broader picture of our life.  Sometimes, I feel a deeper connection to others, my spouse, children, friends.  I may awaken to how to solve a problem.  I may awaken to words for a poem or a blog article that flow easily out onto the paper.  I may awaken to a deeper connection with nature and its beauty.  I may awaken spiritually and feel a greater connection with God or the universe.  I may awaken to my inner being, my soul self and all the wonders that come with that awakening.

Our consciousness is in a constant state of awakening to new ideas.  We can shut new ideas out or we can say ‘aha’ to a new thought…”I just woke up to…”  This constant creative consciousness is what keeps us moving forward, seeking new adventures, being grateful for each day, embracing the unknown mystery we call life.  By allowing ourselves to wake up a little each day, our lives become enriched with new energy.  Life always has hope and newness!  We don’t have to do anything spectacular but some of us may.  We do have to be willing to awaken and unglue old fixed ideas so more vibrant, healthy and creative ideas can flow.

How are you awakening each day?  You do not have to change but awaken your mind, open your heart,  breathe…the change will come naturally as your heart and mind open to greater love and peace.

Peacefully, Jane

 

Jane Rosalea Brown,BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master

Author ~ In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation, Jane Rosalea Booth (author name)

A Peaceful Way Gatherings and Retreats

Conscious Aging Workshops

Jane Rosalea Brown   Follow me on twitter @janerbooth

 

 

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Stay in Love

Here we are at the beginning of a New Year with lots of people promoting programs to change us, to help us create the life we want by encouraging us to live fully and to make affirmations or intentions about how we would like to be and how we can be our authentic Self. I am in this group of people with Conscious Aging that starts in April.

Now all these ‘intentions’ and programs can be good for us. Positive energies bring positive results in our lives.  Affirmations keep us focused on our visions or dreams. Self- reflection and meditation takes us within and helps our to calm and feel connected spiritually.  But sometimes we can feel bombarded by all these suggestions no matter how well-meaning these practices may be.

However, I am going to offer my Jane’s Peaceful Path tip. For today, stop trying to be something different.  Everything in this moment is what is best for you…even though it may not appear that way.  For today, simply stay in love…all day…every moment…with everyone you meet, with nature, with all life but most of all, with you.  For today, observe how your life is unfolding as you stay in love…magical things happen when we stay in love.

Here is a lovely video that I have played at my retreats…just what we need to stay in love! Enjoy

“Love, Peace, Wisdom” by Bliss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elzh8cUOImc

Bliss – Love Peace and Wisdom lyrics

“If Love were a bird, I would stroke her bright feathers

Then I’d watch her fly free, cross the still of the dawn

And if Peace were a mountain, we’d gather around her

To bathe in her silence, her power, her call

If Wisdom could sing or whisper his secrets Eternity teaching the ways of the free

In my mind I can see them, I hear them and I feel them

For Love, Peace and Wisdom are all part of me

If Love has her freedom, and Peace her expression,

Surely Wisdom will grow like a flower in bloom

The seed has been planted, and tended and watered

By the prayers of the hopeful and the tears of the brave

We long to return to that place of still waters

And sit on the banks under some shady tree

In my mind I can see it, I hear it and I feel it

And Love, Peace and Wisdom are all that we need

Some call me a dreamer, some will call me a seeker

One who follows her stars on a quest for the truth

But every believer holds a deep hidden memory

Of a time when the earth was a flower in bloom

We long to return to that place of still waters

And sit on the banks under some shady tree

In my mind I can see it, I hear it and I believe it

And Love, Peace and Wisdom are the three golden keys”

Stay in love so peace and wisdom will flow.

Have a beautiful, loving day,

Peacefully, Jane

 

Jane Rosalea Brown,BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master

Author ~ In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation, Jane Rosalea Booth (author name)

A Peaceful Way Gatherings and Retreats

Conscious Aging Workshops

Jane Rosalea Brown   Follow me on twitter @janerbooth

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Try to remember

 Remembering…

I came across the song “Try to remember”.  It is a mellow song calling us to recall earlier times in our lives when we were happy and bring those feelings into the present.  This is a good practice of reflection on our lives but often it is not an easy task if things are difficult for us in the present.  But looking back our lives we can tap into the strength and courage we had to move through life’s challenges and know we can use what we have learned to deal with today’s challenges.

Hopefully, we have learn not to ‘sweat’ the small stuff and look at a bigger picture to discover what really has meaning and brings us peace.  Perhaps we can embrace different ‘small stuff’ to bring us happiness…a smile, a hug, a kind word…and return these things to others.  I remember when my brother had cancer and his days were short how he loved me to put my hand on his head.  This simple gesture and touch of love brought him happiness.

We do not have to be ill to awaken and remember who we truly are and what we can share with others in so many ways.  This morning a neighbour invited me and my dog down to the beach area in front of her property.  It was a great treat for Max to run and play with his friend Marley.  I so appreciated this invitation, a simple gesture.

So my spiritual practice for today is reflecting back on my life ‘to try to remember’ those moments that I may have not thought of for some time that help me to bring into this present moment parts of me, parts of my true nature, that may help me to move into my wholeness now.

It still astonishes me that at my age I am still learning more about my ‘self’, my joys, my fears, my dreams, my hopes.  I am still learning…

Enjoy this song “Try to Remember”…remember when you look back on your life do it as an Observer, not as a critic. Bring forward what will assist you in this moment!

Meditate on your thoughts. Relax in the moment.  Be silent and let your heart recall some meaningful times.  Then you may want to journal, draw, write a poem, make a collage card about what was revealed to you.

Peacefully, Jane

Jane Brown Robertson,BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master

Author ~Jane Rosalea Booth  In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation

A Peaceful Way Gatherings and Retreats

Conscious Aging Workshops

 

 

 

 

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Living without Fear

“To live without fear is to live in the present moment with love and compassion.”

How we deal with our fears determines how we view our world.  Our world view determines how we make choices about how we live.  Our fears affect all parts of us…emotions, physical health, mental wellness, spiritual growth.  What we fear may be rooted from our past or something we are afraid might happen to us in the future.  They seem very real to us and can control our thoughts and actions.  However, if we realize that fears are our ‘what if’s’ in life it helps us to move through them and release their power over us.  By learning to release them is a huge step to healing and well-being.

However, learning to release our fears can sometimes be difficult especially if we are feeling alone and not sure what our next step should be.  This is when being in the present moment is so important.  It is only in the present moment that we can create change by shifting our present view.  For example, you may have an exam or test to complete.  Your fear is that you will fail.  In the present moment, you have not failed.  You can make the choice to study and learn as much as you can.  In the present moment, you can relax, enjoy your studies, focus on what you need to learn and only hold thoughts of success.  If the thought of failing comes in, take a deep breath, acknowledge your fear and release it.  Replace it with a positive image of your success.  I had this deep fear of failure for years.  I did not think I was smart enough to go to university.  It took me till I was 40 years old before I took the steps to try some university courses.  I put aside my fears of failing and began my studies.  Two years later, I had completed my degree…and graduated on the Dean’s Honour roll!!!

So I learned to overcome my fears by focusing in the present moment.  I had a dream of completing university and I worked hard to make it come true.  I learned that my fears were truly my ‘what if’s’ and that they are my made up thoughts…not what was really happening in the present moment.

Once you realize that you can create your future from your thoughts and feelings, life can begin to change.   There is always a new way to look at life where we can feel love and compassion for ourselves and others and this love is only created in the present moment.

So I began to open my heart to discover more about myself and to live in the present moment, instead of worrying so much about the future.  I felt grateful for what I had in my life and this made me feel much better.  Through my meditations I found wisdom about how to live more fully.  Life is ever changing with new challenges but meditation, connecting with Spirit, helps me through and keeps me balanced and peaceful through difficult times.

“Mindfulness means to be present to what is, rather than losing ourselves in thoughts of what is no longer or what has not yet come. Mindfulness is an awakening to life, a nonjudgmental awareness of the wonder of the present moment.” ~ Joan Borysenko

Blessings of inner peace and love,

Jane

 

 

Jane Booth Robertson,BA, CSW, USUI Reiki Master

Author ~ In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation

A Peaceful Way Gatherings and Retreats

Conscious Aging Workshops

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Meaford Fall Lifestyle Program – Conscious Aging Workshops

Dear Friends, I invite to this program series, Conscious Aging, that is truly transformative for those who are willing to discover a new view of aging.  The last group who participated did not want the program to end!!  We are continuing next week on this journey of ‘conscious aging’ as it is providing the tools and practices we need for happiness and contentment as we age. There is a positive way and vision that can change your life!

Join me this fall for a new series beginning Oct.6/16 !  Register today!

Meaford Lifestyle Fall  2016 Program

Conscious Aging Workshops Series

  Cultivate Wisdom, Connect with Others,

Celebrate Life

With Jane Brown Robertson

Authorized IONS Conscious Aging Facilitator

The IONS Conscious Aging is a program that offers you a profound new vision of just what it means to grow older. This renewed awareness helps you to recognize the rich potential you can tap into at midlife and beyond. That is why we say conscious aging is better aging 

Discover what it means to age consciously and how there is a big difference between simply becoming old and aging consciously.

Do you find yourself struggling with some of the challenges of aging?

• Would you like to explore the possibility of turning the challenges of aging into opportunities for growth?

• Are you curious about the gifts of aging?

• Would you like to connect to a like-minded community?

 If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then the Conscious Aging Workshop is for you!

Register today for Fall 2016 Conscious Aging  Workshops

Please register by Sept.15th to have workbooks for 1st session.

To Register:  Contact: Amber Knott 519 538-1060 ext. 1200 

email:  aknott@meaford.ca

Supervisor, Recreation Programs , Municipality of Meaford

Location:  Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre & Arena

Date:  Every  Thursday afternoons beginning October 6th – November 24th, 2016

Time:  1:00 pm.- 3:30 pm.

Fee: $130.00  8 workshops, includes 118 Page Workbook

$20.00 per workshop if registered individually (workbook not included)

$30.00 workbook “Conscious Aging,  a Self-Reflections and Conversation Circles Guide” created by IONS (sold only to workshop participants who register for individual workshops)

 An 118-page workbook has been produced as a companion to the Conscious Aging program. Developed by Kathleen Erickson-Forder, Elder Education Program Manager with the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), this workshop has been field-tested and tremendously well received across a broad range of settings in the United States and Canada.

 Please visit Conscious Aging website for more details about the program series.

As an IONS Authorized Conscious Aging Facilitator, Jane Rosalea Brown (formerly Booth-Robertson), BA, CSW is honored to support you on this rich and meaningful journey. These workshops are available to individuals (private sessions), groups and organizations.  Email Jane goldenlightcentre@rogers.com Subject: Conscious Aging

 

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Uniqueness of Aging

“I thought that my voyage had come to its end at the last limit of my power — that the path before me was closed, that provisions were exhausted and the time come to take shelter in a silent obscurity. But I find that thy will knows no end in me. And when old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the heart; and where the old tracks are lost, new country is revealed with its wonders“.

— Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali

I love this quote that reveals what happens as we age if we allow our hearts to open, to deepen our spiritual awareness and to flow with creative thoughts.  There are always new thoughts, new songs, new poems, new perspectives when we let go of the ‘old tracks’ and unveil new ‘wonders’.

It is because I have been facilitating an IONS Conscious Aging” workshop series that my awareness of the qualities and opportunities that come with age have heightened.  I have been so inspired by my participants and their ability to transform and to have new views about their future.  Aging well means taking good care on all levels – mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual.  But when our spiritual self deepens by feeling a greater connection to our ‘soul’ and spirit we lose our fear of death and recognize the gifts we have received and the gifts we still have to offer to others.

This awakening to a new view of aging provides so much freedom!  Freedom to do new things, to meet new friends, and to serve others in whatever way we can.  I saw people get excited about the age and stop apologizing for being older.  With renewed vision of our self, others begin to notice our change.  Younger people notice too and are attracted to those who are happy and feeling fulfilled.

The common ground that all in the Conscious Aging group felt was that they may have changed on the outside, but inside they felt the same as when they are young!  So we all realized that when you look at someone older, they aren’t really old because their heart and soul has remained the same.

This prompted me to write a poem I’d like to share with you~

How strange it is

To be inside this old body

Laughing the same way

Crying the same way

Playing the same way

Always being the romantic

In love with being in love

Not much has changed

 

That can’t be true

Look around you

Everything has changed

Look in the mirror to see

The old face smiling back

Once brunette hair now white

Ages spots and wrinkles oh dear

So much has changed

 

How strange it is

To be inside this old body

As I have always been

But I am an elder now

With bits of wisdom to share

I have found a loving presence

That truly reveals who I am

Not much has changed   

©Jane Rosalea Booth Robertson,2016, Meaford ON   July 29,2016

Whatever age you are embrace its gifts.  Each age group has a purpose and things to offer.  Each stage is unique which new challenges and new things to learn.  Make the most of each day, each moment to bring into it peace, laughter, and love!  Remember ~ you are always beautiful inside and outside~ at any age!

Peacefully, Jane

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Lifestyle Programs Open House – Meaford

You are invited ~

Mon Jun 27th 10:00am – 1:00pm

Meaford and St. Vincent Community Centre, 151 Collingwood St., Meaford, ON, Canada 

 

Lifestyle Programs offered through the Meaford Recreation Dept. includes

• Conscious Aging Workshops Series with Jane Booth Robertson
• The Essential Low Back Program with Joanne Pineau
• Quiet the Mind & Relax the Body with Joanne Pineau

Jane will host a free ‘café style’ conversation circle to chat casually about “Conscious Aging” to have a more vibrant, positive, healthy lifestyle as we age. Drop in anytime for refreshments and free reflective meditations. Program details: www.consciousagingsite.wordpress.com

Joanne will be offering gentle stretches for back pain and relaxation every half hour starting at 10:30am. Please bring a mat and dress comfortably. Details: http://www.innerjourney.ca.

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