Step #6, Heart-Mind – Day 1 You! Your expression! Your joy! Your enthusiasm! Your passion! Your creativity! Your vision! Your splendor! Your heart! Your mind! We all share in the glory of its revelation! Heart-Mind is both a quality and a vehicle. As a quality, it is omnipresent; we simply need to tap into … More In Love with Cosmological Love
Some days we feel happy and all is right with the world. Some days… well not so much. But acting as if on those tough days will bring about your ability to shine, to glow to bring your light into the world. It will affect you on every level – including your physiology and your … More Put Your Glow On!
Step #5, Soften, Open, and Release – Day 3 Allowing thoughts to come and go can take quite a bit of practice and meditation offers the perfect opportunity to do just that… to allow. As we allow, we are actually practicing detachment… allowing thoughts to arise and allowing them pass teaches us to … More Forgiveness as Release
Step #5, Soften, Open, and Release – Day 2 In 1947, Alice A. Bailey wrote The Problems With Humanity. In many ways, it was a response to WWII in its exploration of evil expression on our earth. It feels as if it could have been written yesterday. Below is an excerpt: “At the very outset … More Releasing Separateness
Step #5, Soften, Open, and Release – Day 1 Receive, release, and receive again. This is a natural flow of occurrences that affects our lives in the grandest and the most subtle ways. Yet, this process can easily become distorted. We often resist receiving and releasing. It is easy to cling. We cling to … More The Sweetness of Letting Go
Step #4, Soften, Open, and Receive – Day 3 We must soften to another to build a meaningful relationship. Union of any sort takes softening. The wintery ground must soften to take in melting snow and summon life-force to the surface as Spring approaches. There is great power in softening so as to allow … More Softening to the Moment
Step #4, Soften, Open, and Receive – Day 2 The brain is a data bank. It stores pertinent information that is collected from our experiences. It arranges data to formulate thoughts. The thoughts that we think again and again become our beliefs. Beliefs paired with our actions form our morale. So where does the … More Opening to the Expanse
Step #4, Soften, Open, and Receive – Day 1 The meditative experience is found in the allowing. It is found in the softening. It is found in the opening. It is found in the receiving. When the body, mind, and spirit are receptive, we catch a glimpse of our innate interconnectedness. Connected to … More Receptive and Serene
Shifting landscapes that we witness occurring through volcanos, earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, tornadoes etc., can be a metaphor for the shifting of our own internal landscape. In this powerful photo taken by Mandy Beerly in Hawaii, we see the awesome beauty, power and destruction of nature at work. The waves, lava, and steam eat away … More Shifting Landscapes
Step #3, Flow – Day 3 Molten magma from deep in the Archean Earth flowed to the surface to create vast expanses of land which allowed for life on the planet to move from the sea and diversify. As in the photo above, when fiery lava hits the water it turns from liquid to … More Earthly Flow
Step #3, Flow – Day 2 We are surrounded by activity. We are immersed in it. The breath is a source of consistent, rhythmic activity. As our awareness meets the breath and lingers alongside its gentle flow, it becomes entrained; it gathers momentum. And what does momentum look like in terms of awareness? Spaciousness. … More Spacious Momentum
Step #3, Flow – Day 1 Day flows into dusk which flows into night. Night becomes dawn which flows into day. Youth flows into adulthood. Migrating animals follow the flow of available resources. Words flow from an inspired writer’s pen. Flow is fundamental to each and every aspect of life. Life is flow – … More Life is Flow
Light composes and pervades all that is, from the stars to the very cells of our bodies. It carries information, and nudges our potential. Light nourishes and sustains us, body and soul. Sunlight stimulates vitamin D production in the body which supports our physiology. A sunny day like a sunny smile can bring peace and … More Rest in Light
Step #2, Tip of the Nose – Day 3 We experience the outside world with our senses; we hear it, touch it, see it, taste it, smell it. They help us navigate the terrain and inform our choices. Meditation allows us to give our sensory organs a rest from their usual roles… the eyes … More Follow Your Nose
Step #2, Tip of the Nose – Day 2 The essence of this week’s theme, Tip of the Nose, is captured in the photo above. This child is still, focused, captivated, and fully present. Perhaps the outer environment is crowded and hectic, and needless to say, the plane is moving 600 mph… but no … More Taking It All In
Step #2, Tip of the Nose – Day 1 We meet here again to meditate. Wonderful! Meeting places can be quite specific. Perhaps you have readied yourself for meditation in a specific place; perhaps a designated “peace” zone for an allotted time each week which allows for quiet reflection, your own specific … More The Meeting Place
Science, meditation and spiritual practices show us that we are light, and light encompasses all that is, life, energy, and information. And since it includes all that is, it also includes the shadow side, the darkness which can also be our greatest teacher. We are and experience both the light and the dark, happiness and … More Light in the Darkness
Step #1, Smile – Day 3 “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile is the source of your joy.” – Thich Nhat Hahn Happiness is a brainwave, and smiles directly affect your brain. It is a physiological fact. It’s revealed in the delightful quote above. The very fact that you can … More Respond with a Smile
Step #1, Smile – Day 2 The shape of a smile is quite common: raised at the edges and curved from side to side. It’s the shape of a bowl or a basin. It’s the shape of the hammock above… it has a similar function as well. A smile holds and supports; it contains … More Delightfully Held
Step #1, Smile – Day 1 “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.” – Mother Teresa This is true… a smile has a vibrational ripple effect that extends far beyond our perceptive reach. But, we can sense quite a bit of the goodness that it brings by simply … More Smile and the World Smiles Back
Sparks initiate. They bring each new moment to light. Sparks reveal. They bring forward the possibilities that each one of these moments hold: creativity and peace, truth and insight, or goodness and beauty. Meditation could be likened to a spark that leads us through the doorway of “now” and into the field of … More And Begin Again
The latest round of online meditations has completed and we will pause for a bit before beginning again. The full round of meditations is on the blog if you’d like to enjoy a guided meditation during the break. Perhaps you’ll take-up self-led silent sittings for a while… set a timer and go. If … More Meditative Momentum
Today’s meditation is at once simple and profound. We sit, align, give and receive. It is about reciprocity. We align within ourselves and with all that is. We contribute by giving of ourselves, our light and goodness, and at the same time we open to receive all that is of light and goodness. Giving, receiving, … More Reciprocity
There is so much light, breath and spirit available to us every moment. As we clear away the obstacles to this flow, we open to the world of potency, potential and possibility. Some refer to it as the quantum field, the field of buddhi, infinite mind, or big mind. Whatever name you chose to use, … More Flowing Free
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #14 We live in an age of information don’t we? We have so much information coming and going sometimes its hard to remember we also have bodies and feelings. In meditation the information you receive can be helpful in understanding many things because it comes from the intuitive, … More Google Yourself and Meditate for Updates
We truly don’t see the world as it is, we see it as we are, through our filters. Have you noticed that when your mind is distracted or you are emotionally upset that clarity tends to be elusive? A pure sheet of glass allows 100% of the light to flow through it. Imperfections will alter the … More Clear Light
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #13 There is a deep need in you to let go and trust your self and discover who you are beyond your body, your thoughts and your feelings. You are more than you ever imagined your self to be. Breathe out any resistance to just being present to … More Meditation is Easy. Life is Work.
Meditation often is often depicted as “going up”, striving for the unknown, that ineffable, unreachable something. It is a desire that lies deep within that drives us, to truly experience or in-body this something greater. It seems to be an attainment or placement of sorts, the reaching of a pinnacle from where we … More What goes up, must come down
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #12 As we learn to meditate there is the challenge of developing a sense of who is speaking. Does the voice or message you hear come from your lower mind and your Personality or your higher mind and your Soul? Here are some things to keep in mind. … More Where Voices Come From
Nature’s abundance offers us many lessons if we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. Parallels can be drawn between one’s meditation practice and hummingbirds. Their wings move in a figure 8 pattern, otherwise known as the infinity sign. They have a large hippocampus in the brain for spatial memory, which holds … More Hovering at Infinity’s Door
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #11 If healing happens naturally within us how can we help? Meditation helps with healing because it calms the energies of the Personality (physical, emotional, and lower mental) and at the same time meditation gets us out of the way by placing our consciousness above the diaphragm in … More Meditation is for Healing
Have you ever driven down a road for many miles and all of a sudden you realize that you had traveled much further than you thought, without registering that fact? That is actually a good thing though it can be momentarily jarring. The unconscious mind is so much more aware of our surroundings and able … More Who is Driving?
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #10 You are a point of light – a divine spark of the light Divine. Your Personality doesn’t really know or care about this aspect of you however. So your challenge is to create in meditation a link to your Higher Self (or Soul’s) energy so that your … More Let Your Light Grow
A strong foundation gives us the roots from which to grow. This stability does not always begin with family, but it does begin from within. Instead of noticing the amazing and unique qualities and skill sets with which we are naturally endowed, we often turn to a sense of incompleteness, not good enough or a … More From Roots to Stars
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #9 The higher and the lower are always trying to meet within us. Are you ready to dance? It is going to be a dance, and each one is unique. Downloadable Podcast: Meditation #9: The Higher and the Lower Meet in Meditation
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #8 Letting go can be for many the hardest thing. Why? We identify with our thoughts and feelings and our bodies, so it’s a big deal to fundamentally alter your beliefs about something or someone. Meditation is all about letting go and opening to love, movement, balance and change. … More Letting Go: the Hardest Thing
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation #7 When we pause to Breathe and Allow our consciousness to rest in the Observer aspect of ourselves we identify with the energetic aspect of us that is more than both our thoughts and our feelings. Meditation thus becomes a loving and gentle way to BE with our … More Meditation: A Loving and Gentle Discipline
Quiet Time – Give yourself the gift of space and time to really settle, let the body relax, the emotions quiet, and the mind become still. When we temporarily invite ourselves to unplug from family, work, responsibility concerns, and environmental noise, and move into this settled space, the mind is awake and alert and yet quiet … More Quiet Time
Carol Martin’s Breathe Series – Meditation # 5 Meditation is an opportunity to just “be”. In meditation, as the Observer, you are beyond your body, your feelings, your thoughts, yet still connected and present to your self. In essence you are also beyond your many unconscious interference patterns. To name one lets pick “being … More Just “Be” with Your Breath
A beautiful quote from Hermann Hesse: “You were made to be yourselves. You were made to enrich the world with a sound, a tone, a shadow… In each one of you there is a hidden being, still in the deep sleep of childhood. Bring it to life! In each one of you there is a … More Be Your Self
Carol Martin’s Breathe Meditation #5 When you rest in the energy of the Observer part of you – in the Heart Centre, connecting to your Soul – more of you can be present in the moment. This brings you to the place of real choice where you can exercise your spiritual Will. You … More Personality Integration with Breath
Do you ever feel different from everyone else? Have times when you just don’t fit in? It could be the expression of a different culture, race, mannerisms, style of dress, accent, belief systems, ideology – actually almost anything can contribute to feeling or being treated as separate or different. Perhaps you want to break away … More Which one is not like the others?
Carol Martin’s Breathe Meditation #4 Recap: Your Breath = Your Life. The Observer is a part of you that connects to your Soul or Higher Self energy. The Observer is a neutral, non-judgmental, safe place governed by the Heart Centre. Resting in the Observer allows you protection and clarity and assists you in the … More Your Mental Body from the Observer
Life is so busy and that fullness is often the excuse to not listen, I mean to really listen. Listening is a wonderful gift of presence. We are reminded to be present and listen to others, really listen to what they are saying, without judging, and without planning our response before hearing the other. Listening … More Are you Really Listening?
Carol Martin’s Breathe Meditation #3 Understand why ♥ Chakra energy is “prime real estate” energetically. Do you want to create a sacred space where your Soul begins to speak to you? Letting go of expectations can be hard. What about our feelings? This weeks meditation works with the energy of your emotional body. … More Feelings
Love can be an ambiguous and frankly loaded word especially in terms of emotions and attached love. We have our own individual heart space which may feel guarded, protected, open, shared, or perhaps we’ve thrown away the key! Love can also be known as compassion, understanding, non-attached, yet at-one-ing with another and with all that … More Love, Lover and Beloved
