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practice makes purpose

Are you a daily planner? One who keeps a book of days filled with long lists of things to do, buy and get done each 24-hour cycle? Personally, I have a hard time keeping an organized planner. (I’m more of a sketchbook or journal keeper) My electronic calendar organizes my work appointments and I am guilty of penning goals and tasks down into lists on random scraps of paper that lead my personal life. It somehow feels so purposeful and triumphant to cross the tasks off at the end of the day, crumple up the lists and WHOOSH! The day is history! Let’s be honest… getting sh*t done feels good! But what is left after crossing everything off that list? Is there any accomplishment left when the “get er done” adrenaline subsides? Have I just been filling my days with long lists of doings that I ultimately want to see disappear? Is there some room on these scraps of paper to make some meaning in between the lines?

Last October in my quest for purpose, I decided that the meaning was found in the making. I literally looked under every rock I could get my hands while making a pilgrimage in the search of my personal definition of purpose. My Wild Card that month, actor, writer, and director, Doug Sadler asked me to “Define my in the moment objective”. He also asked me to “Define my life purpose or super objective”. It’s a hefty role to create and I’m not sure if I fully realized the protagonist part in that chapter but I did learn a few very important lessons. The most important thing I learned was to set intentions!

Setting intentions is very much like planning a day. Listing out the things to be done. But instead of just listing the doings, could I also list the how, why, and when I would be doing these doings (the purpose behind these things)? I tried to engage in this process last year, but realized that “setting intentions” was not an easy involuntary act for me. To be successful in this I need some practice and diligence with the effort.

Is it possible to create a habit of intentional purposeful acting and doing? Well, I’m giving it a go again and am trying Doug’s “in the moment objective” exercise in a simple day-to-day way. For the rest May’s calendar days, I will practice “on purpose mindfulness”. Instead of just speaking, acting and doing first, I will attempt to consider the how, why, and when I am doing something beforehand. And I am going to use my own “purpose on post-its” planning process to get me started. Practice along with me if you’re feeling mindful. I’ve included my instructions to myself below.

Supplies needed: A weekly planner, Post it notes, or blank cards, a marker and a bit of time to think about daily purpose

1. Make list #1 of all the “doings” I would like to be more mindful about in my day. (for example: eating, engaging with strangers, walking to the mailbox, writing, talking on the phone, cleaning, waiting in line, observing, breathing, cooking, reading, conversing etc) I will have to think about what it is that I do daily. It may be a list of 23 different specific things or just a few basics I really want to focus on.

2. Make list #2 of mindful changes that I would like to add to my day. Include the how/why/when behind my doings (for example: with a smile, slowly, without judgment, in the morning, every hour, twice a day, before bed, to make someone laugh, in stillness, to release stress) With this list, I will think about how I would like to do things rather than how I currently do things.

3. Match up an action and doings from list #1 with one or more mindful change(s) from list #2.

4. Number my post-it notes with the dates of the month on the front and put the pairings on the back (for those of you planner types trying this out, just jot each pairing in your calendar) I need the visual reminder on my wall to remind me to do this. If there are more pairings than days, then do more than one in one day. If there are less pairings…practice certain pairings more than one day!

5. Follow each day and live out the “mindful mash up” game created, taking on the task that has been laid out for each day. Observe and reflect… is it all purposeful or pointless? Hopefully it will at least be fun.

5/9/2014

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

chapter 11

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Beth,

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since you began the Living Chapters Project. What do you think so far? How have you changed? Have you changed for the good? Has the project served its purpose?

Purpose is our theme for this month of Living Chapters and for sure it is going to be a bit more on the reflective side than the actual get out there and go do side. So, let’s talk about this. What’s the point anyway, right? When we start asking ourselves these questions, we begin to find meaning behind what are we doing. Meaning might be as simple as defining our wants, desires, and needs.

Do you think about why you do the things that you do? The big things, or even the little things!

Why in the world did I just eat an individual size bag of peanut m and m’s as a midmorning snack? After further reflection, here is what I discovered: My decision for eating them is quite affirmed. Lunch was a few hours away! But simply, I like them. Also to mention that they were my mom’s favorite: I always love thinking about how when I was a kid, I always snuck a few when I found the left over ones in the bright yellow twisted bag that she earlier tossed in her purse to save for later.
So, how do you make your big time, bigger than what kind of tasty snack you will have, kind of decisions?

Maybe there were some jobs that you didn’t apply for because you were afraid the company or organization might not hire you? Maybe you broke off a relationship because you were afraid of getting too emotionally involved? Maybe you got rid of stuff because it served no purpose in your life any more? Maybe you didn’t call someone because you were afraid of what could happen? Maybe you didn’t run that 5K because you didn’t think that you would make it.

Personally, I haven’t run any 5K races because I think I would be last! But more importantly, I almost didn’t take a job because I was afraid. I thought Oh, what if this would happen and I would need to resign. What if I didn’t get hired? Alas! What if I did get hired and fell in love with a job because FINALLY I am able to do something that I love! Can I tell you how I came to the decision for applying for the job that I am quite passionate about? It’s because of you! You taught me to not worry about the “what if” questions. You taught me to forget about what my resume read (i.e. hanging on to a position for tenure or not applying would be a waste in particular if I didn’t get hired). You reminded me that a new opportunity might not work out…or better yet, maybe it would!

Have you ever made a decision because you knew that, while feeling a little anxious about the unknown, you were meant to do something really great? Everything up to this point has absolutely made you ready for the next step.

Some tips for self exploration…

1. What will happen this month as you reflect?

2. What will happen when the Living Chapters Project is concluded?

3. Who do you need to call whom you haven’t spoken with in quite some time?

4. Who do you need to send a letter to? When you think about that person, ask yourself why you are doing it and find meaning, or purpose, or reason for doing it. I think (and hope) that this might deepen your relationships with others.

5. Dish yourself some of your own advice. Write yourself a letter if you have to. Write one to your former self 10 yrs ago. Write one to yourself for when this project is over. Why? To help you discover your purpose and find meaning!
These questions might not be just for your career, but I also encourage you to consider the details of your relationships. When you start exploring the purpose of some of your behaviors/actions, relationships, and other areas in your life, you may begin to find a deeper level of meaning. This might help us to live more intentionally. Thoughtfully. Reflectively. One would hope that when someone else recognizes this in you that they might want to explore the same possibilities….Of finding purpose in their life too! Who knows? You never know who might grow because of you!

So, grow on. Grab your favorite candy bar. Discover why you chose that one. Take the stairs a few times this month and really think about why you would ever do that when there is an elevator button calling your name. Think about your health. Think about your career. Enrich your personal relationships. Reach in. Dig Deep and promise that you won’t ever stop looking for it.

Cheers to purpose!

5/1/14

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

react and attract

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I was driving south on Interstate 83 last week trying to get to a meeting I had in Baltimore, when I noticed my heart banging loudly in my stationary sitting body. I must still be getting acquainted with being back on the East coast where the drivers’ mentality seems to be “My car is bigger than your car – so I’m gonna ride your bumper and flash my headlights at you until you get the heck out of my way!” Ummm… yeah. “And if you don’t go fast enough for me, I am going to run you off the road!” Well I am obviously not a race car driver on the highway but my heart seems to be doing a lot of racing while driving these days. Each time someone is on my bumper or cuts me off, I find myself getting a bit, let’s say “pissed off”. My blood begins to boil in that “oh so unhealthy way”. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the same thing that happens when a co-worker decides to put you down because they have a “higher” title than you or someone cuts in front of you in line at the post office, or when your mother treats you like a teenager even though you’re in your thirties. Oh the drama! (sigh) It is thrown at us at record speeds from the dark corners of the universe. It’s even more amazing how we create our own drama! All those mountains made out of miniscule mole hills each day, for no other good reason than to have a reason to climb them?

So why is drama so attractive? Why do we seem to seek it out? Even when we’re not looking for it, it creeps into our days, in our relationships, at work, at home or even with total strangers? Why do we attract it and create it? Why do we openly invite drama into our lives? Is it an easier way to get our heart-moving than physically getting it into action?

You may say “Oh no, not I! I detest drama and avoid it at all costs”. Oh yes, I’ve heard this come out of my mouth as well. I was one of those dramatic deniers believing that I didn’t attract it and of course was not allured by it either. But since I’ve been unleashing my secrets for the last nine months, I might as well go ahead and be honest yet again. I continuously react to and attract drama just like anyone else. I’m just now starting to be aware of it in its many different shapes sizes and elusive forms. I am also starting to see what an impact it can have on me (and those around me) both physically and emotionally.

We live in a society in which we surround ourselves in drama. If we can not find it in our daily lives or in the newspapers, we pay money to be scared, confused or excited by all forms of it in movie theaters, playhouses, through video games, or on television? We seek it out to entertain, to spice up and flavor our lives. Or do we seek it out to escape our own personal manufactured drama? Probably a bit of both if we are being honest.

I am learning that I cannot control the external sources of events, people, or circumstances that birth a rude comment, a heated argument, or road rage session – but I have realized that I can begin to control my reactions to all these things.

As I am sure you have all heard before “you pick and choose your battles.” And I am realizing that choosing not to battle is a whole lot healthier on my heart and head. Ask yourself this, “Do I always have to be right?” before entering a conversation.

I’m also learning to simply change my reactions to external drama. Eliminating stressful situations or negative influences from life when I am able to has also been helpful. “Easier said then done” you say? Its true, I can’t pretend that I smile with kindness to every jerk driver on the highway that catches me off guard. But I can kindly let the race car driver change lanes and not let it affect my day. Making them happier is surely better than getting into a car accident, is it not?

Coping mechanisms are also greatly helpful in reducing and dissecting the effects of drama. The daily physical exercise has been a great addition to my toolbox. Sweating all that extra-added anxiety out of my adrenaline glands seems to be keeping my dramatic attack reactions at a minimum.

That along with my mood modifier of choice – Music! Whether I’m on a walk, in an argument or avoiding road rage. Music aides my actions to defuse or intensify almost any situation my racing heart has found itself in. So I try to keep my personal soundtrack on hand at all times!

There are many songs that have kept me company in my daily morning walks – most of them actually repetitive upbeat and fast to keep me moving at a fast pace. But I thought I would share one of my favorite anti-road rage songs that I’ve been playing on my PA – MD commutes.

So what do you want to attract? Try changing your thoughts and reactions to external drama and see if it changes what you’re attracting. The only way to see if the Law of Attraction works is to try it on for yourself and ditch the drama in the dumpster where it belongs.

4/10/14

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

april fools me

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Drawing by Solstice Bawol

It seems so easy. Was it an April fools chapter? Chapter ten writer Dawn Bennett asks me to raise my heart rate for at least 15 minutes every other day for the month of April. But why do this? And in what way? How will I do it? For what particular purpose?

My chapter training these past 9 months has led me to consider these questions closely before taking any action on making changes. I thank Dawn for leaving the questions and decisions open for me to consider on my own. I am not fooled into believing this to be a simple challenge. Doing the physical task daily along side exploring the questions that follow could turn this month into a deeper endeavor. Sure we can all raise our heart rates but what really happens when we do? And how are we affected when we do? Does it always help? Is it always in a healthy way?

After a few months of questioning, probing and meandering through so many esoteric existential questions in my surreal island setting you would think that I would be aching for some kind of down to earth physical interaction. Well, guess what? I am! I have been yearning for it!

During my time on the island I was in constant motion naturally – hiking, walking, swimming, and snorkeling. While there, I developed a rhythmic flow and a beginning balance between mind-body and spirit. Being back stateside, I have already noticed an immediate decrease in my physical activity – driving more, walking less. Swimming and snorkeling has been replaced by grocery shopping and commuting. Not only has this change in activity lowered my energy level but I am also feeling it emotionally. Let’s just say I’m a bit crankier?

Granted a lot has changed besides my decrease in physical activity. The weather, my physical surroundings, the color palette out my window, my living conditions, my immediate community and the amount of people who I am now dealing with on a day-to-day basis, to name a few. Leaving the island at this point was not something I wanted to do, but something I needed to do. I had to return to the east coast to take care of some very real and physical life situations including my current job, my remaining bits of belongings, my car here, and primarily my mother’s transition to a new home. (the latter being what has landed me in my now current home base of Central Pennsylvania.)

In the first 6 months of the Living Chapters project, I looked closely at what effected my mind-body, and spirit based on the different themes selected. (Body/Kinesthetic, Logic and Order, The Environment, Existential/Spirituality, Purpose, and Interpersonal Relationships) Looking at each of these themes individually, I was able to see how shifting my habits in mindful ways could greatly effect my emotional, physical or spiritual health. With health and growth as my focus, I decided to dig further repeating the themes during this second six months. The question now is not, how can I develop a mindful habit to affect these areas in my life but how can I develop mindful practices and learn how to balance the different areas in my life. Can I now learn how my environment affects my mind? Or how the mind and emotions affect the body? And doesn’t the body affect the spirit?

Thus far in 2014, I have been teetering on the see-saw, trying to balance my emotional (chapter eight) and spiritual worlds (chapter nine) while becoming a pro at adapting to ever-changing new environments (chapter seven). I think it’s about time to jump back into the physical world by adding the body back into the equation. The physical needs to addressed in conjunction with the mental and spiritual aspects of my life, rather than being separated from the two.

Amy Rothstein, the existential chapter writer from September got me started on this track. She reminded me that “One of the core agreements of existentialism is that being human means we will experience anxiety.” Which to me is the way that most of us raise our heart rate on a daily basis in an unhealthy way without even noticing. Amy also asked me to be mindful of my breath, body/extremities, movements and actions while looking at how I access and experience comfort as well as discomfort in my body. She asked me to identify how my body reacts to stress or anxiety and to observe my body in different situations and emotional states.

I feel that re-visiting some of her more complicated requests along with my direct and simple current challenge this month may help me stay on the path for a fuller mind, body and soul connection. So yeah, its time to get my jump rope and running shoes out again but this time with greater goals in mind. Let’s get physical shall we? Not only seeking a better body and energy level but in a quest for a healthier balance and a different mindset.

Will you take notes with me this month? Follow the pitter-patter of your own heart in the next 30 days. Is it fluttering in happiness, anxiety, adrenaline, dance or drama? How does the state of your physical body and rate of your heart affect your mind and spirit?

4/3/2014

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

chapter 10

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Theme: Body/Kinesthetic

Getting out of your head & getting it done!

Beth,

This month I know you face a lot of changes as you make plans for an
island life. It’s time to be physical and get things done! You will need a lot of energy for your tasks at hand: packing, organizing, etc. That being said, every other day I’d like you to spend at least 15 minutes to raise your heart rate.

This should be done before starting your day. Do this before turning on your computer, doing anything for anyone else or getting involved in your day-to-day life. Elevate your heart rate by any method you choose. Make the exercise something simple that you enjoy, i.e. walking, running, jumping, swimming, anything that you feel comfortable doing with out thinking about the activity. Something that is repetitive might work best for this. I’d like you to focus your thoughts on what you will accomplish each day while you are elevating your heart rate. This will get your blood moving and allow you to clear your thoughts and make a plan for each day.

Good luck!

4/1/2014

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

protagonist parting words: the gray scale

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images

I am finishing up this week with what this month’s chapter writer Seth called “the Trinity” readings. My experiences through Seth’s suggestions have helped me develop some clarity and understanding of what kind of spiritual practices speak to me. I must say though in these mere 30 days in which I’ve scrutinized these topics, I feel as if I have only scratched the surface wandering down the endless paths that examining religion and/or spirituality can take you. And where am I now after this month of March? Well I am no closer to any specific truth, and I may actually be further away. Which is A-OK in my book.

In the search, between right and wrong, black and white, and good and evil, I have been finding large territories of gray landscapes, with unmarked highways, unnamed cities, and unspoken languages. But this does not deter me. On the contrary, it excites me.

Being a lover and maker of black and white photographs, I spent years of my life in a darkroom trying to re-create the correct balance of black and white and all that lies in between by using a machine that directs and times the quantity of light. (sounds strangely like many of our searches for truth no?) I never made the same picture twice and gave up searching for any kind of perfect balance. I was happier with making what I called art. What I did find though in my darkroom explorations, is that no image is more beautiful and real than the ones that have a spectrum of gradations – a true white and a true black and the full gray-scale in between.

How does this metaphor translate to my beliefs at the end of this month on spirituality? Well, I believe that the shades of gray (what it is we don’t know or can not prove) are the most important arenas to explore and examine, even if we are not sure what we are looking at? I can look outside of myself to a religious doctrine, a literary text, ancient manuscript or a scientific equation to prove what I believe to exist or to not exist. Or I can look within myself and observe my feelings, reactions, and instinct in my immediate environment to understand what I believe to exist at any given moment. Instead of trying to prove or disprove an existence of any God, I ‘d like to start by observing, accepting and being grateful for my existence and life itself.

My last reading of the month is “Silence”: the Lectures and Writings by John Cage. In a strange way I feel as though Cage’s writings are depicting the same thing as the Tao Te Ching but only in literary and musical metaphors. I found Cage’s lectures to be a repetitive description of the constant process of construction and deconstruction of what we as a society understand to be “true”. It’s a way in which we have all learned throughout history to understand our place in the world.

Remember Lao Tzu’s words?

“The Tao that can be followed is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”

Flip to any one of the 276 pages of free form verse and prose in John Cage’s writings on Silence and find the same sentiments re-worded in ways that could engage all or any one of us. His words continuously question and dissect; they don’t define.

One of his thoughts that resonates with me greatly is the following:

“The activity of movement sound and light we believe, is expressive, but what it expresses is determined by each one of you – who is right… if he thinks he is. The novelty of our work derives therefore from our having moved away from simply private human concerns towards the worlds of nature and society of which all of us are a part. Our intention is to affirm this life, not to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply to wake up to the very life we’re living, which is so excellent once one get’s one’s mind and one’s desires out its way and lets it act of its own accord.”

Silence itself has been a reoccurring theme in my personal explorations into self-awareness and development. It is something that I would like to continue to return to and thank Seth for bringing it to my awareness in a new way this month. I believe that it is in the silence where the listening begins, not to other sounds or voices from the outside, but from the guidance that is held within us. It is there in the space that silence gives us where the process of construction and deconstruction occurs. It is what depicts and fills in the full gray-scale and brings our own truth to life.

But don’t listen to me. Find your own silence and your own truth. Where are you on the gray-scale?

3/30/14

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

in solidarity

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So I have been spending A LOT of time this month engaged in independent introspection through my own meditation practices, in my readings and in reflection writing sessions in response to the readings Seth has assigned. I enjoyed my alone time greatly but was open to testing out the shared experience of a community spiritual gathering. I was asked to participate in at least one religious or spiritual service this month. I was happy that I was able to participate in two. The two were very different in their own right and I feel as if I could have written a blog post on each as I had very different experiences and feelings about each of them, but as Seth mentioned in his initial chapter challenge this month he wanted this chapter “to be to be more internally reflective and self-examining.” My descriptions of both events will inevitably leave out some details as I am still examining my reactions to both experiences and may be able to write more about them at another time. Here and now, I will leave you with my initial observations – excuse the lengthy post. Both experiences were intense and full; I thought some readers might find interest in the comparison.

On Island: St. Croix Virgin Islands

The day before I left St. Croix I attended a gathering called a Women’s Bush Bath. I knew very little about what this process was, how it would unfold or what it was exactly for. But it sounded like a wonderful process to be a part of and a great way to say goodbye to the island for a few months.

The event itself happens from time to time throughout the year and is organized by one or more women who decide to initiate it. This particular one took place on a full moon Sunday morning. I was invited by a new friend on the island and was told to come only with herbs, flowers and an open mind. Oh and to wear a bathing suit. The gathering was held on a beach on the East end of the island looking out to America’s only underwater national park – Buck Island. The beach was virtually empty outside of the group of about 20 women who attended. There was a very open and organic structure to the gathering, but from beginning to end it lasted about an hour and a half. Women arrived with bags of wild flowers and herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme). Each woman greeted each other warmly as they arrived and laid out their beach towels in a circle around several buckets of fresh water. The organizer reminded us as we sat down in the circle to engage with those that we did not know (someone of a different age or a different race, someone from the island or a visitor) We were then asked to prepare the bath. Each woman from the age of about 6 – 66 was asked to distribute the flowers and herbs into the waters. Each of us took our turns scattering and dunking the bright red hibiscus, the orange and pink bougainvillea and rose petals, along with a myriad of other wild tropical blossoms into the buckets of fresh water. We were asked to put our positive intentions for ourselves and others into the water with the flowers and then take a short walk away from the circle for a personal moment of contemplation. We were asked to conjure all that is not serving us anymore – look at it directly and let it go. Upon our return to the circle a few prayers of gratitude and intentions were said over the water. Each of us were asked to call on a maternal figure from our ancestry to bring support to the circle and prayers of gratitude were spoken. Each person was asked to focus on their special skill or purpose (a word or an idea that they felt they were able to give to the world) We all spoke that word into the circle then one by one were bathed. Starting with the youngest and then the eldest in attendance, each woman took a turn dunking coconut shells, and flower pots into the water showering the (now warmed by the sun) fragrant mixture of herbs and flowers over the heads, arms, and bodies of each participant. After being bathed, each person bathed the next woman in line. Following the cleansing we formed a line by the sea’s edge and took in the view of the island in the distance, the sound of the crashing waves and the chants of one woman singing. When all had completed the bath we brought the line into a circle and said our goodbyes to one another.

For more information about other kinds of Bush Baths check out these links:
Jamaican Bush Bath
Herbal Bush Bath

Exactly one week after the Bush Bath, I attended a very different spiritual gathering.

While Inland: Harrisburg Pa

In an effort to understand or reconnect with my childhood Catholic rearing, I returned to the Catholic Church that I attended as a small child. I had not been to a mass for at least 15 years and had not been to this particular church in 25 years. Although I have rejected the teachings of the Catholic beliefs and the structure and formalism of the religious practice, there were few things about the process that I still remembered to be comforting. My Grandfather played the organ each Sunday and the colored stained glass windows glowed with light from outside in the dark building. I wanted to see if there was still some comfort there to share in.

I arrived early in the Harrisburg neighborhood where my Grandparents lived and started my Sunday with visiting their old house. As many things are when you return to them, it was a bit of a disappointment. The house now looked very small, the willow tree I remember in the back was gone and both houses on either side were empty. Going back to the church around the corner where my Grandfather played the organ was also a bit of a disappointment. I thought I would somehow have, if not a spiritual connection, maybe a feeling of nostalgia or warm memories. What I found instead was the following:

It was a cold wintry morning (yet technically a few days past the first day of Spring) Even inside the church I found myself still shivering. I sat in the back and watched as the pews filled up with people quietly filing in. There were a few kids squirming sitting in a separated section of the church reserved for them and 3 men dressed in long white robes overseeing the service on a raised stage in the front of the room. The wall held a large golden-colored cross with the figure of Christ nailed to a cross. The colored windows that I remembered were now dampened by new blinds that looked strangely like bars on the windows.

The service started out with a reminder and request to focus on the sins that we have all committed throughout the week. “Remember what you have done and confess your true nature” were the words of the preacher. This was followed by a story of Moses and a lesson about what love is to each of us and what is should not be. We were asked to face our truths but only in an “appropriate” context. After this homily, we were reminded to donate to the church and asked to volunteer in the telemarketing plea for donations for the church. The upcoming Easter services were also mentioned (there would be an egg hunt following mass on Easter Sunday). This was preceded the basket passing for church donations. The blessing of the gifts were then made and the body and blood of Christ were consumed shortly after by the congregation – communion. In between homily and donation requests the congregation stood up, sat down, kneeled and prayed intermittently. Songs were read and sung from the prayer books and prayers were repeated in unison after the preacher had recited them. The final message passed on before leaving was about how following the “lamb of god” would take your sins away. “Let us leave you with the mystery of faith.” We gave our handshakes of peace, there was another hymn played and I left the Catholic Church for the last time as the bells were ringing in my ears.

Want to know more about Catholic “Mass?” Check this out and learn more if you have not been to one. Interested in Catholic Services in Harrisburg Pa investigate for yourself.

3/28/14

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

writer reflection: March

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A Writer’s Conclusion: The Noble Path

In reading Beth’s entries this month in response to my challenge, I found her story was very similar to mine. I also went through the motions of CCD and Mass, which I found largely uninteresting. I also played mental games to occupy myself during services waiting for the last Amen so I could be released into the room at the back of the church where my brother and I would rush hoping there were donuts and orange juice left. (The bribe of juice and donuts seems to be a common one.) My reaction to losing my Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening to the Church for much of my childhood was not just to reject Christianity but also to spend the proceeding years attempting to understand why religion in general did not work for me, and subsequently, to figure out what did.

This, in so many words, was the primary goal of the task I set forth for Beth in this month’s chapter: To interact with diverse spiritual experiences, and through thoughtful reflection, come closer to understanding one’s own beliefs. As I told Beth at one point during the month when she seemed to be struggling with reading the Bible, my intention for this chapter was to actually read these ancient religious texts which not many people have done even though they may be familiar with the stories, and to interact and reflect on these texts and the profound affect they have had on us and our culture. Even if we feel these ancient documents do not directly affect our lives, they do have an enormous impact on how a lot of people perceive the world. They are a record of the hopes and anxieties of our ancestors and the mythology they created to deal with their world.

Ultimately, each person has to decide for him or herself what worldview they are going to embrace. However, sometimes you have to experience something and reject it to gain a greater understanding of what you believe. If nothing else, the goal of this chapter should be a thoughtful examination of our beliefs and a questioning of why we believe what we do. A critical analysis of all of our beliefs, spiritual, political, or otherwise, is probably the most essential and useful instrument in the self-development toolbox. Otherwise, as Anais Nin put it, “When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons.”

3/25/14

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

miracle and wonder

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“The way we look to a distant constellation that is dying in the corner of the sky – these are the days of miracle and wonder and don’t cry baby don’t cry.”

– Paul Simon The Boy in the Bubble

The Maestro has been speaking quietly to me throughout this project sharing songs in a subtle and supportive way to complement each of the month’s themes and/or challenges. This month however the song he chose speaks loudly and clearly to me. I wanted to highlight and share it. I have been listening to Paul Simon since I was an eight year old little girl. His mythical lyrics and primal rhythms felt more like gospel to me than anything else at that age and still ring true to me today. I have turned to that album Graceland often in times of struggle or in times of happiness. Music itself has always been an uplifting or spiritual connection for me.

Alexis and Brian were spot on for reminding me that sound vibrations are a great tool for tapping into that connection – whether it’s in personal meditation or in community and group sharing sessions. I loved their beautiful description of what chant can be and how it can be so helpful in learning meditation: “the aural broom, sweeping away any thoughts and worries”. Many prefer silence for meditation, but I find a constant rhythm, a chant, or the sound of waves or wind to be a perfect point of focus for a wandering mind such as mine.

And now is a time when my mind is wandering again, I am making another transition. My days on the island have been full of miracle and wonder, but my time in St. Croix has come to an end for the moment. My last few days on the hill before heading stateside have been spent primarily in my backyard garden of Eden, listening to my Paul Simon gospel and building upon my personal mediation visually through images and auditory through practicing the rhythm of chants Brian and Alexis have passed on. Spring is the perfect time for new vibrations, growth and change. I am looking at this new season and transition as a new opportunity to make space for all of those things sprout forth.

These are the days of Lasers in the jungle – lasers in the jungle somewhere.

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3/21/14

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.

March wild cards

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Hi Beth! We are excited to be part of this month’s Living Chapter focusing on spirituality/existential. As you comb through sacred texts and reflect on your religious self, we want to add to the meditative component of this month’s chapter. During Alexis’ yoga teacher training a couple years, she learned about chanting as a way to lead-in to meditation. Chanting is recognized as a spiritual practice in many religions, and we hope it will add to your reflective experience for the rest of the month. So the Wild Card is quite simple: for at least one of your twice-daily meditations, start with chanting for a couple minutes. You can increase your chanting time as you like. Chants can take many forms and you can use any phrase or mantra you like. Perhaps a line from one the texts you’ve read, or a meaningful song lyric, or even just a single calming word. For your reference, we’ve recorded some examples of chants that we like. These have even come in handy for calming our baby! We hope they have the same effect for you. As you build chanting into your meditative practice, try to focus on your breathing and allow the chant to serve as an aural broom, sweeping away any thoughts and worries. We think that sound can serve a unique role in spiritual reflection and we hope it brings additional clarification and calming to your day.

Loka Samasta:

Om Mani Padme:

Om Shanti Om:

3/16/14

Just finding this blog today? Read the prologue for more details on what Living Chapters is all about. Check out the Chapter Summaries Page to get caught up to date.