Making Sound

Sound is something we tend to be comfortable with when we are not the ones making it. When put on the spot to sing a song, many people feel incredibly uncomfortable. But when we sing alone, certain that no one is listening, it feels good. What many of us don’t think about is that sound can feel good, but it doesn’t always have to sound good.

We can use our voice as an instrument to facilitate an emotional release. These noises may not sound pretty. They might sound deep, guttural, primal, soft, weak, or uninhibited. If you can summon up all your feelings and channel them into sound, it can be a very powerful way to rid yourself of unwanted emotions, to create new energy, or to simply get you to think differently about yourself.

If you are interested in experimenting with sound, try something simple that you can really surrender to, such as Om chants:

Close your eyes. Get yourself into a meditative space (Try the meditation from my previous post! Growing Buddha Nature )

When you are ready, begin with your first Om. The O and the M should be spoken at about the same length OOO MMM

Take a deep breath, form your mouth into a large O and allow the sound to release, closing your mouth to say the M.

Make as many Oms as you like. Try making the sound last a little longer each time. Really breathe in deeply at the end of each Om. You might like to practice in your shower, where the acoustics are good, or in your car, or in the forest; wherever you feel comfortable making lots of noise. Om chants are especially beautiful in a group, or even with just one other person. You can create a space of exceptionally good energy by practicing Om chants.

Enjoy the sounds of your day …

Growing Buddha Nature

I recently read about a beautiful meditation called "Growing Buddha Nature". To be enlightened means to be free of all negative thought, and to be filled with all positive thought.

If you would like to practice this meditation:

Get into your comfortable seated position ~ preferably on the ground, cross legged, hands resting on your knees, palms up. Bring your index finger and thumb together to form an O. Spine straight but relaxed.

Breathe comfortably, counting your breath on the exhale. Count to 10 this way. Focus on the quiet space at the end of your exhale. Enter into that quiet space a little more each time.

When you are ready, visualize a seed of light. This light is filled with compassion, love, understanding, kindness ~ all good, positive things. Visualize the seed entering your third eye ~ the space between your eyebrows. Focus on the seed moving slowly down through each chakra. Feel the good feelings ... love, compassion, joy, understanding.

Try focusing on one emotion at a time. Imagine yourself in a situation, practicing kindness, feeling love for someone, being joyful in the moment.

Imagine this seed growing larger and larger inside of you, filling you with golden light. Immerse yourself in the peaceful feeling of positivity.

You now have a Growing Buddha Nature. Feed this feeling with positivity every day. Just like anything that grows, it requires time, love and patience. If you are feeling negative at any time during your day, remember this Growing Buddha Nature is inside of you now. You can activate the feeling of well-being any time you desire.

Opportunity Exists Everywhere

I have always lived my life in a way where things happen to me. Opportunities present themselves front and centre, and I take advantage of them. I don't have any diplomas or degrees, I don't have a particular pull into any one direction, and I often feel like a child who is asking "What do I want to be when I grow up?" In my heart, I know that I am always where I am supposed to be, but there is sometimes a nagging feeling that I should be pushing, striving for more.

During meditation this morning, the message was "Opportunity Exists Everywhere".

What does this mean exactly? When you read this phrase, how does it make you feel? Are you desensitized to this sort of spiritual language? Did you say "Yeah, yeah, okay, let's move on"? Did you read it and dismiss it? Do you know what it means to say "Opportunity Exists Everywhere"? It means that your life is an always open doorway to expanded consciousness. One of the problems with this phrase is that we humans have a tendency to search, to make sense of, to rationalize. This journeying way of being makes it quite difficult to choose a path definitively. Seeking out opportunity can feel like you are committing yourself to a particular path, without knowing exactly what will come of it. And will you be ruling out other options by choosing one way? A genuine leap of faith.

It is difficult to choose a path because we don't know if we will succeed or fail. But the beauty is that the lesson lies in the experience. It is easy to get caught up in the modern thoughts of our society. Progressive, results-based, looks good on paper: We approve of all these things. But someone who searches for more simple things, such as love, understanding, knowledge, peace, compassion, is often cast off as being unimportant. Why is it these important universal truths are dismissed by so many of us? Even the constant spiritualist can only live in the moment of these lessons for a short period before returning to the "real world", and nearly relinquishing their right to enjoy these moments. But these lessons are actually memories, and that is why they resonate so strongly for us. Before moving onto the next thing, try sitting in the feeling of love, understanding, knowledge, peace, compassion. Sit down and truly feel it, and in turn feel the opportunities that exist everywhere.

Embracing the In-Between

I can truly feel the air is changing now ... last night as I stood in my backyard, I looked up to the beautiful moon spreading her glow onto the earth. There were thin clouds slipping through the sky, veiling her though only serving to enhance her light. It spread like a halo all around her ... and it was coloured like a rainbow. I knew I was to "see" something ... and I started to truly focus on the splendid sight of the moon. It seemed as though the moon was beginning to vibrate and I knew I was about to see or feel something from her ... and that is when my puppy, Tetley, jumped up on me saying, "Hey! That's enough. I'm right here. Stay in the moment". I laughed at her bid for my attention, but I don't let things like that get away from me too quickly. The message I am getting is to just Wait.

You see, as of late, I have been feeling itchy. I am experiencing one of those in-between times: Last week, last month, my life was incredibly busy. I was not thinking about what would happen once Halloween was over, and our Halloween circle has been delayed for one week as we are each overwhelmed in obligation right now. I have been getting the message that not every moment can be certain. That these lulls can be a perfect breeding ground for insight and transformation. Perhaps I should be gathering my strength.

We are definitely on the cusp of Winter here in Cariboo Country, and I've learned from past years to get ready for it. This year I am ready for nesting, baking up a storm, crafting while the kids are asleep, getting ready for Solstice. Going into myself more ... but this year I'd like to offer more too. I want to give love of myself wholly, to my husband, my children, our cat and dog ... and of course my family and friends. Perhaps this lull in the action is what is most needed in order to get to the place that I'd like to be in.

Now is the time to embrace what we already have: a home, a family, a community. Simple things, but we all know they are the reason behind all that we do in these human lives. Whether that was our original intent, I'll not know this time around. But let's just enjoy it all! For now, while we build up our energy for the next phase ...

Puppy Chronicles

Today I finally had a dog trainer come for some obedience training. My little pupil, Tetley, did so very well today. Dave (the trainer) helped me to enjoy my dog more. We had so much fun today, guiding her and playing with her. I felt none of the frustration that I had been feeling in the past week or so. I have heard that you don't get the dog you want, you get the dog you need. This is true in my case, I have to say.

When I was a kid, we got a puppy who we named Lady. Lady was a Blue Heeler ... if you know about dogs, you know Blue Heelers have a crazy amount of energy, and they are also a herding dog. Lady intimidated me because she was always nipping at my feet, pushing into me to get me to move, and basically treating me like a sheep. My daughter is with Tetley the same way I was with Lady. Every time the dog comes near her, she yells for me, turns away, then runs away. I am trying to explain that we mustn't allow Tetley to push us around, that we need to shuffle through her, etc. It's not helping, because my daughter's natural instinct is to be herded ~ it's just that it's usually me herding her! I see so much of myself in her :o)

One day, Lady got away from my sister and I, while we were playing in the front yard. When we caught up to her, she was biting a man on his leg. Needless to say, Lady was gone from us after that. This morning, during meditation, I was trying to focus on why Tetley gets me feeling so angry sometimes ... I was directed to thoughts of that childhood memory of Lady getting away, and I realized that I felt truly angry about what Lady did. I forgave her this morning ... for just being a puppy, for not knowing any better, for not listening to me. And I allowed myself to let go of Lady. It is amazing what we hang onto throughout our lives. I always expected to feel guilty about Lady ... but it was anger I was feeling, and now it's gone.

I am so excited when I interact with Tetley now, because I can see the dog she is going to become. She is a sweet, loving, loveable, obedient canine! And she is the dog I need.

Come From a Place of Love

Dealing with a new puppy, on top of my usual routines and responsibilities, has been .... busy. I had a few tough days where everybody in my life seemed to be challenging me. It is possible that was just my perception, but seriously, it seemed like even the dog was talking back! I have wanted a dog for a very long time, and I found I was getting frustrated by her behaviour at times, and questioning whether or not I had made a mistake. What a horrible thought. In the first day that we got Tetley, she has brought me so much joy. We are into our second week now, and I can't imagine life without her, let alone my childrens' lives without a dog.

During my meditations, once I get into that quiet and open space, I sometimes ask for a message ~ "Is there anything I need to know right now?" What I got the other day was "Come from a place of love". This message seems so simple, but it absolutely makes sense to me. If we could all come from a place of love in everything that we do, not only would we each feel great, but so would every person we came in contact with. In spreading the love you feel around you, you are making an investment into that person, place or thing. An investment that will inevitably pay you back one hundred times. As for Tetley the dog, I think she notices when I am doing things out of love for her. She does seem to respond much more positively when I discipline her out of love, or ask her to wait for her food, or to genuinely tell her "Good girl! What a smart puppy!"

So I am starting anew today, coming from a place of love, and enjoying each moment with my children, the puppy, my husband ... well, you get the picture. Enjoy your day ~ With Love, Nicole

Infusing Positivity

If you can live your life, every day, with a spirit of openness the universe will respond to you in ways you never dreamed. Is there a secret to attaining openness? Absolutely ~ Remain Positive~ Do things that make you feel great!

Positivity is something that you can infuse into every minute detail of your day. Pay attention to your thoughts, and you may be surprised at how much negativity you are focusing on. It all adds up!

~ being impatient while waiting in a line, when you could practice truly living in the moment. ~

~Trying to get around small children walking slowly, when you could watch how they move, what they notice, what they're talking about ~

~You feel offended and upset that someone was rude to you, when you could say to yourself "That's their stuff, not mine"~

Like a duck in the water, allow negativity to slide off your back like drops of water, and you will begin to enjoy each and every moment of your day. And most importantly, remember that you are in charge of how you feel. No one else can control your emotions but you.

At the end of the day, when you look back at what happened, you'll be so proud of yourself for how you handled your life.