Tools for today: Are you sure?

Great exercise for cleaning up erroneous perception... "Are you sure?"

Looking Deeply into Perceptions—Are You Sure? Then we meditate on our perceptions. The Buddha observed, The person who suffers most in this world is the person with many wrong perceptions…. And most of our perceptions are erroneous. We see a snake in the dark and we panic, but when our friend shines a light on it, we see that it is only a rope. We have to know which wrong perceptions cause us to suffer. Please calligraph the sentence, “Are you sure?” on a piece of paper and tape it to your wall. Love meditation helps us to learn to look with clarity and serenity in order to improve the way we perceive.

Thich Nhat Hahn

Toltec Warriors: Completely Aligned With Their Intent

The Toltec Warrior - Completely Aligned With Their Intent
excerpted from www.shamanswell.org

The ToltecPath on warriors manifesting their destiny:
A Toltec warrior is a creator, someone who consciously connects with intent and creates their reality by walking it into the world. This is why it is so important for a warrior to be impeccable with their words and thoughts. When one has enough energy to be completely aligned with intent, they are aligned with the power of the universe, the collective flow to the nature of things, and as a result, their words and thoughts begin to manifest real time. ...

We have to recognize the powerful energy that exists through us and all around us. When we awaken each day in gratitude for everything we are reinforcing our connection with intent. To continually feed old lines of energy or other people’s visions weighs those very lines down and makes them denser. Whether one can see them or not doesn’t matter, the energy that those lines hold are prevalent and easy to become attached to. These lines are illusions and illusion causes suffering because there is no connection with the creative force. Shamans Well

Image from quite peculiar on Flickr
www.shamanswell.org

If you liked this article, you might like these...

■What Is A Toltec Warrior?
■Castaneda and The Impeccable Warrior
■The Second Line of Sorcery - Experience the Freedom
■Spending Time with Our Elders and The Ancient Ones
■The Shamanic Warrior And The Skill of Impeccability

In Gratis 2011

Today I give thanks for a feeling of expanding joy. For the gifts of new friendships and circles, the simple and abundant comforts in life, blessings in so many things, The gifts of the Goddess, and the experience of being supported and guided in so many ways on an ever evolving journey into the new paradigm of freedom & Self Love. To Eagle, Mountain Lion and Wolf, my sacred power guides, I say thank you for walking and flying and speaking with me. Today may all sentient beings find love in their hearts, joy in their beingness, faith in their journeys, and peace in their awakened souls. May all sentient beings be loved, free, protected, cherished and filled with the Grace of a new millenium cycle of truth and light for all.

~ in gratitude ~

The Art of Receiving

Relying on Others - The Wisdom of Surrender

A deep feeling of gratitude can emerge as we open to the experience of being helped.

Most of us pride ourselves on our self-sufficiency. We like to be responsible for taking care of ourselves and pulling our own weight in the world. This is why it can be so challenging when we find ourselves in a situation in which we have to rely on someone else. This can happen as the result of an illness or an injury, or even in the case of a positive change, such as the arrival of a newborn. At times like these, it is essential that we let go of our feeling that we should be able to do it all by ourselves and accept the help of others.

The first step is accepting the situation fully as it is. Too often we make things worse either by trying to do more than we should or by lapsing into feelings of uselessness. In both cases we run the risk of actually prolonging our dependency. In addition, we miss a valuable opportunity to practice acceptance and humility. The ego resists what is, so when we move into acceptance we move into the deeper realm of the soul. In needing others and allowing them to help us, we experience the full realization that we are not on our own in the world. While this may bring up feelings of vulnerability, a deep feeling of gratitude may also emerge as we open to the experience of being helped. This realization can enable us to be wiser in our service of others when we are called upon to help.

It takes wisdom and strength to surrender to our own helplessness and to accept that we, just like every other human being, have limitations. The gifts of surrender are numerous. We discover humility, gratitude, and a deepening understanding of the human experience that enables us to be that much more compassionate and surrendered in the world.

DailyOm

Visions of Holly Trees

Amazing. I was working with holly medicine this morning (as per my previous blog) and in the afternoon went to the maryland shore with my family. After spending some beautiful time on the sunny beach we went for a short hike in the neighboring forest area of the park - where we walked directly into a magical forest full of, what do you think?? ... holly trees! I am not kidding. I had never seen holly trees before. And they were everywhere! I wouldn't have even noticed the cheery and flourishing bright red berries and familiar holiday leaves had my hubby not said, "hey, these are holly trees!" There were bright berry-filled holly trees everywhere. And hubby had no idea I had just read and blogged about this powerful healing medicine today, a message that was so poignant not only for the season but to my own journey at this time as well. It was soo magical!!


Here is a photo of Eric surrounded by these beautiful trees.

Needless to say, I was stunned by the synchronicity and wonder of this experience, and I gently broke off a few boughs and brought them home. They are now displayed happily on our mantle, where I am in the presence and energy of this amazing medicine even as I write. It was sooo wonderous! and another reminder that we are led and blessed by the Universe each and every day.

I hope that some readers will take the time to share and read about this medicine in my previous blog. Especially at this Season, it is an important and powerful friend.

love and blessings, and boughs of holly to all.
xx

These are all holly trees embracing a lovely little maryland stream. I have never seen holly trees before. Until today that is!

Guided Elemental Gratitude Practice

Elemental Gratitude

It's the thanks-giving weekend and I am feeling so much gratitude in my life today. Here is a beautiful prayer to practice and celebrate with today,.. en~joy and lots of love.

~          ~           ~

"The air is good. The air within me is good. I am grateful for air.

The earth is good. The earth within me is good. I am grateful for earth.

The water is good. The water within me is good. I am grateful for water.

The fire is good. The fire within me is good. I am grateful for fire."

~          ~          ~

thank you!

A Minute of Zen

A Minute of Zen - I was just reminded of a zen moment I had over the weekend. my husband was driving and I looked into the rearview mirror from my passenger seat. In the mirror I could see the green trees from alongside the road float rapidly by. One tree, after another tree, after another (I live in foresty Maryland), floating across and through the frame of the mirror. and I immediately thought:... those trees are like my thoughts... just passing by. And I was simply the witness.

It was like, oh, yeah, there's that one again, and that one. and look, they're (thoughts) just floating by like the images in the car-mirror. this after many years of working with the principle and practice. It was so cool! Peace ♥