Hello
Today I have a very small amount of time to write! My baby has gone out with her daddy so I would have had an hour but I have had to spend quite a lot of it helping my ten year old daughter to move through a disappointment.; she did not get the part in the play that she wanted and now her thoughts are running riot telling her not to join in at all if she can't have the part she wants. Actually I know just how she feels! Disappointment can be really hard to deal with at times.
I have a habitual response to disappointment (as does my daughter) and it can take quite a concerted effort to get off the thought train of disappointment once it has left the station. With my daughter I noticed her thoughts becoming increasingly miserable and self deprecating as they went along, until she lay sobbing on the bed. She has not yet learnt to stem the flow of unhappy thoughts by herself and needs help to move into a better feeling place.
I do believe that at times it is good to let all the thoughts which accompany disappointment come and wash over me, however if that has already been indulged I think it is crucial for my well being to find a way to stop the deluge of negative thoughts and focus on something for which I feel grateful.
THOUGHTS REPRODUCE IN THEIR OWN LIKENESS! and not only that but we have well worn grooves (a highly technical term!) in our brains which thoughts move along, the more we think a thought the more naturally and easily it comes to our minds, therefore if one is used to thinking negative, positive or particular thoughts then they are the ones which will come with the least effort. We are in fact subject to habitual thinking, and therefore need to make an effort to think positive thoughts.
Today I used my "Winning Stance" method of changing my daughters focus; the method is simple, repeatedly adopt winning stances until you are laughing out loud. It might feel silly and crazy but it works! Silly and crazy are good if they bring about good feeling thoughts. We pretended to be olympic winners and before long my daughter was laughing heartily and went off to do something else.
Believe it or not research has proven (!) that people who adopt winning postures are more successful and happier than people who have poor posture!
So that's all I have time to say today, except of course for all the things for which I feel thankful......
Today I have Loving Gratitude for cold water
I have Loving Gratitude for the glorious colours of the sky
I have Loving Gratitude for ice lollies
I have Loving Gratitude for silk
I have Loving Gratitude for magical plants
I have Loving Gratitude for aloe vera
I have Loving Gratitude for my vegetable garden
I have Loving Gratitude for my daughters smiles
I have Loving Gratitude for the power of winning stances
I have Loving Gratitude for Divine silliness
love Klara.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Thursday, 24 May 2012
More Bogus Thoughts
Hello
It's late, I have had a really busy day and until now I have not had time to sit down and write. This evening I have a question in mind, it feels poignant; how do I tell the difference between authentic thoughts which need attention and bogus thoughts which lead me astray?
Sometimes when I sit down to write this I look at the statistics to see how many people are reading my posts, when it is what I consider to be a lot I feel good and when it is only a few I feel a bit low. Why on Earth I look at the statistics is a puzzle to me because I shall continue to write whether people read it or not, and yet when I see that a post has only had a couple of reads I wonder whether to continue writing or not!
It seems to me that the above is a rather typical example of a bogus thought (the one leading me to look at the stats) in action, and why do I follow it? I have been writing this for nearly one hundred and fifty days, and I think I had worked out the enormous benefits for me of the writing of it about fifty days ago! So why on Earth I would continue to look at the stats can only be on following a bogus thought.
It almost seems as if I am looking for something to feel bad about. I would also think that I was looking in order to feel happy at seeing a large number of page views, is that a bogus thought too?
Who knows where it would lead! Perhaps I am just too tired today, however in my own words happiness is not dependent on external circumstances; HAPPINESS COMES FROM WITHIN! So looking for external stimuli for happiness can only be BOGUS! HA!
Bogus thoughts are sooooo sneaky, they are wolves in sheeps clothing! My happiness is not dependent on how many people read my blog, it is a ridiculous notion, laughable in fact that I am writing a blog about my mission to CHOOSE GOOD FEELING THOUGHTS and resting my main philosophy on the fact that HAPPINESS COMES FROM INSIDE OUR HEARTS AND IMAGINATIONS AND OUR GRATITUDE and still bogus thoughts are sneaking in to test me.........
This has made me smile! I guess it is totally forgivable to feel as if it matters what other people think about my writing, to measure my own success on who reads this and who doesn't!
The Truth of my success is plain and clear as a bright new morning, I AM SUCCESSFUL WHEN I FEEL SUCCESSFUL! and that is all!
LIfe is all about how we feel, and how we feel is entirely dependent on what we are thinking, so it makes sense to think good feeling thoughts.......
Today I am Grateful for ancient monuments
I am Grateful for the song of the skylark
I am Grateful for the feel of cold mud on the soles of my bare feet
I am Grateful for the cool darkness inside the long barrow
I am Grateful for my courage to go into the dark alone
I am Grateful for the sight of the sunlit world outside the long barrow
I am Grateful for my feet for carrying me today
I am Grateful for my healing body
I am Grateful for the constant challenges of life
I am Grateful for avocados
love Klara.
It's late, I have had a really busy day and until now I have not had time to sit down and write. This evening I have a question in mind, it feels poignant; how do I tell the difference between authentic thoughts which need attention and bogus thoughts which lead me astray?
Sometimes when I sit down to write this I look at the statistics to see how many people are reading my posts, when it is what I consider to be a lot I feel good and when it is only a few I feel a bit low. Why on Earth I look at the statistics is a puzzle to me because I shall continue to write whether people read it or not, and yet when I see that a post has only had a couple of reads I wonder whether to continue writing or not!
It seems to me that the above is a rather typical example of a bogus thought (the one leading me to look at the stats) in action, and why do I follow it? I have been writing this for nearly one hundred and fifty days, and I think I had worked out the enormous benefits for me of the writing of it about fifty days ago! So why on Earth I would continue to look at the stats can only be on following a bogus thought.
It almost seems as if I am looking for something to feel bad about. I would also think that I was looking in order to feel happy at seeing a large number of page views, is that a bogus thought too?
Who knows where it would lead! Perhaps I am just too tired today, however in my own words happiness is not dependent on external circumstances; HAPPINESS COMES FROM WITHIN! So looking for external stimuli for happiness can only be BOGUS! HA!
Bogus thoughts are sooooo sneaky, they are wolves in sheeps clothing! My happiness is not dependent on how many people read my blog, it is a ridiculous notion, laughable in fact that I am writing a blog about my mission to CHOOSE GOOD FEELING THOUGHTS and resting my main philosophy on the fact that HAPPINESS COMES FROM INSIDE OUR HEARTS AND IMAGINATIONS AND OUR GRATITUDE and still bogus thoughts are sneaking in to test me.........
This has made me smile! I guess it is totally forgivable to feel as if it matters what other people think about my writing, to measure my own success on who reads this and who doesn't!
The Truth of my success is plain and clear as a bright new morning, I AM SUCCESSFUL WHEN I FEEL SUCCESSFUL! and that is all!
LIfe is all about how we feel, and how we feel is entirely dependent on what we are thinking, so it makes sense to think good feeling thoughts.......
Today I am Grateful for ancient monuments
I am Grateful for the song of the skylark
I am Grateful for the feel of cold mud on the soles of my bare feet
I am Grateful for the cool darkness inside the long barrow
I am Grateful for my courage to go into the dark alone
I am Grateful for the sight of the sunlit world outside the long barrow
I am Grateful for my feet for carrying me today
I am Grateful for my healing body
I am Grateful for the constant challenges of life
I am Grateful for avocados
love Klara.
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
The Joy of Challenging Times
Hello
One of the concepts which has caused me the most upset and depression in life is the idea that the way the world currently is not the way I would like it to be! I have found myself living in a reality which does not suit my sensibilities!
For many years I simply mourned the way the world was, as I perceived it, I called it my world sorrow, and it took up much of my time, indeed for a great deal of my life I felt paralysed by what I viewed as the unsuitability of the world for my sensibilities.
There are parts of the world where I imagine I could be happy, and I used to believe that if only I had the money to move there I would be happy and I felt angry that there were all these seemingly arbitrary unfair barriers to my happiness!
That was of course before my mission began to choose good feeling thoughts! Since then I have not suffered from my world sorrow, phew, but it has at times been in the background.
Then the other day I began to think about my world sorrow again, Thankfully I was not swept into despair! I thought about it from a different perspective, an entirely new perspective; What can I learn from finding myself living in a reality which is not as I desire it?
What are the spiritual purposes of finding oneself in a reality which does not appear to suit ones desires?
These questions intrigued me! Perhaps there are some people alive who find themselves on Earth living the kind of life they would have chosen for themselves on a very basic level, time passes for them, they have the right relationships, each day comes and goes they enjoy sunrise and sunset, dinner is served, they swim in the sea each day........
There is no challenge to their equilibrium, they are utterly content, nothing to learn, nothing to loose.........
Strangely enough this actually sounds quite boring to me! Until I thought about the idea of living a life without challenge it never occurred to me that that might actually be quite a boring option! Maybe these people do exist and perhaps their souls purpose is to live an uneventful life.
Every challenge I have faced in my life has taught me a valuable lesson, sometimes it can take years for the lesson to become clear, but I am certain that without them there would be no growth. Without challenge I do believe we stay the same, our opinions do not change, the truth is not revealed, our understanding of new concepts cannot develop.
Finding myself living in a place and time which is not on a cursory level as I would have chosen it to be actually provides for me the maximum amount of possibilities for learning and growth that could be!
Life in modern England is a Gift! It is a Gift of Challenge and Maximum Possibility for Spiritual and Ordinary Development!
Here I am utterly surrounded by opportunities to grow and learn, they may not always be comfortable, but within the challenges of life are the hidden gems of learning. Learning and truth are beautiful. When I finally see why something happened to me, when I finally understand what story the story held within it just for me I feel good, I feel pleased, I have Grown.
I do not pretend to understand life the Universe and everything, (although when the answer is 42 and the question is six times nine who would understand?) and I shall be pleasantly surprised if I do before I die, life is certainly better when it is spent looking at life's challenges with an eye of curiosity, questioning all the time "what can I learn from this situation about life and about myself?"
I have finished mourning the way I would have liked life to present itself to me, it was just a red herring, a trick of the mind, a product of poor thinking.
Life is beautiful, exciting and rewarding.
Today I have Loving Gratitude for all the lessons I have had so far which have helped me to grow
I have Loving Gratitude for the song of the seasons
I have Loving Gratitude for the contrasts which help me to hone my preferences
I have Loving Gratitude for where I was born
I have Loving Gratitude for my loving family
I have Loving Gratitude for my friends
I have Loving Gratitude for games
I have Loving Gratitude for stories
I have Loving Gratitude for proverbs
I have Loving Gratitude for helpful strangers
love Klara.
One of the concepts which has caused me the most upset and depression in life is the idea that the way the world currently is not the way I would like it to be! I have found myself living in a reality which does not suit my sensibilities!
For many years I simply mourned the way the world was, as I perceived it, I called it my world sorrow, and it took up much of my time, indeed for a great deal of my life I felt paralysed by what I viewed as the unsuitability of the world for my sensibilities.
There are parts of the world where I imagine I could be happy, and I used to believe that if only I had the money to move there I would be happy and I felt angry that there were all these seemingly arbitrary unfair barriers to my happiness!
That was of course before my mission began to choose good feeling thoughts! Since then I have not suffered from my world sorrow, phew, but it has at times been in the background.
Then the other day I began to think about my world sorrow again, Thankfully I was not swept into despair! I thought about it from a different perspective, an entirely new perspective; What can I learn from finding myself living in a reality which is not as I desire it?
What are the spiritual purposes of finding oneself in a reality which does not appear to suit ones desires?
These questions intrigued me! Perhaps there are some people alive who find themselves on Earth living the kind of life they would have chosen for themselves on a very basic level, time passes for them, they have the right relationships, each day comes and goes they enjoy sunrise and sunset, dinner is served, they swim in the sea each day........
There is no challenge to their equilibrium, they are utterly content, nothing to learn, nothing to loose.........
Strangely enough this actually sounds quite boring to me! Until I thought about the idea of living a life without challenge it never occurred to me that that might actually be quite a boring option! Maybe these people do exist and perhaps their souls purpose is to live an uneventful life.
Every challenge I have faced in my life has taught me a valuable lesson, sometimes it can take years for the lesson to become clear, but I am certain that without them there would be no growth. Without challenge I do believe we stay the same, our opinions do not change, the truth is not revealed, our understanding of new concepts cannot develop.
Finding myself living in a place and time which is not on a cursory level as I would have chosen it to be actually provides for me the maximum amount of possibilities for learning and growth that could be!
Life in modern England is a Gift! It is a Gift of Challenge and Maximum Possibility for Spiritual and Ordinary Development!
Here I am utterly surrounded by opportunities to grow and learn, they may not always be comfortable, but within the challenges of life are the hidden gems of learning. Learning and truth are beautiful. When I finally see why something happened to me, when I finally understand what story the story held within it just for me I feel good, I feel pleased, I have Grown.
I do not pretend to understand life the Universe and everything, (although when the answer is 42 and the question is six times nine who would understand?) and I shall be pleasantly surprised if I do before I die, life is certainly better when it is spent looking at life's challenges with an eye of curiosity, questioning all the time "what can I learn from this situation about life and about myself?"
I have finished mourning the way I would have liked life to present itself to me, it was just a red herring, a trick of the mind, a product of poor thinking.
Life is beautiful, exciting and rewarding.
Today I have Loving Gratitude for all the lessons I have had so far which have helped me to grow
I have Loving Gratitude for the song of the seasons
I have Loving Gratitude for the contrasts which help me to hone my preferences
I have Loving Gratitude for where I was born
I have Loving Gratitude for my loving family
I have Loving Gratitude for my friends
I have Loving Gratitude for games
I have Loving Gratitude for stories
I have Loving Gratitude for proverbs
I have Loving Gratitude for helpful strangers
love Klara.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Happiness is a gift given to all of mankind
Hello
It is a glorious day; every day is a glorious day! The job I have is to remove the smokescreen from the day and see it in its fullest technicolour glory. Some days that is easily done, indeed the smoke screen is hidden by the World-Smile of the Sun; the whole of life looks beautiful, bountiful and inviting.
The modern measures of success are at times like sticks for me to beat myself with! I should be more successful, more wealthy, taller, my hair should be shinier, my house should be tidier!
I feel sad when I THINK about the way modern western humans measure success and expect each other to behave and live; there is no room for creativity, imagination, individuality, or God. Achieve, Achieve, Achieve the THOUGHTS say!
There is some fleeting happiness to be had in modern achievements, shiny cars can make us feel good for a time, big rooms feel airy and spacious, and holidays in the sun provide happy memories.
What interests me is the idea that happiness is an internal thing, independent of external circumstances. Happiness is a state of mind, I believe it comes from Focus; cultivating the ability to continuously focus upon that which feels pleasant.
Happiness is a choice, I could always improve my circumstances ad infinitum. Somebody will always have more than me, be richer, more successful, taller, their house could be more attractive, but they cannot possibly be happier than me!
Happiness is a gift given to all of mankind!
We all have the power to be happy! I truly believe that our happiness lies with our THOUGHTS. For me it is that simple.
"I think therefore I am" famously said Descartes in the sixteenth century, well I would like to add to that famous adage!
"I think of all that I am Grateful for Therefore I am Happy! "
I could spend my life thinking of all that I would like to achieve, and indeed dreaming of that which I would like to experience is very valuable and vital to actually experiencing some excitement whilst in the physical body, however I believe that as much time as possible should be spent actively noticing and giving thanks for everything we have that we LOVE!
To Dwell On That Which Feels Wonderful!
It is a dwelling space, where I dwell in my mind, and in my thoughts, dictates how I feel. If I dwell on lack, I feel lack, if I dwell on unkind words I feel sad, If I dwell on love I feel LOVE, IF I DWELL ON ALL THE GOOD FORTUNE I HAVE THEN I DWELL IN GOOD FORTUNE AND I AM HAPPY!
Life is complicated, but it need not be, happiness is a choice, a state of mind, sometimes it swims towards me and sometimes I need to step into the flow, sometimes it is easy and sometimes it takes effort of Will.
Today I am Thankful for my mission to keep choosing Happiness
I am Thankful for the World-smile of the Sun
I am Thankful for the smell of newly mown grass
I am Thankful for the smell of a meadow left to flower and set seed
I am Thankful for creative doodles
I am Thankful for happy thoughts which surprise me
I am Thankful for mangos
I am Thankful for summer breezes
I am Thankful for my hands
I am Thankful for my baby's siestas
love Klara.
It is a glorious day; every day is a glorious day! The job I have is to remove the smokescreen from the day and see it in its fullest technicolour glory. Some days that is easily done, indeed the smoke screen is hidden by the World-Smile of the Sun; the whole of life looks beautiful, bountiful and inviting.
The modern measures of success are at times like sticks for me to beat myself with! I should be more successful, more wealthy, taller, my hair should be shinier, my house should be tidier!
I feel sad when I THINK about the way modern western humans measure success and expect each other to behave and live; there is no room for creativity, imagination, individuality, or God. Achieve, Achieve, Achieve the THOUGHTS say!
There is some fleeting happiness to be had in modern achievements, shiny cars can make us feel good for a time, big rooms feel airy and spacious, and holidays in the sun provide happy memories.
What interests me is the idea that happiness is an internal thing, independent of external circumstances. Happiness is a state of mind, I believe it comes from Focus; cultivating the ability to continuously focus upon that which feels pleasant.
Happiness is a choice, I could always improve my circumstances ad infinitum. Somebody will always have more than me, be richer, more successful, taller, their house could be more attractive, but they cannot possibly be happier than me!
Happiness is a gift given to all of mankind!
We all have the power to be happy! I truly believe that our happiness lies with our THOUGHTS. For me it is that simple.
"I think therefore I am" famously said Descartes in the sixteenth century, well I would like to add to that famous adage!
"I think of all that I am Grateful for Therefore I am Happy! "
I could spend my life thinking of all that I would like to achieve, and indeed dreaming of that which I would like to experience is very valuable and vital to actually experiencing some excitement whilst in the physical body, however I believe that as much time as possible should be spent actively noticing and giving thanks for everything we have that we LOVE!
To Dwell On That Which Feels Wonderful!
It is a dwelling space, where I dwell in my mind, and in my thoughts, dictates how I feel. If I dwell on lack, I feel lack, if I dwell on unkind words I feel sad, If I dwell on love I feel LOVE, IF I DWELL ON ALL THE GOOD FORTUNE I HAVE THEN I DWELL IN GOOD FORTUNE AND I AM HAPPY!
Life is complicated, but it need not be, happiness is a choice, a state of mind, sometimes it swims towards me and sometimes I need to step into the flow, sometimes it is easy and sometimes it takes effort of Will.
Today I am Thankful for my mission to keep choosing Happiness
I am Thankful for the World-smile of the Sun
I am Thankful for the smell of newly mown grass
I am Thankful for the smell of a meadow left to flower and set seed
I am Thankful for creative doodles
I am Thankful for happy thoughts which surprise me
I am Thankful for mangos
I am Thankful for summer breezes
I am Thankful for my hands
I am Thankful for my baby's siestas
love Klara.
Monday, 21 May 2012
Do You Recognise The Great Fortune You Have In Your Life?
Hello
I have had a busy day today and I have absolutely loved it, I have spent time with a great friend, played music, walked in beautiful countryside, and taught a song to one of my daughters and thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine.
Over the last few days I have been frequently reminded of the naughty old tricks which the mind can get up to when left unchecked! Yet again I am talking about Rogue Thoughts!
What do I mean? I would imagine most people are familiar with the phenomenon of Rogue or Bogus thoughts; these are thoughts which present themselves as "The Truth, The Way Things Are, or, Facts" but really they are just thoughts which have no basis in reality. In reality I am not sure what they are or where they come from; they could be products of our fears, past experiences, old beliefs, fairy stories, or in extreme cases simply malicious lies.
What I am certain of is that once followed these thoughts can lead me into troubled water, places in my mind where I begin to feel that life is unfair, unjust, perhaps that I am hard done by, or that people are mistreating me. Whatever the effect, I am sure for each person it is a very personal thing, because Bogus thoughts are personal things which feed on our own particular stories which I believe is what makes them so crafty and hard to detect, I am clear that the story these thoughts are telling me about me, or whatever they are about, is simply not true or is very distorted.
I don't know why it happens, I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist and I do not claim to understand the human mind. I don't know why my mind would want to paint the picture for me that life is awful, that other people are unkind, or perhaps that I am unsuccessful or what ever other nonsense my mind comes up with at the time. I talk from experience, and my experience is from the havoc these thoughts have caused throughout my life. I have been led on so many occasions into depression, misery, confrontation and conflict by negative thought trains, that now when they begin I recognise them very early on, and as soon as I spot them I jump on them and escort them quickly to a place in myself where I dissolve them by thinking of all the things for which I feel Grateful.
Who knows why I have been experiencing so many of them recently? It may simply be that I am feeling low and tired and am therefore a bit vulnerable to poor thought forms.
Again I return to the place in myself where I am certain that happiness is all about Focus! Focus on the things which feel wonderful, Focus on the things for which I am Grateful, Focus on the things which feel sublime. I don't care if I have to look for them and think them up, there is no excuse for ignoring the incredible fortunateness of living a life with such incredible choices, it's so easy to be miserable and there are no prizes for being ungrateful......
THE PRIZE, the only prize worth having is the prize of the feeling of gratitude and joy at all the wonderful things which surround us on the physical plane. Yes there is suffering here too, focus on it if you will, do something about it if you can, but above all recognise what great fortune you have in your life, however small you think it is and GIVE THANKS FOR IT because giving thanks is a certain route to JOY.
At first I did not know where to start to look for the things for which I could feel Gratitude, so I started small and I made a list, before long I found it easy to think of everything for which I Give Thanks, and now I do it every day. I think of each thing and imagine it has been given to me as a gift by a kind friend or loved on and I say Thank you out loud.....
Today I Say Thank You for my children's smiles
I Say Thank You for my comfy shoes
I Say Thank You for my dinner
I Say Thank You for my comfortable warm dry bed
I Say Thank You for my loving mother
I Say Thank You for all my brothers and sisters
I Say Thank You for encouraging words
I Say Thank You for my glases which mean I can see ants in detail
I Say Thank You for the clean water I have to drink
I Say Thank You for my safe home
I Say Thank You for my voice
love Klara.
I have had a busy day today and I have absolutely loved it, I have spent time with a great friend, played music, walked in beautiful countryside, and taught a song to one of my daughters and thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine.
Over the last few days I have been frequently reminded of the naughty old tricks which the mind can get up to when left unchecked! Yet again I am talking about Rogue Thoughts!
What do I mean? I would imagine most people are familiar with the phenomenon of Rogue or Bogus thoughts; these are thoughts which present themselves as "The Truth, The Way Things Are, or, Facts" but really they are just thoughts which have no basis in reality. In reality I am not sure what they are or where they come from; they could be products of our fears, past experiences, old beliefs, fairy stories, or in extreme cases simply malicious lies.
What I am certain of is that once followed these thoughts can lead me into troubled water, places in my mind where I begin to feel that life is unfair, unjust, perhaps that I am hard done by, or that people are mistreating me. Whatever the effect, I am sure for each person it is a very personal thing, because Bogus thoughts are personal things which feed on our own particular stories which I believe is what makes them so crafty and hard to detect, I am clear that the story these thoughts are telling me about me, or whatever they are about, is simply not true or is very distorted.
I don't know why it happens, I am not a psychologist or a psychiatrist and I do not claim to understand the human mind. I don't know why my mind would want to paint the picture for me that life is awful, that other people are unkind, or perhaps that I am unsuccessful or what ever other nonsense my mind comes up with at the time. I talk from experience, and my experience is from the havoc these thoughts have caused throughout my life. I have been led on so many occasions into depression, misery, confrontation and conflict by negative thought trains, that now when they begin I recognise them very early on, and as soon as I spot them I jump on them and escort them quickly to a place in myself where I dissolve them by thinking of all the things for which I feel Grateful.
Who knows why I have been experiencing so many of them recently? It may simply be that I am feeling low and tired and am therefore a bit vulnerable to poor thought forms.
Again I return to the place in myself where I am certain that happiness is all about Focus! Focus on the things which feel wonderful, Focus on the things for which I am Grateful, Focus on the things which feel sublime. I don't care if I have to look for them and think them up, there is no excuse for ignoring the incredible fortunateness of living a life with such incredible choices, it's so easy to be miserable and there are no prizes for being ungrateful......
THE PRIZE, the only prize worth having is the prize of the feeling of gratitude and joy at all the wonderful things which surround us on the physical plane. Yes there is suffering here too, focus on it if you will, do something about it if you can, but above all recognise what great fortune you have in your life, however small you think it is and GIVE THANKS FOR IT because giving thanks is a certain route to JOY.
At first I did not know where to start to look for the things for which I could feel Gratitude, so I started small and I made a list, before long I found it easy to think of everything for which I Give Thanks, and now I do it every day. I think of each thing and imagine it has been given to me as a gift by a kind friend or loved on and I say Thank you out loud.....
Today I Say Thank You for my children's smiles
I Say Thank You for my comfy shoes
I Say Thank You for my dinner
I Say Thank You for my comfortable warm dry bed
I Say Thank You for my loving mother
I Say Thank You for all my brothers and sisters
I Say Thank You for encouraging words
I Say Thank You for my glases which mean I can see ants in detail
I Say Thank You for the clean water I have to drink
I Say Thank You for my safe home
I Say Thank You for my voice
love Klara.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Ceremony: I am restored in Beauty!
Hello
Today I looked in my inbox for inspiration, and was so happily greeted by this prayer fresh from the Poetry Chaikhana.
Navaho Prayer - May It Be Beautiful.
Dark young pine, at the center of the earth originating,
I think ceremony is fundamental to my happiness, ceremony inspires in me a reverence for the magical mystical nature of the world which I find easy to overlook in my everyday life, it is a quiet time to notice, to see, to hear and to feel the Divinity of Life, and to give back my best to the world, to reveal my innermost creative surges and efforts for Spirit to see, in the deepest ceremony I Give All That I Can as an act of Gratitude.
I haven't been able to go to my singing retreat as I have been extending my family and I don't suppose I shall be going again for a few years. It has been dawning on me that I need to introduce some sort of ceremony to my life at home. What kind of ceremony do I mean? I mean Giving Thanks of course!
I really feel the magical nature of the world, and I believe that the earth and the land needs to feel our Love and Thanks just as much as we need to feel it and give it. Giving Thanks to mother nature is a mutually beneficial act.
One of the ways that I give Thanks to Mother Nature is to stand out in wild places and sing full power the songs which feel amazing to sing. I blast them out with all my might and all my heart and my whole voice, unselfconsciously I sing to the whole world.
I think perhaps it is time I went off to do some of that today, I am feeling a bit stronger today and looking forward to my daily walk, yesterday it was just a short walk and today it won't be much longer, but I will sing a song of Love and Thanks.
I feel very happy and glad to be alive for another day. The Navaho prayer fills my heart with the words;
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
I am struck by the thought that when I look properly with my eyes and my heart, and not my thought crammed head, all is utterly Beautiful before me, behind me, below me, above me and all around me.
I am restored in Beauty.
Today I give Thanks for the beautiful prayers of others
I give Thanks for the ceremonial spaces I have been a part of
I give Thanks for the people who care for the Earth with their ceremonies
I give Thanks for the stillness of human silence
I give Thanks for the reverence inspired in me by ceremonial smoke
I give Thanks for the ceremonial fire
I give Thanks for the sweat lodge
I give Thanks for the quiet mountain
I give Thanks for the deep pools
I give Thanks for the togetherness I feel when I reveal myself at Singing In The Wild
love Klara.
Today I looked in my inbox for inspiration, and was so happily greeted by this prayer fresh from the Poetry Chaikhana.
Navaho Prayer - May It Be Beautiful.
Dark young pine, at the center of the earth originating,
I have made your sacrifice.
Whiteshell, turquoise, abalone beautiful,
Jet beautiful, fool's gold beautiful, blue pollen beautiful,
Reed pollen, pollen beautiful, your sacrifice I have made.
This day your child I have become, I say.
Watch over me.
Hold your hand before me in protection.
Stand guard for me, speak in defense of me.
As I speak for you, speak for me.
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
I am restored in beauty.
I am restored in beauty.
I am restored in beauty.
I am restored in beauty.
Whiteshell, turquoise, abalone beautiful,
Jet beautiful, fool's gold beautiful, blue pollen beautiful,
Reed pollen, pollen beautiful, your sacrifice I have made.
This day your child I have become, I say.
Watch over me.
Hold your hand before me in protection.
Stand guard for me, speak in defense of me.
As I speak for you, speak for me.
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
I am restored in beauty.
I am restored in beauty.
I am restored in beauty.
I am restored in beauty.
This poem inspires me in so many ways; it speaks to me of respect and ceremony. Once a year I used to go off to a wild, beautiful remote place and absorb myself in song and ceremony with a bunch of amazing people for five or six days. I would come home feeling a mixture of absolute joy and utter devastation! Joy for the wild acceptance, beauty, unselfconscious love and peace that I found there each year and devastation at having to return to my 'normal' life. Fortunately the Joy I experience when I go Singing in the wild far outweighs the devastation of returning 'home', which eventually wears off after some time spent in wild places near my home.
I haven't been able to go to my singing retreat as I have been extending my family and I don't suppose I shall be going again for a few years. It has been dawning on me that I need to introduce some sort of ceremony to my life at home. What kind of ceremony do I mean? I mean Giving Thanks of course!
One of the ways that I give Thanks to Mother Nature is to stand out in wild places and sing full power the songs which feel amazing to sing. I blast them out with all my might and all my heart and my whole voice, unselfconsciously I sing to the whole world.
I think perhaps it is time I went off to do some of that today, I am feeling a bit stronger today and looking forward to my daily walk, yesterday it was just a short walk and today it won't be much longer, but I will sing a song of Love and Thanks.
I feel very happy and glad to be alive for another day. The Navaho prayer fills my heart with the words;
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
I am struck by the thought that when I look properly with my eyes and my heart, and not my thought crammed head, all is utterly Beautiful before me, behind me, below me, above me and all around me.
I am restored in Beauty.
Today I give Thanks for the beautiful prayers of others
I give Thanks for the ceremonial spaces I have been a part of
I give Thanks for the people who care for the Earth with their ceremonies
I give Thanks for the stillness of human silence
I give Thanks for the reverence inspired in me by ceremonial smoke
I give Thanks for the ceremonial fire
I give Thanks for the sweat lodge
I give Thanks for the quiet mountain
I give Thanks for the deep pools
I give Thanks for the togetherness I feel when I reveal myself at Singing In The Wild
love Klara.
Saturday, 19 May 2012
I'm Feeling Quiet.
Hello
This morning I was woken up by a honey bee which was on my pillow right next to my head! I enjoyed waking up that way, it reminded me how much I used to love honey bees when I was a little girl, I lived next door to an old couple called Bob and Mary and they kept bees in their garden, every summer the bees used to swarm, usually in my garden, I remember them very vividly once hanging heavily from the apple tree like a strange giant moving fruit!
At some point each summer I would get stung and I would swell up and feel pretty rough! But I loved the bees anyway, and I particularly loved being fed really delicious honey by my neighbours who were like grandparents to me, they had a big leather chair in their sitting room which was on a swivel and I was allowed to sit on it and spin round and round as much as I liked......
I enjoyed waking up this morning in my own bed, having an operation has heightened my sense of appreciation and gratitude in so many ways. I know that the risks of general anaesthesia are minimal these days, apparently more people die in the UK each year from falling from a ladder than in any other way, but somehow it felt like I was putting my life in someone else's hands, which of course I was.
The world looks so beautiful through eyes which think they might never look upon it again! We live on the most remarkable planet, there is so much to see that one can never see it all in one life time! I get overwhelmed with the choices of where to go and what to see first. This year I am planning a last minute holiday (which sounds funny to me, planning to be spontaneous!) I really love the idea of not knowing where we are going until the very last minute. I want to go somewhere hot where I can explore the cultural heritage, I really enjoy a good old pile of ancient stones, and where I can lie on a beach listening to my children having fun.
I feel so wonderfully fortunate to have a healthy body and healthy children and to live in a country where I have enough food and a warm dry house to live in. I really feel that the secret to having a happy life is to count our blessings. It could be so easy to focus on what I don't like about my life, and indeed it used to be my orientation, but since starting my blog it has become easier and easier each day to see the beauty of the world and my life.
Today I feel tired and low on energy which I suppose is the result of my operation, I am going to be quiet and sit around eating melon and watching videos........
Today I am Thankful for all the sleep I got last night
I am Thankful for the wonderful view from my bedroom window
I am Thankful for the weeping willow tree in my front garden
I am Thankful for all the wild flowers growing in my garden
I am Thankful for the funny things which little people say
I am Thankful for the breeze on my face
I am Thankful for my baby sleeping so I can write this
I am Thankful for my challenge to sing everyday
I am Thankful for paracetamol
I am Thankful for the stunning sunsets visible from my house
love Klara.
This morning I was woken up by a honey bee which was on my pillow right next to my head! I enjoyed waking up that way, it reminded me how much I used to love honey bees when I was a little girl, I lived next door to an old couple called Bob and Mary and they kept bees in their garden, every summer the bees used to swarm, usually in my garden, I remember them very vividly once hanging heavily from the apple tree like a strange giant moving fruit!
At some point each summer I would get stung and I would swell up and feel pretty rough! But I loved the bees anyway, and I particularly loved being fed really delicious honey by my neighbours who were like grandparents to me, they had a big leather chair in their sitting room which was on a swivel and I was allowed to sit on it and spin round and round as much as I liked......
I enjoyed waking up this morning in my own bed, having an operation has heightened my sense of appreciation and gratitude in so many ways. I know that the risks of general anaesthesia are minimal these days, apparently more people die in the UK each year from falling from a ladder than in any other way, but somehow it felt like I was putting my life in someone else's hands, which of course I was.
The world looks so beautiful through eyes which think they might never look upon it again! We live on the most remarkable planet, there is so much to see that one can never see it all in one life time! I get overwhelmed with the choices of where to go and what to see first. This year I am planning a last minute holiday (which sounds funny to me, planning to be spontaneous!) I really love the idea of not knowing where we are going until the very last minute. I want to go somewhere hot where I can explore the cultural heritage, I really enjoy a good old pile of ancient stones, and where I can lie on a beach listening to my children having fun.
I feel so wonderfully fortunate to have a healthy body and healthy children and to live in a country where I have enough food and a warm dry house to live in. I really feel that the secret to having a happy life is to count our blessings. It could be so easy to focus on what I don't like about my life, and indeed it used to be my orientation, but since starting my blog it has become easier and easier each day to see the beauty of the world and my life.
Today I feel tired and low on energy which I suppose is the result of my operation, I am going to be quiet and sit around eating melon and watching videos........
Today I am Thankful for all the sleep I got last night
I am Thankful for the wonderful view from my bedroom window
I am Thankful for the weeping willow tree in my front garden
I am Thankful for all the wild flowers growing in my garden
I am Thankful for the funny things which little people say
I am Thankful for the breeze on my face
I am Thankful for my baby sleeping so I can write this
I am Thankful for my challenge to sing everyday
I am Thankful for paracetamol
I am Thankful for the stunning sunsets visible from my house
love Klara.
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