AOM Meditations: 091119

by Paul Cezanne

~*~

"There will always be those 

who mean to do us harm. 

To stop them, 

we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. 

Our first instinct is to seek revenge 

when those we love are taken from us. 

But that’s not who we are..."

~James T. Kirk

AOM Meditations: 043019

by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to our Friend, David, for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

“There is no exercise better for the heart 

than reaching down and lifting people up.”

~John Holmes

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“Even the smallest act of caring for another person 

is like a drop of water -

it will make ripples throughout the entire pond.”

~Jessy and Bryan Matteo

~*~

“Never underestimate 

the difference you can make in the lives of others. 

Step forward, reach out and help. 

This week reach to someone that might need a lift.”

~Pablo

~*~

“I believe that love expands. 

As you give love out, 

it’s received and reciprocated and it grows. 

That’s the beauty of it.”

~Hill Harper

AOM Meditations: 010819

by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to our Friend, David, for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” 

~Marianne Williamson

AOM Meditations: 112718

 by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to our Friend, David, for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

Look to this day:

For it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.

The bliss of growth,

The glory of action,

The splendour of achievement

Are but experiences of time. 

For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow is only a vision;

And today well-lived, makes

Yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;

Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn! 

~Kalidasa

~*~

~*~

AOM Meditations: 071218

by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to a Friend for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

The Stories That Stop Us 

From Being Present & Taking Action

by Leo Babauta

from Zen Habits (link)

Most of us have spent our lives caught up in plans, expectations, ambitions for the future; in regrets, guilt or shame about the past. To come into the present is to stop the war.” ~Jack Kornfield

"I get emails all the time from people who are struggling with very common difficulties:

Wanting to overcome anger

Wanting to deal more calmly with stress

Hurt by other people’s inconsiderate actions

Getting stuck in resentment and thinking about how others have wronged you

Struggling with change because it’s hard

Struggling with letting go of clutter because of various emotional attachments

Finding all kinds of obstacles to taking on a project, side hustle, new business, writing a book/blog, etc.

And I completely understand these difficulties, because I struggle with them too. Here’s the thing — there are just two things stopping us from being present or taking the action we want to take:

The stories we have in our heads about other people, what’s happening, and ourselves

Our habitual pattern of staying in those stories instead of being present or taking action

It’s really one thing: our mental habit of staying stuck in the stories in our heads.

When I say “stories,” this isn’t a judgment about whether what we’re saying in our heads is true or not. It’s just what our minds do — they make up a narrative about the world, including other people and ourselves. Our minds are narrative machines. You could see the narrative as true or not, but that’s not the point — the narrative is getting in the way of being present and taking action.

What kind of stories do I mean? I mean things that we make up and spin around in our heads (true or not):

They shouldn’t act that way

If they loved me they wouldn’t be so inconsiderate

This is too hard, I don’t want to do this

I suck, I keep failing, I am inadequate

They keep doing this, I don’t know why they keep doing that to me

They hurt me, they are not a good person

I can’t start my business/blog/project until I learn this, or get to this place in my life, or have perfect peace in my day and am in a good mood

This shouldn’t be happening to me! This sucks!

These stories have some truth to them, which is why we cling to them so much. But these stories block us from being present. They are not helpful.

What would it be like if we didn’t cling to them so much? What if we could develop a mind that clings to nothing?

Dropping the Stories & Becoming Present

We can’t stop the mind from coming up with the stories, as it is a narrative machine. However, that doesn’t mean we have to cling to the stories and keep them spinning around in our heads.

Notice when you’re stuck in a story. Hint: if you’re angry, stressed, frustrated, disappointed, feeling shame or fear, dreaming about the future, thinking about something that happened … you’re stuck in a story.

Notice that the story is causing you to be stressed, angry, afraid, whatever. Notice that you are spinning it around in your head, and it is occupying your attention.

Now see if you can drop out of the story and into the present moment. Become curious: What is happening right now, in front of you? What sensations can you notice in your body? What is the light like? What sounds can you notice?

When you go back to your story (you will), try coming back to the present moment. Stay longer. Come back gently, without judgment.

What can you appreciate in this moment? A feeling of appreciating the sacredness of this moment can counteract the story, and change your way of being.

Dealing with Stress & Anger Without the Story

Stress and anger can be difficult things, because we have such a hard time letting them go.

But what if you could drop out of the stories that are causing the stress and anger (or frustration, resentment, complaining) and just be present with whatever you’re feeling?

Drop into your body and notice what sensations are there.

If you have difficult sensations in your body, see if you can be curious about them and stay with them, rather than spinning around a story about them. Stay with them longer (they might be located in your chest area), as you would try to stay with the sensations of your breath during a breath meditation.

Again, when your mind wanders back to the story, just come back gently. Stay with the sensations. Be present with them.

Touching the sensations in your body, of stress or anger, is a way to transform yourself. It doesn’t necessarily get rid of the feelings — but it changes your relationship to them. You no longer need to get rid of them, because you are fine just being with them. You develop a trust that you can stay present with them, without running or hiding or needing to do anything about them.

Each time you get stressed, each time you feel anger or frustration or resentment … this is an opportunity to practice and develop trust in yourself. Every spike of fear or stress is an opportunity to transform, to open, to stay and be present.

In this way, every stress is making you more mindful, less attached, and more open to life.

Taking Action Without the Story

The stories in our heads also stop us from taking the action we want to take in our lives — from changing habits to eating better to getting rid of clutter to tackling that difficult project.

Some examples:

I don’t feel like exercising, I feel lazy, it’s too hard

I don’t know how to tackle this big project, it’s too complicated

I don’t know how to blog, there is so much I don’t know, I have to learn it all before I can start

There’s too much clutter, and I don’t know what to do with it all, I can’t tackle all of that

Maybe I should do something else, I don’t really like this kind of work, I think I would be better trying one of the other options I like

There is some truth to each of the stories, but the fact is, they are getting in the way of action. They aren’t helpful.

What would happen if we just dropped the stories and took action, staying in the present as we did so?

Imagine dropping into your body when you have a story about why you shouldn’t exercise … and getting present. Then putting on your workout clothes and shoes, staying present without the story. Then doing some push ups or starting to run.

You don’t need the story to take action. Drop into the present, and just act. Stay present as you act. Be curious about what it’s like, rather than thinking you know what it will be like ahead of time. Take a “don’t know” mindset, and find out!

Don’t have any clarity about a project? Start doing it, and clarity will come as you discover what it’s like.

Afraid you’re not good enough to do the project? Only one way to truly know — take action on it and see!

Feeling overwhelmed because there’s too much clutter to tackle? Declutter one thing. Take action on one spot on your counter. There’s no need for the story about it being too much.

The truth is, even if we can’t avoid generating these stories, we don’t have to get stuck in them, especially if they are unhelpful. Sometimes it’s good to have a narrative that helps us plan and figure things out, but often it’s better just to find out by being present and taking action.

And you can do that very simply: just drop into the sensations of your body and surroundings. Notice. Get curious. Stay. Come back gently. Appreciate the sacredness of this moment."

Visit Zen Habits (link)

AOM Meditations: 070918

The Brook by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to our Friend for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

The Magic of Seeing Everything as Sacred

by Leo Babauta

from his wonderful blog

Zen Habits (link)

"When we wake up in the morning, many of us automatically go on our phones or computers and start reading, checking messages, responding to things, and moving through our online world on autopilot.

We go through our day like this as well, managing as best we can, dealing with stress and being overwhelmed, moving through the physical world forgetting to be mindful.

For the most part, everything is normal. We’re managing. On good days, things go pretty well. On bad days, frustration and stress get to us.

But what if we could shift everything in a magical way?

What would happen if we changed the way we saw every single thing around us, including other people, including ourselves, including every little thing we see?

Try this: view every single thing you see as sacred.

See what happens.

Now, I’ll admit that “sacred” is a loaded word for many people who are not religious. It literally means “connected with God (or the gods),” and so if you’re not religious, it might seem a bit dumb. But I don’t believe in God, and still find value in the idea that things might be sacred. Hear me out.

“Sacred” is simply elevating something to the level of divine. That might be God, if you believe in God, but it could be the divinity in the universe, the miracle of existence and every moment. If you think of how crazy it is that we exist, and think of how wonderful and miraculous this universe is … I would argue that it’s divine, no matter what you believe in.

Look outside: the trees and flowers and birds you can see are filled with divinity. They are absolutely sacred. So is the wind, the stars, the sunlight falling upon the faces of strangers, the ability to see colors and to have a conversation and connection with a fellow human being.

Think of all that changes:

If you start to see something as sacred, it no longer becomes “ho hum,” no longer becomes something you’re taking for granted. You fully appreciate the beauty of that sacred object or being.

If you see another person as sacred, then you treat them with respect and even love, you look deep into the loveliness of their soul and broken heart, you are grateful for your connection to them.

If you see your possessions as sacred, you don’t toss them in the trash or put them any old place — you put it away with care.

If you see your work as sacred, you no longer feel it’s a burden, but a gift. You do it out of devotion, with love, instead of just trying to get through it.

If you see yourself as sacred, all of a sudden you start to see the goodness within yourself. You treat yourself better, putting healthy food inside of yourself instead of junk.

If you see the world around you as sacred, you move through it with awe. With a sense of wanting to applaud the universe for its magical creation. With a sense of purpose, being the audience of this miracle, wanting to fully appreciate it.

Look at everything around you with awe and appreciation. Treat it with respect and care. Put things away with reverence. Treat others as if you are connecting with the divine. And treat yourself with as a manifestation of the universe that has somehow been given the gift of realizing its own sacredness.

That is true magic, and it is always available."

I highly recommend visiting 

Zen Habits (link)

~*~

Our Friend, who sends us much of the beautiful art

Displayed here in AOM Meditations, 

Is vacationing in Colorado this week.

He sent us this beautiful, majestic scenery to enjoy

AOM Meditations: 062618

by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to our Friend for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?” 

~Swami Satchidananda

(The Yoga Sutras)

~*~

“Within each of us is a light, awake, 

encoded in the fibers of our existence. 

Divine ecstasy is the totality 

of this marvelous creation 

experienced in the hearts of humanity” 

~Tony Samara

AOM Meditations: 022018

 by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to our Friend for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

AOM Meditations: 010318

In the Park of the Chateau Noir, (1900) by Paul Cezanne

Thanks to a Friend for sending us this beautiful art

~*~

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

~Neil Gaiman

~*~

Simplify your life. 

Don’t waste the years struggling 

for things that are unimportant. 

Don’t burden yourself with possessions. 

Keep your needs and wants simple 

and enjoy what you have. 

Don’t destroy your peace of mind 

by looking back, worrying about the past. 

Live in the present. 

Simplify!

~Henry David Thoreau