Month: February 2022

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Unsubscribe Me Please

It started out with a recognition that my mind was crowded.

The result of a busy schedule, too much screen time, and an inbox that seemed to fill as soon as I emptied it. All of this after years of committing to space for myself and a consistent weeding out a lot of what was unnecessary.

It was part of my delusion that I was successfully living this intent.

Perhaps it was the day I realized I was checking email a few times a day. Just to stay on top of it. And to get the little oxytocin hit of pleasure when I deleted those impersonal emails, even the inspirational ones, that I never got around to reading. I wondered at the activity of deleting just to feel in control of my inbox.

I began to understand this was my mind’s way of feeling successful and in charge.

Successful at deleting emails that I wasn’t reading. That’s really quite funny.

A tired brain, an inner call for spaciousness, and the lure of silence led me to a decision. In preparation for my personal silent retreat, I’d unsubscribe from most email lists as an experiment. Just for a month or two. To see the impact of creating more space in my inbox. I didn’t think it was a big deal.

I was the Mistress of Unsubscribe as soon as I ordered an item or downloaded a free resource.

I believed I didn’t allow data to get “pushed” to me. Rather I “pulled” it when I wanted to know something. Same thing with my phone. I have no notifications, no sounds, and most often, no ringer. I’m in charge of choosing when to look at my phone, rather than responding to every email, text, or call. So, it should be no big deal to release the 10 to 12 emails that flowed to me.

I expected to feel free as I began this process.

It started out easily enough. A few stores where I had accounts. My bank letting me know when statements were ready to download. PSE&G informing me of my upcoming auto pay. A blog I hadn’t read in a long time.

Delete. Delete. Delete. Mini oxytocin hits.

Feeling good, I decided to uplevel my experiment. I’d let go of all emails with the exception of my professional organization and perhaps two sources of inspiration.

I didn’t expect the anxiety that creeped in as my mind got involved.

What if I needed that information? What if I hurt someone’s feelings? What if I missed something? What about that blog that had some great research or good news from around the world?

What ifs kept coming. So did the emails.

My estimate of 10 to 12 emails was way off. For someone who “wasn’t on email lists,” I was amazed when I unsubscribed from 25, then 30 lists. I hesitated when it came to my favorite organizations, people I admired, important environmental activist groups.

So, I let more go. My church. My favorite organizations. My colleagues.

I sent a few notes explaining my decision. Letting them know I’d be back after my experiment. I realized this was in part to soothe the subtle anxiety that others may think I didn’t value their work or words. That wasn’t true, I valued so much of what others have to offer. I also value my serenity. And then I had another revelation.

All that information was available online and I knew how to use Google.

I had to laugh. I could visit these websites anytime I chose. With that, all my tension released.

My inbox emptied.

 

Spaciousness in my communications. Ease in finding and responding to my work and personal emails.

A quieting of any need to check email throughout the day. It was no longer a delusional game of control. My attention was free to wander through my silence, fully engage the one I was speaking with, or enjoy the tasks that arose each moment.

Free of the subtle tension about missing something, my mind introduced a new game.

I felt a bit disappointed when I checked my email and there was nothing there. Now that was interesting. I discovered layers in that disappointment. No mini oxytocin hit or feeling of being in charge of my little universe. A sense of disconnect from information, people, and gaining wisdom from my teachers. Checking into this more deeply, I realized none of it was true.

Instead I was free to engage the world in a much more present and personal manner.

And then I inadvertently unsubscribed from 2 emails I actually did read. I noticed, but didn’t feel anxious, disappointed, or concerned. I’ll take the hint and keep on unsubscribing until only friends, family, clients, and colleagues fill my inbox.

A quieter inbox invited a natural stillness. My mind is no longer rebelling.

It’s just resting more easily.  Kinda like spending a lazy afternoon in a hammock swinging between two palm trees on the beach. The oxytocin nourishes my brain and being more consistently this way.

Less mindless addiction and more swaying in the breeze.


Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

HeartMath Institute has a wealth of research into the power of heart coherence. A measurable electromagnetic field surrounds each person, generated by the heart, brain, and other systems. HeartMath’s findings show that the heart’s electromagnetic field is approximately 5000x stronger than brain’s electromagnetic field. The heart’s electrical field has 40 – 60x more amplitude than brain’s electrical field. HeartMath has measured the heart’s pulsating influence up to 10 feet outside of the body. The brain’s electromagnetic field? Measured to extend a few inches outside of the head. Believe in the power of your heart.  

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What’s your Way into Deep Peace?


Sometimes the world feels out of control.

Your personal world. The lives of those around you. Your country. The ecosystem. When so much happens around you, a sense of powerless arises. Even when you identify actions to take or ways to help others, the muchness of this sorrowful world can get to you. Making it a challenge to navigate your days.

It’s helpful to remember that all worldly transformation begins within.

And that you have the power to generate the healing energy of compassion and wise, peaceful solutions.

If you have a personal practice of meditation, prayer or devotion, you know the comfort and potential when you plug into that which is greater than you. Your body breathes more freely, your wild emotions settle, and your mind calms a bit.

This settling opens a door within your heart where you realize this “something greater than you” is also within you. Intimately accessible.

In that moment, you remember that you are not alone. You are a part of this immense web of energy. Intimately connected. This greatness, however defined, offers refuge from the storm within which rages in response to the overwhelming news of your/the world.



How do you get there?

Turn off the television and take a break from the news that streams through your phone. Breathe a bit and take a walk. The world will still turn without your witness and upset.

Reflect upon what brings you back to center.

Explore what you’re already doing, a spiritual practice you’d like to resurrect, or a new venture into a type of meditation that feels right for you. No judgement or great goal setting here. Just ask the wisdom within what might be helpful for you now.

There is comfort in meditation, centered prayer, and sacred ritual.

Research points to the benefits these activities have for wellbeing, improved health, social connection, and positive mood.

Yet it doesn’t descend like manna from heaven.

It’s up to you to head in the direction of peace, healing, and clarity. It helps to bring attention to breath and focus strongly upon your intention to feel peace. When it’s hard to do this on your own, especially when unable to regulate your upset, joining with others enhances the potential of calm connection.

Using the group as a springboard to an organized, calm energy state makes sense.

Group devotion or a focus upon peace is contagious. Just like fear, hatred, and division. The good news is that you’re in charge of what you “catch.” The media thrives on creating fear.

Bad news sells. Good vibes calm. Your choice.

Groups that meditate, pray, and chant together report greater personal access to higher states of love, compassion, and beauty.

 

Benefitting the individual and radiating through the group to the world the energy of harmony.

It’s an energy thing, first and foremost.

When you understand that energy is your foundational architecture, you’ll pay more attention to any technique or intent that organizes your energy into a coherent state. All healing is enhanced with coherence. For you, them, and this beautiful planet.

You can’t tame the sorrow, fear, or sense of helplessness when you’re lost in the wild mind or unruly body.

And the world needs you. Calm. Coherent. Connected. Whether it offers great peace or just allows you to breathe easier, your daily practice is worth it.

I encourage you to explore the power of the group in shared practice.

There are many options live or online in a wide variety of secular and spiritual practices. Explore what calls you. They all lead you to the same calm center and depth connection with the beautiful Mystery.

We will be Chanting in the Light Cathedrals at Soul Sanctuary on Thursday, February 10th.

This devotional practice of singing the sacred prayers of the kundalini yogic tradition is only one type of chanting. Wisdom traditions around the world have sung, chanted, and danced their prayers out loud or silently as a means to connect with the Divine within and beyond.

If you are curious about what happens when you chant, you may join us to experience this directly. Details and link below in the blue box.

A 2016 research study at Macquarie University in Australia found that chanting of various types to contribute toward positive mood, improved attention, and increased feelings of social cohesion.

You don’t need any experience to delve into the great peace and beauty that always emerges when we chant our way into coherence.

You can do your own “research” to explore your movement into harmony within your body, energy, group, and vast cosmic ecosystem.

And some good news for those new to chanting: inexperienced participants who engaged in vocal chanting, as compared to silent chanting, demonstrated the greatest number of significant benefits. [More on this study in the HeartWarming News below.]

Since energy is nonlocal, you can also chant your way into coherence at home.

Tune in and join the group at Soul Sanctuary with your intent and practice in your own sacred setting. The Light Cathedrals (structures of energy) that descend around Soul Sanctuary as we gather can also surround your home.

How to do that?

Set the intent, say your personal prayer, and notice how it feels to be surrounded in these sacred structures of light which harmonize your whole being.

Healing this beautiful world really does begin within.

And when unleashed, this powerful healing energy of love and compassion radiates outward in every interaction.

May you discover how you can be a source of healing and optimism for this world so in need of uplifting.

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Researchers at Macquarie University also suggest that the benefits of vocal chanting may be mediated by three factors: group synchronization, which increases feelings of social cohesion; physiological changes (breath control and singing), which may contribute to increased positive mood; and focused attention, which may inhibit ruminative thinking and lead to increased positive mood. Do your own research. Chant alone silently and out loud. Compare that to chanting with a group. Silently. Listening to others. Singing out loud. This is playful research without the pressure to publish. Enjoy.