Solstice

Today is officially solstice. Last night was solstice eve. My wife and I have been celebrating solstice eve for the last three or four years. It is a very special and holy time for us.

For us, it is almost like a New Years celebration. I really don’t understand why New Years is when it is. I suppose I could look it up, but I don’t really care that much. Anyway, for us it is like New Years. We light a fire in the fireplace, if we are home, and we sit in silence for a little while. Then we each write on a piece of paper the things we want to give up in ourselves and the things we want to take up. This is sort of like New Years resolutions.

When we are done, we fold the paper and seal it with candle wax. When the paper is sealed, we throw it into the fire. We each sit with our “resolutions” for a time in silence. Some years we share what we wrote and others, like this one, we don’t.

The Celts used to say that winter solstice was one of the “thin times”. What this meant was that it was a time when the veil between this life and the next is thin and those on each side can see into the other dimension. I don’t know about that, but it is a very holy time for us.

I don’t think it needs to be on winter solstice, it can be any time at all, but I encourage you to take a time like this. It seems much more that simply saying “next year will be better.” Develop your own little ceremony and look to the next year.

Namaste!

P.S. Tell me about your ceremonies or rituals. Let me know what you do to deepen your walk!

One of the ways that we can bring peace on earth is to begin to think globally and think about caring for this earth that we claim we want peace to come to. If we destroy the planet and make it uninhabitable, then there will certainly be peace. It will be the peace and quiet of no one home.

One of my yoga students has put a box where we practice to collect things like printer cartridges, fluorescent bulbs, batteries and the like for recycling. This is a wonderful thing! No, she isn’t going to save the planet by this, but if we all did a little like she has, we can collectively get the job done.

One of the ways that I have done a little is to change the mat I use from the regular mat made of petroleum and chemicals to one made of natural rubber. I love this mat! The thing I will say most about this mat is that if you ever have problems slipping on your mat and wish it were just a bit “stickier”, buy a rubber mat and you will never have that problem again. It took me some time to get used to just how “sticky” this mat is. I have absolutely no slip!

I bought my mat from Jade Yoga. It was a little more expensive than a regular mat, maybe twenty dollars more, but I feel like ridding the earth of the chemical pollution was well worth the money. Having a mat that I think is the best one I have owned since I started yoga, is a plus.

Check out Jade Yoga
the next time you are looking for a mat for yourself or as a gift for the yogi/yogini on your shopping list. You will help the planet and get a great product all at the same time!

Namaste!

Spiritual living is not about following certain rules or rituals, but about journeying with the Source. Where rules and rituals fail to bring us closer, a loving relationship, based on discovery encourages a loving connection.

Think of a marriage where one party is in total control of the other and decides all the rules of the household. We would call that abuse in many cases. Is that what we expect in our living with the Infinite? I would think not.

Spiritual living is a way of going through life with an open invitation to the Spirit to guide and be a part of your life. Take on the challenge of spiritual life and enjoy its benefits!

Are you afraid to be that open? I don’t think people think in those terms and yet I think they are afraid. It is scary to be open to leading when you are not sure where that leading will take you. I can tell you from experience that it sometimes feels awful, but it does work out!

I invite you to open yourself to the leading of the spirit. I invite you to spiritual living, not as something different to do now and then, but as a way of life. Let your spirit guide you and see where it takes you.

What do you have to lose? Is your life so perfect now that opening yourself to this way of living will be so terrible? Why not take the chance? Step into greatness and live!

I am reading a great book right no on managing you stress, or your adversity. I won’t go into that too much here, but you can read about it.

The point is, we need to have control over our minds and our bodies. We can’t give in to the whims of our lazy nature. That doesn’t mean we can never break from routine, but we have our own little sacred rituals for a reason. They keep us on track. Too much deviation from our practice, be it yoga, meditation, or whatever, may well mean never getting back to it. Have you ever gone on vacation and broken from your rituals and then found it nearly impossible to start up again?

We need our sacred rituals to keep up going in the right direction. What are you sacred rituals. It doesn’t have to be saying your prayers, reciting the Bhagavad-Gita or fourteen Hail Maries. It can be something as simple as your yoga practice, or watching the sun rise. Find your rituals and embrace them. The make you grow spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Focused

Mindfulness or awareness comes from remaining focused in whatever it is you are doing.We often feel fragmented as we go through our daily lives and this fragmentation comes from our mind jumping from one thing to another. The ancients called this the monkey mind. Sometimes it is called the drunken monkey mind. I can feel so fragmented that I think my monkey is on speed!

To remain focused allows our mind to function at its highest level. It is the point of meditation, to train the mind to focus on one thing at a time. This gives us clarity so that we can pursue our spiritual growth and power. Our world doesn’t like this idea and encourages us to be multi-taskers, but what it is really trying to convince us of is that it is okay to be a little schizophrenic!

Try it tomorrow. Decide that you will focus your mind on only one or two things at the most. If other thoughts come into your mind, just let them fade away for now. You can come back to them later. If you are afraid you will forget what they were, jot them down and then forget them. Just stay focused and see how you feel at the end of the day.

Spiritual Path

all search for the meaning of life and ask the question, why am I here and where did I come from. Many also ask, where am I going after I leave here. You may not form those questions in your mind in those exact words, but they are there.

Most of us were brought up in some form of spiritual path. We might be Christian or Jewish. We might be Buddhist or Muslim. Even if we weren’t brought up in one of those more traditional paths there are still paths that we have been taught.

As we mature, we learn to question things. We run up against life and find that all the answers given to us as children may not always work. This goes for our spiritual paths as well. When we start to question these, we begin to stumble a bit. What happens if Jesus was just a man? What happens if Buddha never really existed? You get the idea. When we begin to question foundational thinking, it can cause us to stumble a bit.

The truth is, stumbling on your spiritual path is all right. To question actually makes you stronger. You may shift slightly, but your true spiritual growth will be boosted.

What are the questions you have about your spiritual path? What are the questions you have that may shake your foundation a little? Wrestle with them! As the story of Isaac wrestling with God shows, it’s not only alright to wrestle with your faith, it is preferred! Allow yourself to stumble. Then keep walking!

P.S. An interesting read on various spiritual paths told in story form is The Path. It has good reviews and it might be something you enjoy!