Rhapsody
Two energetic fields
expound energy from within
rendezvous in the still
of the night.
One brief moment of
lucid ecstasy
Inhalation
Exaltation
Expansion, contraction
A shutter, a rapture
Composing the euphoric melody
.St
This Week: We are building upon the grand remembering and clearing. You are being invited to find your still point and open yourself to receive the divine feminine (shakti energy) a moment of rebalancing, inner union and harmony from within. You remember aspects of your eternal being that are ready to assist you in this moment on the earth plane.
As inspired, listen deeply, reconcile, and release. Align yourself with your inner fire and water.
Weekly talks are an offering to assist you in diving deeper into a spiritual practice, your inner landscape and cultivate inner peace.
Time Stamps: Dharma 0 Meditation :21:00 Sound :45:00. Outro 1:22:00
Music
‘River’ by Cadre Scott
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Dante Marino
Sound Suzanne Toro
“The heart is a The thousand-stringed instrument that can only be tuned with Love.” ~ Hafez
I started this life on the Island Nation of Hawaii. Dropping in on what was a quiet island known as Oahu. These islands were my home before this incarnation, I can still see my former self walk on the rim of a very sacred area on another island. Often times that reflection reminds me of ALOHA and to remember the my soul’s journey. The eternal path of serving all that is and is not with happiness, love, compassion and peace. While this memory serves me in ways I cannot fully explain. You can deepen your eternal memories by integrating them into your present moment. By acknowledging a familiar place or person that you cannot place from this current life. This will create a knowing that does not need to be fully understood. My memories of Hawaii lead me to remember the importance of making offerings daily in the form of prayers and gifts from nature.
Which leads me to remind you of the lei. Some of you, might have traveled to Hawaii and received a ‘lei’. The flowers, shells, nuts, and other elements from the island are made with great care and serve as an offering of ALOHA. This offering is much more than a kind gesture of hospitality, it is a sacred offering that is interconnected to all the elements, traditions, love and the energy of the islands. The lei is known to represent honor, respect and love. It is an extension and offering of family, ‘Ohana’. The person offering a lei to you might be welcoming you into their ‘Ohana’. In addition, a lei can be offered at a moment of transition in life and at death. The ‘circle’ represents the continuous flow of life and the natural reciprocation with nature and community. There are many other facets to the history and tradition surrounding the lei. If inspired, I encourage you to learn more from Hawaii.
I share this because it is a powerful example of a tradition that has remained and has been held for longer than many of us can imagine. The tradition of making an offering with nature to give to another person, nature or at holy sanctuaries serves in many unexplainable ways. During, all seasons you might consider how you would like to make offerings from your sacred heart. You can learn a lot from this Hawaiian tradition and many similar ones exist on other island nations. The lei or a flower offering will feed the field of energy you hold when you make that offering. If it is love, then love will be offered and ripple from where you offer the flower. As inspired, gather some flowers in nature and make an offering from your heart to another, nature and/or in a sacred place. See how it feels and build from there.
One of my favorite activities in the summer is to go swimming in the ocean. The ocean has a magic to it that has so many benefits for your natural well being. While the salt water and sun will benefit your physical body, the ocean will nourish your mind, heart and soul.
The swimming in sea water will benefit your skin. It is a nutrient rich activity that will provide you with a long list of vitamins and minerals. Which will assist in calming your nervous system. This is especially helpful if you have high levels of stress. Which can translate into a simple way to lower your cortisol levels. Even if the ocean intimidates you (as it should) you can take a walk along the shore line with your feet sipping up the ocean love.
The salt water will clear out your sinuses if you feel comfortable with submerging your head and/or taking an open water swim. This is nature’s nasal wash, without a neti pot. In Ayurveda, nasal flushing is used to prepare the mind and body for pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation. Clearing your sinus will reduce or eliminate many sinus imbalances and/or chronic conditions, like allergies. Which helps keep your lungs and breath free and clear.
The big blue ocean is a useful ally in retaining mental well being. You can test it out for yourself. The cold plunge into the salty water will give you a pep in your step, reduce levels of anxiety and/or depression. The cold water is a natural way to bring yourself into the present moment.
You might have noticed the “trend” of cold plunging into water. If you happen to be near an ocean you will get the opportunity to utilize nature and receive the added bonus of the salt water. Both of these will assist you in building mental strength and focus. Further more, this will help increases your blood flow and circulation.
If inspired, jump into the ocean as often as possible during the summer months. This is the season you can proactively nourish your heart. Take a plunge and let me know how you liked it.
*To Be Noted: Honor the power of Mother Nature and the Ocean. If you do not know how to swim in the ocean stay close to the shore and consider taking an open water swimming lesson. If you have questions, please leave them below or direct message me.
Mindfulness. A word that has taken on many meanings within the western medical system from mental health to physical health. In a mental health context this has been given the code of MBT, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. In the physical health medical setting this word, mindfulness, has made it way into hospitals, birthing centers, clinics and recovery settings. I want to share that mindfulness is a major component of eastern practices, faiths and esoteric traditions. The purpose of mindfulness is not to relieve your symptoms, it is a practice that will assist you in liberating yourself from suffering and awaken to the true nature of reality. Furthermore, the mindfulness practice will connect you to your soul, ‘atman’. Your soul is the observer that has the capacity to see beyond the self to an understanding that the permanent ‘self’ does not exist.
I share this because if you become attached to mindfulness as a cognitive therapy and grasp at it to alleviate “symptoms” you will be taking the long way around. In a western medical setting this is potentially a slippery slop because the therapists may or may not have cultivated a deep practice from the eastern traditions. This can make for a situation where the blind are leading the blind. I would encourage you to ask anyone that you are learning from or receiving MBT from the following questions, ‘How long have you been meditating? What is your practice? Where did you learn this practice? How often and how long do you practice each day?”If they have not been consistently meditating for at least 10 years, I would look for a teacher outside of this clinical setting. If you have been a student of meditation, realize that your practice is dependent on the frequency and quality of your sits. Plugging into an app is not going to be the best form of meditation and is actually not meditation. The reason this is so important is a student can get lost and will get even further lost if the teacher is not skilled. I will add, often times my students and clients are not immediately ready to sit in meditation. There is a process in preparing them to get there. This can sometimes takes years before they are ready. There is no rush. You know the saying, ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will arrive.’
Finally, from a traditional perspective leading up to reaching liberation within the practice one will become aware, retain the ability to focus, self reflect and sit in silence (aka meditation). Ultimately, silent meditation becomes the vehicle to liberation. During this process, the following characteristics start to bubble up within you to assist you in reaching your freedom from suffering (aka samsara). As you engage in a disciplined mediation practice, you and others might notice you are becoming tranquil, hold equanimity, are non-reactive, have released what you once grasped for, developing a deep trust in virtue, softened your gaze, find solace in humility and hold a deep level of compassion and love for all or many. These are ultimately the gateway benefits as you find your ultimate freedom from all suffering. I hope this helps you reflect on this word differently when you hear it and when you practice meditation. If you want to learn more or have questions, please leave them below or message me.