FACE YOUR TRUTH

These faces we wear are only masks of what we are in truth. Only love is real. But these faces tell a different story so we believe in the lie and live out the drama. Of course, you can always choose to walk off the stage and be who you really are.

Brief Meditative Exercise Helps Cognition

ScienceDaily (Apr. 19, 2010) — Some of us need regular amounts of coffee or other chemical enhancers to make us cognitively sharper. A newly published study suggests perhaps a brief bit of meditation would prepare us just as well.

While past research using neuro-imaging technology has shown that meditation techniques can promote significant changes in brain areas associated with concentration, it has always been assumed that extensive training was required to achieve this effect. Though many people would like to boost their cognitive abilities, the monk-like discipline required seems like a daunting time commitment and financial cost for this benefit.

Surprisingly, the benefits may be achievable even without all the work. Though it sounds almost like an advertisement for a "miracle" weight-loss product, new research now suggests that the mind may be easier to cognitively train than we previously believed. Psychologists studying the effects of a meditation technique known as "mindfulness " found that meditation-trained participants showed a significant improvement in their critical cognitive skills (and performed significantly higher in cognitive tests than a control group) after only four days of training for only 20 minutes each day... Read more from ScienceDaily.

A Visual and Sound Meditation Moment

Sit comfortably, relax your body, 

soften your eyes, breathe and enjoy!

Meditation on Jack Kornfield's, The Wise Heart

Why do we fear letting go of pain, our grievances, our stolen innocence? Being vulnerable is not a weakness; it takes courage and faith to open our hearts. As we release what has crushed our spirit, we breathe life into it once again. This meditation on Jack Kornfield's The Wise Heart gives hope to humanities healing heart. May we be the catalyst to the peace that is our only truth.

In loving light,

Mags

Meditation on Jack Kornfield's, The Wise Heart, Chapter 9

via Sanctuaries, Dreams and Shadows by noreply@blogger.com (Maureen) on 9/24/09

Albert Camus said, "We all carry within us our places of exile; our crimes, our ravages. Our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to transform them in ourselves and others."

Open your mind and heart
Ask why you are stuck in this place
Be brave, name the fear
Name the resistance.
Understand what it is, then
Step back, allow it the space it needs.
Breathe.

Little by little, feel it soften and dissolve.
Be courageous, greet your emotions
Each by name. Again
Step back, allow each the space
It requires to do what it will;
To expand, to intensify, or dissolve
To rise and fall again, and again.
Breathe.

Tears flow, honor them.
Pain comes in  waves,
Fear and resistance reappear
Swirling one into another, be brave.
Listen to your stories of sorrow and shame.
Hold them gently.
Hold your fragile self gently.
Breathe.

Be open to the waves, the tears.
Acknowledge your confusion and the grief.
Be fearless, do not lose your way.
Let go, accept your life,
Understand it is what it is.
Respect the history that is you.
Make peace with your life.
Breathe.

Posted via email from magsjoy's posterous

When the show is over, only love remains

Life is like a Broadway show. What character do we play today? Villon or hero? Friend or foe? Victim or healer? Husband, wife, worker, parent, child, teacher, student? The casting call is endless.

We get up every morning and immediately the director in our head--our subconscious mind--yells,  "Action!" Without another thought, we obediently get into character.

Like in the movie, Ground Hog Day, our lives become a repeated drama.

Consumed as stars of our own show, we release all moment by moment decisions to the producer--the ego--and simply perform as the writers--society--has written in the script. Sure there are some standing ovations and elated encores, but often performances bomb and there are poor reviews. 

Nevertheless, the show must go on!

Actually, if you look real close, many are only stand-ins. Sure, it looks like them, it sounds like them, but if you look into their eyes you can see they are not there. Clueless to the perpetual retake, they blankly move through each scene of their life as if it were a new show.

People are either performing, crashing in between curtain calls or rehearsing the same scene over and over again. Co-actors may change, the scenery may change, but the lead actor remains the same.

"Bravo! Now can't you see it was only another performance?"

Yes, different performance, but essentially, it is the same production.

What I like about the message in the Ground Hog Day movie was that Bill Murry, the lead actor, recognized that he was reliving the same day over and over again. With that awareness, he made the best of each day by exploring new territories; new parts of himself. While everything else seemed to remain the same, he began to change, his choices within the seemingly repeated day. His asserted efforts changed his perspective. Creating new realities. In the end, the real next day came, but this time, he was a new man--realized in beyond the illusion. He was ready to embrace every day with a whole new outlook.

To be a successful actor, one must give it all from the heart. There must be passion...desire...joy...the love of every moment.

To be a successful human, one must give it all from the heart. There must be passion...desire...joy...the love of every moment. 

In the performance of our lives, when the show is over only love remains.

Considering life from a window of light,

Mags

Best Friends Forever!

Wikipedia briefly defines FRIENDSHIP as ‘a cooperative and supportive behavior between two or more people. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect, along with a degree of rendering service in times of need or crisis.’ In my 47 years, I have been fortunate enough to acquire an amazing smorgasbord of genuine friendships. Growing up on a typical one-way street in the borough of Queens, our playmates consisted of whomever lived on the block. Unlike today’s structured sports and extracurricular activities where parents are driving kids to play-dates all over town, we were limited to finding friends just beyond the back door. For me, there was only one or two kids of my age group. Often, I would wind up as the entertaining ring leader of my younger triplet sisters, but mostly, I played alone. With an active imagination, I would create fictitious friends, some of which I gave names. In a sense, I was my own best friend.

When I was in second grade I met a girl who would later become my dearest lifelong friend. She was the complete opposite of me in looks and family background. She, a tall Italian girl with dark blackish-brown thick hair that was always pulled back into a ponytail with a barrette or bow. Me, a fair Irish lass with thin, straggly hair, cut in a short pixie style that my mother insisted I wear. Her almond shaped eyes are dark brown with olive skin to match. Mine are bright blue and pale. Rosemarie had a stylish wardrobe consisting of frilly dresses accompanied by matching shoes. As one of six kids, my fashion statement was hand-me-downs, handmade outfits by my mother or less-than-fad-store-boughts. And my worn out sneakers flapped when I walked. My new found diva went to a special studio for tap dance, a luxury my stepfather would not indulge in. Although he did let me hang out in his workshop to learn a thing or two about carpentry.

Nevertheless, with all our differences, Roe and I played famously together. I suppose she intrigued me and I amused her. She lived literally a stone’s throw away from the elementary school. Our relationship blossomed with frequent after school get-togethers and sleepovers at her house. We would delight with our Barbies for hours.  One silly story, we recall with laughter today, is when I took all my Barbies and doll paraphernalia in two big shopping bags and walked for about two miles to meet her at her father’s luncheonette. It took me quite a long time to get there, maybe two hours, and when I finally arrived I was exhausted. So much so we never even played with the doll stuff. What I do remember fondly is her dad cooking us up hamburgers with French fries topped with ketchup and a having a classic Coca-Cola to wash it all down. Rosemarie Aguanno is my first best friend. It is unbelievable to me sometimes to think how this person has remained a powerful force in my life for almost forty years. Our lives run parallel, not always in constant contact, but energetically we are knowingly infused in our eternal Oneness. Each being there for each other during joyful and trying times. We’ve experienced the death of loved ones and the birth of new life. Days of sheer madness with unbearable emotional upheavals and moments of bliss too profound for words. Our special bond is without a doubt a Spiritual one. It’s amusing to me that we are two Catholic-raised girls confused about God who together found the Holy Spirit, not in a church, but within each other. We have matured together from innocent little girls to woman of wisdom in light. Though we physically live hundreds of miles apart, there is no distance between us. We have an authentic relationship based on unconditional love and respect. Of all the people I am blessed to call my friend, I highlight Roe here because it seems this precious union we share tells an insightful tale. It speaks of higher purpose and reveals a bigger picture about life’s miraculous journey. When you pull back the lens, you can clearly see how our mutual life experiences are serendipitous. All a wonderfully Divine adventure to remember who we really are--here and now. Isn’t that what friends are for? My connection with Rosemarie epitomizes the meaning of the word friendship: a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect, along with a degree of rendering service in times of need or crisis. What I realize is that my investment in cultivating a genuine friendship as a child has ultimately made me quite prosperous in my authentic relationships as an adult. Let’s just say I have more best friends than I have fingers and toes. I am rich, indeed! In gratitude and love for all my BFFs, Mags xoxo P.S. Since both our parents are passed, finding old photos of when we were kids is going to be a task. If we find one, I will post it later.

Do you want to be right or be kind?

Misunderstandings are like flicking a lit match into a dampened forest. Sometimes they just smolder out and other times they catch like wildfire and before you know it, everyone and everything in its path is burnt to a crisp.

Your words, your actions, and your reactions can be a blessing to bring joy or a weapon to cause harm. We are all guilty of saying something we shouldn't have said or behaving in less than favorable ways to others. The important lesson here is to recognize where you went astray and to make a conscious effort to change how you respond to others going forward. 

 

 "To err is human, to forgive is Divine." ~Alexander Pope 

 

Everyday is an opportunity to rise above past grievances, to forgive others and yourself, and to make a shift toward the greater good for all. As the saying goes, "Do you want to be right or kind." The choice is yours. 

 

Magsjoy

 

P.S. Awareness is key. Even if you lose your cool and throw daggers as your reaction to a disagreement, just the ability to notice what you did is a step in the right direction. Be easy with yourself, apologize for your behavior and then make every effort to redeem your ways.

Take an "Ahhhh..." BREATH BREAK

"You have an inner guiding principle that is the source of your inner knowing. This is your higher, sovereign self. From this sovereign self you already have all you need and know what you need to know. This doorway should you choose to enter, will lead you back Home to yourself. The breath is that doorway." ~From Miriam Trahan, At Ease Breathing: Book One.

BREATHING BREAK

Take a moment to SIGH.

Just breathe in normally and open your mouth wide and say "Ahhhhh...."

Do it a few times, just breathing in and sighing, "Ahhhhh...."

Use your belly muscles to press in a bit so you can fully exhale. Now return to your normal breath.

Is your breath calmer, deeper? Do you feel a release in your shoulders, throat or face?

The "SIGH" or Exhaling Breath brings us into our parasympathetic nervous system, the part of us that remembers calm, ease, relaxation. Use the exhaling breath to recharge and remember the ease you were born with.

This BREATHING BREAK was brought to you compliments of At Ease Breathing. Learn more tips about the joy of breathing in Miriam Trahan's new book "At Ease Breathing: Book One," available at www.AtEaseBreathing.com.

Breath and Be light.

Magsjoy