Shinrin-yoku

Shinrin-yoku is a Japanese term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." The idea is simple: if a person simply visits a natural area and walks in a relaxed way there are calming, rejuvenating and restorative benefits to be achieved. Spending time yesterday in the Sequoia and California Redwood groves at San Francisco Botanical Garden certainly helped me understand Shinrin-yoku much better. The massive majesty of these trees was overpowering. Standing at the base and touching one I couldn’t help but feel an older more ancient kind of patience. A more unassuming and deeply rooted (pardon the pun (okay, maybe not?)) serenity in the quiet of the grove was thick in the air. The notion that these trees were silent sentinels watching over everything and I was connected to them in some way was inescapable and curiously reassuring.

Pasteries, Beaches, and French Roast

I just went and got pasteries for the morning breakfast, then took a walk on the beach. See picture for my exciting (at least to me!) beach finds. Now while everyone else is still sleeping, I’ve made a French press full of heavy, hard French roast coffee. I’m sitting in the quiet of the morning enjoying my beach treasures and my coffee realizing this is it. It’s simple, it’s quiet, and these little things and quiet moments connect me to the larger “it” that’s out there.

They Remain Rooted

Here is a meme I created of a poem by my lifelong friend, Dan Hagen. Enjoy! To view his posting of this, visit here.

If You Want To Eat Apples Stop Buying Oranges

I had a huge (at least to me) revelation at about 4-something this morning, that magic time when the mind isn't cluttered with the garbage of input from the day just yet. I’ve been getting frustrated with my goals lately. Then it hit me this morning. They’ve been misdirected. If you want to eat apples, stop buying oranges. That sounds pretty simple but it was a big reveal to me. I’ve been doing that with certain things.
Example: I’ve been wanting to lose some weight, but I haven’t been working out with weight loss in mind. Nor have I been eating with that in mind. So you can imagine the frustration with a goal in mind and the actions not being in line with that goal. It was a pretty liberating notion to come to.

It was a fascinating mindset that's carried me through the day so far and its "application" has been resonating with shocking clarity in several areas. It's making for a clarity and sense of purpose that doesn't center around that unconscious, sneaky people-pleasing mentality I struggle with. As selfish as it might sound this is all about me, my happiness, my presence, my mindfulness, and my serenity. Not the superficial kind, but the kind that you feel bubbling up from very deep places inside.

More to come...

Ruth Gordon

"Oh, there are a lot of lousy people in the world. Also, a lot of terrific people. You've gotta remember that, and you've got to move in the right circles. I have days where I just want everyone to go fuck themselves or walk off a cliff, but I only say that to myself, and I smile and I walk home and I have some tea, I talk to Garson [Kanin, her husband], I might take a nap. Then I wake up and I write, and in writing, I wipe away all the unpleasantness of the day, of the people, of the city, whatever. We have it in our power to overcome assholes, and I think we have them thrown into our path to see if we have the chops to handle them. Handle them."
— Ruth Gordon

Visualisation Is Everything

The Power of Words

A nice parable about the power of words as relayed by my friend Dan.

“Once a master was called to heal a sick child with a few words of prayer. A skeptic in the crowd observed it all and expressed doubts about such a superficial way of healing. The master turned to him and said, ‘You know nothing of these matters. You are an ignorant fool.’ The skeptic became very upset. He turned red and shook with anger. Before he could gather himself to reply, however, the master spoke again, asking, ‘When one word has the power to make you hot and angry, why should not another word have the power to heal?’”
— Jack Kornfield

Of Filaments and Networks

The image in red is a photo of a section of the universe. All the strands are billions of galaxies that have clumped together to form what are called "galactic filaments." The image in purple is a section of the neural network of the human brain. The similarity is inescapable and makes me stop and ponder everything. Does it you?

Presence of Peace, or Peace of Presence?

I'm having one of those absolutely wonderful moments. Work is done for the day, I didn't have any tv or radio on. I worked in powerful and calming silence. It was a hectic workday but I stayed present and at peace with myself all day. Now it's quiet and serene and I'm enjoying sitting here in my peace of presence.
To be present is one thing. To be at peace is another. To have them merging as one is bliss.

Stars In A Box

I had a dream last night that I was delivered a box. When I opened the box stars floated thick as glitter in the way helium-filled balloons would float up out of a box. The stars filled and illuminated the room. What could this mean?

Paul Chek

On a drive to Michigan this week I was catching up on my podcast listening. One podcast I listen to featured an interview with Paul Chek. I was instantly hooked on his message. A lot of what he was saying resonated deeply with me. He was putting the various threads of what I've been thinking and feeling together in a way I've been looking for.

His blog post on life in metaphor is phenomenal. Please visit the link I've included here for this particular post. 

Paul Chek: Your Life in Metaphor

And his entire blog can be found here:

Paul Chek's Blog

I hope you enjoy his writings and philosophies as much as I do. 

Namaste.