New Home

New Home

As time passes and life happens, there is always change and growth.  CityStreets Yoga has a new home and a new focus.  Please join me at my new address with a new name:  So the Woman Went Her Way, at thewomanwentherway.wordpress.com Hope to see you soon!

Peace Through Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is an act of creation.  You can choose from many ways to do it.  You can forgive for now, forgive til then, forgive til next time, forgive but give no more chances, it's a whole new game if there is another incident.  You can give one more chance, give several more chances, give many chances, give chances only if.  You can forgive part, all of half of the offense.  You can devise a blanket of forgiveness.  You decide." 
 Clarissa Pinkola Estes

It is time…  Time for what you might ask.  Time to move on with our lives.  We marked the 10^th anniversary of 9/11 this past week.  The day was filled with nostalgic longing for the lives we lived in illusion before that fateful day.  Like every generation before us touched with unspeakable evil, our hearts were broken, our spirit wounded, our psyche ever watchful, our bodies burdened with the load of carrying the collective anger and fear we all have held onto since then.  We are not the first to experience times such as these. In my generation, my parents faced the evil of Hitler and Pearl Harbor. My grandparents had World War I with the horrors of mustard gas killing and maiming our sons and fathers and grandfathers.  Times such as these are not new to the human race.  Evil touching our human life stretches back through millennia.  What touches one of our brothers and sisters touches each of us.  We are one great ocean of human existence with each wave directly and indirectly  influencing every other wave in this ocean of humanity.  Like every generation before us, we are now at a point where we must make the important decision of whether we will continue to hold onto the bitterness and fear infesting our lives or do we acknowledge the bravery of many of our brothers and sisters on that fateful day and allow forgiveness to enter into our being.

It is the natural human tendency to hold on to our wounds.  Our collective wound , meaning one of great magnitude touching all our lives such as the one we as Americans suffered that fateful morning of 9/11, continues to be deep and fresh all these years later.  For our safety, we are surrounded with triggers and reminders that we are not safe simply because we live in America.  The illusion that we were safe because we were surrounded by protective oceans from the rest of the world was shattered.  The fundamental freedoms with which we had become somewhat complacent over were used against us that day resulting in the loss of our feeling safe within our own American community.   If you are old enough, you will remember a time when we ran into the airport thirty minutes before take off surrounded by family sending us off at the gate and carrying our extra large bottle of  Coca Cola for the trip.  This morning, I watched as my disabled daughter’s purse was deemed a possible threat and had to be emptied into a grey container while they searched through her used tissues, strawberry lip gloss, and two handfuls of pennies and quarters lying in the bottom of it.  You would have thought they were searching for Bin Laden himself in her purse with  the thoroughness with which it was searched.  So we are left wondering how do we learn to feel safe and hopeful with life post 9/11.

In my yoga class, we begin with the breath each time we gather.  We focus on breathing in and out, which brings us to awareness of the present moment.  We are reminded to forego the past for these few moments.  We are reminded to put the future into a trustful rest that it will take care of itself.   Our awareness of the present moment does not mean that we forget nor condone our past nor leave our future into the hands of other human beings.  It simply means that we are beginning to trust that all is right within our lives at this time.  We are safe.  We are unburdened.  We are free of distractive thoughts that have the potential to fill our minds and hearts with fear and anger and sorrow, leading us on a perilous journey of a life sans hope and joy.  When we are free within this present moment the Divine can come and make its presence known and felt in our hearts.  We can then bask in the holy, meditative quiet that is the Divine.  We can learn to trust that we are where we are meant to be, this moment. 

It is in this quiet moment within our practice, within our lives that we can find hope and forgiveness.  Forgiveness does not mean that we condone what happened to those innocent people in the Towers, the Pentagon, nor the airplanes on 9/11.  It does not mean that we are saying in anyway that what happened was good and from God and we deserved what we got that day.  Forgiveness does not mean we will look away and leave ourselves vulnerable for future attacks.  Forgiveness quite simply means that we will let go of our resentment that had things happened differently, our past would have been different as well the morning of 9/11.  Forgiveness means that we make a conscious choice to focus on today with the lessons we have learned from the past to keep us safe, but also to not dwell in our wound from what happened to our brothers and sisters on 9/11.  It means that we will remember with loving kindness our brothers and sisters who were faced with immeasurable evil on 9/11 and who fought the battle for each of us.  For part of our fear is the knowledge that any of us could have been walking the path that day that led to the horrendous ending of so many innocent lives.  We can forgive ourselves, also, if in our hearts we are harboring any thoughts of “thank God it was not me, my mother, my father, my son, my daughter….”  Through forgiveness of what happened to us, we can come to a place of healing within our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts, and our spirit.

Some of us might think that forgiveness means that we now lie in the bed with the terrorists and become their friends.  No!  Simply put, forgiveness does not mean what they did was alright and we are now friends.  Through forgiveness of 9/11, we are acknowledging our wound and blessing it.  We are moving on in hope and trust for a better tomorrow based in the reality of our connectedness with one another, rather than illusion that we are separate from our global brothers and sisters. 

The Buddha was once visiting a village.  There was a townsman in the village who did not recognize the Buddha and treated Buddha very badly insisting that he move on and not rest in his town.  Later, the townsman realized his mistake and ran out of the village to find Buddha.  When he finally caught up to him it was the next day.   “I am so sorry for how I treated you!” exclaimed the townsman.  “When?” asked the Buddha.  “Why yesterday, of course.”  Exclaimed the townsman.  The Buddha sat for a moment and then quietly responded, “I have no yesterday nor tomorrow.  Only today.”  And so it is for each of us in this crossroads.  We can make the conscious choice to maintain present to what is happening to us in this moment, living our lives fully verses reliving a past we cannot change.

Bono, of U2 fame, sings in Sunday Bloody Sunday,   “How long must we sing this song? How long?  Tonight we can be as one.”  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4vblG6BVQ&ob=av2n) So at this anniversary, the tenth, of 9/11 and all that was to come before and after, we are left with this same question.  How long is long enough to sing the song of  anger and fear at 19 misinformed, angry young men who were filled with such evil and violence that they did the unspeakable at the urging of their supporters?  How long will we hold anger and hate and fear in our hearts?  Can we come to that place in this present moment of conscious choice for forgiveness of what happened, not condoning, but allowing our being to be filled with hope for the future rather than grief for a past we cannot change.  “Have you found what you were looking for”  filled with anger, sorrow, shame, fear (U2.  I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1XXs7e7ac).  Are you  ready to forgive and move forward in this moment?  Can you learn to control the reminders and triggers so that you can create a life that is filled with hope and joy in this present moment.  It does not mean that we forget our loved ones that were lost that day.  It means we share a celebration of the lives that they lived, while allowing ourselves to heal and move forward.  In this healing, we begin to live a life not in illusion of our separateness, but in awareness and care for the greatest and least of our global brothers and sisters.  We sing a new song of today, this present moment.  It is time for us to "sing a new song." (U2. War http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9I9H2Y_lQA).  The heroes of 9/11 would not want us ton continue to be filled with anger, fear, sorrow.  This is not the legacy they would want to leave us.  They were brave and filled with love and longing for those they were leaving behind.  They helped one another in the most difficult of situations to pass over with dignity.  They would tell us to look towards life with an open heart, calm mind, loving spirit, and healed body.  In filling our lives with love and hope and joy and care for the least of our brothers and sisters, we can fulfill the legacy that they left for us.  It is not something we have to do alone, the Divine is with us each step.  Forgiveness is not something that is all or none.  We can forgive however and in whatever way is right for each  through our conscious choosing as to what each of our paths to forgiveness takes.  As each of us begins that path, we bring healing not only to ourselves, but to all in the ocean of humanity.  One wave at a time.

I will step onto this path of healing forgiveness for what happened ten years ago on 9/11. I will honor those who perished by living a life of hope and joy and love, rather than fear and anger and shame.


May you find peace and gratitude and forgiveness in every moment.
Namaste,
Joan

      

The Wounded Healer

"Imagine if you will, it is just before dawn and the sun is about to rise on the beach.  Some people have awakened early to see the predawn light.  The rest of the people are still sleeping on the beach.  Those who woke up early have a 'sacred responsibility' to help the other people as they begin to wake up to come to know what 'sunrise' is all about. "  Yacqui Shaman

"There's a gift in every wound.,
A blessing in every crisis,
A light in every darkness,
A love in every emotion."  Martin Lass

On November 1, 1977, a comet-like planetoid, named Chiron, was discovered by Charles T Kowel.  Chiron orbits between Saturn and Uranus, taking 50.8 years to revolve around the sun.  In astrology, Saturn represents the past as the task master.  While Uranus represents breakthroughs in the future.  Chiron lies between these two as the present moment teaching us to fulfull our ultimate potential
through healing and relationships.  In modern astology, Chiron profoundly stands for the deep wounds we each have in this life which we must heal in order to be able to help others heal.

In Greek mythology, Chiron was the son of Kronus (Saturn) a Greek god and a beautiful nymph, Philyna.  He was conceived in  a violent rape encounter in which Philyna had transformed into a mare and Kronus had pursued her as a stallion.  When Philyna is impregnated and bears Chiron, he is born as a centaur, a creature with the torso, arms, and head of a human and with the body and legs of a horse.  Philyna is disgusted and appalled that she has born a centaur as a son and abandons Chiron.  Chiron is later adopted by Apollo, the god of music, prophecy, poetry, and healing; who teaches Chiron all that he knows.  Overcoming his childhood wounds of parental abandonment and shame of his own body, Chiron becomes a mentor to sons of kings and Greek heroes as a wise teacher, healer, and prophet.  He later becomes wounded in trying to stop a raucous between a group of centaurs by being accientally shot by Hercules in the knee with an arrow that was coated with the blood of the monster Hydra.  Hydra's blood was known to create a wound that could never heal.  Since Chiron was an immortal, he was doomed to suffer the pain of this wound throughout all eternity.  Although a gifted and respected healer, Chiron could not bring healing to his own body.   He simply longed to die to end his pain.  After much suffering, Chiron agreed to trade places with Prometheus who had been punished by being chained to a large rock for giving the enlightening flame of fire from the gods to mere humans.  In agreeing to take Prometheus' place, Chiron was able to surrendar his immortality and die, ending his torment and suffering.  He was cast into the heavens, into the constellation of Sagittarius.  Thus, both Prometheus and Chiron were released.  Prometheus with his freedom and Chiron from his suffering through his death.  We can learn the key to healing through the myth of Chiron:  surrendar, acceptance, and release. 

Suffering, wounds come to each of us throughout our lives.  None of us are immune to fate.  We cannot chose the wounds that happen to us, they come.  However, we can chose our response to our wounds and suffering.  The Wounded Healer, like Chiron, is a person who has experienced their suffering whether great or small, gained the inner wisdom that such experiences teach us, and transformed this suffering into a healing power and inspiration for others.  The journey of our woundedness can lead us to a path of service to others.  Chiron might have sat around as the adopted son of Apollo repeating his abandonment story to any and all who might listen.  He could have worn his wound on his sleeve so to speak, disparaging his body, which did not look the way he thought it should.  He was a centaur, neither a model man nor a stallion.  Instead, Chiron learned what he could from Apollo and began to empathize with the suffering around him offering his healing skills to others.   Each of us have a similar path to travel.  We must chose whether to take our wounds and be a victim looking for the power that our wounds give us in terms of sympathy and attention from others.  We might chose the less traveled path of experiencing our wounds and learning what we must about ourselves to empower ourselves so that we might help others become self-empowered as well to trust that they can experience their own suffering regardless how painful and fearful that path may be for them.  As the great Helen Keller states, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.  Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." 

Chiron had a wound from the poison-tipped arrow which could never heal.  This wound caused tremendous torment and suffering for Chiron.  Despite all that he knew of the healing arts, he could not heal his own wounded body which had stood him well until this point.  Many of us can relate to Chiron's wounding.  There is terrible evil in this world and horrible things happen to many of us.  With a world filled with war, crime, poverty, rape, abuse and molestation of our most innocent youth, mothers in Haiti feeding "dirt cakes" to their children,  the stoning of men and women as "punishment" for alleged adultory in the Middle East...  As the Haitian proverb says, "A stone in the water does not know the suffering of a stone in the sun."  Neither can we know the depth of suffering which any one of our brothers and sisters must endure.  The term Chiron Wounding has come to mean that injury to our instinctual nature, a wounding of trust.  Often, this type of wound is the result of stupid, carelessness, a thoughtless accident or words spoken by someone we trusted.  It may be the result of great evil which unfortunately lives in the depths of humanity.  Regardless as to how this wound originated, this is a wound that never heals completely for the sufferer.  However, each of us has the ability to perservere and to work beyond our issues and not let our suffering define us.  We are more than our wounds.  We can resolve our sorrows and suffering of the past if we commit to staying awake and not allowing ourselves to dull or distract what we are experiencing with drugs, alcohol, overwork, compulsive shopping and sex... "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming of it."  (Helen Keller)   To overcome the evil and suffering in our lives. we must surrendar to it, accepting that it is a part of our past and therefore a part of our personal story.  Then we must consciously release the wound refusing to find power through it.  In this way, we become a healing beacon to our brothers and sisters in our family, our community, our world.  As a Wounded Healer, we begin to function in the world as a whole person out of wellness rather than woundedness.  We are able to empathize with the suffering of others and lead them to the path of releasing their own suffering so that they might join us in the joyful dance of life.  As Yoko Ono is quoted as saying, "Healing yourself is connected with the healing of others."

"The wounded healer knows that healing ourselves comes from our ability to empower our bodies, hearts, minds, souls, and spirits once more."  (Gabrielle Roth)  May each of us step into the world with bodies, hearts, minds, souls, and spirits empowered with love and wholeness so that we might help the least among us to find their path towards healing.

May you find gratitude and peace in every moment,
Namaste, Joan

Wounded Healer Quotes
If you wear black, then kindly; irritating strangers will touch your arm consolingly and inform you that the world keeps on turning.  They are right.  It does.  However much you beg it to stop.  Alan Moore

We are called to offer to others the comfort we received from God.  2 Corinthians 1

Love is infectious and the greates healing energy.  Sai Baba

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. 
Leo Buscaglia

The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion.  The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well being.  14th Dali Lama

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.  Buddha

There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature.  A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with.  Harry Crews

You don't have a soul.  You are soul.  You have a body.  CS Lewis

There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philophies.  Frederic Nietzche

Have patience with all things but chiefly have patience with yourself.  Do not lose courage in  considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them-everyday begin the task anew.  St Frances de Sales

A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life.  It is the tear from the injury of the oyster.   The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life.  If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we would not produce the pearl of our life.  Stephen Hoeller

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,  but sometimes your smile is the source of your joy.  Thich Nhat Hanh

Believe Once More

And the Grinch with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes, or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled 'til his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before:

What if Christmas, he thought doesn't come from a store?

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss

     The Grinch, that despicable, green skinned, Christmas killer with a heart three sizes too small, was envious of the Whos and their Christmas celebration, the ribbons and packages and decorations, even the ham.  Does anyone ever stop and wonder, whatever happened to the Grinch causing him to have such a distaste for  Christmas?  At what point did he choose to live in a cold, hard reality of fear and doubt and scarcity?  Why did he not choose, like the Whos, a Christmas filled with magic, wonder, anticipation, abundance? 

     It is Christmas once again.  Many of us are choosing to live a life during this season of the year full of overindulgence of food, alcohol, spending, partying....  We live a life of distraction, numbing ourselves to the celebration around us for a myriad of reasons, which range from childhood trauma during the holidays to financial choices which have led to lifestyle instabilities.  We fill our celebration of Christmas with unnecessary, expensive behaviors that do not lend meaning to the truth of Christmas and what it means to each of us individually.  As Upton Sinclair so aptly states "Consider Christmas-could Satan in his most malignant mood have devised a worse combination of graft plus bunkum than the system whereby several hundred million people get a billion or so gifts for which they have no use, and some thousands of shop clerks die of exhaustion while selling them, and every child in the Western world is made ill from overeating-all in the name of the lowly Jesus."   As many who celebrate this sacred Christian holiday will tell you, we are now in the final stretch with only five days left til Christmas.  The clock ticks down and we continue with our "traditions" of putting up holiday decorations, baking, and the never ending purchasing of the perfect gift for all those we love.  Harlan Miller postulates that "probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless, unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our Love into words."  Wouldn't it be refreshing, to stop the unnecessary in our Christmas preparations and to simply "smile at our loved one, offering them our hand." (Mother Teresa of Calcutta). 

     There was probably a time in each of our lives, when we were aware of the true meaning of Christmas.  Rather than numbing ourselves into unconsciousness with endless preparations for the holiday celebration, we were able to "see" clearly what was important to us in this season of celebrating "perfect love made human".   Often, as children, before we began to look at life as hard, heavy, or evil, we saw the world as the most abundant place, filled with all we needed and more.  Christmas was filled with anticipation, magic, simple joy.  As we have grown older, we became aware of dreams not fulfilled, suffering surrounding our lives and those we love, evil and lack which is a part of many of our brother's and sister's daily existance.  We lost the magic and wonder of Christmas.  Thus, we now numb ourselves to the greater truth that is with us not only on Christmas, but throughout the year:  The world is no less a magical place than it was when we were children.  The manner in which the universe operates has not changed.  It is our beliefs and expectations which have shifted, causing us to behave in such a way through our overindulgence and excess that we become numb to what we knew as children. 

     How do we gain back our childhood wonder and magic?  The Grinch thought that he could end the magic of Christmas by stealing the superficial trimmings of the celebration.  What he found was that for the Whos, Christmas still came with all its wonder and joy because they still believed in the goodness of those around them and the world in general.  We must trust that all is right with the world and we are right where we are meant to be providing love and service to those in our family, our neighborhood, our community.  It is a universe of infinite possibilities and limitless abundance.  Chosing to believe in the inherent goodness all around us, we must be vigilant and committed to our conscious choice to believe in the wonder and magic of Christmas.   Allowing our hearts to grow three sizes larger as the Grinch did when he became conscious of the truth of Christmas, we will know that truth as well.  Christmas is not about wants and needs.  It is not about how many Christmas trees are beautifully displayed with hundreds of twinkling lights in our homes.  It is not about finding the endless list of gifts our loved ones feel we need to purchase and wrap and give to each of them.  No, the wonder and magic of Christmas is best known through our reaching out in love to our family, friends, neighbors, community, the world.  Allowing God to love others through our deeds, words, thoughts...  And like the "simple shepherds, we hear the angel and find the Lamb; like the wise men, we see the Light of a star and find our wisdom." (Fulton J Sheen)

     So I close with a blessing from  Fra Giovanni in 1513 A.D.  "And so at this Christmas time, I greet you.  Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away."

May you find gratitude and peace during this most holy of Christmas seasons,
Namaste, Joan

Christmas Quotes:
Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.  To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.  Calvin Coolidge

I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year.  Charles Dickens

Christmas is the time when you get homesick-even when you're home.  Carol Nelson

Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.  Ruth Carter Stapleton

Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words.  Harlan Miller

To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year.  E B White

Wretched excess is an unfortunate human trait that turns a perfectly good idea such Chritmas into a frenzy of last minute shopping.  Jon Anderson

It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you...Yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.  Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Consider Christmas-could Satan in his most malignant mood have devised a worse combination of graft plus bunkum than the system whereby several hundred million people get a billion or so gifts for which they have no use, and some thousands of shop clerks die of exhaustion while selling them, and every child in the Western world is made ill from overeating-all in the name of the lowly Jesus.  Upton Sinclair

The simple shepherds heard the voice of an angel and found their Lamb; the wise men saw the light of a star and found their wisdom.  Fulton Sheen

And so at this Christmas time, I greet you.  Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.
Fra Giovanni

The Unending Yellow Brick Road of Consumerism

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.  Mohandas Gandhi

Consumerism:  (Wikipedia)  A social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods or services in ever greater amounts.

Enoughism:  (Wikipedia)  Theory that there is a point where consumers possess everything they need, and buying more actually makes their lives worse.

Take just a moment and walk into your closet.  How many shirts do you own?  Shoes?  Handbags?  Walk into your pantry and count how many cans of soup or cereal boxes or bags of chips.  Take a peek in your bathroom and note how many bottles of shampoo and conditioner and soap are sitting around the edges of the bathtub or shower shelves.  How many cars do you own compared to the number of drivers in your family?  Are there any rooms in your home that go unused on a regular basis?  Do you live a life influenced by consumerism or enoughism?

Pam Danzinger, an internationally recognized expert in understanding the mind of consumers and author of Why People Buy Things They Don't Need, is quoted as saying "...Virtually every American wants a better, more satisfying, fulfilling life, and they buy things to experience a better quality of life."  The top categories of things we buy include the following:  Videotapes, Music Tapes, CDs, and DVDs; Books, Magazines, Newsletters; Greeting Cards and Stationary; Personal Care Products (beyond every day brands); Candles; Home Textiles; Flowers and Plants; Kitchenware and Accessories; Christmas and Seasonal Items; Toys and Games.  "Consumers today spend proportionately less on basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and shelter, than they did 25, 35, or even 50 years ago.  But they spend more and more money on discretionary purchases that are motivated by emotion and desire."  Pam Danzinger, Why People Buy Things They Don't Need.  It is estimated that we spend $3 trillion annually on discretionary products and services.  Those living in high income countries consume 81.5% of the total private consumption expenditures, while those in the world's lowest income countries consume 3.6%.  With this in mind it is evident that our personal and collective consumption has reached a crisis level in terms of incurred debt, strain on the environmental resource base to support this consumption, and skewed ideas of necessity versus want among people of all ages and socioeconomic status.  It appears that our journey down the yellow brick road of consumerism is never ending.

In yoga, to help us understand consumerism, enoughism, and our roles and responsibilities within our society in regards to our consumption, the yama (moral guideline) of satya or honesty helps us to shed light on these issues.  If we are able to still the distractions in our mind and to be present to what is happening in our lives in the current moment, we can then make choices regarding our personal and societal consumption that are conscious choices, rather than unconscious ones.   Through honest, conscious choice in consumption, we are able to shift from consumption for conspicuous display of our wants and follies to consumption for meeting basic needs. The inequalities between high income and low income citizens could be lessened with a sharing from all of us out of our largess, regardless of how much we do or do not have.  Consumption patterns would be indicative of everyone's needs resulting in less production of unwanted and unnecessary discretionary items which utilize our planet's limited resources.  We must become conscious of the fact that our planet simply cannot "sustain our obsession with converting more and more resources into accumulating more and more overpackaged and useless products."  (Michael Stone, Yoga for a World out of Balance).   By making a conscious choice in terms of consumption, we may become one who in "our affluent society, is driven to prefer 'poverty,' to choose it, rather than submit to the desolation of an empty abundance." (Michael Harrington).

Consuming things we do not need does not lead to a fulfilled, peaceful life of service.  Rather, it offers a dissatisfied mind a temporary and elusive grasp of reality.  We have all been caught in this cycle.  There is that article of clothing, piece of jewelry, BMW car, or larger home on the lake with a backyard pool that we know is going to make our life perfect.  We may scrimp and save and fantasize as to how great our life will be when we get this "thing" or, worse yet, we may head right out and use our magic, plastic card to purchase this highly desired, life changing item.  Once purchased, we may "share" it with all the significant and insignificant people in our lives, totally enjoying all the oohs and aahs and back patting.  The security we are seeking from these objects and desires is superficial and fleeting.  We will wake up in time, look around and suddenly realize we really need something else to make our life perfect.  So we wander from one unconscious purchase to another, never really finding the fulfillment and security that we are looking for. 

We will never be fully satisfied when looking outside ourselves.  Yoga challenges us to be in this world in a conscious way using nonviolence and honesty to guide our journey.  If we remain rooted in the practice of yoga, we are aware of the interrelatedness of our world and the choices that we make regarding consumption.  Through nonviolence and honesty, we no longer allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering of those who have less than us or those who have more than us.  We no longer allow ourselves to presume that those with the most toys are winning and thus happier and more fufilled than the rest of us.  Many of the great people of our world choose simple lifestyles of service to others through spiritual inspiration, including St Francis of Assisi, Ammon Hennacy, Mother Teresa, Mohandas Gandhi to name but a few.   Though they made conscious choices to live in the world simply and to consume only what was necessary to sustain their lives, they each contributed to the service of mankind through nonviolent and honest lifepaths. 

Unfortunately, we live in a culture which is caught in a cycle of overconsumption and overproduction to meet our exponentially rising desire for more as individuals and as a society.  With courage and awareness, we may chose to make conscious choices regarding our personal consumption that is based in nonviolence and honesty in terms of what we need to sustain us versus what we are told we need.

May you find peace and gratitude in every moment.
Namaste, Joan

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring-these are some of the rewards of the simple life."  (John Burroughs). 

The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.  (Eloise Boulding)

Everything we possess that is not necessary for life or happiness becomes a burden, and scarcely a day passes that we do not add to it.  (Robert Brault)

Oh for the good ole days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.  (Anonymous)

Simple Living Blogs
http://www.farbeyondthestars.com/
http://www.zenhabits.net/

Peace Pilgrim

"As I looked about the world, so much of it impoverished, I became increasingly uncomfortable about having so much while my brothers and sisters were starving.  Finally, I had to find another way.  The turning point came when, in desperation and out of a very deep seeking for a meaningful way of life, I walked all one  night through the woods.  I came to a moonlit glade and prayed.  I felt a complete willingness, without any reservations, to give my life - to dedicate my life - to service.  'Please use me!' I prayed to God.  A great peace came over me."  Peace Pilgrim

A serious student of yoga often begins a well rounded practice with studying and learning how to apply the first limb of yoga called the yamas.  The yamas are guidelines which form a foundation for our spiritual practice in terms of our relationship with other humans, plants, animals, architecture, city planning, growing food, daily living tasks; all aspects of our human existence.  The yamas include nonviolence (ahimsa), honesty (satya), nonstealing (asteya), wise use of energy (brahmacarya), and nonhoarding (aparigraha). 

Satya or honesty focuses our awareness on the true relationship between the actions of our body, speech, mind and the effects of these actions on our world.  For there to be true change in our world toward one of respect for all beings, both human and nonhuman, we must still the distractions of our minds to "grasp the truth" (Mahatma Gandhi) of how we affect our world.  As the Dalai Lama  states, "I believe in justice and truth, without which there would be no basis for human hope."  Through this moving into stillness of mind, we are able to live our true, higher purpose; that of serving and supporting others where there is suffering with compassion and justice.  Our interconnectedness results in our choices having a significant effect on others and our world, which may move us towards hope for the human condition or that of despair.

How does one still the mind?  What are the choices we have that could have such an effect?  The brain is a magnificent organ which is able to process thousands of subconscious stimuli while allowing us to focus on one thought at a time.  Over the course of time, these thoughts begin to flow one into the other, much like waves in the ocean.  Thoughts may be about our trying to relive a past event or worrying about future events.  In yoga, we attempt to keep our thoughts focused in the present moment, releasing ourselves from a preoccupation with our personal history.  Often, our minds will focus on what is known and comfortable, whether it is painful or joyful.  It is far easier for us to fall into thought patterns that are comfortable, habitual, and prejudiced rather than being open minded, interconnected, and intimate with ourselves and others.  We must bear in mind that "thoughts we entertain are a force that goes out and every thought comes back laden with its own kind" (Ralph Waldo Trine). Remembering that for this moment we are safe in who we are, we can chose to release those thoughts that do not help us to attain our highest purpose.  We are more than our thoughts...

"To be at one with God is to be at peace...peace is to be found only within (one's self), and unless one finds it there he will never find it at all.  Peace lies not in the external world.  It lies within one's own soul."  (Ralph Waldo Trine)  Yoga is a path of peacemaking in our thoughts, words, and deeds.  The emergence of peace will only come about when we have learned to respect the rights of others: people, animals and other living things, our planet earth.  Respect is evident by our honest appraisal of our lives in relation to others, sensitivity to the injustices endured by our brothers and sisters, and experiential changes that are consciously determined by what we know to be true.  We do not turn from our own or others suffering.  Rather, we look through the lens of compassion at the reality of our world.  In honesty, we see the injustice around us and we begin to look after ourselves and one another in a kind, sensitive, and healing manner.  We find our voice and begin to speak out in love and truth for those who cannot, ourselves included.  As Jimi Hendrix sang, "when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."  Where once we routinely closed our eyes and returned to the safety of our habits and unconscious actions, we now have the ability to open our eyes to what is happening around us and respond with honest actions out of compassion.  This is our spiritual journey, moving from unconscious to conscious choices in our thoughts, words, and deeds leading to a life of simplicity and harmony.  This is our path to peace.  As stated by Martin Luther King, Jr., "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."

Mildred Lisette Norman, better known as Peace Pilgrim, was just a normal person, like you and I, who took on a personal mission for the last 28 years of her life to bring awareness to peace among mankind.  On January 1, 1953, she began her personal pilgrimage for peace and walked 25,000 miles until her death on July 7, 1981.  On her pilgrimage, she vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food."  She lived a simple life as a pacifist, vegetarian, and peace activist.  There was no organizational backing for her pilgrimage and no money to provide food and shelter.  Her only belongings were literally the clothes that she wore, a  blue tunic which read "Peace Pilgrim" on the front and "25,000 miles on foot for peace" on the back of the tunic.  Her message was simple,  "This is the way of peace:  overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."  By the end of her life, Peace Pilgrim became a frequent speaker at churches, universities, and for local and national radio and television programs.  Peace Pilgrim was able to respond to the suffering she saw in the world around her by opening not only her own eyes, but those of the people around her.  She was able to bring awareness to others of the need for peace through the simple act of walking.  "No one walks so safely as those who walk humbly and harmlessly with great love and great faith."  (Peace Pilgrim)

I simply step out into this world with my eyes open to the suffering around and within me.  With simplicity and harmony, I seek the path of peace through my thoughts, words, and deeds.

May you find gratitude and peace in every moment.
Namaste, Joan

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.  Inner peace is not found by staying on the surface of life or by attempting to escape from life through any means.  Inner peace is found facing life squarely, solving its problems, and delving as far beneath its surface as possible to discover its verities and realities."  Peace Pilgrim

"We who work for peace must not falter.  We must continue to pray for peace and to act for peace in whatever way we can.  We must continue to speak for peace and to live the way of peace; to inspire others.  We must continue to think of peace and to know that peace is possible."  Peace Pilgrim

http://www.peacepilgrim.com/

Earth's Hope

"When despair for the world grows in me, and I wake in the night at the last sound in fear of what my life and children's lives may be--I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water and the great heron feeds.  I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought or grief.  I come into the presence of still water.  And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light.  For a time, I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."  Wendell Berry

     August 20, 2008, my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversay in typical Travers' style with all the hoopla such festivities will incur.  After the vow renewal and reception with family and friends, we found ourselves headed for Kona, Hawaii.  What we remember most about this beautiful island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was the water teamming with sealife--coral reef, sea turtles, dolphin, ...  Having lived in land-locked Indiana since 1995, we spent much of our time enjoying the beauty of the water through boating, snorkeling, and what not.  It was a special time on the water, where we would find ourselves recognizing the beauty of the earth surrounding us.


     In the Northern Pacific Ocean there is what is called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a slow moving, clockwise spiral of water currents created by a high pressure system of air currents.  It is an oceanic desert with only tiny phytoplankton living there, no big fish nor mammals, including fishermen, can be found in this area.  However, if one were to go there, they would find in the water with the phytoplankton millions of pounds of trash,  with an estimated 90% of it being plastic.  This is the largest landfill on planet earth; floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean -- two large masses of trash.  The Eastern Garbage Patch floats between California and Hawaii and is estimated to be twice the size of Texas.  The Western Garbage Patch floats from Hawaii to Japan.    The plastic in the Pacific Garbage Patch outweighs the plankton by a ratio of six to one.  Of the 200 billion pounds of plastic produced in the world ten percent ends up in the ocean.  Plastic does not biodegrade, it merely breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces, remaining in the ocean.  It is estimated that over one million birds and marine animals die each year from consuming or becoming caught in the plastic and debris of the Pacific Garbage Patch.  When standing on the beaches of Hawaii and looking out to sea, I can tell you that you would never realize the damage we have brought to the Pacific Ocean.   If the "supreme reality of our time is ... the vulnerability of our planet," as stated by President John F Kennedy, we, the human race, must find a way to live in harmony with the earth rather than "fouling our own nest." (President Richard M Nixon, "What a strange creature man is that he fouls his own nest.")


     The practice of yoga is the practice of "being" with the reality of what is.  Regardless of whether the present moment is painful or pleasant, we focus our attention to what is happening in the now.  This may be difficult for us because when we stop and see our past choices, we may become aware of the unconsciousness that accompanies many of our daily activities.  For instance, have you ever sat down to see who has been on facebook, began playing Farmville, and realize two hours have passed by?  Perhaps you are driving to Target, your cell phone goes off, you begin talking to your spouse, and suddenly find yourself in a parking space at the store, but no recall of the actual drive there.  Maybe you start tossing the spoiled food in your fridge out, plastic packaging and all without a thought as to what could be recycled.  When we become aware of how much of our lives are lived on automatic pilot, we can make a change in our habits towards awareness of our choices and actions.  Through this awareness, we are able to make choices which are nonviolent towards others and the earth, which is the essence of change needed to bring healing to our earth.  As Margaret Mead stated, "never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully (conscious) committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  So as committed citizens to protecting our earth for our children's children's children (bearing in mind the Native American Proverb, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."), we must bear witness to what is happening around us and throughout our planet.    It is important to work on diminishing our capacity for apathy, distraction, laxity of attention, hyperactivity, which all decrease our awareness of our choices and their effects on the world.  We must bring clarity to how we live each moment, enabling us to serve others and protect our earth.  When we realize our interrelatedness to all life on this earth, how the dying of marine life in the Pacific Garbage Patch is directly related to our choice of automatically using plastic bags at the grocery store rather than reusable ones, we may begin to chose a vitality and clarity of action, which will protect the earth.  As Wendell Berry tells us, "The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility.  To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope."

With hope that I can begin to make a more conscious choice in what I use and how I use it and how I ultimately dispose of it, I take a step towards living each moment in awareness, which ultimately will bring healing to our planet.

May you find gratitude and peace in every moment.
Namaste, Joan

"If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology.  We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through using it."  President Lyndon B Johnson