tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8149256558976367722024-02-19T08:00:45.892+00:00Joy Frequencies - a way of looking at lifePersonal Reality, Becoming Whole, Our Inner Workings, Self exploration, Self Growth, Personal Evolution, Transformation, Breaking Patterns, Higher Self, Soul, Universe, Inner Journey, Subconscious, Life, Joy Frequencies,Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-79339959214318886002011-07-29T20:21:00.060+01:002020-12-21T15:03:35.144+00:00Growing Where You Are Planted<div style="color: #ff6666; text-align: center;">
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<i style="color: #ff6666;">"When you get the choice to sit it out or dance,</i> <i style="color: #ff6666;">I hope you dance." - Lee Ann Womack</i></div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />W</span>e can find ourselves in places, or positions, in life that are less than ideal. We are sure that life would be easier if things were different, and they probably would be. We bemoan our lot and feel down hearted and disadvantaged by circumstance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYKQJy5HT4Z1Wj0Iaf4vmcSYhHUJJFBMPhuObY-JQ5jgheDowxOnRLOKrw4Icf-7MCKbjU1zH8kCe_al-ncMJ18JM_mXDBIpJETClvtu45BmcHTbAEwDOYRzx66GTJiEmAnalzgJsCt5I/s1600/21thMAY11+027+copyopt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634874771689779346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYKQJy5HT4Z1Wj0Iaf4vmcSYhHUJJFBMPhuObY-JQ5jgheDowxOnRLOKrw4Icf-7MCKbjU1zH8kCe_al-ncMJ18JM_mXDBIpJETClvtu45BmcHTbAEwDOYRzx66GTJiEmAnalzgJsCt5I/s320/21thMAY11+027+copyopt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 297px;" /></a>Which is why I was so inspired when I saw this seed that the birds had dropped, it had begun to sprout in a drainpipe on the outside of our house. It really bought to life the saying <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">grow where you are planted</span>.</span><br />
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There was this little seed having been deposited in the most unlikely and unfortunate place, grabbing hold of life and beginning to grow.<br />
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No nice deep bed of fertile soil where it could put down its roots and reach for the sun. But never the less, it was doing its best, living its life... and growing.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">I</span> became attached to this little plant. I dribbled water at its roots and when we had really strong winds I tied a bit of twine around the drainpipe to give it support.<br />
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I willed it on.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xt9hMCjnslSxYU1nibOc31_U8zx7u_WStbs1gWyCn9snkqqApWQKcnb31-aYtCD10Bo-p8tOcH6IVACJL5y9XLKJ1_LOzZrADXx-jTq6G1DQR8oxQpJP50YFko5MzGZIsnUjuY0rRZfC/s1600/14h+july+021+copy+2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634878968821740386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xt9hMCjnslSxYU1nibOc31_U8zx7u_WStbs1gWyCn9snkqqApWQKcnb31-aYtCD10Bo-p8tOcH6IVACJL5y9XLKJ1_LOzZrADXx-jTq6G1DQR8oxQpJP50YFko5MzGZIsnUjuY0rRZfC/s320/14h+july+021+copy+2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 292px;" /></a><br />
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And, though only a fraction of its potential size, it made it. . .<br />
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It opened its petals and blossomed!<br />
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Surely an inspiration for us! That wherever we are planted, whatever our circumstances, we all have the potential to open our petals, turn our faces to the sun, and bloom!<br />
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<i style="color: #ff6666;">"Don't let what you cannot do<br />interfere with what you can do."<br />- John Wooden </i><br />
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<span color="rgb(51 , 51 , 51)"><br /></span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-89183131145159922592011-06-20T22:33:00.021+01:002011-06-21T14:53:02.464+01:00A Brief Interlude . . .<div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-size:100%;" >Happy Summer Solstice - Let your Inner Sun</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-size:100%;" >S H I N E </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKkwPzOi-PQhX8-w0VgB15QDHwMnYAQ9i6zH4HxiKeJVvr4Vrc-Es9z-8bn8MDO-E_j9I7_G6MIgqqkA-VW66Vgj6AVCLC1Ty6X8w11iBRnvcOMwpwgaWWqXajVpZfQ6gtOHpQD7Qq1DN/s1600/golden.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKkwPzOi-PQhX8-w0VgB15QDHwMnYAQ9i6zH4HxiKeJVvr4Vrc-Es9z-8bn8MDO-E_j9I7_G6MIgqqkA-VW66Vgj6AVCLC1Ty6X8w11iBRnvcOMwpwgaWWqXajVpZfQ6gtOHpQD7Qq1DN/s400/golden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620424145850864866" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >C O N N E C T E D</span><br />.<br />.<br />.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">My</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">body</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">a conduit</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">. . a temple </span>. .<br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Gossamer threads<br />connect me<br />with light<br /><br />with stardust<br />with stories<br /><br />Twin serpents<br />coil and weave<br />around my<br />sturdy spine<br /><br />caressing bone<br />creating sparks<br /><br />My being is<br />tangled with<br />all that is<br /><br />The exhaling<br />of the universe<br />etches me<br />with its<br />breath<br />.</span><br />.<br />.<br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >Image and words by Susannah Bec</span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-30941960849951596622011-06-10T10:30:00.028+01:002011-06-11T07:52:26.632+01:00Where shall we focus our lens? . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJt4hz-DxVEo4PiiYIsYp0B5tgv0cE-GG6xqsTx0JqLFNOmyko4Ze6GSOCula5Jgx-t0OsxRR2wj7MIwJK8w4ZeT9CtbsbW0PuaH_H5C3Ov3W2XTcC9tBFEqHKUezRTbGcgSst2ZxR8FxH/s1600/21thMAY11+047+copyopt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 385px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJt4hz-DxVEo4PiiYIsYp0B5tgv0cE-GG6xqsTx0JqLFNOmyko4Ze6GSOCula5Jgx-t0OsxRR2wj7MIwJK8w4ZeT9CtbsbW0PuaH_H5C3Ov3W2XTcC9tBFEqHKUezRTbGcgSst2ZxR8FxH/s400/21thMAY11+047+copyopt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616526317882966162" border="0" /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);" class=" down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link"></span></span></a><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"Appreciation is yeast, lifting ordinary to extraordinary." - Mary-Ann Petro</span></span></span><br /><br /></div>Every Sunday over at my other blog <a href="http://thestreamingnow.blogspot.com/">The Streaming Now</a> I have been posting snapshots of things I noticed during my week. Most weeks these include photos I have taken of my garden, or of the pretty village I live in. These often draw comments saying how beautiful the village is, or how lovely my garden is.<br /><br />Now this prompted lots of thought. - You see, if any of these people visited my garden (or my village) expecting only to see the beauty that I show, then they may well be disappointed.<br /><br />Because, with my camera, as with my life, I get to choose what to focus on.<br /><br />I could choose to take a photo of the broken paving, the overgrown vegetable patch or the manhole covers in my garden. And around my village instead of taking a photo of the pretty thatched cottage with roses around the door, I could take a photo of the dingy house with a black sheet pinned up at the window in place of curtains.<br /><br />There have been times when I have been overwhelmed by the glorious colours of autumn trees, lit up and glowing like works of art. While others noticed a drinks can thrown by the side of the road and launched into a rant about the state of the area.<br /><br />I could choose to focus on the <span style="font-style: italic;">wrongs </span>and let them stop me seeing all of the <span style="font-style: italic;">rights</span> - effectively blinding me to all the beauty that is around me.<br /><br />We are surrounded by beauty and can make a conscious choice of where we focus our lens. It is really worth considering. . . what are you <span style="font-style: italic;">taking pictures</span> of?<br /><br /><span class="status-body"> <span class="actions"><div> </div></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);" class="entry-content">"Keep what is worth keeping - and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away." </span></span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);" class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">- Dinah Mulock Craik</span></span><br /></div></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-83517824389577307192011-05-06T18:47:00.010+01:002011-05-06T19:49:41.718+01:00Voices . . . Yet Another Tiny Tale<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CacUsxKEq0WxOs41V-YUBZ1LGiClZoI6c7D6Cyi-3wcQazVJeJ8dvr3P7nkk-OpzMgVuLfj4NqzyVd5tTK-heafGc117CxzFRyQSKg6L0vjbT1iEGVvBCoO5tjLa_aWX80-js-4AmCKj/s1600/noted.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CacUsxKEq0WxOs41V-YUBZ1LGiClZoI6c7D6Cyi-3wcQazVJeJ8dvr3P7nkk-OpzMgVuLfj4NqzyVd5tTK-heafGc117CxzFRyQSKg6L0vjbT1iEGVvBCoO5tjLa_aWX80-js-4AmCKj/s400/noted.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603674250949692146" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">"Your gift will come as soon</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">as you are ready to receive it."</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">- Alan Cohen</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">S</span>he had such simple grace, like a blessing bestowed. Tall and thin like a reed, she swayed as she walked and her skirts swished around her ankles like a willow in the wind. She exuded a calm confidence and the aura of one who was grounded and secure in her being and when she spoke, the room quietened, hushed to a whisper as she held them spellbound with her voice. It was pure and clear, and as she sang, the notes were like a bird rising up into a brilliant blue sky.<br /><br />When she finally fell silent the audience were all of a jitter, sensing they had been witness to something extraordinary. They were already mourning its loss as the reverberations of her voice disappeared into the ether and left them once again alone. These people, who for brief moments had been borne aloft, tranported by the magic that she had bought into the room, were left floundering. Clutching at the feelings that made their mundane world seem lifeless and without colour in comparison.<br /><br />When she got to her feet to leave, in unison they began a mournfull chant that echoed and rang like a bell. Surging and pounding in its intensity, a dirge that accompanied her to the big wooden doors that marked her exit. One hand on the door, she paused and stood so still it was as though she had been cast in alabaster. Slowly she bought her graceful finger up to her rosebud lips and the ear splitting sound dropped like a stone. The silence was so heavy with expectation it had a palpable weight.<br /><br />She turned to face them, and stood knee deep in the quiet that had descended. Her shining eyes returned their gaze as she whispered. . . "join with me."<br /><br />From deep in her throat came a note that split the heavy silence, and energised the air with dancing light. She threw back her head and lifted her arms as the note increased in intensity.<br /><br />One by one the assembled crowd became a choir, and the room and the people were filled with all they had sensed in her performance earlier, and they were no longer alone.<br /><br />They were as one and they were magnificent.<br /><br />She quietly opened the door and slipped away leaving them lost in their rapture, they had no more need of her. They had found their own voices.<br /><br /><br />For another tiny tale - <a href="http://joyfrequencies.blogspot.com/2010/10/story-for-saturday.html">click here</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Images and words by Susannah Bec.</span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-21564710876710091722011-01-07T20:13:00.039+00:002020-12-21T13:49:22.022+00:00Shall We Stop Waiting For The Magic?<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"It is always your next move."</span> <span style="font-size: 85%;">- Napoleon Hill</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span></span>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">A</span> few days ago I was returning a visit to someone who left a nice comment on one of my blogs, when I came across the post <a href="http://sinsoftheflash.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years-ephipany.html">A New Year's Epiphany</a> and I was amazed at the response it bought up in me. </p><p>As I began reading, I found part of me screaming, "<span style="font-style: italic;">No, no, don't say that, don't shatter my illusions</span>." But by the time I had reached the end, my initial feeling of dismay had dissolved into a feeling of excitement. I then realised what a profound and powerful piece of writing it was.
</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://sinsoftheflash.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years-ephipany.html" style="color: #ff9966; font-weight: bold;">A New Year's Epiphany</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #ff9966; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #ff9966;">I will never win the lottery and be able to quit my job.</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #ff9966;">I will never buy a chocolate bar and find a golden ticket inside.</span>
<span style="color: #ff9966;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966;">There is no knight in shining armor coming to rescue me.</span>
<span style="color: #ff9966;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966;">Prince Charming will not appear at my door, holding a glass slipper.</span>
<span style="color: #ff9966;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966;">Fairy Godmothers and magic wands do not exist.</span>
<span style="color: #ff9966;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966;">I am responsible for my own happily ever after.</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #ff9966;">For years, that used to terrify me.</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #ff9966;">But now, it excites me to no end.</span>
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-size: 85%;">- <span style="font-style: italic;">by VL Sheridan</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="color: #ff9966; font-size: 85%; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
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<span>W</span>hen I analysed the feelings it had bought up within me, I began to understand that however 'together' I thought I was, that subconsciously some of my energy was still tied up waiting for the magic. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that there are moments of magic scattered throughout our journey if we know how to look for them. And that is good, and that is wonderful, and who knows we may well be one of the ones who does win a lottery, or finds a golden ticket!
<span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>B</span>ut what is <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> wonderful, is putting off the full expression of our life because we are waiting for something; because on some level we are hanging on for our lucky break, our prince charming or our fairy godmother. We may not consciously be doing that, I didn't think I was until I reacted to those words!
<span>T</span>hen I wondered: what if under the surface that hope is still lingering in other people too and using up vital energy like a tv on standby. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">We grew up with childhood tales of magic, fairy tales and happy ever after and part of us still clings to that, as a bright star flickering in the sometimes dark sky of our reality. Perhaps it serves some sort of psychological purpose - but it also disempowers us. <span>W</span>hile we are still carrying those feelings, those hopes and dreams tucked away under the surface, stashed in some secret pocket of ourself. Then we are functioning below our potential, we are waiting for rescue, for something external to fix things. We are not giving our all to our lives here and now.<span> T</span>hat is why the end of <span style="font-weight: bold;">A New Years Epiphany</span> is so empowering... </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-weight: bold;">"I am responsible for my own happily ever after."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-weight: bold;"> </span>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span>W</span>e don't need fairy godmothers and magic wands.
<span>W</span>e don't have to wait for someone or something to give us what we need.
<span>W</span>e can stop stifling our energy and being good girls and boys awaiting Santa Claus.<span> W</span>e can stand up, step into our own power and take responsibility right here and right now for creating our own happy ever after. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> I am up for that! Are you?
</div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The key to your universe is that you can choose. " </span><span style="font-size: 85%;">- Frederick Frieseke</span></span>
</p><span class="post-author vcard"><span class="fn">
</span></span><span class="post-author vcard"><span class="fn">Thanks very much to </span></span><span class="post-author vcard"><span class="fn">VL Sheridan - for the inspiring words and for letting me use</span></span> <a href="http://sinsoftheflash.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-years-ephipany.html">A New Year's Epiphany </a>it is much appreciated..
</div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-42070312221778658452010-12-20T09:42:00.016+00:002010-12-20T10:51:25.381+00:00The Wheel Keeps Turning<div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"It’s only in our minds that we are separate<br />from the rest of the world." - </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Gay Luce</span><br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxdYU0V51b5djaL1623Z6-lakSKI8YGdN08ZAjrtY9ArJXC1dG4QXoiLKcA5v7OOjSG4NXyLofhm6CF404s4FsFfhehqdrwRhQExJagzFz6Mz7B5PyB85NqYXsHj6yc8SBFNzUn5gyiB4/s1600/nucleus1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxdYU0V51b5djaL1623Z6-lakSKI8YGdN08ZAjrtY9ArJXC1dG4QXoiLKcA5v7OOjSG4NXyLofhm6CF404s4FsFfhehqdrwRhQExJagzFz6Mz7B5PyB85NqYXsHj6yc8SBFNzUn5gyiB4/s400/nucleus1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552714127428258514" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The wheel of the year</span> keeps revolving and things move on as they always do and we return again to one of the natural marker points, Winter Solstice, the longest night.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />In this hemisphere the daylight hours are at their shortest and the cold and the darkness are reigning once again over the land. Things appear dead but in reality they are dormant, sleeping and gathering strength for when the light and warmth returns and the cycle begins again.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">So it is with us too</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> at this time of the year. </span>It is the time to slow down and think over what has gone, to take the time to reflect and to gather strength. It is a time to decide what we want to bring into our lives. A time to incubate our dreams and identify the things we wish to grow in our life in the next year. Now isn't the time for action, but for planning and dreaming, for getting clear on what 'seeds' we wish to plant for the year ahead.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The time for action</span> will be spring when the whole of nature will be bringing forth new life. We can attune to the natural cycles, live in harmony with them and use the energy to birth our new beginnings too.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"The great lesson from the true mystics<br />is that the sacred is in the ordinary,<br />that it is to be found</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >in one's daily life,<br /> in one's neighbors, friends, and<br />family, in one's backyard." </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />- Abraham H. Maslow</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wishing you all</span> peace, love and joy, thank you so much for your visits and for your friendship, they are very much appreciated - <span style="font-style: italic;">Susannah</span> x<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Image - Painting by Susannah Bec<br /></span></div></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-32914387811824003992010-12-04T20:45:00.026+00:002010-12-04T23:16:29.350+00:00Be As A Cup - Revisited<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Be as a cup and the universe flows into you.</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Be as an arrow<br />and the universe retreats from you."</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >- Zen Proverb</span><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmIqhuxjtjeMlhCZxXNVYosyANuQ86XrfnfQlRtK6256WX48xcyyYzt3sCDKXHiNy4AJy3lRG7dxK_cG2JjIBJW7VkUY6xMJ4U_XAHz9njDxKT5hx3p9AZTBFgOSWHnY4BwxAbayM5sc5/s1600-h/zen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmIqhuxjtjeMlhCZxXNVYosyANuQ86XrfnfQlRtK6256WX48xcyyYzt3sCDKXHiNy4AJy3lRG7dxK_cG2JjIBJW7VkUY6xMJ4U_XAHz9njDxKT5hx3p9AZTBFgOSWHnY4BwxAbayM5sc5/s400/zen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308727432866287026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">I</span> loved this quote when I first came across it. It seemed to me that it was often so true that chasing after things can send them further away from us. Whereas the attitude of open expectation or 'allowing' lets things flow towards us.<br /><br />If you have ever watched a horse whisperer you will see the same process at work, if he advances toward the horse, then the animal retreats, but if he retreats then the horse advances.<br /><br />This is something that I think that most of us would have difficulty with at first, as c<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ulturally</span> we are taught to go after the things we want.<br /><br />We are so used to taking charge of the things in our life, that the thought of 'allowing' feels passive and gives us the feeling of not being in control, not 'doing' anything.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes,<br />and the grass grows by itself." - Zen Proverb</span><br /></div><br />From experience I know that it takes practise and a lot of trust to 'attract' rather than 'persue', to stop pushing and allow the situation to unfold and show itself. It seems to go against what we have been taught but the more you experience this at work in your life the easier it is to be able to relax and have faith in the process.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">The lesson</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"> </span>- Be the magnet that draws things, rather than the pursuer that chases. In our allowing we enable the smooth flow of things toward us.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-37357824942618955912010-11-19T17:00:00.014+00:002010-11-19T18:20:48.479+00:00Adding and Subtracting - Revisited and Updated<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDzcmlRubvCta1zrDaGE6cSQx3rjHJNTDRx5YI911wj8GD-cHVd27s9WCd4I1E2PrXEPTS7W84LwMQ3oq65JFAVavNu2ar6pqavl5E5wVKFLgPqk00us6oZIiveSirZV8WhNowU8bed-A/s1600/imageeden.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDzcmlRubvCta1zrDaGE6cSQx3rjHJNTDRx5YI911wj8GD-cHVd27s9WCd4I1E2PrXEPTS7W84LwMQ3oq65JFAVavNu2ar6pqavl5E5wVKFLgPqk00us6oZIiveSirZV8WhNowU8bed-A/s400/imageeden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541307754996939890" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">"The years teach much which the days never knew."- Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When I was younger,</span> life seemed all about what I could add to it. I worked on gaining more knowledge, more experiences, more things. As I have got older I have noticed the spiral reversing. I am now dropping things, simplifying. I am now editor of my life.<br /><br />The myriad of things I had gained knowledge about and picked up along the way 'just in case' were cluttering my mind like an overfilled bookcase, it was crammed with so much stuff that I couldn't find the life affirming classics without moving the trashy novels and gossip mags.<br /><br />So I metaphorically and physically tidied my shelves, dropped what had served its purpose, let go of the sparkly things that I had held onto because they <span>looked good</span> and kept only the things that were dear to my heart. Things in which I had found my reflection.<br /><br />The subjects whittled down from a swarm of interesting things, to just a few that have stood the test of time. The spotlight beam now narrowed, focused, shining a light on what I need to see. Clear, no distractions, clutter gone.<br /><br />In my growing, I had breathed all these things in. I have now exhaled and am left with only what it truly valid for me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);" class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"To be authentic is literally to be your own author, to discover your own native energies and desires & your own way of acting on them." - W Bennis</span></span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">It has been a couple of years</span> now since the first part of this post was written, and that act of exhaling and letting go of the clutter was vital for a magpie like me, who has always amassed and gathered.<br /><br />I would read everything and filter out the information I needed, I would have piles and piles of books because the titles looked interesting. Every surface in my home was covered with beautiful and interesting things.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I was fascinated by everything. . . and I was swamped.<br /><br />Not knowing in the end, which of all that stuff was important to me and which just had twinkly lights and promised much. I loved to live in that realm of infinite possibilities.<br /><br />But, it made me an observer, I stood outside it all, thinking how wonderful and interesting it all was, I couldn't partake of it all, there was too much.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">I spread myself too thin<br />put too many ingredients in the pot<br />forget to remember that less is more<br /><br />I get caught up in quantity<br />when quality shines so much brighter<br />by nature, I amass rather than discern<br /><br />A single rose can be studied<br />seen for its individual perfection<br />twenty is just a bouquet of flowers<br /><br />My thoughts say why write one<br />when ten are flowing from your fingers<br />but who will listen to ten, when one would do<br /></div><br />So that is when the editing began. I truly did exhale. I got rid of so much stuff, both in the real world and the stuff that was cluttering up my mental state. Some of it I found it hard to let go of, but I did it.<br /><br />In the end I was left only with that that truly had heart for me and suddenly instead of spinning in a hall of mirrors, exhilarated and dazzled by the lights, I could point to the handful of things that I could interact with, go deeper with.<br /><br />My speciality subjects were distilled from the mountain of trivia.<br /><br />Time has passed and I am now taking the next<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>in breath</span>. I have made room for me to breathe in, space for new things, new thoughts, new directions. Honouring my role as author, I am constantly adding to, editing and polishing the story that is me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"What's important is finding out what works for you." - Henry Moore</span></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Poem <span style="font-weight: bold;">Less is More</span> by Susannah Bec - For more poetry please visit </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://outofmyocean.blogspot.com/">Out Of My Ocean</a></span><br /></div></div></div></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-59246894317091313762010-11-07T08:26:00.012+00:002010-11-07T10:36:14.108+00:00Changing the Steps of The Dance<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">"When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." - Tuli Kupferberg </span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYs7fcpBtqWv7g0Ns8ZSHUYwQqhhaoMpuFXd1dzF920RjMKeaVsqodrt87vBlG9tpBKiARuOw49CXyO-InMQL8erDlRrlxs-dTC9Olf8aheFinXTOdQGeSxWnMsKPcfU4vw579RD1n2NM/s1600-h/dance.jpg"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPCgucTZwuxnfZImF9yDCQ4uG1iGrILzNZMcBbleKJ3bEsTHK8Af-78IZ7AJaY3Sh3hFXCog1iNbzPfPFMItv3Xuw-X2ah7sT-RbV5VpJhdb-_Hmh-_wOqRC0ql6HeB6yxl_Syzw21wot/s1600/astgemini.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPCgucTZwuxnfZImF9yDCQ4uG1iGrILzNZMcBbleKJ3bEsTHK8Af-78IZ7AJaY3Sh3hFXCog1iNbzPfPFMItv3Xuw-X2ah7sT-RbV5VpJhdb-_Hmh-_wOqRC0ql6HeB6yxl_Syzw21wot/s400/astgemini.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536747209875386690" border="0" /></a>When anything changes at a core level, whether it be a person, a relationship or a country, then too its 'reflection' will change.<br /><br />The old energetic pattern has been altered and if the things, people, or patterns don't change as well, then they will become incompatible with the new 'frequency'.<br /><br />It is as though two people are dancing together with well practised steps. If one person begins to try a new dance then the situation becomes uncomfortable as they are no longer in synch with one another, they are literally 'out of step' and for a while chaos may ensue.<br /><br />People often feel uncomfortable with such changes, as has been well documented in relationship studies when one person evolves, maybe gives up a destructive habit/pattern etc. then the other person in the relationship feels unbalanced by the shift and does their best to drag the partner back into the old behaviour so that the dance can continue. This point is the most crucial time of the 'changeover' period, as people will often fall back into old habits and behaviours just to keep the peace and please the 'dancing partner'.<br /><br />Sometimes things have to fall by the wayside if they don't match a changing energy, that is the way of evolution. If you have ever been in a destructive dance with someone you will know the relief when you chose to change the steps or simply walked away from the dance.<br /><br />If a 'dance', which can be any sort of relationship, work, personal, parent/child needs to change. then it takes one of the dancers to take the lead and begin dancing different steps. The original dance can not continue as the other dance partner can not continue the dance alone. So then something will have to change. Hopefully they will learn to follow the new steps and new and improved, the dance can continue. <br /><br />If not, then you must have the courage to dance your own steps and through dancing you will attract a person or situation that will think your dance beautiful and be able to synchronise and join with you in your dance. Like attracts like and things are mirrored on all levels and whenever the energy changes then a new 'dance' can begin.<br /><br /><div class="quote"><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: bold;">Do not let the future be held hostage by the past. - Neal A Maxwell.</span></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-41894011040424261002010-10-29T22:32:00.044+01:002011-05-06T18:56:51.989+01:00A Story For Saturday<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">S</span>he altered her gait to match his</span>, lengthening her stride as they crossed the steel bridge with clanging footsteps and anticipation. The afternoon was heavy with the scent of blossom and the curious dragonflies that shadowed her were iridescent and shimmered like spun glass as they danced in the air around them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKXGqOAy_ivPnIgQ9eakhB5wNjsRpDrEnedyrf3A2iIKUmik6LnbZdUIFqwqEJ-5s6OYaIR7SqsSVStDyWlVsi8BhyvCSu3FlXWNFASJnaTc5AsSYqfuvKCcP0em_Q4Johk9RYR8v8yeX/s1600/photoswoodlandwalk.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKXGqOAy_ivPnIgQ9eakhB5wNjsRpDrEnedyrf3A2iIKUmik6LnbZdUIFqwqEJ-5s6OYaIR7SqsSVStDyWlVsi8BhyvCSu3FlXWNFASJnaTc5AsSYqfuvKCcP0em_Q4Johk9RYR8v8yeX/s400/photoswoodlandwalk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533589365154787842" border="0" /></a>They stepped on to the winding path and their footfalls were softened by the springy grass underfoot.<br /><br />She felt her excitement building when she heard the drums in the distance and the soft ethereal sound of the flute blowing on the breeze.<br /><br />The pale blue sky peeped through the <span style="font-family:arial;">canopy of fresh green leaves, dappled and lit with sunlight, they threw a kaleidoscope of light filled shapes at her feet as she walked.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">He was there, strong and silent beside her as always, his silver hair a striking contrast against his cloak of the deepest blue velvet. He had slowed his pace and the flickering sunshine on his face threw his features into sharp relief.<br /><br />She was so glad that this day had come and that he was there to walk this path with her.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It had taken many years to gain the knowledge, to ripen her understanding so that it may now bear the fruit of the lineage she was born into, and now she was finally ready and felt the joy rise through her body like a thousand white butterflies heading toward the light.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">They were getting close and the sounds of the drums seemed to be beating in time with her heartbeat, the rhythmic cadence of the flute echoing her breath. She heard the soft chanting and it pulled her forward through the twisting branches and out into the clearing.<br /><br />She was finally there...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Silence fell as soon as she appeared and the circle was hushed,</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> ribbons decorating the four quarters lifted and fell in the breeze, it was the only movement in this sacred place.<br /><br />The trees were draped in garlands and the smell of sweet incense permeated the air.<br /><br />The faces of those gathered were turned toward her and she saw the expectation in their waiting eyes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">She felt him behind her and heard his soft breathing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">"It is time" . . . his rich voice reverberated around the silent grove.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The women began the gentle chant and heart beat drums joined the wash of sound that swirled </span><span style="font-family:arial;">around her as she looked down at her white gown and the girdle she had so intricately woven with delicate spring flowers.<br /><br />She could feel the weight of responsibility hanging in the air.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">From the corner of her eye she saw him walk forward to stand by her side, he looked deep in her eyes and slowly nodded his head before reaching out and with a gentle hand gave her an almost imperceptible nudge forward.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">She was unable to move, rooted to the spot for what seemed an age.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">. . . and then from out of the shadows came the dragonflies, effervescent and joyful as they cut the heavy air with their light, they bought their sparkling energy, their magic and their blessings. It was the sign she was waiting for and her heart leapt and she smiled and stepped forward into the waiting circle and her destiny.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Once you know who you are - you know what you must do.</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"When your inner and outer energies radiate in harmony, </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >you are blessed and spiritually magnetic." - Terri Guillemets</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Man is never alone. Acknowledged or unacknowledged,<br />that which dreams through him is always there to support<br />him from within." - Laurence van der Post</span></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-62741259259368202112010-10-15T19:04:00.004+01:002010-10-15T19:27:31.813+01:00Good Advice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQOmVr2HiqLTWJBlKOTlPeoXSg9750w-0wJj1PFRuaAOvg2o7gY3xQnwT9BEwoEnxRXvNuQUxMLOsYQH-aUfD5YDS0M-zgLh3YWBSdUvux43YhksSwdUXt31-va7B3jsg-Qq9mwXTkXOm/s1600/sanctuary.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQOmVr2HiqLTWJBlKOTlPeoXSg9750w-0wJj1PFRuaAOvg2o7gY3xQnwT9BEwoEnxRXvNuQUxMLOsYQH-aUfD5YDS0M-zgLh3YWBSdUvux43YhksSwdUXt31-va7B3jsg-Qq9mwXTkXOm/s400/sanctuary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528339965192068146" border="0" /></a><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">“<span class="quote">Keep a good heart. That’s the most important thing in life.</span><br /><span class="quote">It’s not how much money you make or what you can acquire.</span><br /><span class="quote">The art of it is to keep a good heart." - Joni Mitchell<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="quote"><br /></span></div></div></blockquote><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >Image: Sanctuary - Susannah Bec</span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-8850565656442823162010-10-08T08:43:00.040+01:002010-10-08T11:48:56.052+01:00We come with a built-in SatNav as standard<div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">"The struggle to learn to listen to and respect our own intuitive,</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">inner promptings is the greatest challenge of all." <span style="font-size:85%;">- Herb Goldberg</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliZK0dLsfwNSQ6cxIPBHctQnZ1A-Eb1u8Dzkt4z8jdo5sTqjmMoEzLgy-WVWD20PoJehqFTKKr4Nhx5kGIRso6Cl_nkMEtc7D0e2Afl3_y7HvuXewifiMJrXbIe1YIpUI0R9OKzkSulkF/s1600/arrow.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliZK0dLsfwNSQ6cxIPBHctQnZ1A-Eb1u8Dzkt4z8jdo5sTqjmMoEzLgy-WVWD20PoJehqFTKKr4Nhx5kGIRso6Cl_nkMEtc7D0e2Afl3_y7HvuXewifiMJrXbIe1YIpUI0R9OKzkSulkF/s400/arrow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525586516531211154" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Recently we had reason</span> to visit a distant town we had never been to before. Unlike a few years ago where we would have pored over the map, plotted the route then asked for directions to the actual street when we reached the town, we just programmed the address into our SatNav and sat back and enjoyed the trip.<br /><br />We took a leisurely drive absolutely certain that even though we didn't know the route, if we followed the directions to turn here, or go straight ahead, we would be taken to the destination we had programmed in. Even when we took a detour on route, stopping for snacks or following an interesting signpost, we were sure that the SatNav would get us back on track with its 'turn round when you get the chance' voice, and constant and comforting refrain of 'recalculating route'.<br /><br />We didn't doubt, or once get the map out to double check, we trusted that even though we didn't know the way, if we followed and listened to the voice each step of the way, we would get to exactly where we wanted to be.<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: normal;font-family:verdana;" ></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-weight: normal;font-family:verdana;" >"Intuition is the supra-logic that cuts out all the routine processes of thought</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-weight: normal;">and leaps straight from the problem to the answer." </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">- Robert Graves</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now this got us talking</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);"> </span>and we likened it to our journey through life and the address we are programming in, being like a goal, or something we wanted to head towards. Now of course, we could read books, pore over maps and logically work out the route. Or we could trust that we have our own internal SatNav, our intuition, our subconscious, that inbuilt sense that lives beneath and behind our rational mind.<br /><br />So, if we know for sure where we want to head (very important) and we listen and feel for clues (our instincts/intuition/internal SatNav) and then trust each step as it appears, then maybe our own internal SatNav will guide us to our destination.<br /><br />It takes guts to trust your inbuilt guidance system like that, to sit back and enjoy the ride when you can't see the whole route. Sometimes you will feel that you are going in a completely unrelated direction to where you want to end up. That is when your logical mind will step in and tell you that you are crazy! ;-) but from my experience you get lead to your 'destination' in the most amazing ways that you would never have envisaged with your logical mind, the detours and back roads are often short cuts. So trust that when a signpost appears you will recognise it and follow its pointers.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:verdana;" >"When you let intution have its way with you, you open up new levels of the world.</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:verdana;" > Such opening-up is the most practical of all activities." <span style="font-size:85%;">- Evelyn Underhill</span></span><br /><br />We are not used to giving up control like that and it makes us uneasy, but as with all things the more you do it, the more you trust it. So why not start small and do some experiments with the concept. Recognise which is your internal SatNav voice and follow the directions! Before you know it you may be enjoying the scenery on route and letting your internal SatNav deal with details.<br /><br /><hr /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">Latest:</span> Hello everyone, well I haven't updated in a while as I have been a bit distracted following my own SatNav! >>> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://joyfrequencies.blogspot.com/p/latest-news.html">Read More</a>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-20807263203929848812010-09-07T20:35:00.023+01:002010-09-07T22:52:50.645+01:00Connecting to the Earth<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">"Nature holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of </span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">growth,<br />renewal, and transformation in our lives." - Mary Ann Brussat </span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQJR8aK9lLgwaBrFzIF4yqAuu_Tbj7bZiO0JOMdSs6dvPDNsk2gDmJW8Dd4O5Wth9xPdO7RqvmDjTO6SLXlaO2VrIrOgAr3sdRs674yMOCVSRYO3K7wQuJQkEPiDsknKceSmlgZEdIVCL/s1600/moss+heart.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQJR8aK9lLgwaBrFzIF4yqAuu_Tbj7bZiO0JOMdSs6dvPDNsk2gDmJW8Dd4O5Wth9xPdO7RqvmDjTO6SLXlaO2VrIrOgAr3sdRs674yMOCVSRYO3K7wQuJQkEPiDsknKceSmlgZEdIVCL/s400/moss+heart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514285247193165778" border="0" /></a>Today a friend and I were talking about how it is so easy to get disconnected from nature in the midst of modern life - and I remembered the time I took a visitor that lived in the heart of London to a local woodland to walk its trails. She looked around in horror! before exclaiming -<br /><br />"but there's nothing here but bloody trees!" :-)<br /><br />I believe we're a part of nature and that it is vital for our wellbeing. Even the simple fact of noticing the breeze on our skin, the sun on our faces acknowledges that connection.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">Getting in touch with nature helps us to get in touch with our own 'nature'.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxQLxvtWafe78kLkYhEQKSdl0M-rqo5whieyEb9o4HKSBdiKLYbDSW8HplG6_UJkPV4rBv08kKzAMZwgQB4YjAsFZ4-ABJf2QpQOkgX55ULf_G6qCHaV-E05BRqGNiWdMxJaRF_xdmAcg/s1600/earth.jpg"><br /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"></span><br />If we become<br />disconnected and<br />separated from nature<br />then we step out of alignment<br />and we start to entangle ourselves<br />in the wrappers of the man made world.<br />We start to believe that that's all there is<br />the cities, concrete, cars, and the 'things'<br />(there are always SO many 'things')<br />and all of the unimportant things<br />wrap around us...like vines<br />creeping and covering us<br />until we can not breathe<br />until our connection<br />has been cut.<br /><br />So we wander alone<br />through those city streets<br />and turn on a television to see<br />what todays weather is going to be<br />and we forget to look at the sky<br />and walk on the green grass<br />springy under our feet.<br />We begin to believe<br />that the world<br />is cold, hard<br />artificial.<br /><br />but<br /><br />if we step out<br />into the wild places,<br />the forests, the fields,<br />the mountains, the oceans,<br />places beating with the pulse,<br />the heartbeat of life itself, and<br />we attune again to natures voice<br />begin to dance those rhythms<br />then all of the life force<br />laying subdued<br />within us...<br />will come<br />alive<br /><br />*<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." - John Muir<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;">Words written today<br /> originally posted on <a href="http://outofmyocean.blogspot.com/">Out of My Ocean </a><br />until I decided they would be better suited here.<br />Photo: A moss heart thatgrew on a big rock in our garden. :-)</span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-46503930398743699232010-09-03T08:21:00.011+01:002010-09-03T08:52:05.768+01:00Remembering . . .<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”</span></span></span><br /><br /></div><span class="status-body"> <span class="actions"><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nKM5NMaKZPCJvQNcl4Fira1rIidwWCEohJe170BDyU08P9F-XMDvjkDv_KUGVSeiU52c7tQKSIFHiWb5CuB3bgtsTp0b16nLYg1_7mCtXa3OSWuWUWsy2jsnBxeb4VZyu_7BBamoyYzc/s1600/flower4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nKM5NMaKZPCJvQNcl4Fira1rIidwWCEohJe170BDyU08P9F-XMDvjkDv_KUGVSeiU52c7tQKSIFHiWb5CuB3bgtsTp0b16nLYg1_7mCtXa3OSWuWUWsy2jsnBxeb4VZyu_7BBamoyYzc/s400/flower4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512584348008794594" border="0" /></a> </div></span> <span class="entry-content"></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I wander through the corridors of me<br />in search of that tiny room<br />that contains<br />all I have forgotton<br /><br />The dark holds such memories<br />it is taut with unspoken things<br /><br />Things that lay just below the surface<br />unseen, but dangerous, even to the sure footed<br /><br />Those small wrinkles in our bedrock become molehills<br />that can be magnified into mountains<br />in those inner cinemas<br />of the unconscious<br /><br />I need to find the very darkest corner of me<br /><br />and there, behind the fears<br />and the debris<br /><br />of a life<br /><br />half lived<br /><br />I know I will find the spark<br /><br />That pinprick of startling light. . .<br />just awaiting the breath of my awareness<br />to fan it into a fire, that will flood the shadows<br />illuminating those inner rooms with the brightest light<br /><br />I reach out with eager hands and pick up that burning torch<br />I hold it aloft, until all the dark internal places<br />have seen the light that I carry<br /><br />Lit up from within<br /><br />I remember<br /><br />myself<br /><br />*<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="entry-content">"Do not fight the darkness,<br />let the light in and the darkness will disappear."<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi</span></span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">As you can see I have given the place a bit of a makeover! I hope you like the new look. :-)<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-size:85%;" >Image and Words - Susannah Bec<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-size:85%;" >Picture taken in my garden a couple of days ago<br />Poem <a href="http://outofmyocean.blogspot.com/">In Search of a Spark</a> taken from my poetry blog <a href="http://outofmyocean.blogspot.com/">Out of My Ocean</a></span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-65691895355819555522010-08-17T13:09:00.026+01:002010-08-17T18:11:01.031+01:00The Urge For Change . . .<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again."</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"> Abraham H Maslow </span></span></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37spMPtvemPh6oi81O_tAg-XUNTMwbUYYvQ_ncoNDxqL1xwuCqDKjPe4f30seuiekaeUT0ZEdQF2Qahj4GTE3qx-jqcZMaWYSK6KtzwsbpFHVVs8sWp3YyBPCy2PN5hvHMXfzdpVJhQrK/s1600/reflections.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37spMPtvemPh6oi81O_tAg-XUNTMwbUYYvQ_ncoNDxqL1xwuCqDKjPe4f30seuiekaeUT0ZEdQF2Qahj4GTE3qx-jqcZMaWYSK6KtzwsbpFHVVs8sWp3YyBPCy2PN5hvHMXfzdpVJhQrK/s400/reflections.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506366335856132530" border="0" /></a></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153); font-weight: bold;">There are certain times in life</span> where things bubble up from that deep unconscious wellspring within us, feelings, urges, impulses for change. These are not usually logical well thought out rational plans, they are creatures of the heart, of the soul. Instinctive and primal they demand we heed their call. They belong to the right brain and the left brain can not always fathom their origins but the body, the emotions feel the call.</p> <p>It is as though some internal timer has ticked itself around a dial until suddenly there is a ringing, alerting us to action. We may try to stifle these moments, bury them and sometimes our bodies will react, showing symptoms, reminding us of the things our conscious mind is preventing us from acknowledging and taking action on.</p> <p>I believe that these are times when we should decide to reinvent ourselves, to mould our life, our activities, our surroundings into a more accurate representation of who we have evolved into on an internal level. We update our wardrobes, our cars, our home decoration. . . sometimes we need to do this with our lives.</p> <div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="quote"> <div class="quote"> <p>"Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown. "<span style="font-size:85%;"> - George Shinn</span></p> </div> </div> <p>We all have comfort zones, we feel at home in our reality and change can be a frightening place, especially if we are unsure what the change should be. But if we are honouring our inner impulses, our inner guidance, soul connection, call it what you will. Then we trust that if we are willing to take a risk and are prepared to move forward when the inspiration/ knowing arises, then we will lead ourselves to a new expression of ourselves. We will be a willing participant in our internal evolution.<br /></p><p>Sometimes our old skin gets too tight and we have to shed it, at first we may feel vulnerable and exposed without our old casing. That is when we have to have faith in our inner promptings, and trust that soon we will emerge into the next phase of our lives - feeling brave and alive with tremendous energy running through our veins.<br /></p>Until then . . .<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">I am an empty cup,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">a shallow bowl,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">a deep hollow in an ancient rock.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">I am an unused envelope,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">a blank page,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">a primed canvas.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">I am a rain barrel,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">a vacant house.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">a cavernous sea cave when the tide is out.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">I am the space created by nothing,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">I am expectation,</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">I am waiting to be filled.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Words and digital image - Susannah Bec<br />More of my poems can be found at <a href="http://outofmyocean.blogspot.com/">Out of My Ocean</a> </span></div></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-50816145055301579932010-08-04T11:12:00.090+01:002010-08-04T21:18:18.647+01:00After every storm, there comes clear open skies...<div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Turn away from what has gone,</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">for the future lies sparkling and awaiting your presence."</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8mn7mBrus0npUbUsqLJU5vvbLUwpbwrZDstg5PyCHDWcIzQOIExVDN7zDF7eyVzALp7PKNWzw2azaqe0dXEPKohNSTE32hsKYf5x3Cpgd3ZSS-P1DYqHLBRCiu7L7YfoNfegienEAbZN/s1600/between.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8mn7mBrus0npUbUsqLJU5vvbLUwpbwrZDstg5PyCHDWcIzQOIExVDN7zDF7eyVzALp7PKNWzw2azaqe0dXEPKohNSTE32hsKYf5x3Cpgd3ZSS-P1DYqHLBRCiu7L7YfoNfegienEAbZN/s400/between.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501524600634624050" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="entry-content" >"All the advice you give to others is for you to hear." - Byron Katie</span><br /><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">Today, I turned on the computer</span> and checked the date, and then the realisation hit me that there were only nine days left of me being 'forty something'. In just nine days time I will be <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >50</span> !<br /><br />Wow, I thought, I will have lived for half a century. I will be the age that in my youth I considered old. . . and then something strange struck me, far from being unsettled by it, I was actually really glad!<br /><blockquote></blockquote>I have a confession to make. In hindsight, I haven't really enjoyed most of my forties. Somewhere along the way I seemed to have got stuck and have lived most of it in a kind of suspended animation.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">"To play it safe is not to play." - Robert Altman</span></span></span></span><br /></div><br />I felt awkward in conversations where everyone agreed that life became so much better with age, that they were SO glad to be older, it gave them freedom, self knowledge and happiness.<br /><br />I just smiled politely and sat quietly with my secret.<br />I had self knowledge in bucket loads, freedom too, and have always felt such gratitude that I have the ability to extract joy from the simple things of life. But, somewhere inside me, it felt as though something had stopped, and it cast such a huge shadow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span class="status-body" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life,<br />the clearer we should see through it. " - Jean Paul Sartre</span></span></span><br /></div><br />Then I discovered something, that sometimes just the passing of time solves things. As some things decay and are dropped, other things ripen in their place. And lately I feel a real shift, a bubbling sense of new life. Whatever had stopped has started again!<br /><br />Something has been transformed, inner alchemy has been at work.<br /><br />So, without ever entirely understanding what caused and cured these rumblings in my inner life! I shall gleefully let go of what has gone and with open hands I will welcome the future. I will embrace this new phase and I shall begin again!<br /><br />I will step willingly into my fifties. I am ready for a new adventure!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"After winter comes the summer. After night comes the dawn.<br />And after every storm, there comes clear, open skies." - Samuel Rutherford</span></span></span><br /></div><br />Have you ever felt such a turning point? Have you had inner situations that could be felt but not understood?<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-size:85%;" ><br />Image: between today and tomorrow - Susannah Bec.</span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-14578246361806604222010-07-20T12:13:00.023+01:002010-07-20T12:54:55.361+01:00Life Is Made Up Of The Little Things<div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, </span></span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><br />not realizing that life is made up of little things." </span></span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="font-size:85%;">- Frank A. Clark</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlp45WfkfNqq4uZr35UMV90HilyE9ugqA7gIJUuivokgbAadC6oLxJwnyP1wJl5XhHVD8oHOzYPGQCdiAmGdpC_2z-nUpoNxXEfdE07XbK_sthKPl23eGkaKdwDYDwYP7aI8ajGbEn4aaK/s1600/image10discs+copy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlp45WfkfNqq4uZr35UMV90HilyE9ugqA7gIJUuivokgbAadC6oLxJwnyP1wJl5XhHVD8oHOzYPGQCdiAmGdpC_2z-nUpoNxXEfdE07XbK_sthKPl23eGkaKdwDYDwYP7aI8ajGbEn4aaK/s400/image10discs+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495948516221925954" border="0" /></a></div><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">I think it is so easy</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">to let</span> much of our life slip by, unnoticed and unappreciated, because we are on the look out for the big things that we think should constitute our happiness, our success, our getting there.<br /><br />Childhood tales of Prince Charming or the big bad wolf teach us that momentous things are out there waiting to be part of our story and they may be, and that is good, as long as we don't forget to enjoy the small things too.<br /><br />We are urged by the motivators, to do something, be something, strive for our goals, never give up, keep on keeping on. Because then - we can <span style="font-style: italic;">become great</span>, we can <span style="font-style: italic;">be successfu</span>l, we can <span style="font-style: italic;">live the life of our dreams</span> . . .<br /><br />We seem to be instilled with the seed idea that what we are is not enough, we need to be, do, achieve more. Our everyday life is not enough, it is 'ordinary' - but <span style="font-weight: bold;">when</span> we achieve our goals whatever they are. . . then all will be well.<br /><br />The downside of all of this, is that people are judging themselves and their lives on some idea of what should be. When they could be enjoying the incredible beauty that already is.<br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"To live only for some future goal is shallow. </span></span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><br />It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, </span></span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">not the top."<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">- Robert M. Pirsig</span></span></span></span><br /></div><br />Right here, right now, you are wonderful, you are 'enough', there is nowhere you must get to, nothing you must achieve, nothing to do but relax and realise that it truly is the little things that make up our life. If we get into the habit of looking for them, there are small miracles everywhere but we need to slow down enough to notice them.<br /><br />We can take a deep breath, relax into our life and stroll through it enjoying the scenery, feeling the sun and rain on our skin, taking the time to interact with the minutes that make up our days.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms;">"If you cannot find happiness along the road,<br />You will not find it at the end of the road." - <span style="font-size:85%;">Unknown</span></span><br /><br /></div>If we are too busy and too future focused we miss the wonderful moments <a href="http://jensrealia.typepad.com/blog/2010/07/broadview-station-after-supper-19th-of-july.html">like this one</a> that Jennifer blogged about recently. Little moments of magic. . . the world is full of them.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Image - Susannah Bec</span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-11461527262712544042010-06-18T14:09:00.017+01:002011-11-10T10:33:58.107+00:00I wanted to share this moment with you . . .<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="entry-content"></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:georgia,bookman old style,palatino linotype,book antiqua,palatino,trebuchet ms,helvetica,garamond,sans-serif,arial,verdana,avante garde,century gothic,comic sans ms,times,times new roman,serif;" >"Anywhere is paradise; it's up to you. " - Author Unknown</span><br /><br />I was sitting quietly at my desk as the late afternoon Sun gently crept around the corner of the building ready to shed its slanted light into the sheltered part of the garden.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />From out of nowhere the most intense golden beam of sunlight flooded in through the large window of my room, chasing away the gloom of the previous moment as it shone.<br /><br />I looked up in awe as it pierced through the heart pendant in my window<br />and refracted into thousands of shimmering diamonds of light<br />that covered me and made me gasp with joy.<br /><br />I was dazzled with the light, the beauty, the moment<br /><br />. . . as my heart was filled with sunshine.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DxjTDn_lASRWwP_1mCbVyLRKpgdyJey0dJdfL-K05ZJUbPEPBDj9Vt4x1_oGw89sancrV_AzVOsLAo0qD0h7kW-kHNUdWPrPntrwpre7pEE0P-R3tWhusFmNM7V8kjp5tx23tqae7ZLk/s1600/heart400S.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DxjTDn_lASRWwP_1mCbVyLRKpgdyJey0dJdfL-K05ZJUbPEPBDj9Vt4x1_oGw89sancrV_AzVOsLAo0qD0h7kW-kHNUdWPrPntrwpre7pEE0P-R3tWhusFmNM7V8kjp5tx23tqae7ZLk/s400/heart400S.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484119685898515698" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="entry-content">"</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="entry-content">Once your awareness becomes a flame,<br />it burns up the whole slavery<br />that the mind has created."<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">- Osho</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ></span></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-23267238596763571032010-06-08T10:06:00.023+01:002010-06-08T10:53:12.843+01:00Automatic Responses & Stepping Outside the Box<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">THE PREDICTIVE TEXT FUNCTION OPERATING WITHIN HUMAN REALITY<br /><br /></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7h_JehettW9HU-zhDd6VcoUvqbi1O1dJju8qXAEEkMNObUqP_EtyCkeiiRjEWTQKakDf_MVkn5eoLVyaZZoxE105tsufgKHCMn5zvnTWigI0wjFIqqUH-fxInkcOQwz7NnOlEWCA2CYIx/s1600/airtight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7h_JehettW9HU-zhDd6VcoUvqbi1O1dJju8qXAEEkMNObUqP_EtyCkeiiRjEWTQKakDf_MVkn5eoLVyaZZoxE105tsufgKHCMn5zvnTWigI0wjFIqqUH-fxInkcOQwz7NnOlEWCA2CYIx/s400/airtight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480331938641427106" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><br />"I have the feeling that I've seen everything,<br />but failed to notice the elephants." </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="status-body" ><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">- Anton Chekhov</span></span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">We watched something recently</span> that featured what looks like an ordinary room with a very tiny man in one corner and a very large man in another, they then walked across the room and took each others place, the small man then became the giant and vice versa.<br /><br />The presenter explained that the room was vastly askew and the floor was sloping so much it looked as though the man was walking uphill when crossing the room to change places, but due to the perspective used and the place it was being viewed from it looked like a perfectly normal room.<br /><br />He then went on to explain that as the mind is so used to a room being square, that, that is the image that is being fed back to you. Here is a youtube clip of a similar experiment - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aJlX0AEWys">Click Here to see it<br /></a><br />Also have you ever seen this before? You are presented with a paragraph and all the letters are jumbled up, but surprisingly if you relax you can read it just fine because the first and last letter of each word are in the right place.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe</span>.</span><br /><br />In both of these cases our mind is taking what is coming in through our eyes and using what I call its <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">predictive text</span> function.<br /><br />Anyone who has used a mobile/cell phone will have come across predictive text - where it attempts to speed things up for the user by predicting what you are trying to write based on the first few letters you type.<br /><br />Now of course these are just a couple of examples of the ways in which our brains deal with incoming information based on the facts that it already has in its memory banks.<br /><br />Now I wonder, if we had never seen a room before and didn't have a 'mental model' of what a room looked like, would we then have seen it as it actually is? as obviously, if we weren't already familiar with the English language, we would have just seen a lot of jumbled shapes in the example text.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">So it is the already existing model of reality that we have stored in our minds that constitutes what reality is to us - and all incoming data is measured against that and seemingly altered to suit!<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);font-size:130%;" >Did you realise how much of this was going on with our own every day perception of things?</span><br /></div><br />So I wonder in what other ways this is operating in our lives?<br /><br />If everything is subject to the minds preditive text, then I suppose that the emotions have that facility too. Anything that we have already experienced or have a 'model' for is influencing the box that information or feelings are filed in, and therefore determining the responses that come forth from within us.<br /><br />One bad event will influence the predictive text response to another similar event that may be wonderful, but because of the original blueprint that was layed down we may never get to experience it, as we believe our responses are us and don't question them.<br /><br />So what if when this internal filing system was set up by our first experiences of things, it was based on innacurate or warped information - is then our predictive text function still sending out responses to events interpretated against its first filed model of reality?<br /><br />We don't usually question the things we see, hear, or feel, we trust that we are accurately perceiving what is there - it seems that this isn't always the case!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"Don't believe everything you think."- Faith Duck</span></span></span></span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />So maybe we should begin to question our responses and reactions to certain things, especially if they are holding us back in any areas of our life. Perhaps we could delve a little deeper by understanding how our we/our systems are programmed.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Names are needed so that we have a common understanding but they put things in boxes, wrap them up in neat little parcels, sum things up in just a few words.<br /><br />Sometimes words are barriers to seeing . . .<br /><br />As a child we have things named and compartmentalised for us - a pointing finger and three letters render that huge burning ball of gas in the sky around which we orbit, and all its wonder . . . Sun.<br /><br />Thereafter on a day to day level, it is, "is the Sun out today". Beauty, majesty, mystery and the enormity of its splendour gone, replaced by three letters. We have a model, a box.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"Words, words, words! They shut one off from the universe..."<br />- Aldous Huxley</span></span></span><br /></div><br />I have a deep feeling that this realisation about how we work could be profound. If we know this about ourselves and our reality, we can use this awareness to question our assumptions and responses.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> If life seems lack lustre perhaps the labels have got in the way.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />We can become aware that the words, the labels, are just doorways and if we enter the vast halls behind them and look at what is there with new eyes (and the predictive text disabled) we will be witness to an amazing and astounding world.<br /><br />We literally need to step outside the box.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102); font-family: trebuchet ms;">"When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." - Tuli Kupferberg</div></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Image and words - Susannah Bec</span><br /></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-36142696767825864442010-05-26T12:08:00.026+01:002010-05-26T18:23:54.254+01:00Photographs - We Are Our Own Worst Critic<span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are." - </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Malcolm S Forbes<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWC-BmXjWXyUrpw9fDtfy4rZ58N3JLy-tdFAyg93_UN8NZMFUZHwMwgzDuqFuuvARah3ZemtikHUCOkfXRB7oBdor3IyvghBj3dOoQF4qWuL_jJhfZpwiQe3hcZVYVuPgJqnltSwCX_yl_/s1600/camera.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWC-BmXjWXyUrpw9fDtfy4rZ58N3JLy-tdFAyg93_UN8NZMFUZHwMwgzDuqFuuvARah3ZemtikHUCOkfXRB7oBdor3IyvghBj3dOoQF4qWuL_jJhfZpwiQe3hcZVYVuPgJqnltSwCX_yl_/s200/camera.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475542074242087538" border="0" /></a><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">It seems to be</span> one of the things of life, that often we can be our own worst critic.<br /><br />Most of us have been handed a photo taken of us with a group of friends or family, and the first thing we tend to do is is scan our own image with a critical eye! How many times have you heard people say - I look awful! I hate having my photo taken!<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="font-size:130%;">Other people looking at the same image wouldn't see what you are seeing, they would just see YOU!</span></span></span></span><br /></div><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">Recently a group of us</span> had a day out, including a lovely lady who looked vibrant and sparkling in a gorgeous shade of purple. She just radiated sunshine! with her big smile and sense of fun and made the day nicer just by her being there and sharing her enthusiasm, her energy was effervescent!<br /><br /></span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">Afterwards when looking at the photos of the day, the lady in purple exclaimed that she didn't like to see herself and pointed out all the things that she judged as 'wrong' with how she looked.<br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"Shake off those thoughts,<br />They're strangling you,<br />Let out your human song."<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">- Donovan</span></span></span></span><br /></div><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">It made me realise</span> that when we observe ourself in a photo we are just seeing a flat image, just the surface appearance - but what others are seeing and responding to is so much more, it is the whole of you, </span></span></span>what bubbles up from out of your core, <span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">your energy, your smile, what you radiate out from the inside.</span></span></span><br /><br />I suppose, because we are looking out from inside ourselves, that we can never truly see or experience ourselves as others do, and that is perhaps why we sometimes get caught up in judgements about the surface of ourselves. We are not feeling the energy that goes with the visuals. It is sad that we often don't realise how much beauty we hold because we get too concerned with our wrapper.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);" class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">“There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.” <span style="font-size:85%;">- Thomas Merton</span></span></span><br /></div><br />How do you feel when you see yourself in a photo?Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-12880512076245567822010-05-11T10:05:00.018+01:002010-05-11T14:33:51.934+01:00Thoughts for Today<span style=";font-family:lucida,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:Black;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"A tree has both straight and crooked branches; the symmetry of the tree, however, is perfect. Life is balanced like a tree. When you consider the struggles, difficulties, and sorrows as a part of it, then you see it as beautiful and perfect." </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >- George M. Lamsa<br /><br /></span></span><div face="trebuchet ms" style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 153, 102);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1CKkDlAsu4jCwLHL9CJXa-r5be1kNGXF0HoRG0F9ENoQzWhM_2cxG1GhLkmmxbuRdrsmRfsm3Lb2dkeoaUZALLQUhPNwpmTYeUAlp81jF04N6Ii12antajSfE9s5BWDqugyZau_Me7FW/s1600/wolf3mandala.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1CKkDlAsu4jCwLHL9CJXa-r5be1kNGXF0HoRG0F9ENoQzWhM_2cxG1GhLkmmxbuRdrsmRfsm3Lb2dkeoaUZALLQUhPNwpmTYeUAlp81jF04N6Ii12antajSfE9s5BWDqugyZau_Me7FW/s400/wolf3mandala.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469969845585999346" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">Every moment - a perfect moment</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">every second full of potential</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">every thought a building block</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">a stepping off point into the endless now</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">it is forever now, despite the illusions</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">of expectation and memory</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">of a before and an after</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">it is now</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">it is always now</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">*</span><br /><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"The flower doesn't dream of the bee.<br />It blossoms and the bee comes." - Mark Nepo</span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);"><span style="font-size:85%;">Image and Poem by Susannah Bec<br />For more poetry please visit <a href="http://outofmyocean.blogspot.com/">Out of My Ocean</a><br /></span></div></div>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-63473832059588047682010-04-10T17:49:00.035+01:002020-12-21T14:10:51.139+00:00Be More of Who You Are<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body" style="font-size: 100%;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;">"Find out who you are and do it on purpose." - Dolly Parton</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body" style="font-size: 100%;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">
</span></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCq7POqJRtiLs7gy9fm6NepHRhNUVI6CVuxs7GIYp2StbR9Sa2KX4GkJoUG7e7nTmKbXO1f9rPPwK5qgAO-T4PKOsbx0RVR2CPPK8Ne3drukX-z1JQGP-J-tBbYniW3r0NOa47Ho_bhSY/s1600/chainscopy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458583155676628626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCq7POqJRtiLs7gy9fm6NepHRhNUVI6CVuxs7GIYp2StbR9Sa2KX4GkJoUG7e7nTmKbXO1f9rPPwK5qgAO-T4PKOsbx0RVR2CPPK8Ne3drukX-z1JQGP-J-tBbYniW3r0NOa47Ho_bhSY/s400/chainscopy.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 278px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="color: #cc9933; font-weight: bold;">Inspired by this photo</span> taken recently in my garden, I began thinking about how we too grow where we are planted, and how we have to grow up through the chains and restriction of circumstance and upbringing to become who we are.
Some of us have it easier than others, a stable loving home, enough money, people around who understand and appreciate us and teach by example the important things of life. We learn how to love and be loved, how to find happiness in simple things and how to respect and feel good about ourselves.
Some of us seemingly sail through life, most of us don't! - for as well as the inevitable hurts, knocks and sorrows that come bundled with this package called life. . . we have ourselves to deal with. <br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body" style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"We work with the stuff of the soul </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body" style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">by means of the things of life."</span></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="status-body" style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">- Thomas Moore</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body" style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"> </span></span></span>
</div><p>We have to function through this interface called 'personality' and deal with a myriad of emotions - making allowances for all the little idiocyncrasies that come with being an individual.
Some people have it easier, their internal makeup is one pointed, walking the same road looking at the same goal, no stragglers, no wildcard to sabotage their best laid plans, no internal dichotomies to mediate. With others, learning to mediate between all the differing internal needs, urges and feelings to enable the soul to function effectively through the personality, takes work and understanding. </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;">"My task is really not to change myself </span><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;">but to become familiar with who I am."</span><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> - Maureen Cook </span><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> <br /></span></p><p>All of this, makes us such rich intricate beings and through necessity leads us on a quest of personal growth and self understanding. If we were static and if everything was always easy we wouldn't get to know ourself and our strengths and capabilities. We wouldn't develop into the complex and beautiful creatures we are.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rzcvtB_UWW0eQYwAEYoS_HSMk3VEcfZbELFawM_Q6xpMNLDhr6jNWU_MNgdg8iQN9fP9A38NAFJVyx_X_I1uHVxhIhGgKUUiqaoaiYqTTGjXCpX87xOXNPTt1DeILQRQ29ILFsM21WA5/s1600/magnolia.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458583160845555362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rzcvtB_UWW0eQYwAEYoS_HSMk3VEcfZbELFawM_Q6xpMNLDhr6jNWU_MNgdg8iQN9fP9A38NAFJVyx_X_I1uHVxhIhGgKUUiqaoaiYqTTGjXCpX87xOXNPTt1DeILQRQ29ILFsM21WA5/s400/magnolia.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 194px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a> </p><p>It is by forging ourselves in the fire of life that we hone our skills and recognise our unique essence and learn the courage to express ourselves outwardly, to be authentically us.
We all have our own patterns, our own chains that we are growing through, up toward the light. So that eventually we may open our petals and bloom.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> <span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><span style="color: #ff9966; font-family: trebuchet ms;">"Whatever you have learned from your own life experience, it is time to express yourself."- Osho</span></span></span></span>
</p>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-50017894355831379292010-03-30T13:03:00.037+01:002011-11-10T17:09:43.095+00:00Another Full Moon and the Reminder it Brings<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"I'm going away to an unknown country where I shall have no past and no name, </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >and where I shall be born again with a new face and an untried heart." - Colette</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiL-ZdM5rIUeOP_La8rjK6FbDdbsgnE8WWY3xcDpNU2L9HE0lS_0pws7f9G59Jgvnxa6LVOLQ90aMFZkkV9XAtuaDVg9lVk1l2TCaz2h20u4r9uHpGV_Zvugm2IUQqV_QnxcGCZ7xyHMsP/s1600/photosbenchandmoon400.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiL-ZdM5rIUeOP_La8rjK6FbDdbsgnE8WWY3xcDpNU2L9HE0lS_0pws7f9G59Jgvnxa6LVOLQ90aMFZkkV9XAtuaDVg9lVk1l2TCaz2h20u4r9uHpGV_Zvugm2IUQqV_QnxcGCZ7xyHMsP/s400/photosbenchandmoon400.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454410335079869346" border="0" /></a>Seventeen years ago, the girl I once was sat on this bench under the full moon. I was far away from where used to be called home, perched up there on a windswept clifftop, with the ocean raging below. It was toward the end of a life changing Summer, one spent close to the beach. My only personal possessions - a few clothes.<br /><br />Home for those months was a tiny 10 foot caravan and the whole of a new and beautiful part of the country to explore. The coastline was wild and rugged, the sea by turns tumultous and then calm as a lake, mirrored my emotions.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >your refrigerator full of food, your closet full of clothes - with all this taken away, </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >you are forced into direct experience. Such direct experience inevitably<br />makes you </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >aware of who it is that is having the experience. "</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >- Michael Crichton</span><br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0XjLVH5ciGNCxoUB-QXu-CIYcPsTvGfsz28SB5T2ck0rfmhpNjMd20brfL_Py8mZ3u17KpiS_z02_nuGSpWW7amwfW-wtcpVFu830Ub2btkjx685DrY-qFXXgsFvVBw_znxfZtLkDN1c/s1600/susannahandmoon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0XjLVH5ciGNCxoUB-QXu-CIYcPsTvGfsz28SB5T2ck0rfmhpNjMd20brfL_Py8mZ3u17KpiS_z02_nuGSpWW7amwfW-wtcpVFu830Ub2btkjx685DrY-qFXXgsFvVBw_znxfZtLkDN1c/s400/susannahandmoon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454409952050582978" border="0" /></a>I was empty - stripped of what I thought I was. <br />I hadn't realised how far what I had believed constituted 'me' had stretched - out into my art, my possessions, my home, my friends and my environment - until it was all gone and there was just me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51); font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >I discovered, I stopped at my skin.</span><br /></div><br />Detoxed and purged by the waterfalls of tears that had washed me clean, I was healed and opened up by living so close to the forces of nature. And there, sitting under that full Moon,<br />I felt I had been reborn.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);">I felt whole and grounded.<br />I was finally calm within my own skin.</span><br /><br /></div>I knew that it didn't matter what I had or didn't have, or who others thought I was. <br />I knew who I was, and I realised that that was what was truly important.<br /><br />I understood that home was inside me, that 'things' didn't matter, and that the things we fear losing, are the shackles that keep us chained.<br /><br />I knew that from that day on, whenever I saw the full moon I would be reminded of those things, and that everything else is just icing on the cake.Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-50175218535493933312010-03-19T09:12:00.015+00:002010-12-27T22:28:49.029+00:00Doing What You've Always Done<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVPuxgQrxvZHsMnoQwo6FBzrNTZEavgCsKiane4Fpc6FKs5WaSzz2CuNNKhr98c-DRZMONjExxuNnW5oMeqQn9alHw6ROkBJYE7nNcKsNfpsgqGGPcxo0fc9e9KyyevAfARfxqqKTlIz8/s1600-h/bells2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVPuxgQrxvZHsMnoQwo6FBzrNTZEavgCsKiane4Fpc6FKs5WaSzz2CuNNKhr98c-DRZMONjExxuNnW5oMeqQn9alHw6ROkBJYE7nNcKsNfpsgqGGPcxo0fc9e9KyyevAfARfxqqKTlIz8/s400/bells2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450276285519334498" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten" - Anthony Robbins</span><br /><br />If you really think about this quote, you will realise how deeply profound this simple statement is . . .<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);font-family:verdana;" >if we do what we always do - </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);font-family:verdana;" >we will get what we've always got!</span><br /><br /></div>That's wonderful if what we've got is good and makes us content and happy, it is a really great blueprint for keeping the good things in your life going well - just keep doing what you are doing, it's working!<br /><br />But if there are areas in our lives we recognise as not working as well as they could, then perhaps we have to recognise the truth of that statement and move out of our habitual way of doing certain things.<br /><br />If we want different results, we have to try doing things a little differently and be prepared to face the sometimes scary and uncomfortable feelings that come from stepping outside of our comfort zone.<br /><br />I see it as steering a car, if we constantly bump the curb, then just by making little adjustments on the steering wheel we can correct our course. If we have always wanted to see what the scenery is like over there, then we have to indicate and make a turn, or we will continue on the same road.<br /><br />What a powerful realisation that is! Once you are conscious of the fact that you have a choice and that it is YOU steering the car, you just have to decide - now, where do I want to go.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">"You cannot surpass the current paradigm from within the current paradigm. </span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);">You must discover a greater paradigm and expand into it." - Alan Cohen</span>Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-814925655897636772.post-1774225396077234732010-03-16T20:56:00.034+00:002010-03-23T19:30:19.226+00:00Many Selves - An Inner Choir<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi5RYPoBq7XXEfY8NENaiGwW8Zjh_3GQVmNruBGIzNVmwM7dDSM8e8QOcc1nABroCkR9-duw92QyZIyDlmlufCHdNCEle6zNcukSZu7RMOmFhoEYwxFkOlGygela9tws-YkzfyRAvB-Y4/s1600-h/picture.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioi5RYPoBq7XXEfY8NENaiGwW8Zjh_3GQVmNruBGIzNVmwM7dDSM8e8QOcc1nABroCkR9-duw92QyZIyDlmlufCHdNCEle6zNcukSZu7RMOmFhoEYwxFkOlGygela9tws-YkzfyRAvB-Y4/s400/picture.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449344625673175890" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." - Anaïs Nin</span><br /><br />There are moments when a chance meeting will spark up something inside of us, a stream of thought, a deep realisation that uncovers something within ourself, something intrinsic.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It happened to me yesterday .</span> . .<br /></div>It held a mirror up to my deeper self and I saw a vital part of me reflected. That recognition 'shuffled me' on an inner level, bringing a part of me that had taken a background role and planting it firmly there in the foreground. As I felt the jolt and reabsorbed that almost forgotten energy, I mused how had it had taken such a back seat and I wondered, when had it moved out of my everyday life?<br /><br />I decided (too quickly) that over the years my outward self had become a diluted version of my essence. Like a voice that naturally sings bass, learning to sing soprano to harmonise with those around so they can hear what I am singing. I had tempered my expression of me, so much that it had become habitual - it was in fact now. . . me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >"There are so many separate selves;<br />no one who writes creatively hasn't felt that."<br />- Jeanette Winterson</span><br /></div>Then, I thought further and knew that yes, that may seem to be the case but also something much bigger was going on here. I looked back and understood that all throughout my life there has been a shifting of these internal players, my very own choir! Always singing together, some are singing harmony, some descant and at certain times one steps forward to sing a solo. That is what had happened.<br /><br />Different parts of me have taken centre stage over the years, depending I now realise, on what I at a core level need to learn or express right now. The assets and skills of each of these players are kept and contribute to the whole but step forward when needed.<br /><br />So yesterday, a part of me that I hadn't expressed outwardly for such a long while stepped forward - and she's ready to sing a solo.<br /><br />Very interesting! it looks like a new phase is about to begin.Susannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581993763700327953noreply@blogger.com11