"Open Mind" Women's Daily Inspiration for Becoming Mindful

[Aysha]

I hope you all dont mind. I have just received a book from a book swapping site. I was very anxious to get it.
The name of the book is the title of this thread. And I would like to share it with you.
I wasnt sure where to put this thread. I know technically it belongs in Onspirations or Womens forum. But I want as many people to be able to read this as possible. Not just women but men too. And I know more people in this forum.
My other dialy inspiration thread has now hit part 2. I never thought I would have stayed commited to it that long and that it would have lasted as long as it has. I still plan on posting there as usual. But this is like another level, a step up from that thread. I hope you all like this and will share any thoughts or inspirations of your own.
Mods..I hope thats ok.

I have struggled for a long time now in my recovery with the whole HP thing. I guess because I wasnt grasping that my HP could be somehting other than "God". although I was brought up believing there is a God and Jesus and Devil. We never religiously practiced. It was just set in my mind that they were what created us and that they rule the universe.
As I have been on this recovery journey for over 2 years now. Not with any real serious clean time mind you. I began to shun religion, God and any form of spirituality because I was angry. I was angry because I had the mindset of "Why me?" Why if God is so good does the world have so much pain and suffering?
But I have found myself bitter by doing that. Bitter at the ones who have found God and a sprirtual way of life. Envious because I chose to shut that out and now I was lost.
Although my views on "God" have drasticly changed. I have found a different spiritual path that has interested me. One that is more along the lines of how I feel. How I see things. How I believe the universe to work.
I can never and will never turn my own free will over to anything.
So I have chosen to follow a spiritual way that reflects that. One that teaches mindfulness.
So that is where I am on the spiritual level. I dont knock anyones religious beliefs or practices. I embrace whatever works for you.

So now I have this book.
And it is a daily inspiration for women on being mindful and sprirtual. And it touches on all different types of religion and spirituality.
I have read the introduction and already feel so excited about reading this book.

I want to share with you all the reading of the day from the book.
I am commited to posting it here everyday that I can.

Here is a part of the introduction that stood out to me.

Open Mind is offered as an inspiration and companion to living a spiritual life. What is the spiritual life? It is an expression of basic kindness toward ourselves and toward all of life. A person who is truly spiritual lives in a way that is kind to herself and to all living things. This person lives from her deepest truth, and does not live by memorized dogma, nor does she bring harm to those who disagree with her beliefs.
It is this intuition that calls us to the spiritual life, to seek the wholeness that is not possible when we limit ourselves to the physical, psychological, and psychic realms. We all have the capacity to be both kind and cruel. Spiritual training,becoming mindful , gives us the tools to deepen our kindness and diminish our cruelty.

[Aysha]

June 30
On the one hand I felt the call of God; on the other, I continued to follow the world. All the things of God gave me great pleasure, but I was held captive by those of the world. I might have been said to be trying to reconcile these two extremes, to bring contraries together; the spiritual life on the one hand and worldly satisfactions, pleasures, and pastimes on the other.
Saint Teresa of Avila

We tend to split our worlds we label things as spiritual or as material. If we have chosen the spiritual life we try to renounce the material world but we are often unable to do so. The spiritual goals can appear unrealistic and far out of reach. We live the world. Our spiritual practice is to remain in the world. We can welcome all of life's situations as opportunities to practice being kind and loving. If we feel too deprived it is difficult to walk the spiritual path and if we have an overabundance of material goods, we become attached to comfort and convenience and aren't willing to change.
We in the United States have a great challenge. Many of us have much comfort and convenience while others are wandering homeless in the streets. Our task is to reconcile these extremes. To do so we need to renounce attachment. It is not pleasure we want to deny: It is the pursuit of pleasure that we need to transcend. When the goal of our life is no longer the pursuit of pleasure we are able to enjoy the pleasures we have without feeling guilty and denying the pain of those less fortunate. When attachment is lessened, there is greater energy to warmly embrace all of life. Compassion ripens and is extended to all.

[Aysha]

Limitless love,
from the depths to the stars:
Flooding all,
Loving all.
It is the royal kiss of peace.

Hildegard Of Bingen

July 1

The rigid protection of our national interests, property , and welfare through armies and weapons will not bring us lasting peace. The rigid protection of our own interests in personal, one to one relationships wont bring us peace either. It is only the openness of love, the warmth and caring for each individual making no individual more important than another that will bring peace. It's easy to see how to care for those we love. It isn't as easy to show care for those we don't love. What this says is that what we call love is often mixed with much self interest. If other persons are doing what we want them to do, then we love them. When we are displeased or disappointed with others, then we withhold love.
This dynamic is operating whether we're talking about individuals, groups, or nations. Peace will come when we are willing to take risks and express loving kindness regardless of our personal interests. Loving opens us to a wider range of creative options for reducing conflict and thereby achieving peace. The solutions we arrive at when we have the interest of peace and both parties at heart will look entirely different than when we are pursuing our own selfish interests. As long as we are focused on getting the best for ourselves, we will run into conflict. We'll meet someone else operating in that same mode, and eventually the self interests will collide.

[Aysha]

Anger

July 2

The trouble with anger is that it makes us overstate our case and prevents us from reaching awareness. We often damage our case by anger. It is like resorting to war.

ANAIS NIN



Anger, One manifestation of fire energy, creates some positive but temporary changes. It is strong energy that enables us to take action we hadn't thought possible. Change in it's self can be threatening, and if we are filled with anger when making the change, it creates confusion. Anger scares people and makes them angry in return, and the heat of anger can repress any kindness or connection we may feel. Then no one is heard. No one is in control. The anger controls. When anger controls us, our behavior becomes extreme. We have no space to see alternatives or more skillful ways of relating to difficult situations.
Here are some alternatives. Work with the energy of anger and see it's potential for transformation. Feel, Acknowledge, and accept the energy. It is ok to feel angry. Continue to work with the energy by using physical movements to disperse it; by asking a friend to be a witness as you speak the anger; by sitting, breathing, watching, and feeling the anger. Use visualization as a tool. Watch the anger pouring into the earth and being transformed into energy with which you can make skillful changes. Now breathe in that transformed energy and you are ready to act, if necessary, with a clear, calm, and compassionate energy.

[Aysha]

Love

July 3

Who says it is easy? But we have the power.
I watch the faces deepen all around me.
It is the time of change, the saving hour.
The word id not fear, the word we live,
But an old word made new,
As we learn it again, as we bring it alive:
Love. Love. Love. Love.

MAY SARTON


These lines from a poem entitles "AIDS" written by May Sarton powerfully depict a remembering, a relearning, of the power of love. We did not need AIDS, or any other disease for that matter, to teach us this. We don't contract a disease because we are lacking certain qualities, such as the ability to forgive, even though while having the disease may develop these qualities. What is important to note is that mindfulness of any situation or condition brings forth wisdom and compassion. When we become mindful, we pay attention to what is needed in the moment and allow thins knowledge to become conscious. We open to a wider range of possibilities. In the opening there is a release of whatever has hidden this inner knowledge.

[Aysha]

Peace

July 4

We will have peace, we will because we must.
We must because we cherish life.
And believe it or not as daring as it may seem,
It is not an empty dream.

HOLLY NEAR


These words taken from a song by Holly Near, a singer and dedicated peace worker, speak the truth. Peace is not a fantasy. It can be achieved and will be achieved when we cherish all life. Too often our lives are run by fears. We fear difference and deny our connections to all life because of this fear. When the connections are denied, then we find it acceptable to destroy what we perceive as different and therefore threatening. Once we awaken to the interconnectedness of all life, we will cherish life. Those who cherish life do not harm life. When we no longer harm life, we will not create wars. We will invest just as much time, energy, and money into finding creative and peaceful solutions to our differences as we do now to building military defenses and using war as a solution to problems.

War and violence only beget more war and violence. To create peace we must make peace a priority. We must choose leaders who make peace a priority. It must be a personal decision for each of us...to choose peace rather than arguments in our personal relationships. We must look at all our actions and ask, Will this create peace and harmony or conflict?

[Saxony]

Ummm, not sure if I should post my thoughts? I have not been on SR for a while and just saw this thread? This is what confuses me, you are putting this thread out there, and it really speaks to me, but as far as I can tell, no one has ever responded to this thread?

I have the same problem, can't quite get the GOD HP thing, but i do think HP's exist, kinda, well I really want to believe more than I do, but....

[Aysha]

Sax..I get what your saying. But I am not posting for responses.
My daily inspiraiton thread isnt too popular either. But I get alot out of it and I have a few dedicated readers for it. Thx guys...You know who you are. And I have noticed a couple reading this. All it takes is one person.
I do what I do for me mainly.
But it would be more interesting if more did interact.

I know what you mean about the HP thing.
Once I got past the thinking that it had to be God. I got it more. I am a believer in Karma and things like that. I hardly believe that an unseen force is manipulating the worlds workings.
I believe you reap what you sow. And so..I guess that could be considered an HP.
I dont know. I was over the whole HP thing a long time ago.
Now I just go with what I know.

[suki44883]

I like your thread, Chiy. You started it for you and I think that's great. Thank you for allowing us to share some of your thoughts.

[Aysha]

I have changed my mind. Some of thses reading in this book just dont make any freakin sense to me. Seriously. If I am not feelin it and some of them just go way into left field and have nothing to do with mindfulness. At least to me they dont. So I am only goin gto post ones that speak to me and I feel would be useful. Todays is just a bunch of confusing jibber jabber about mother love. And how mothers get a bad rap because of fear and hatred toward women. I dont see how that is. That makes no sense to me. So this is now a "If it makes sense and pertains to anything" thread..LOL

[suki44883]

Like I've heard here many times...take what you need and leave the rest.

[Aysha]

Yea..I am def leaving todays reading.

[Lolajames]

i found the post about anger helpful. i've been feeling really angry and trapped lately and anything that can pull me out of this rut is most excellent. thanks!

[Aysha]

I have reread todays reading in my book. I gues the first time I really wasnt paying attention to what it was really saying. Plus I got stuck on that part about fear and hatred toward women and blocked the rest out. So I rethought it and read it again and then one more time and let it sink in. I thought about the meaning of it. And then it made more sense. So I decided to post it. Plus just because I may not get it doesnt mean someone else may not. I know I said I do this mainly for me. But that is incorrect. I do do it for me but also for anyone who may read and find it helpful. Really that is my main objective.

So here is todays reading.

Mother Love

July 5

Mother earth, sister sea,
giving birth, energy,
reaching out, touching me lovingly.

MIRIAM THERESE WINTER


Mothers and motherhood have received a lot of "bad press" in western culture. For years modern western psychology blamed the mother for whatever difficulties the child encountered. As mothers we can and do make many mistakes, some of them seriously harmful. There is no attempt here to dent this pain. But the criticism is not merely a call to correct our honest mistakes.It comes from a deep fear and hatred of woman. This fear is calling for transformation. Mother love, the passionate all embracing love that supports and transforms life, is the power we need to bring to the world today. Miriam Therese Winters's song expresses a consciousness we need to awaken: the knowledge of the creative, spiritual power of woman, the power of the earth, the clay that shapes our lives. Her words honor the feminine power of the sea, it's deep mystery, it's tides of change. It is this power we call out in song. It's touch is loving and gentle. It renews us.

[Aysha]

True Happiness

July 6

Genuine happiness, security, and love aren't products of anything.
And if they are dreams and ideas they are not genuine.
They come uninvited when the mind is still and open, not engaged in the
conflicting movements of self-centeredness. They arise unexpectedly when the is not in want or fear and therefore not in pursuit of anything.

TONI PACKER

Raised in America, a country that has more consumer products than anywhere in the world, it is radical to suggest that our dreams and happiness don't come from products. Happiness isn't our acquisition. Toni Packer's words fly in the face of everything we've been taught about success. Where does happiness come from? Happiness is a state of mind.

It is true we need social action programs. We need laws to ensure equality and civil rights. Yet programs and laws alone won't effect the radical transformation our society needs. What is needed is a change of heart. That means every individual exploring the conflicts in her or his own mind. When inner conflict ceases, natural kindness and compassion will spontaneously be expressed. This caring will ensure the civil rights of all. This kindness will see that everyone has enough to eat. This care taking will be demonstrated by people choosing to live in an ecologically sound way.

[Aysha]

Prayer

July 7

Take the time to pray ---
it is the sweet oil
that eases the hinge into the garden
so the doorway can swing open easily.
You can always go there.
LYNN PARK


Praying is a means to attuning or bringing oneself into alignment with the power of the universe. We have often used prayer to plead with someone or something we thought outside ourselves and/or larger than ourselves. We hoped our prayers would be answered. We hoped because we feared. Without fear there is no need for hope. As we continue to mature spiritually we begin to grow beyond hope and fear. It is prayer that eases the way. We open our hearts in gratitude for the power of the universe, for the largeness of life. Gratitude opens us. We open into the universe. We breathe the universe and the universe breaths us.
Play with gratitude. Begin each day with a prayer of thanks. Whisper a simple thanks to the goddess, to the universe, or to the spirit of love. Counting your blessings is another way of understanding prayer. It is grateful recognition that opens us.

[Aysha]

Attention

July 8

True attention is rare and total sacrificial. It demands that we throw away everything we have been or hope to be, to face each moment naked of identity, open to whatever comes and bereft of human guidance....Another name for such full attention is love.

FLORA COURTOIS


When I was young I was an avid reader, as I am now. I would become totally absorbed in a book and not hear the noise around me. In those moments I gave away my personal identity, and I became larger than myself. A child's play is practice for becoming an adult. We try on different identities. As we grow older our identity becomes more firmly established. If we identify with our wants, our needs, our likes and dislikes, the identity remains the small. We'll become easily distracted or conflicted when meeting with difference. If we are willing to approach each situation in an open way, without clinging to our personal opinions, thoughts and beliefs, we become as large as life. We become love.
In Women's Sacred Mystery School and on retreats, one of the ways we practice full attention is in the council circle. In council, a stone is passed around the circle and the woman holding the stone has the opportunity to speak. The only verbal response she is give is the Native American prayer phrase "Aho" after she speaks. It affirms it is so. In the beginning it is challenging to be the silent witness. Gradually it becomes a meditative act and the whole circle experiences the silent attention as love.

[Aysha]

Thi sreading is good today. It is nice to just have someone listen and not unload their beliefs on you. Sometimes when people need to getb things off their chest. They are just looking to let it out. Get rid of it. ANd when some people start throwing their opinions on you. It just defeats the purpose sometimes. Even tho the intentions are good ones. Sometimes just being a good listener and a simple I hear you or I understand is all it takes.

[Aysha]

Inner Child

July 9

If we appreciate and respect the children that we were, the spirit of the child within each of us can emerge.
FLORA COLAO


Thousands of people are working to heal their inner child. This work entails confronting the painful and abusive aspects of their childhood. Adults who were physically or sexually abused, or who suffered emotionally from neglect or verbal ill-treatment, as well as any person interested in reclaiming curiosity, creativity, and the ability to play, are being healed through this vital work. All of us carry some embarrassment or shame from the past, whether or not it is conscious-- when we felt small and powerless. Our work involves more than healing the past abuse. It also looks toward remembering or recreating a space of spontaneous delight in the world.
The inner child is healed through the cultivation of an unselfconscious attitude so we are able to relate to the natural world with curiosity and wonder, are able to take risks, and are willing to learn and grow. As we become attuned to that child's spirit and forgive ourselves for feeling clumsy, powerless, or ashamed, the natural loving connection and curiosity for life can re emerge. When we can respect the child within us then we can reach out to the children of the world, making the world a safer and more welcoming place for all.

[ksplash5]

great stuf chiy

thanks

[pillzrbadd]

I have really enjoyed reading through your posts tonight, i am already looking for todays..LOL, Most of the time my mind is just running in circles, these daily inspirations make my mind feel clear and focused..thank you