Sorry I’ve been away for a while. I have been struggling with some sudden health challenges. Thanks to those who contributed lovely responses to my last post Returning Home: The Series. I look forward to hearing more from you about your experiences.
Did anyone check out the Billy Joel video? Are you ready for the reveal? If you listen very carefully to the end of the song, Billy Joel begins to chant Oommmmmm.. I first noticed this after going on a retreat to a sublimely magical place called Pendle Hill in Wallingford , PA. I met a man there who among many things, declared that home is everywhere. He pointed out that meditation is the vehicle home. Shortly thereafter our encounter, I replayed Billy Joel’s You’re My Home. I was quite amazed to hear the song through new ears. This revelation deeply transformed the way I viewed the inner world.
I have had an ambivalent relationship with meditation. So many people dear to my heart have waxed poetic about the benefits of this practice. My overactive mind was having none of it. Until last November when Deepak Chopra offered a free 21 day meditation challenge on Abundance. I took to it with such ease, I was stunned. Turns out that the structure really made a difference! I have been meditating ever since and for me 5 months is a bona fide record. I also love the fact that my cat Dexter joins me without fail. He is the clever one in the family , so I take note when he likes something new.
Meditation gives me a rare glimpse into the gap between thought where all is united and blooming with magnificence. I am confident that with continued practice it can help transport me home. Namaste
I am including the You’re My Home video here again so folks can take a listen.
see related post:
https://lindalitebeing.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/returning-home-the-series/
lotus image by freerangestock.com
candles image by Candle Lighting by Petr Kratochvil” href=”http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=16426&picture=candle-lighting”>Candle Lighting by Petr Kratochvil”>http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=16426&picture=candle-lighting”>Candle Lighting by Petr Kratochvil
walking meditation image by Bart Van den Bosch (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
I’m sorta ambivalent about my meditation too..just do it when I feel like it, though I’m feeling it’s better to do it everyday….guess it means earlier to bed and earlier to rise for it 😛
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I was doing daily for a couple months or so, then I hit a wall 🙂 Now I am less judgemental about it and gently nudge myself to meditate because I know it helps me!
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Yup yup….that’s what I’m trying to do too!! 😀
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I appreciate your blog about meditation. I think it pretty much goes for most everyone–at least in the Western world, that the brain will run amok the instant you sit to meditate. My motto is, sit anyway. And be okay with the brain doing what it does best while you’re sitting. I used to beat myself up for it–now I just notice it and return to my breathing for another 2 seconds until it goes off again. And then sometimes, quite magically, I find that sweet spot of complete resonance in meditation. And sometimes, I don’t. I am learning to allow it to be what it is. It’s been 20 years of faithful practice, and my brain still runs amok more than I think it should while sitting. But it’s part of the human package, and we are the being that resides below all the events and stories that go on in our minds every moment of the day. I try to remember that.
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such wise words Susan! Patience has never been one of my strengths, but I have been given many opportunities to develop it 🙂
I will keep your perspective in ” mind” when I encounter some inner resistance .
Namaste
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My dream is to start meditating for real. I have tried some Buddhist techniques but it was not for me, these symbols do not really speak to me. I am looking for inspiration in this field. I wish someone could guide me. I have had a few successful attempts at achieving stillness but I would like to practise more regularly.
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I hope you can find your way there. It took me decades to get to where I am now with meditation. I did just begin to follow a blog on meditation. the link is on my blog, it looks interesting. For me I needed the verbal support of the Deepak challenges along with the relaxing music and a variety of mantras to ” try on”. I also focus on my inner eye and wait for the colors and occasional faces, visions to appear in front of me. I also respond well to walking meditations in nature. I pretend that I am watching a movie and watch what transpires while I walk. Keep searching for what is right for you!
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Thank you for your visit to my blog Linda. I’ve always been a meditator and realize the value of silence in discovering the vaster side to our nature. Thanks for a nice post.
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Hi Yaz,
Thanks for the kind words. I am really beginning to appreciate the depths of meditation that have been alluding me all these years. I like your blog as well and plan to visit again soon !
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I did post about it, Here: http://bluebutterfliesandme.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/movement/
& here:
http://bluebutterfliesandme.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/journey/
and scattered from December 2012 when I was in the challenge.
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cool! I will check it out
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I hope you are feeling better!
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The 21 Day Abundance Challenge changed my life, I am now living an entirely new life as a result. I purchased them in January after the fact and listen to them everyday. I have enjoyed this current Deepak Health Meditation Challenge greatly and I have noticed the positive influence that is having on my choices and my thoughts. I began my qigong practice again and have been doing it for 5 days now. I am thinking of other healthy choices as well. Get on over a listen to a few tonight Linda, I want you Living Perfect Health soon.
Much love and hi to Dexter!
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Hey Sindy, thanks for your ringing endorsement of daily meditation practice. It is fabulous that you have gained so much from the Deepak challenge. Consider posting how the series helped you craft a new life. I know I would want to learn more from you. As I said in my post, I have an overactive mind ( moon in Gemini, merc in Scorp ninth house retrograde and almost square my ruler- Uranus) I find that I need the silence when I feel out of sorts and my body is resisting the stillness the most. I am moved that you want perfect health for me. I am on day 19 or 20 now so I have caught up a bit.
folks like you help me stay on the path.
Namaste, Linda
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Thank You for liking my drawing !!! *Cynthia
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you are quite talented Cynthia ❤
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Thank you !!! 🙂
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A wonderful series – I look forward to more. Meditation has been a challenge for me too, for the same reasons as you stated — over-active mind. Lately, my husband and I have begun meditating together three times a day (only 15 – 20 minutes at a time.) It has helped me greatly to do this and now I have begun to see that no matter what the mind does, my intention to sit still and stop overrides the mental chatter. I emerge 15 minutes later from a deeper space, more aware of the stillness within me. I think the frequency of the meditations gave me the opportunity to notice this difference and let go of my judgment about not being able to “do it right.” Blessings, Alia
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Hi Alia,
Thank you for your words of inspiration. meditation comes easily to some and for others requires some creative intention. Glad your practice is bearing fruit. I appreciate your follow. I enjoy your blog and plan to visit again.
in light, linda
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Thanks for sharing. I wasn’t sure but hoped I was not alone in experiencing this awakening through song. Some others for me include “I saw the Light” by Todd Rundgren “Always” by Stevie Wonder and ” Your Own Special Way” by Genesis.
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I remember those moments when I found myself listening to songs with new ears; as if I could hear the true meaning behind each song. My favorite moment of recognition & awareness is when I really heard the Beatles ‘Across the Universe’. To this day it reverberates through me. ❤
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