My Top Sacred Space . . .
1. There's an undefined space lurking somewhere inside me that connects with the rest of the universe.
It's sort of like my highway of dreams and intentions. I send them out to the universe and try my best to trust that the ones that truly matter will come back to me through the voices and echoes around me.
Sometimes I make decisions that seem to be at odds with "what one should be doing AT MY AGE", but that's because I'm listening to the universe - whose holistic and ancient truths hold more weight with me than many of the short-sighted modern 'truisms' I observe.
Some spiritual practices believe that intention is the very first step in building a sacred space.
My current intention is to feel more peaceful and balanced about the dreams and intentions I've already sent off that are taking a LONG time to answer back:)
September 4th, 2011 (continued)
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
Photo credit: artchive.com
They were the questions at the heart of Wright's Massey Lectures called a Short History of Progress, also a book. Since 2004, and likely long before, I've been haggling with these questions and like the rest of humanity, just as eluded from concrete answers.
"... it was his faults that made him great" Hmmm? Well, I'm relieved that I can look forward to my faults leading me to greatness - if it's true, I should be nearing sainthood by now!!
This morning I dug up an old podcast from the 2004 Massey Lectures (based on Gaugin's questions) and reread an article from the London Guardian. Adrian Searle led with these words:
"Paul Gauguin: guilty as charged Colonialist, chauvinist, exploiter . . . Gauguin may have been all these things and more – but, as the Tate's brilliant new show reveals, his faults are what make him great . . ."
OK, so I may have a hard time with the biographical facts of Gaugin's life, and that knowledge may taint, somewhat, my enjoyment of his art, but only somewhat. I'm still left with those questions:
Where Do We Come From? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? (more later)
"... it was his faults that made him great" Hmmm? Well, I'm relieved that I can look forward to my faults leading me to greatness - if it's true, I should be nearing sainthood by now!!
This morning I dug up an old podcast from the 2004 Massey Lectures (based on Gaugin's questions) and reread an article from the London Guardian. Adrian Searle led with these words:
"Paul Gauguin: guilty as charged Colonialist, chauvinist, exploiter . . . Gauguin may have been all these things and more – but, as the Tate's brilliant new show reveals, his faults are what make him great . . ."
OK, so I may have a hard time with the biographical facts of Gaugin's life, and that knowledge may taint, somewhat, my enjoyment of his art, but only somewhat. I'm still left with those questions:
Where Do We Come From? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? (more later)
But, back to MY TASK:
In my last blog, I asked the question - where was the problem in our clocks? Well, I don't know about you, but it didn't take long to identify mine:
NOT ENOUGH TIME TO PLAY WITH MY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY!!
And that's where I will concentrate all my 'change' energies.
First on the agenda, I'm thinking of connecting with the Friends of Schmidtville and beginning a separation movement from the rest of HRM. Hey, it's only about 3 blocks, Mayor Kelly might not even notice we'd left. We could turn our little oasis into a pre-gentrification' Greenwich Village meets Montmartre' . I'd like to nominate my cat '13' as the Emperor of Schmidtville - I believe he possesses all the requirements for a great leader - see his campaign blog!!
Remember our new blog name:
"Sleep. Create. Play."
And our old motto (a reminder never to throw out the baby with the bathwater):
Adventure is Out There!
TartanFrog
NOT ENOUGH TIME TO PLAY WITH MY FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY!!
And that's where I will concentrate all my 'change' energies.
First on the agenda, I'm thinking of connecting with the Friends of Schmidtville and beginning a separation movement from the rest of HRM. Hey, it's only about 3 blocks, Mayor Kelly might not even notice we'd left. We could turn our little oasis into a pre-gentrification' Greenwich Village meets Montmartre' . I'd like to nominate my cat '13' as the Emperor of Schmidtville - I believe he possesses all the requirements for a great leader - see his campaign blog!!
Remember our new blog name:
"Sleep. Create. Play."
And our old motto (a reminder never to throw out the baby with the bathwater):
Adventure is Out There!
TartanFrog
August 28th (continued)
The beginning of an answer to Jack Layton's letter to Canadians:
OK, so I'm a techno-dinosaur, I confess, however, I do feel that many of us - in the face of gadget, marketing and sound-byte inundation - have lost that very kind of hope, optimism, meaning and laughter that I, for example, used to feel infused with after spending an afternoon in my Mom's kitchen with my family & friends (even better when they came with musical instruments:)
While I've studied a little psychology and a little bit of this and that, I'm no expert.
The only thing I do know for sure is that our daily clocks are set on a 24-hour cycle.
How on earth is that connected, you ask? Well, in my humble opinion, we can fluster & fling about wondering how we might find more hope & optimism in places far & wide, but in my mind, there's 3 places we can start:
1. Work
2. Sleep
3. What goes on in between
Historically, we Canadians have spent about 1/3 of our days working, 1/3 sleeping (if we're lucky), and another 1/3 eating, playing, relaxing, and connecting with friends and family. I happen to like that clock and wish my schedule reflected it better.
If you're interested in reconnecting with your life purpose and with your community, friends & family, my extremely biased recommendation is to look at your clock. Does it look like it's divided equitably between work, sleep and play? Identify the one that's really problematic and tackle it head on. You may love to play and work, but if you are suffering from insomnia and wake up exhausted and cranky every day, well...you get the drift.
Here are a few questions to get you going:
Does your work bring pleasure, meaning and a sense of security (financial or other)? -This includes volunteer work and unpaid work such as all the stay-at-home parents who are doing the most valuable community work.
Do you wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and looking forward to what the day will bring? If not, why do you think that is?
Who prepares the food you eat and do you feel energized and satisfied by meals? Who do you share those meals with? Or who do you spend recreational time with? Are those people you trust and who bring joy into your life?
My hope is that you are on a journey that brings you and others joy, optimism and love!
If you are not, I hope that something I've said may spark that journey to take a turn for the better.
In closing this week, let me restate my own hopeful motto, stolen from the movie "Up".
ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!!
Let me know how you find yours,
TartanFrog