paper is very patient...

Quote: "Paper is very patient. You can write anything on it." 

My paternal grandfather - Dawdy Nolt - used to say this, while stroking his chin.

(Babier is geduldich.)

The Truth is written on our heart of hearts - 

the Spiritual Heart that underlies and is behind the physical heart.

~)(~

Hearts and Nature by etsyseller DianeBronstein

for more art by DianeBronstein 

facebook drawing for a free zafu cover - ends midnight New Year's Eve 2016

Leave a comment (on the facebook event post) to enter into this drawing for a chance to win a free zafu (unfilled) cover with free shipping, like the photo. Drawing ends 12/31/16 at midnight PST. Open to residents of the U.S.A. and Canada only.

facebook event - drawing for a free zafu cover - US and Canada

 Description: UNFILLED COVER ONLY. Zafu Meditation Cushion in a Natural colored Linen/Rayon blend Robert Allen Slub Fabric. Measures approx. 15" W. by 5" D.; approx. 5" purse-weight YKK zipper in the sidewall overlap; has a handle. Handmade in the U.S.A. by a small home-based business. Requires 5 - 5.5 lbs of buckwheat hulls to fill.

https://www.facebook.com/events/207303456341385/

Non-facebook users please leave a blog comment if you wish to enter the drawing. 

Thank you!  

etsyseller ZafuChi

waking up from dreams...

"A lifetime 

may not be long enough 

to attune ourselves fully

to the harmony of the universe. 

But,

just to become aware 

that we can resonate with it -

that alone 

can be like waking up 

from a dream."
~ David Steindl-Rast 

~)(~

The American Dream is a dream within a dream.

Then we each have our own dream/s.

So many dreams. 

Dreams within dreams, 

interconnecting dreams, 

overlapping dreams, 

multi-dimensional dreams,

happy dreams - sad dreams, 

nightmare-ish dreams... 

the Light is real.

if you want...Christmas symbology

"If you want
the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the holy
and say,

“I need shelter for the night, please take me inside your heart,
my time is so close.”

Then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime
intimacy, the divine, the Christ
taking birth
forever,

as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us
is the midwife of God, each of us.

Yes there, under the dome of your being does creation
come into existence externally, through your womb, dear pilgrim—
the sacred womb of your soul,

as God grasps our arms for help; for each of us is
His beloved servant
never
far.

If you want, the Virgin will come walking
down the street pregnant
with Light and
sing . . ."

~St. John of the Cross, translated by Daniel Ladinsky

 

 

spirituality based hope...

"I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because the fact is that we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement.

We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear. Didn't you say you were a believer? Didn't you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn't you ask for grace? Don't you remember that to be in grace means to submit to the voice greater?

Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good."
~Clarissa Pinkola Estes

~)(~

hope art print by etsyseller jenuineRuby

the shelter of our inner hearth...

"The heart is the inner face of your life. 

The human journey strives to make this inner face beautiful. 

It is here that love gathers within you. 

Love is absolutely vital for a human life. 

For love alone can awaken what is divine within you. 

In love, you grow and come home to your self. 

When you learn to love and let yourself be loved, 

you come home to the hearth of your own spirit. 

You are warm and sheltered."
~ John O'Donohue

Heart Zafu by etsyseller ZafuChi - temporarily sold out

words can be superfluous...

meditation companions - zafu by ZafuChi on etsy

when you are your Self first...

~)(~

 

"You cannot be denied anything that is perfect, whole, 

complete, and right for you when you are your Self first.

Being your Self first you automatically experience perfection 

in the way of Divine Thoughts, Words, Deeds, and Actions.

Allowing your toxic thoughts to be first, you automatically 

experience imperfection in the way of disease, confusion, 

resentment, depression, judgement, and poverty."

~Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len

~)(~

 

~)(~

resistance creates suffering...

SUFFERING AND RESISTANCE

We suffer in the present from past experiences
In direct proportion to how much identity
we derive from that suffering.

The easiest way to keep dreaming
is thinking your dreaming is true.
Don’t get mixed up with the ‘whys’,
they will not help you.

Whatever you resist you become.
If you resist anger, you are always angry.
If you resist sadness, you are always sad.
If you resist suffering, you are always suffering.
If you resist confusion, you are always confused.

We think that we resist certain states because
they are there, but actually
they are there because we resist them.
- Adyashanti
~~~~
Looking at this I wonder if this is also true
for resisting love and joy and happiness?
It's just a question that arose.
What can I say? It happens. S.
~~~~

 

we can train ourselves to live mindfully...

Jack Kornfield:

"Hatred and aversion almost always arise as a direct reaction to a threatening or painful situation. Fortunately, we can train ourselves to live with mindfulness, to meet fear and pain with wisdom instead of with the habits of aversion and anger.When a painful or threatening event arises, we can open our eyes to it.When we learn to bear our own pain and face our own fears,we will no longer blame and inflict it on others, neither family members nor other tribes.With mindfulness, instead of reacting, we can respond with spacious clarity, purpose, firmness, and compassion. A wise response includes whatever action, fierce at times, is the most caring toward life, our own and others’. "http://ow.ly/4Stn306rkRS

photo by Minty House Photos - click for IG link

one conscious breath in and out is a meditation...

~)(~

~)(~

 "Would relaxing help?" 

 for a humorous and helpful blog post by  

Martha Beck  

"Everything's uncertain, isn't it?"

Ajahn Chah quote:

 click here for the entire post by Jack Kornfield 

the one standing in Pure Conscious Awareness...

UNCONDITIONED LOVE
-by John McIntosh
"You cannot think yourself into Unconditional Love.
You can act lovingly, but it is always colored with hidden conditions.
The false self or mind-body-ego is defined by
conditioning made up of its expectations, attachments and many identity masks.
These act like filters to the Pure Conscious Awareness or God Self that you really Are.
Love is another name for God, and Pure means unconditioned – unfiltered.
The conditioned mind therefore always loves conditionally,
and to say: “I am sending you unconditional love” is not a possibility.
 One who lives in Truth – in the Real Self,  would never speak of such things.
They would never speak of distance; they simply KNOW that
 the one they wish to so-called help IS Love ... Here and Now.
As always, it is the one standing in Pure Conscious Awareness,
 that touches the rest of the collective consciousness -
 more than 7.4 billion well-meaning conditioned minds.
This is why "seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven" - meaning
 this Pure Conscious Self that you Are, is your ONLY Purpose
until you Live in that Knowing."
~)(~

luxuriate more in just the joy of being alive...

~)(~

"There's something in our makeup 

and in our bodies that really wants to luxuriate more

 in just the joy of being alive 

and not always consuming, creating, building. 

There's something inside of us 

that wants desperately to stop and experience

 and just be--not just always do."
~ Elizabeth Lesser

~)(~  

art card - "Yogini and Elephant Friend" by etsyseller beautyflows

"Greeting Card: Fine art images (4"x6") carefully placed on a white embossed 5x7 blank greeting card with matching envelope. Packaged in a clear archival sleeve. A special and unique gift for any occasion, or can be placed directly into a frame to enliven any environment."

all who have dared to dip their toes into ‘any’ pond...

"All of my, your, everyone’s experiences 

are constantly adding to group consciousness. 

The good, bad and the ugly are all equally valid contributions 

to our soup pot of perspectives and moments lived.

We need and appreciate ALL experiences each and every living cell

 is creating and living and interpreting and growing 

and even dying from their unique perspective for the collective benefit of us all! 

We ALL gain new expansion through the gift of those 

who have dared to dip their toes into ‘any’ pond.

We all receive awareness of something ‘new’ through infinite paths of experience 

that last on our eternal timelines that intertwine 

with an intelligence not meant to be understood. 

Do not judge or attempt to control others’ paths.

Allow them and your Self, to express freely and uniquely

 into new dreams and causeways that carry us all deeper 

and further into knowing who we ‘all’ really are."

~ Mel Morfitt ~

~)(~

"Circle Dance" by etsyseller TransformativeArt

"Circle Dance" giclee print original piece was inspired by the book "Cracking the Cosmic Egg" by Joseph Clinton Pierce.

inner peace...

~)(~

 "Inner peace is like 

an ocean without waves,
at Full Moon."
~Jyotisha Tat

~)(~

photography by etsyseller KathyFornal

Nature Photography, Surreal Blue Moon Landscape, Winter Fantasy Nature Photo, 

Blue Full Moon Sparkling Stars Tree, Dreamy Nature Photograph

 art photography available by etsyseller KathyFornal

when for and against are forgotten...

Words will not improve upon this photo and quote...

Inner Peace is always, always a choice.

keep calm and drink coffee...

The world could change in the twinkling of an eye. 

If everyone who is slinging and hurling and spewing

 one kind of low vibration emotion/thought/word or another 

just abruptly stopped. 

And began to be respectful and gracious, 

and interested in seeing and understanding 

beyond their personal biases and prejudices. 

I do understand the difference between possibility and probability. :)

One can imagine and visualize.

~)(~

artwork by etsyseller SweetLimeEmbroidery

post election blues or unnatural highs...

The "morning after" the 2016 Election Day came and went.

It may not be more true than ever, but right now it seems that way.

We desperately need more people who are able to see clearly, 

and maintain emotional equilibrium. 

So many people voted with raw emotions, namely fear and anger.

Politicians have been cashing in on primal emotions for a long time, 

and by the looks of it will be able to continue doing so for a long time.

But what if Donald Trump is one of our greatest spiritual teachers? 

The Id in superb disguise, I might add.  (It's going to be great! ;))

Click below to read how writer Patricia Pearce explains it very well.

Patricia Pearce on huffingtonpost.com 

~)(~

artwork by etsyseller MotherTeresaQuotes

~)(~

Six Principles for Developing Humility as a Leader 

by John Dame and Jeffrey Gedmin
~)(~

One definition of humility is that it means open-ness. 

Somehow, that seems more appealing, and possibly
 more effective than the groveling kind.

it's all just turtles all the way down...

"The problem is, you think you have time..."

- Jack Kornfield's Buddha's Little Instruction Book (1994)

We do, and we don't. And today we have an extra hour 

that will be reclaimed come spring. 

What we do seem to have is beliefs, and dreams, and experiences. 

We cling to those we liked and loved, and feel bad about 

or try to hide those we didn't or don't want. 

"It's all just turtles - all the way down."

"Turtles all the way down" is a jocular expression 

of the infinite regress problem in cosmology 

posed by the "unmoved mover" paradox. 

source: Turtles_all_the_way_down - (wikipedia)

Not Today - Tortoise Turtle art print by etsyseller collageOrama

 illustration beautifully upcycled dictionary page book art print by

click here for more by etsyseller collageOrama

 

let the Light shine out...

"The wound is the place where the Light enters." ~ Rumi

I see this Rumi quote frequently. I always feel that I have to remind myself that the Light enters from within - not from without. (The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.) Thinking of the Light coming from within is empowering. From without, it means being dependent/co-dependent upon someone or something outside, and in my experience outside support can vanish in the blink of an eye. Or there may be too many undesirable strings attached.
~)(~

photo by me: Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota Florida

essentially still yourself...

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Buckwheat Hull Zafu Meditation Cushion. Floor Pillow. Black/Off-White

Buckwheat Hull Zafu Meditation Cushion/Floor Pillow. Black/Off-White Cotton Print. OOAK. Measures approx. 15" W. by 5" D.. 6" L. Sidewall Zipper and carrying handle. Contains approx. 5 lbs. Dakota grown buckwheat hulls - ready to use. Handmade, USA.

*Eco-friendly - made with new cotton fabric sourced at a local thrift store. There's only one in existence. If you love it buy it. Nobody knows, of course, but it's highly doubtful I will ever come across this particular print again.

NOTE: books and meditation beads are for display purposes only, and are not included. The beautiful mala necklace is by ZardeniaJewelry on etsy. See: For mala necklaces and bracelets see ZardeniaJewelry on etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZardeniaJewelry?ref=listing-shop2-all-items-count#items

conscious breathing is very affordable healthcare

"Breath is the bridge

  which connects life to consciousness, 

which unites your body to your thoughts. 

Whenever your mind becomes scattered, 

use your breath as the means 

to take hold of your mind again."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

(Breathing...so diy; effective and affordable healthcare.)

~)(~

Cassia Tree in bloom again!

deepening the breath...

"Deepening your breath is a key ingredient in opening and expanding into the new empowered frequencies of Divine Light. When you breathe very shallowly, your energy field contracts and your body interprets the constriction as fear because it is afraid that it won’t receive enough oxygen. With a breath, fear can become excitement and your energy field will expand. This is not only a delicious feeling for the body, the expansion allows you to receive more Light into your energy system." -excerpt from main post found at link below:
https://www.facebook.com/aknowledgeyourdivinity/posts/571005739691045:0

~)(~

For months I've been hearing about Wim Hoff, The Iceman, 

who uses breathing techniques with amazing results. 

Last week I saw a youtube video/podcast of Wim being interviewed by Joe Rogan.  He certainly is a dynamic character - not sure how much the beer has to do with it. ;)

Word of caution: Several people drowned in 2016 using his technique while in water, which Wim warns about. Some people experience extreme lightheadedness, and apparently pass out.

~)(~

Breathe Necklace by etsyseller RubyLenaJewelry

how we live the stages of life...

George Washington Carver:

“How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, 

compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, 

and tolerant of the weak and the strong … 

because some day in life you will have been all of these.”

(...because bills have to be paid, 

and I haven't transitioned to living directly on air and sunshine, yet)

Brown Batik Bolster Pillow. Meditation Prop. Home Decor Pillow. 

Buckwheat filled insert. Zippered. 15" x 5". USA made.

~O~

Tropical Print Bolster Pillow. Meditation Prop. Home Decor Pillow.

Buckwheat filled insert. Zippered. 15" x 5". USA made

the journey, and the Home we never actually left...

"I first thought of the spiritual journey as a linear path towards a distant goal. Gradually, I came to realize that the spiritual journey is a closed circle of love in which we slowly come closer to the center of ourself, which is always present. In this journey there is no "progress" but a shifting of consciousness that unveils our own essential nature, "the face we had before we were born. "As this spiral path unfolds, so our concepts of both ourself and the journey change, and we come to realize the deeper truth: that the traveler, the journey, and the goal are all one."

~Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

No matter the circuitous route - all roads lead Home.

snake print - "ouroboros" by etsyseller themicromentalist

every morning is a re-birthday...

Yes!!! Every morning is a new day, 

and another day in which to release what no longer serves, 

and to embrace what is more in alignment with our true nature, Love. Re-birth is merely a remembering of what is already so, and has always been so. 

Re-birth is a change of mind only. 

Imagine that you have two minds. One is always problematic in one way or another. And one is totally sane. There's a different operating system for us to use, which we had entirely forgotten about.

~)(~

Sitting meditation, or other forms of meditation, can be helpful to us in becoming observers 

of the two minds, so we can make the clear choice.

click here for this and other zafu meditation cushions by etsyseller zafuChi

meditation shawls and blankets by maidmariondesign

Introducing beautiful handmade shawls and scarves, blankets and throws
by etsyseller MaidMarionDesign.

For more info and to purchase shawls click here: 

For more info and to purchase scarves click here:

For more info and to purchase blankets/throws click here:

Marion and I are cousins, who re-connected via facebook, after losing touch for many years.

gently notice how the Light weaves Itself into dreams...

~ There You Are Again ~

"City Lights" by GeorgiannaLane on etsy

"Ever since I stepped out of imagination
and into the Heart of things
I have become so much less spiritual.
Heaven, hell and earth
hold no meaning for me anymore .

For I am neither coming
nor going
nor staying put.

All I do is notice all the various ways
that Light weaves itself into dreams.

When someone asks me who they are
or what God is
I smile inside and whisper to the Light:

‘There you go again, pretending...’ "

~ Adyashanti

rest sometimes...live in the changing light of a room.

"I always forget how important the empty days are, how important it may be sometimes not to expect to produce anything, even a few lines in a journal. A day when one has not pushed oneself to the limit seems a damaged, damaging day, a sinful day. Not so! The most valuable thing one can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of a room."
~ May Sarton

"changing room" - photography by sandralrussel on etsy

you can't use up creativity, but you can stifle it, or turn down the dial...

"You can't use up creativity...the more you use the more you have." That's a relief to know, but also a bit scary. Because, maybe I'd end up like a hamster on a wheel - just madly making zafus. Which I wouldn't mind - if they sold like mad. Like I once went on a decade long, mad, crazy, passionate trip making all sizes, colors of Cathedral Windows quilts and wallhangings. I sold a lot of them, gave a lot away to charity auctions, and still have a few that simply would not sell. And one, that I won't sell because it was the crowning achievement of that whole love affair.

Hibiscus Pink (buckwheat hull filled) Zafu

Zafu in Rose Floral (on a warm brown background)

 Click on (rose floral zafu) caption to see all 28 selections in my Zafu-SkidRow-Closeout section!

Now is a great time to holiday shop, while there are still great choices available.

breathing in and out - giving and receiving...

" Jerry: Breath is a function of life, and the nature of life is expansion. It’s the nature of life to expand itself into greater and more creative versions of itself.

Irene: What are you breathing IN?

Jerry: Life force. Pure potential. It’s the raw material of creation, the fuel for the manifest result of thought. On a non-physical level, breathing isn’t for the purpose of maintaining the spirited body; it serves the purpose of connection: inhalation is receiving the Oneness and exhalation is giving back to the Oneness. It’s a unifying process."
excerpt from the book:
Conversations with Jerry and Other People I Thought were Dead

"Mindful breathing art print" by LighterWords - an etsyseller on etsy

 

becoming quiet enough to hear the trees...

...becoming quiet enough 

to hear the trees...

 

````````````````````````````````````````````````````

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

listen to the wordless Voice...

~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~

Joy in Your Spaces

(Joy in Your Spaces can be located on facebook)

Driftwood Coral buckwheat hull Zafu

available by etsyseller ZafuChi

from deep within us comes Joy...

"Joy

does not come 

from what you do,

 it flows into what you do 

and thus into this world 

from deep within you."
~ Eckhart Tolle

~)0(~ 

  "Magic Quilt"

(handmade by me with a riot of colors)

abiding in our true nature...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

from my heart to yours...

"People hear you on the level
you speak to them from.
Speak from your heart,
and they will hear with theirs."
~Marianne Williamson

our responsibility is to find and be our Self...

"Don’t take the world upon your shoulders.

You don’t have such a responsibility.

Your responsibility is to find and be your Self.

Nobody can save this world. Leave all to God.
Also it is good to know and have this attitude
 that nothing in this world belongs to you—not even ‘you’.
Everything is Him [IT] alone.
When you know this, all suffering and sorrows will go.
The space that remains is your true Self—who is He."
~ Mooji
~)(~

 

nonresistance and non-forcing...

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

the deep spring that is inside us...

"…. Dadirri. It is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognizes the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us … When I experience dadirri, I am made whole again. I can sit on the riverbank or walk through the trees; even if someone close to me has passed away, I can find my peace in this silent awareness.

My people today recognize and experience in this quietness the great Life-Giving spirit...... It is easy for me to experience God’s presence. When I am out hunting, when I am in the bush, among the trees, on a hill or by a billabong; these are the times when I can simply be in God’s presence. My people have been so aware of Nature. It is natural that we will feel close to the Creator."

~Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann

Coolangatta sunrise

HandmadeMerchbyLerch on etsy 

the homecoming of your unfolding life...

 ~)(~

"Beauty is about an emerging fullness, 

a greater sense of grace and elegance, 

a deeper sense of depth, and a homecoming 

for the enriched memory of your unfolding life."

~ John O'Donahue

~)(~

~)(~

For this starfish zafu, and other zafu meditation cushions 

(both unfilled covers and buckwheat hull filled), home decor pillows and bolster pillows see: 

zafuChi on etsy Handmade in the USA, by a sole-owner home-based business - hoping to make it big. 

Not really, but sort of. ;)

 ~)(~