intimacy and tenderness of the souls light

NOTHING IS LOST

 

“All through your life, the most precious experiences seem to vanish. Transience turns everything to air. You look behind and see no sign even of a yesterday that was so intense. Yet in truth, nothing ever disappears, nothing is lost. Everything that happened to us in the world passes into us. It all becomes part of the inner temple of the soul and it can never be lost. This is the art of the soul: to harvest your deeper life from all the seasons of your experience. This is probably why the soul never surfaces fully. The intimacy and tenderness of its light would blind us. We continue in our days to wander between the shadowing and the brightening, while all the time a more subtle brightness sustains us. If we could but realize the sureness around us, we would be much more courageous in our lives. The frames of anxiety that keep us caged would dissolve. We would live the life we love and in that way, day by day, free our future from the weight of regret.”

 

~JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from his books, BEAUTY: THE INVISIBLE EMBRACE (US) / DIVINE BEAUTY (Europe)

 

Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Post brought to you by etsyeller zafuChi. 

For these, and other buckwheat hull filled, and unfilled covers, zafu meditation cushions

click here:

 

orange sherbert stripe...

orange red poly twill zafu cover...

orange birds, black and white geometric, zafu

OOAK Orange Sherbert Pinwheel buckwheat hull zafu

 

connecting with Joy, our innermost essence...

"Times are difficult globally; 

awakening is no longer a luxury or an ideal.
It’s becoming critical. We don’t need to add more depression, 

more discouragement, 

or more anger to what’s already here. 

It’s becoming essential that we learn how to relate 

sanely with difficult times. 

The earth seems to be beseeching us to connect with joy 

and discover our innermost essence. 

This is the best way that we can benefit others."
~Pema Chodron

~ ~ ~ ~

...meditate...

zafu meditation cushion by etsyseller ZafuChi

Zafu Meditation Cushion. Round Floor/Dorm Pillow. Buckwheat Hulls. Dark Floral Cotton Print. 15x5. 6"SidewallZipper. Handmade USA by ZafuChi 

reeds and sand dollars and friendly inspiration...

Sand dollars...people have made up various stories about sand dollars.

Here's my version.

Sand Dollar Zafu available on etsy

Well, not exactly a story...except the zafu design was inspired 

by two comments on my facebook post of the following Reeds zafu design!

Reeds Zafu design available on etsy

 

...our true self..."

“Everyone of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. We are not very good at recognizing illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves. Contemplation is not and cannot be a function of this external self. There is an irreducible opposition between the deep transcendent self that awakens only in contemplation, and the superficial, external self which we commonly identify with the first person singular. Our reality, our true self, is hidden in what appears to us to be nothingness....We can rise above this unreality and recover our hidden reality....God Himself begins to live in me not only as my Creator but as my other and true self.”

~Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

photo source: pixabay

 

This post brought to you by the human being 

(designer, maker, sewist) 

behind ZafuChi, an etsy store that offers buckwheat hull filled zafus, 

unfilled zafu covers, and filled and unfilled bolster pillows.

Wishing you a wonder-filled day!

love as the center of our being...

"What if our religion was each other,
If our practice was our life,
If prayer, our words...
What if the temple was the Earth
If forests were our church,
If holy water--the rivers, lakes, and ocean
What if meditation was our relationships
If the teacher was life,
If wisdom was self-knowledge
If love was the center of our being."
~ Ganga White

~)(~

"this little Light of mine"

This post brought to you by the human being 

(designer, maker, sewist) 

behind ZafuChi, an etsy store that offers buckwheat hull filled zafus, 

unfilled zafu covers, and filled and unfilled bolster pillows.

Enjoy the day!

“yours are the heart, the hands, the feet that do the work of Love...”

"Christ has no body now but yours, 

no hands, no feet on earth but yours, 

yours are the eyes through which he looks 

with compassion on this world. 

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. 

 Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. 

Christ has no body now on earth but yours."

~ Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582)

photo source: pixabay

 this post brought to you by 

Zafuchi - maker and etsyseller of zafu meditation cushions

 

this colorful, crazy mosaic we call life...

“There's an old observation: "We see the other cars as traffic but we rarely see that we are the traffic, too." We often see others as 'off', 'disturbed', 'broken', or 'crazy' without fully realizing that this is the human condition, and that we’re a part of this, too. When we widen our frame to see humanity as a single portrait, and each of us as a mere pixel in it, then we can embrace these pixels as tiles in a (very) colorful mosaic.”

photo source: pixabay

 this post brought to you by  

etsyseller zafuchi - purveyor of handmade zafu meditation cushions

the silent fragrance that bathes the whole garden...

Maharishi: 
"Heaven and hell are all around you. Your choice." 
"What you focus on is what grows in your life. 
And whatever you resist will persist." 

"The world ended today.
A new one was just created.
Did you notice?
If you pay attention,
this happens with
every breath.
You won't regret the past
or fear the future
when you can rest
this wavering mind
in the heart of presence.
Learn from the rose
surrounded by thorns.
Now is
the silent fragrance
that bathes the whole garden
in beauty."

...be here now...

Zafu 
 O.O.A.K. (one of a kind) Meditation Cushion. Zafu. Round Floor Pillow. Repurposed Cotton fabric in Flamingo Pink. Measures approx. 15" W. by 5" D.. 6" L. Sidewall Zipper. Contains approx. 5 lbs. Dakota grown buckwheat hulls - ready to use. Handmade, USA.

conscious interaction...

Eckhart Tolle: 

"One conscious breath is a meditation."

"Conscious breathing indicates a willingness to consciously interact,

or commune with, what is in and around us." ~Sarah

Meditation Cushion. Zafu. Floor Pillow. Natural Linen/Rayon Blend Slub Fabric. 15x5 Buckwheat Hull filled. 5" Sidewall Zipper. Handmade, USA
$44.95

click here to visit zafu listing page: 

desire is the cause of unhappiness...

"We long for what we don’t have because we believe that having it will finally bring us peace and happiness. We don’t realize that the lack of peace and happiness we are feeling is actually a result of desiring what we don’t have. The desire is the cause of our unhappiness, not the fact that the desire is unfulfilled."

~ Gina Lake (20th-21st century American Advaita mystic)

photo source: pixabay.com

This post brought to you by etsyseller ZafuChi,

maker and seller of zafu meditation cushions, handmade in the U.S.A.

live streaming life...

"What is birth and death but the beginning and the ending of a stream of events in consciousness? Because of the idea of separation and limitation they are painful. 

Momentary relief from pain we call pleasure -- and we build castles in the air hoping for endless pleasure which we call happiness. 

It is all misunderstanding and misuse. 

Wake up, go beyond, live really."

- Nisargadatta

photo source: pixabay.com

This post brought to you by etsyseller ZafuChi,

maker and seller of zafu meditation cushions, handmade in the U.S.A.

kiss the earth with your feet

"Wherever we walk, 

whether it's the railway station or the supermarket, 

we are walking on the earth and so we are in a holy sanctuary.

 If we remember to walk like that, 

we can be nourished and find solidity with each step."

 ~Thich Nhat Hanh

This blog post brought to you by ZafuChi, 

an independent maker, and etsy seller, 

of handmade zafu meditation cushions and bolster pillows.

benefit of developed minds...

“I don’t envision a single thing that, when undeveloped, 

leads to such great harm as the mind. 

The mind, when undeveloped, leads to great harm.” 

 “I don’t envision a single thing that, when developed, 

leads to such great benefit as the mind. 

The mind, when developed, leads to great benefit.” 

 …………………. 

 “I don’t envision a single thing that, 

when undeveloped and uncultivated, 

brings about such suffering and stress as the mind. 

The mind, when undeveloped and uncultivated, 

brings about suffering and stress.” 

 “I don’t envision a single thing that, 

when developed and cultivated, 

brings about such happiness as the mind. 

The mind, when developed and cultivated, 

brings about happiness.”

♦ Anguttara Nikaya

zafu by etsyseller zafuchi

sit, breathe, and steady the mind...

"Whenever your mind becomes scattered, 

use your breath as the means 

to take hold of your mind again." 

~ Thích Nhất Hạnh

~~~

Meditation Cushion. Zafu. Floor Pillow. Natural Linen/Rayon Blend Slub Fabric. 15x5 Buckwheat Hull filled. 5" Sidewall Zipper. Handmade, USA

 ...buyer review: "For my husband, an avid meditator. His words? "Perfect." Thank you." 

USA handmade by #EtsySeller #zafuchi - 

(mala necklace by #zardenia)

Being and non-being create each other...

"When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.

Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and he lets them come;
things disappear and he lets them go.
He has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When his work is done, he forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever."

~ Lao Tzu: 

Tao Te Ching chapter 2

~~~~

  (and because a girl needs to pay her bills... :) )

Meditation Cushion. Zafu. Floor Pillow. Driftwood Coral.

 

human emotion...

"Human emotion literally shapes the world around us. 

Not just our perception of the world, but reality itself."

excerpted - click here for the entire article 

meditate daily...for Love's sake...

 for this, and other filled/unfilled zafus by ZafuChi.etsy.com click here...

in-body Ascension...

"In order to be connected to your Divine Holy Royal Heritage of Knowledge it is necessary to meditate every single day. Only then are you able to disconnect from the mundane and connect to the Holy Spirit. The Liquid Light Codes surrounded by the electromagnetic Force called Love. Basking in Love, Joy, Bliss and being Your True Highest Self. This is what it means to meditate. This is what it means to be a Lightworker on Planet Earth. From time to time you reach this state of consciousness on your own. It catches you unaware. It is Bliss. It brings unexpected tears of joy. It is all too fleeting. The moments of pure bliss and joy fleet away. By learning to meditate you connect with Divine Mind and bliss can stay with you. The Highest choice.
In the Light there is everything to see. You cannot see anything in darkness. As you procrastinate from regularly practicing meditation you risk coming to the end of your life without having Ascension in a Body. This is the beginning of learning to navigate in the Merkaba Body."

 KeeperOfThePlatinumRay 

(facebook post excerpt from The Big Reset Year a Message from Sananda post)

Furoshiki reuseable fabric wrap on zafu

Furoshiki reuseable fabric wrap

Furoshiki demo'ed on this zafu

 I appreciate all purchases made at ZafuChi - my zafu store on etsy, 

as well as all referrals. A "Thank you" 

from "the heart of my bottom" - to quote Meryl Streep.

at ease...as you (already) were until you weren't

We may find ourselves asking: 

“Why am I here? What is life? Who am I?” 

Sooner or later any intelligent person asks these questions. 

What you are looking for is what you already are, not what you will become. 

What you already are is the answer and the source of the question. 

In this lies its power of transformation. 

It is a present actual fact. 

Looking to become something is completely conceptual, merely an idea. 

 The seeker will discover that he is what he seeks 

and that what he seeks is the source of the inquiry.

~ Jean Klein

Zafu in (upcycled) Red Floral Linen Fabric

click here for more items by etsyseller ZafuChi 

real power and freedom...

"Never place the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket." ~quote

"When the heart is at peace, for and against are forgotten." ~Zhuang Zhou

 

"Real freedom is freedom in ones heart, 

irrespective of external conditions." 

~ N. Sri Ram 

 

"One of the most important things to learn in life is that no one took away our power, or gave us power. We are all powerful energetic beings, already. Personally, I now know that when I erroneously believed someone was taking or withholding energy from me - that thought in itself created a problem for me. Typically, especially when a child or younger person, I either shut down or acted out. Contracted in fear, or expanded with self-righteous indignation and/or even rage. Just knowing this really re-frames pretty much everything."

~Sarah 

~)(~

 

A new o.o.a.k. addition to my zafu store - 

Please share my etsy zafu store link with your friends and acquaintances! 

 

upcycled linen, light summer yellow floral, buckwheat hull zafu

handmade by etsyseller #zafuChi

Meditation Cushion. Floor Pillow. Zafu. 

Upcycled light yellow summer floral linen. 

Buckwheat Hull filled. 15"x5". 5"L. Velcro closure. 

Handmade, USA

 

reclaiming our spiritual nature - collectively...

"If women hadn't forsaken and forgotten their inner power (collectively speaking, this was a long time ago, but each one of us is doing it again by every choice we make and everything we believe) we wouldn't be trying to reclaim it now.

A journey into our own interior is really the one journey worth making. It means sitting down quietly, being willing to relinquish what is not true by allowing it to drop away like dead leaves, and then embracing without presumptuous expectation what arises...our true Spiritual nature."
~)(~
"Idol worship is anyone or anything we worship/love more
 than the Love that resides within our very own being."

~Sarah

Flower of Life Meditation Cushion Zafu by etsyseller ZafuChi