Rejoice in the Healing Power of Music

Music is the universal language - it conveys meaning and emotion across cultures, and transcends racial divides.  It has the power to elevate us spiritually and  inspire us.  Music connects us to the past and helps us to release sadness and pain, or to be encouraged by joyful memories.  It even has the power to heal our minds, bodies and spirits.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, there is a growing body of evidence that music therapy can significantly improve medical outcomes and quality of life.  Specifically, it can:

• reduce stress and anxiety
• speed healing from stroke and traumatic brain injury
• decrease pain perception
• relieve depression
• improve functioning in dementia patients
• reduce side effects of cancer treatments

We know intuitively that music makes us feel good and it's encouraging to have medical research to prove that it really can make a significant difference in our quality of life. 

So today, take a few minutes to put on some inspiring music, sit back and relax, or dance (however the mood strikes you).  Experiment with new music genres or soothing nature sound recordings and be encouraged that you are doing something healing for your mind, body and spirit!

Discover the Healing Power of Music!

 For more information on music therapy, go to:
 https://www.musictherapy.org/about/find/

I am a Whole and Holy Being

I am a whole and holy being; the silence is sacred....
My mother, Emily, wrote these words in 2012, three years before she died of cancer.  Today is the fourth anniversary of her death, and since I recently found this journal entry, I felt it appropriate to share her thoughts.

"In the silence, there is no confusion, no doubt, no fear.  Resting in this space, I am aware that the Holy Presence surrounds me and is within me.  Any mistake, thought or belief that I am separate from my creator dissipates.  In the silence, I discern this sacred message:
'Be still and know that I am God'.  My heart responds, and with this knowing, my soul is uplifted.

I feel a gentle ebb and flow as all regrets and sadness wash away and I am filled with joy.
Resting fully in the Presence for even a few minutes, I receive assurance that I am one with God."

I nurture myself with times of sacred silence

Be the Light

On dark, cold winter days, it may be hard to get motivated, since our natural inclination is to stay inside and hibernate.  Just as a cozy fireplace is a comfort on a snowy morning, we can ignite our inner flame to warm us from the inside and then carry that light and warmth with us throughout the day.

Our inner light is a gift from God that can bring us guidance, strength and peace as we journey through life.  But we may be unaware of or unwilling to accept this healing light.  We may close ourselves off from our very source, the Spirit that sustains us.

In my home, I have a gas fireplace that is supposed to turn on with a light switch.  But often, the pilot won't ignite until we have turned on the fan and given it a little boost to catch on.  I imagine there's some dust or debris that gets in the way of lighting the fire.

I suppose that we, as spiritual beings, sometimes get debris clogging our connection to the Divine and we need to clear the debris, fan our flame, and light the fire within.

 Clearing the debris means letting go: of the unimportant details, the worries, resentments, and unforgiving or prejudicial attitudes.  Practice: Stand, bring arms overhead while breathing deeply into the abdomen, exhale, mentally releasing all that needs to be cleared as you bend forward to hug your knees.

Fanning the flame means embracing the inner light, accepting love and joy into your heart.  Practice: "Breath of Fire" a breathing exercise that warms and invigorates the inner flame.  1. As you exhale, push the air out by pulling your navel and abdomen toward your spine, 2. As you inhale, release the navel while the breath returns to your lungs. Keep your breath rapid (one per second or faster) and forceful, with no pause between the inhalation and exhalation.  Start with 20 breaths.

Lighting the Fire means keeping the flame going, bringing your light out into the world, being the light for others.  Practice: Find moments throughout the day to breathe, visualize your inner light, do some breath of fire repetitions and continually release whatever annoyances arise to clog the pilot light of your flame.

On cold winter days, be the Light

Find Peace in the Eye of the Storm

Finding our way through the challenges of life can sometimes seem like we're wandering in a storm of nature, trying to find a path to safety and rest.  We look for a light to guide us, a firm road in the middle of a blinding flurry.

"The eye of the storm" is a term that many use to refer to the middle of the action or the point of greatest intensity, but it actually means the calm center of a hurricane.  If someone is in the eye of the hurricane, they will experience a respite from the ferocious winds, if only for a short time.

This seems to be an appropriate metaphor for life's difficulties.  If we are feeling overwhelmed and fearful, we only need to find our way to the calm center and we will find respite and peace.

Safe in your home today, during this winter storm, take a few moments to practice stillness:

• Find a quiet place
• Breathe deeply into your abdomen
• Release your breath as you visualize a circular path around your core
• "Let go" of all thought, worries, to-do lists and repeat the mantra "peace be still"
• Imagine the center of your being as the calm center of the storm
• Stay in this place of refuge and peace, breathing deeply 
• Give thanks that all is well  

Here at the center, I may not find answers to all the craziness of life, but I find rest, peace, strength and courage...

 

Awaken Your Intuition

Have you ever had a hunch about something that later proved to be wise guidance?  The truth is, it probably happens more often than we are aware.  We  have "feelings" about people, events and situations, but may not always act on them or follow our inner guidance, because we are conditioned by our culture to trust only what we can see, hear and touch with our physical bodies. 

Where do these hunches come from and can we really trust them?  The best way to answer that is by spending time in prayer and meditation and to ask God, in the stillness, what is real. 

If our spiritual intuition seems clouded, we can develop our attunement by practicing some mind-body awareness techniques.  According to many eastern energy traditions, the endocrine system is the gateway to greater spiritual awareness.  By awakening and strengthening this system, particularly the pineal gland, we can become more receptive to our spiritual messages of guidance.

The pineal is a tiny gland that sits in the middle of the brain behind the center of the eyebrows.  It is pretty amazing, really, as it is shaped like a pine cone in a perfect Fibonacci sequence and was revered by the ancient Egyptians as the source of enlightenment.  It has many important physical functions as well, such as regulating melatonin and serotonin production, which are both very important for brain function and restful sleep.

Unfortunately, as we age, the pineal gland becomes calcified  and hardened, dulling its functioning.
There are some things we can do to "awaken" it, however, such as: avoiding fluoride in water (drink spring or distilled water),  meditating with focus on the "third eye" between the eyebrows; listening to music, chanting; and practicing breathing exercises.  Essential oils, such as Frankincense and Cedarwood, are also helpful.

Try this breathing technique for "waking up" your spinal cord and pineal gland:
1. Stand with knees slightly bent; inhale deeply while raising arms above head; continue to inhale as you gently arch back and bring arms straight out at the shoulders...2. exhale, as you curl spine forward, tuck chin into chest and bring arms inward, elbows aligned with rib cage.  Repeat, up to 10 times.  (ConsciousLifestylemag.com)

As we awaken our intuition, we are better able to discern whether our inner hunches are just anxious thoughts and physical desires, or are to be trusted as guidance of the Spirit.

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Seeing With the Eyes of the Heart

The heart is the seat of love and compassion that enables us to look past outer appearances to see people and circumstances with spiritual vision. When we see others with the eyes of the heart, we are freeing ourselves of judgments and prejudices, valuing each person as a created being loved by God.
When we look around us with spiritual vision, the cares and troubles of the world fade away and all is suffused with light and love.  The world, with all its problems, will return to our awareness, but we will hold peace in our heart because we are viewing it from a new perspective.

We've probably all experienced "mountaintop moments"; times when the world as we know it seems to fall away and we see a glimpse of something indescribably beautiful.  Martin Luther King Jr., whose memory we will be honoring next week, delivered a speech the day before he was assassinated in which he said, "I've been to the mountaintop...and I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land".  He had seen a vision of the spiritual reality - that we are all one, that there is no division but that which we create with our egos and our fears.

This morning, create space for a quiet moment, to breathe and focus on the energy of love, filling your heart with light and compassion for all created beings.  Affirm that all are one, interconnected and bathed in a sea of God's love.  Take this peace and love out into the world.

Look past outer appearances to see people and circumstances with spiritual vision...

I Cultivate my Inner Garden

This morning, I look outside my window and see a bleak landscape:  snow and wind, icy streets and frigid cold.  It is January, after all, and this is to be expected in Rochester, NY.  As I turn within, however, breathing and focusing in prayer and meditation, my inner world is a rush of beauty and color.  I realize that I can create a beautiful garden in my inner sanctuary even in the dead of winter.

I envision lilacs and roses, peonies and Shasta daisies - all my favorite flowers come to life and I am suddenly struck by the power of  imagination.  It is the stuff of books and artwork, music and movies; the creative drive is what motivates us and gives us the desire to keep on living in a world that is uncertain and sometimes scary.

I remember as  a young child, discovering the joy of the written word, first in the bedtime stories my mother read to me, then when I learned to read and a whole new world opened up to me.  I could imagine every detail of what I was reading, visualizing characters and scenes that came to life because someone imagined them first.  It seemed like magic to me!

Today, I encourage you to find that magic...use your imagination to visualize something beautiful, bringing to life your inner garden and rest there, allowing its energy to refresh and renew your spirit.

Children are our Hope

A small child is a tiny miracle...the perfection of creation, hope of the future and blessing to all whose lives she touches.  Spirit shines most brightly through the eyes of a child and touches our hearts as we envelope her in love, prayerfully encouraging her to learn and grow.

These are my thoughts this morning since today, my beautiful granddaughter has completed one full circle around the sun.  It is her very first birthday and I would love to be with her, but we are separated by 2000 miles and circumstances that prevented travel.

So instead, I affirm that our spirits are connected, that time and space cannot separate us because love has no boundaries.  I hold her and her parents in a protective bubble of love and blessing, knowing that they will be surrounded by friends today and all will be well.

Today, may we surround all children in the light of God's spirit, trusting that they are the hope for our future.  My heart goes out to those who are frightened and alone in detention centers at the border, to those in war torn countries, to those who are hungry or whose parents are unable to properly care for them.  These beautiful beings deserve our care and protection, but sadly, sometimes all we can do is pray and cling to hope.

So take a moment this morning, to be still, to breathe into your heart center, filling it with love and sending that love out into the world, first to the children in your own life, then to those in need. 

Affirm Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace, wholeness and tranquility and bring this energy into your day.

This Day is New

Every morning, the sun rises, whether we can see it or our view is obscured by clouds.  A new thing has been created; the world will never be exactly the same again. Nor will we - even as we age, our cells are being renewed each night as we sleep, so that we wake refreshed, our minds and bodies able to function for another day.

We may feel that our daily routine is monotonous, whether we rush off to work or school everyday, or are at home.  But if we open our eyes and change our perspective, we will see that every day is new - we will meet different people, our path will be shifted slightly, our morning walk or commute will  have different weather conditions and a new view of the world from the day before.

We can consciously choose to try something new today...start a conversation with someone we've never spoken to before, ask questions, take a new route, visit somewhere we've never been before.
Even in the seeming dead of winter, we can take a hike in the woods, feel the energy of the trees, smell the scent of pine, absorb the beauty of the winter landscape: the deep green of pine, the gold of fallen leaves, the pure white of snow and the refreshment of breathing pure, cold air.

What a miraculous gift this thing called life is, even though we often get dulled to it by the sameness of our routines..I am reminded of lyrics from the children's movie, Charlotte's Web:  "How very special are we, just for a moment to be, part of earth's eternal rhyme..."  Today, may we open our eyes and see.

Breathe deeply and give thanks for this new day