The Way of the Heart -A way to relax your body, calm your mind and embrace your soul…inspired spiritual living with Jane Rosalea Brown, Author of In Silence, Discovering Self through Meditation (Author name Jane Rosalea Booth) Meaford, Ontario
Can you see yourself as a Guardian of our Earth who assists in its healing and its peacemaking? You do not have to wait till Earth Day to connect to Mother Earth and make your commitment to assist our planet and humanity today. Let us make our world a greener and more balanced, peaceful place to live. I can make a difference each day and so can you.
You may wonder what you can do to assist our planet and humanity. Here are some powerful steps to get you started:
1. Visualize each day how you would like your world to be.
2. Put all your energy into positive good thoughts and let negative thoughts fall away. Positive thoughts attract positive happenings and positive energies. Your thoughts and actions are important to all of us.
3. Feel your peace within and know that this is the truth.
4. Extend that peace to all you meet by viewing each person, plant and animal as a Beloved one who deeply connects with you.
5. Send thoughts, prayers of love and peace to all by expanding your prayers to include everything on our planet.
6. Feel the love in your heart touching the hearts of everyone, every thing on the planet.
Remember your feelings create your manifestations. As you integrate into your life the actions that will assist all humanity, you will begin to feel a beautiful connection to all, a natural connection that blossoms and expands through love. Your daily life will transform immediately if you take these six steps. Begin within yourself to feel the connection with the earth and spread that love to others.
On this day, think about conscious actions you can take in your life to become a Guardian of our Earth
– take the bus to work
– compost your garbage
– use less water or grow a vegetable garden or begin a community garden
-pick up trash in your neighborhood
– turn off your lights that you are not using
There are many ways to improve the quality of our Earth. Make a list with your children and family. Share it with you friends. What are you going to do to show how much you care?
Thank you for being a Guardian of our Earth. Let us be so thankful for our beautiful planet!
“Look deep into nature, then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
Just saying the word “spring” warms my heart! It’s still cold here in Meaford,-2C with a strong north wind…brrr! Today, March 19th and 20th, 2024 brings us the Vernal/Spring Equinox. It is the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s equator, making day and night approximately equal length all over the earth. It means our days will be warming and our earth will soon be ready for planting here in the Northern Hemisphere. And our season of Spring begins!
Today is a good time to give thanks for the past winter season with its season of quiet hibernation, a time of reflection, a time for us to see wonder of snowflakes, each unique and beautiful. Together they provided the earth’s blanket. Thank you for the blessings of winter.
Now, we begin to feel our energies stirring and rising with our hope of warmer days, the return of birds, the birthing of animals, the spring rains, the green shoots pushing through the wet earth…quite a wondrous and magical event is our springtime. A few birds were singing this morning here in Meaford even as it is snowing! They know it’s an exciting time.
We all need this nourishment of spring birthing. I want to soak it up! The world is so upside down with war, separation, grief and fear. But thankfully, nature reveals to us a different picture with each of its seasons. I especially love how spring shows us new life after a cold winter. It lifts our hopes! We can plant new seeds, find new ways of being and evolving in a peaceful way. We need these loving energies of spring to heal through forgiveness and to return to love.
The Spring Equinox reveals to us the balance of night and day. What a reminder to create balance in our lives! When we create an holistic balance of body-mind-spirit, light flows into our heart and it opens to bloom with the energies of springtime. We move into harmony with nature…
Awaken! Lets step into the spring! How can we create more balance and harmony in our lives? What ‘newness’ can you create for yourself and others to lift your energies, to birth a new idea, to enjoy the freshness of spring? This is the time to awaken our creative consciousness!
cluster of blossoms
call to the awakening
new birth peeks out
Spring blessings and Happy Spring Equinox! May your day be full of love and joy!
I loved all the New Year Wishes from my friends and family. New Year’s Eve was quiet for us. We had a seafood dinner and then settled in for the evening to watch New Year’s Eve tv programs. What I loved best was Paul Anka, in Times Square, NY, singing “My Way” that he changed to “Our Way” to encourage peace and love. Then he sang “Imagine” by John Lennon. It was lovely and encouraging to have hope for our future. Paul Anka was a teenage idol of mine!
So on this New Year’s Day, I am so grateful for my dear family and friends who fill my life everyday with love and compassion so “we can live as ONE”.
I began to take acrylic painting lessons last September. Creating something new is a wonderful way to heal and to lift our spirit! That is why I love to create a Peaceful Way Gathering for Women each year. I love our Sacred Circle where we create a beautiful, heartfelt mandala! We begin with bowls of natural items and each person helps to create our ‘wheel of wholeness and harmony”. As we sit around our mandala we share our inner most thoughts, pray and meditate, dance and sing. Then understanding, laughter, sometimes tears, compassion and love always flows.
I know that there are millions of creative, loving people in the world who will create a better world for us to live in harmony. I believe this is possible…light and love always outshines darkness.
I thank all those who come to my blog and wish you a Very Happy New Year 2024 filled with good health, happiness and peace. May we who follow ‘a peaceful way’ keep on our journey, supporting one another and creating peace and love in our own families and communities in ‘your way’!
December is a season filled with sacredness for many religions. For me, I celebrate the return of longer days of light at Winter Solstice and Christmas, a day to celebrate the birth of light and love…a Christed light that guides me. It is a sacred time to open my heart and be truly grateful for all my blessings. It is a time to connect with my dear friends and gather with my family for precious moments as we open gifts and enjoy delicious meals.
This year my prayers are for all the families who are suffering in wars. I pray for peace and that they will receive food, water and healing support that they need. I envision a world of compassion and love within my heart. We all need to hold this vision for this time to unfold. But there are so many diverse beliefs and politics that are deep from centuries of wars. We each deserve to practice our religions in peace and love, but freedom, tolerance and compassion must be our way to live in harmony.
So Christmas comes with mixed feelings of joys and sadness and with hope and belief that billions of people will live with open hearts to help those in need as they rebuild and begin again…with a new way…a peaceful way. This is my prayer.
May the blessings of the season fill your hearts with love, peace and joy and follow you throughout the New Year,
Meditation…a time within my heart…has always been my refuge. As I meditate, I embark on a journey that takes me within to listen to what I call my “soul self” and where I often view a beautiful place, often a garden. In this ‘garden’ I feel safe and protected. As I listen, I begin to feel an intimate relationship. I feel a spiritual presence, a connection, a sacred moment. It is a wondrous experience that is difficult to describe, but it always calms me and gives me a place to release my fears…and fill my heart with hope.
This spiritual practice of meditation gives me a refuge in darken times. It is helping me now. I hold deep gratitude for the ‘Spirit’ that flows through me and all life. In this way, my life becomes sacred and I evolve, create and love more deeply. In this way, I can bring peace to myself and my family.
Yet, each day our news is filled with news of war, destruction with families and children suffering. My heart aches and I try to comfort my friends who have family and friends in the Middle East.
My prayers and love are with those who are suffering through so much loss and devastation. Only love, forgiveness and compassion will heal, but now anger and rage is flowing. Hopefully, there are billions of loving people in the world that will support families as they rebuild and move on to create a better, peaceful life….that is the vision I hold for them in my heart.
The Persian poet Hafiz says “Now is the time to know”.
Now is the time to know That all that you do is sacred. Now, why not consider A lasting truce with yourself and God?
“Now is the time to understand That all your ideas of right and wrong Were just a child’s training wheels To be laid aside When you can finally live with veracity and love.
Now is the time for the world to know That every thought and action is sacred. That this is the time For you to compute the impossibility That there is anything But Grace.
Now is the season to know That everything you do Is Sacred”
Hafiz (1325 –1389) Persian Mystical Poet.
May the presence of ‘sacredness’…a spirit of love…that unites and flows through the hearts of all beings bring hope and comfort today. May we return to love.
When I was in my thirties, I was traveling with a group in China. I was unsettled and not sure where my life was going. A woman, whom I had just met on the trip, said to me “Jane, you reveal everything on your face.” I felt uncomfortable by these words and I realized that she was seeing my unhappiness. It made me think about how I was revealing myself, perhaps too much, and how I didn’t want others to know all my feelings. There are many reasons we may want to hold back and not share all of ourselves.
But I have discovered how wonderful it is when we find a friend whom we can trust and share our deepest thoughts! It is such a gift to our soul! It is through our relationships we learn how to love and learn what we value in life.
I thought of the lady in China when I saw a Stress Management form. The sheet was a form where you had to reply to various statements, but this one caught my eye~
“Anyone watching me could tell what’s really important to me in life”
(1)Definitely (2) I think so and (3) no way.
We are always looking out into the world at others, but how are we showing ourselves to the world?
What was I revealing to that lady? My sadness, my fear or did she see my deep concern for what I was seeing in the cities of China…?
How often has someone said to you about someone, ‘Oh, she’s really nice once you get to know her’? Or, ‘He just looks tough, but he’s an old softy inside.’
Why are we afraid to reveal ourselves to the world? We should all be radiating our true self but we hold back. I know there are things about myself and my life I do not share. We all have private memories and that’s okay. But what am I revealing to others each day?
If your answer to the above statement is (3) noway, perhaps it is time for you to open up and take a step to trust in yourself, trust others…to reveal yourself. There are times when we are grieving, angry or fearful. Sharing with another helps us to relieve stress in these moments. It can be a time of love and bonding. Love is always supportive and uplifting!
“What do I value…what is really important in my life? I hope that people can now see, when they look at me, what I value…my family, friends…love, compassion and peace. There are many values such as love, justice, honesty, patience, integrity, tolerance, diversity, that can be reflected in our lives by what we are doing.
We tend to forget how important each person is! We need you to reveal your true self each day, so anyone who is watching you can tell what your values are and how they make the world a better place.
You may encourage others to be peaceful and kind without saying a word…just by being you and allowing others to see your inner beauty.
I never saw that lady I met in China again, but I never forgot how she taught me to be more self-aware. Still learning this lesson…awareness is an ever evolving process…
I love these words by Marianne Williamson~
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Do you love the sound of a rippling river or stream? I live in an area that is blessed by many rivers that wind their way towards Georgian Bay. My husband and I love to spend our mornings sitting on the banks of these rivers sipping a coffee or tea. The riverside is a wonderful place to enjoy rippling waters and changing seasons. We take time to meditate, each in our own sacred space and listen…
A few years ago, I came upon the Japanese style of poetry called Haiku, A Haiku is a short, unrhymed poem that adheres to a specific three-line, seventeen-syllable format. But as I explored Haiku I realized that this was an intriguing form of poetry where there is much to learn about its form and meaning. You can find out lots about Haiku from poet Neena Singh ~ https://thehaikufoundation.org/new-to-haiku-advice-for-beginners-neena-singh/ New to Haiku: Advice for Beginners – Neena Singh
I thought Haiku is about connecting with nature and feelings that arise. But Neena explains in her article..
“.I have learned much from attending Michael Dylan Welch‘s presentation at the Japan Fair. He says that instead of writing about our reactions to stimuli, in a good haiku we should write about those things that cause our reactions. If our haiku take advantage of this technique, our readers can experience the same feelings we felt, without our having to explain them. I find this advice valuable.”
Thank you Neena!
I call these poems my Riverside Haiku....regardless if they are true Haiku or not, writing these small three lined poems expanded my experience by the river…
riverside
morning rhythm ripples
heron in silence
~
stream rushes
sparkles on the water
a way home
~
river bends
homeward bound
front door opens
~
meditation
matters for eternity
unsolved puzzle
~
spirit
ever renewal
river flows
~
By Jane Rosalea Brown, May, 2023
If you like to write poetry, explore Haiku….it is fascinating! My deepest gratitude to Neena Singh for inspiring me to share my poems and for your generous sharing of your knowledge of Haiku. I love your beautiful Haiku poetry.
Today enjoy an article from the July Chopra Newsletter
Spiritual seekers are often intrigued about why their souls choose to incarnate on Earth at this time. You may search for your unique skills and talents that you are here to share. All of us can live into our purpose by how we choose to simply be. Your purpose is much more than what you do and create. Here are seven ways in which we can step into your purpose beyond what you “do.”
Listen
You can serve humanity, not just in the messages that you share through writing and speaking, but also in compassionately listening. A basic human right is your need to be seen, heard, and supported. When you hold space for others to express themselves without judgment, criticism, or your own agenda, you support them as they blossom at their own divine pace. You witness their evolution and awakening, without imposing your need to change, fix, or heal them.
How You Energetically Hold Space for Others
Depending on human design and purpose, some of us naturally and even unconsciously absorb, process, and share energy. Empaths tend to feel, hear, or know information and energy. They may step into a room and sense the feelings of those that were there before them. They may tear up as soon as they see someone else cry.
Recognize that you may already be living into your purpose as your body and aura are transforming the energy of everyone and every space that you encounter. If you are intrigued by this idea, you may wish to begin a practice of consciously sending healing energy. All it takes is presence, willingness, and intention.
For some, their purpose lies in their career, but for others it’s in how they show up in relationships, for Earth, and for themselves.”
How You Treat Others
A simple look of trust or friendly conversation can shape someone else’s day. You can create a ripple effect of kindness in your community when you choose to be the light. Treating people who don’t mean a lot to you with respect is your purpose. While you may not be able to donate money to a homeless person, you have the ability to look at them as a soul who’s not beneath anyone else. Genuinely smiling from the heart, saying a silent blessing, or sharing a compliment are all ways in which you may fulfill your soul’s dharma.
Pursue Joy
You may have been taught to suppress your desires and be humble. This may lead you to forget pleasure and lightness. The Japanese explain that your ikigai is a mix of what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you’re good at. While seeking for your purpose, you may forget to turn inward and look at your passions, and that which brings you delight. When seeking your purpose, you may wish to consider, “Do I believe that I am worthy of being happy? What has my family, religion, and society taught me about happiness as a part of my purpose?”
Relationship with All Life Forms
Your exchange with all forms of consciousness is also an aspect of our dharma. Planting trees, fostering pets, and cleaning up your local pond may be wonderful ways to heal the planet. However, your soul’s purpose may also include acknowledging, being present with, and honoring all forms of consciousness. Many of the life lessons can simply be learned by observing nature and allowing a relationship with its consciousness. By communicating with Earth and all of its inhabitants, you can access universal wisdom that exceeds your own understanding.
Becoming a Channel
You may also tap into the purpose of your existence, by allowing higher consciousness to move through you. Each and every one of us has the ability to clear our energy channels and be receptive to energetic and informational downloads. These can guide your own path or help others in their journey. You may begin to let the Universe know that you’re ready to channel higher consciousness in your meditation and prayer practice.
Additionally, it may help to eat high-vibrational (e.g., raw and organic) foods and drink plenty of water. Develop a practice of writing down the messages you receive and the energetic shifts that you experience. This will help you to acknowledge and trust your ability to channel energy and information.
Seeing the Light in You
Part of your soul’s purpose is to also acknowledge that you are whole, healthy, and enough. While your physical body may be experiencing pain or discomfort, your soul is a vivacious bright light that is free from the suffering on Earth. Along with working toward health, joy, and love, see if you can also acknowledge your own perfection. There is nothing more to do or achieve. You are as worthy, lovable, and pure as the rest of consciousness.
Living into your purpose doesn’t require you to go back to school or make a radical shift in careers. It can be as simple as how you gaze at someone or the feelings you apply to yourself. While your world does need people who take action, express themselves, and create, you also need to live into your purpose by just being. Your dharma is multi-faceted and may be fulfilled in numerous ways including patiently listening to others, holding an intention, observing nature, and trusting your intuition.
Thank you to guest author Parita Shah of the Chopra Newsletter, July, 2023
Hope you enjoyed this guest article. Have a beautiful day,
Aging and death always seem to be topics that we choose to avoid. In 2016, I took a course called ‘Conscious Aging” and I shared it with others. I realized that to have healthy and happy elder years that my ideas and thoughts about aging and death needed to change. I realized that just as when I was young, I needed to create happy moments in my life and accept what I can and cannot do. I had to look at what had value and meaning to me. I took these thoughts into my meditations and found deeper understanding.
Life is a gift, an experience, and a total wonder! I still have lots of questions about the universe and what’s it all about,, but I have learned one thing…love works. If things are not going well in my relationships, I know I have to love more fully…perhaps that is all I need to know. Love, love and more love…not always easy, but forgiveness and letting go of old baggage, love and compassion for myself and others works. Love shifts the energy around me and gratitude fills my heart.
Love these word from Sister Joan Chittister~
ADVICE FROM SISTER JOAN
“Why does the thought of getting older bother one? That is the sign that we are ready now for a whole new kind of life. We know that we have begun to move from one stage of life to another. The only thing we fail to realize is that it is up to us to create it…. It is the age of coming to understand what kind of person we have become over the years. It is the period in which we stop blaming others for who we are and decide who we want to be now. It is the time for determining what we really believe and why.
Now can begin to spend our lives on something beside ourselves… There is a great gift in teaching the generation after us not only how to live but also how to die… First, of course, we must have the courage to strike out, to refuse to quit prematurely, to develop the wisdom and live the values ourselves…”
From Sister Joan Chittister, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World
“I have become older and, cherishing what I have learned, I have become younger.“ ~ Mary Oliver ~
The Grandmothers Wisdom Project is inspired by thirteen elder women known as the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. We are committed to supporting all people reclaiming their relationship to Mother Earth, calling for a profound transformation in the heart, mind, and spirit.
Here are some beautiful thoughts for us to embrace. Deepest Gratitude to the Grandmothers for sharing their wisdom.
The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers revered elders offering essential wisdom and healing for you and our world~
“I had a vision the ancestors told us to heal the world. When we heal ourselves, we also heal our ancestors, our grandmothers, our grandfathers, and our children. When we heal ourselves, we also heal mother earth.” Grandmother Rita Pitka Blumenstein
“The most important Journey we will ever take is the 18 inches from our mind to our heart.” Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim
“We are here to let the beauty, love and joy continue so when you walk through this journey, the earth is the better for it. We can give back love, generosity and forgiveness when we ’see’ rightly. Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is our gift! What part will you play today?!”
Grandmother Aama Bombo, Nepal
I converse with the wind. Everything is air. I call the wind as God. They sit with us and they sit on my tongue and they speak through me.”
Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim
“The Sundance is very sacred to our Oglala Lakota peoples. As you support the ceremony in a respectful way, something good will come to you and your people as well.” Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance
“Every morning I get up and I pray for all sentient beings…humans, animals, even birds – they all need happiness.” Grandmother Tsering Dolma Gyaltong
“Our people know that the land and the language are one. If we lose one or the other we are no longer who we say we are.” Grandmother Beatrice Long Visitor Holy Dance
“My elders said, ‘Know where your water comes from. Know your fire. Know where you are going to find your food.’” Grandmother Mona Polacca
“Everyone lightens. Each one of us is moving and vibrating as we become one as the light beings we are. All of us have been called. All of us feel the change and know the urgency of becoming One.” Grandmother Flordemayo Guatemala
“Leadership is the highest spiritual calling, and as leaders, the starting point begins with you – managing your whole self – by utilizing the spirit that lies within your identity and the strength of your culture.” Grandmother Mona Polacca
Thank you Grandmothers for your dedication to all beings and for being leaders for us to make our world
A Peaceful Way Meditation 