Written after a walk on the beach last week...
Walking down the beach, pausing to pick up whatever orange seashell catches my eye. There are thousands of shells dusting the shoreline but I want only the deepest orange (a color I have been drawn to probably since I became an Orangeman at Syracuse University in 1991 but it has stuck with me for different reasons since then). For one of the plethora to catch my eye and cause me to stop my consistent gate…I pick it up, rub the sand off with my fingers, making sure it’s no one’s current home, then put in my collection bag.
The sound of the waves completing and resting over the tops of my feet. This particular beach in Florida has more trash than I prefer to see—well, I prefer to see no trash on the beach, but what I can’t pick up I see as a distraction from my walking meditation.
The word, or is it the name, GRACE written in shells just upshore. The squeals of little children running to their father, asking “Daddy, can I take my shirt off?” There are a good number of Haitian families here and their beach attire is different than what we’re accustomed to. Yes, child, take off your shirt. Take it all in.
My focus goes back to the scan of the wet sand for my orange shells. Oh—a really cool striped grey and white shell. That’s worth holding on to. Literally. Holding it in my hand. Connecting with the uniqueness of this, and each other shell that I lift from the Earth. The ocean reminds me of the vastness of this planet and the connectedness of us all—people, plants, water, animals, sea creatures, each grain of sand between my toes. For one shell to catch my eye and for me to make this a part of my world…it’s a mindful practice, shell hunting.
Looking up to catch a glimpse of the high rise hotel. This is not my idea of beauty. I look to the East and instead gaze upon the cloud formations just above the horizon. I notice the fine mist of rain dusting my forehead. I hadn’t realized it was raining a minute ago.
Cool! Smooth rocks and a really great stone that looks like years of sentiment have built up to create this beautiful one-of-a-kind gem that has found it’s temporary home directly in my path.
What a gift, what a treasure, to be able to walk the shore and take in the gifts that nature has to offer: the mist, the sea, the shells and stones, the children, and the clouds. At one point I almost felt compelled to make the sign of the cross. A symbol of reverence more relative to my younger years, I realize I’m deeply moved and connected not only to my environment but to my higher self. Hands in prayer at hearts center is more of my current mudra. I continued and walked grateful on my path, and plan to carry all of this with me.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tips for Wealth & Prosperity
There are certain life energies that resonate with different zones in our homes. This may sound kind of "woo-woo" to you, and I could start talking a bit about Quantum Physics (Who am I kidding? I can't really have a conversation about Quantum Physics.), or you can try to just embrace it and give it a try.
We can agree that where your thoughts and attention go, energy goes. Yes? Okay, so let's talk about the energy that goes to the Wealth & Prosperity area of our homes. In very general terms, when you walk in the front door of your house (which you should use as your main entrance whenever possible) to to the far left corner of your house. If you have an attached porch or deck, this should be considered part of the footprint of your space. This general area is where your Wealth & Prosperity energy lives.
What's there now?
If it has clutter of any sort--an overflowing closet, a messy desk, a collection of broken pots and dead plants--clear that out! Dedicate your time and energy to cleaning it up and getting rid of whatever doesn't say MONEY to you. And let's think about that--what does say money to you? Pictures of grand travels you want to take? A luxury car? A new kitchen? Or what about playing golf every week or going to the spa on a regular basis? As you're doing your cleaning and purging visualize yourself doing/being/having what looks like "the good life" to you--whatever that may be.
Once you've got this space all cleared out and sparkling, you can use some elements to enhance the good energy, the life force energy--the chi in the Wealth & Prosperity of your life. If it's an outdoor space adding something that moves in the wind is a great choice. Think windchimes (maybe with coins that jingle in the breeze?), whirly-gigs, flags, etc. Flowers or feeders that attract birds and/or butterflies are also great here.
The color purple is very powerful in this area of your home, as are jewel tones--rich ruby reds, golds, and deep royal blues. The fire element gets things moving, like candles, lamps, and triangular or conical shapes. And a trickling fountain is a wonderful enhancement for this area (just make sure the water isn't flowing toward the outside of your house, like money flowing out--you want it flowing in.
You can walk in to any room in your house or office and apply the same fixes. You always find the back left of the space based on the main entrance to the room. My website has a diagram of how the life energies map out over your floor plan. Your main entrance is (almost) always going to fall in either the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation, the Career, or the Helpful People & Travel area. http://cristinzinspiredliving.com/feng_shui.html
I hope this gives you some Wealth & Prosperity inspiration this morning! Happy enhancing!
peace, love, and wild riches~
We can agree that where your thoughts and attention go, energy goes. Yes? Okay, so let's talk about the energy that goes to the Wealth & Prosperity area of our homes. In very general terms, when you walk in the front door of your house (which you should use as your main entrance whenever possible) to to the far left corner of your house. If you have an attached porch or deck, this should be considered part of the footprint of your space. This general area is where your Wealth & Prosperity energy lives.
What's there now?
If it has clutter of any sort--an overflowing closet, a messy desk, a collection of broken pots and dead plants--clear that out! Dedicate your time and energy to cleaning it up and getting rid of whatever doesn't say MONEY to you. And let's think about that--what does say money to you? Pictures of grand travels you want to take? A luxury car? A new kitchen? Or what about playing golf every week or going to the spa on a regular basis? As you're doing your cleaning and purging visualize yourself doing/being/having what looks like "the good life" to you--whatever that may be.
Once you've got this space all cleared out and sparkling, you can use some elements to enhance the good energy, the life force energy--the chi in the Wealth & Prosperity of your life. If it's an outdoor space adding something that moves in the wind is a great choice. Think windchimes (maybe with coins that jingle in the breeze?), whirly-gigs, flags, etc. Flowers or feeders that attract birds and/or butterflies are also great here.
The color purple is very powerful in this area of your home, as are jewel tones--rich ruby reds, golds, and deep royal blues. The fire element gets things moving, like candles, lamps, and triangular or conical shapes. And a trickling fountain is a wonderful enhancement for this area (just make sure the water isn't flowing toward the outside of your house, like money flowing out--you want it flowing in.
You can walk in to any room in your house or office and apply the same fixes. You always find the back left of the space based on the main entrance to the room. My website has a diagram of how the life energies map out over your floor plan. Your main entrance is (almost) always going to fall in either the Knowledge & Self-Cultivation, the Career, or the Helpful People & Travel area. http://cristinzinspiredliving.com/feng_shui.html
I hope this gives you some Wealth & Prosperity inspiration this morning! Happy enhancing!
peace, love, and wild riches~
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Happy Independence Day!
I spent last night watching the students of the local ballroom dancing school perform in the town square in a small central Florida town. There was free ice cream, a bounce house for the kids, even a couple baby tigers from the local animal preserve. Maybe a couple hundred people, lots of young families, lots of old folks—just gathering for some good ‘ol American fun.
I stood watching the patrons and participants, imagining how different their lives are from mine. Me, a girl from a middle class family in Massachusetts, raising my family in a middle class suburb just outside Atlanta. I sensed a lot of these people never left their hometown. They lived a simpler life it seemed.
How often do we observe the people around us and identify all the ways in which we’re different. Why is that? For me to be plopped in this little town center I felt like I was in a different world, a different time. But if I stepped back and looked at the bigger picture, me and all of those people as a snapshot compared to the rest of the world, well, we aren’t so different from one another. Parents raising families, younger generations caring for the aging, gathering to celebrate Independence Day in this great country.
Life changes so quickly (or persistently) and sometimes it’s not so easy to figure out our place in this world. So we look at the people around us to try to measure against some barometer. It’s like we use the process of elimination to figure out what we’re not by looking at the ways in which we’re different from the people around us. This can reveal our core values, showing us what we want to be/have/do with our lives, or showing us what we don’t want to emulate.
The exercise that I’m focusing on these days, however, is to find the ways in which I am similar to the people, not only in my own community, but in the world at large. Our paths can be drastically different, the life that we’re born in to can be worlds apart. My situation is simpler than so many. I don’t feel that my challenges are really any harder than anyone else’s. I realize I am fortunate, so fortunate. I always reflect around the 4th of July holiday what it means to be born a white person in America with a wealth of opportunities available to me. But put all that aside—we are one human race sharing a finite time on this planet. I want to connect with people by finding whatever I can that makes us the same—sharing in those life experiences that we all have.
I’m a woman. I’m a mother. I’m a partner, a daughter, a sister. I believe in freedom. I value creative expression and following a spiritual path. I admire hard work. I know that laughter heals and binds people together. I feel that if we all speak, listen, and act from the heart then the time we’re sharing right now is going to be better.
Deep down in the core we’re all the same. If we can peel back all the layers that keep us apart--all those worldly things that make our lives look so vastly different--imagine how peaceful the world would be.
Happy Birthday America~
I stood watching the patrons and participants, imagining how different their lives are from mine. Me, a girl from a middle class family in Massachusetts, raising my family in a middle class suburb just outside Atlanta. I sensed a lot of these people never left their hometown. They lived a simpler life it seemed.
How often do we observe the people around us and identify all the ways in which we’re different. Why is that? For me to be plopped in this little town center I felt like I was in a different world, a different time. But if I stepped back and looked at the bigger picture, me and all of those people as a snapshot compared to the rest of the world, well, we aren’t so different from one another. Parents raising families, younger generations caring for the aging, gathering to celebrate Independence Day in this great country.
Life changes so quickly (or persistently) and sometimes it’s not so easy to figure out our place in this world. So we look at the people around us to try to measure against some barometer. It’s like we use the process of elimination to figure out what we’re not by looking at the ways in which we’re different from the people around us. This can reveal our core values, showing us what we want to be/have/do with our lives, or showing us what we don’t want to emulate.
The exercise that I’m focusing on these days, however, is to find the ways in which I am similar to the people, not only in my own community, but in the world at large. Our paths can be drastically different, the life that we’re born in to can be worlds apart. My situation is simpler than so many. I don’t feel that my challenges are really any harder than anyone else’s. I realize I am fortunate, so fortunate. I always reflect around the 4th of July holiday what it means to be born a white person in America with a wealth of opportunities available to me. But put all that aside—we are one human race sharing a finite time on this planet. I want to connect with people by finding whatever I can that makes us the same—sharing in those life experiences that we all have.
I’m a woman. I’m a mother. I’m a partner, a daughter, a sister. I believe in freedom. I value creative expression and following a spiritual path. I admire hard work. I know that laughter heals and binds people together. I feel that if we all speak, listen, and act from the heart then the time we’re sharing right now is going to be better.
Deep down in the core we’re all the same. If we can peel back all the layers that keep us apart--all those worldly things that make our lives look so vastly different--imagine how peaceful the world would be.
Happy Birthday America~
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