tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13213216814295162422024-03-08T05:38:12.158-08:00Loving.Me.LiveLoving.April.Livehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14223824050437999578noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321321681429516242.post-67913179750406015172011-12-12T20:34:00.000-08:002011-12-19T14:08:34.762-08:00The Alchemist.The Alchemist. <div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">The heat lasted until nightfall, and<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">all that time he had to carry his jacket. But when he thought to complain about the burden of its weight,<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">he remembered that, because he had the jacket, he had withstood the cold of the dawn.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> <b>We have to be prepared for change, he thought, and he was grateful for the jacket's weight and warmth.</b><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b> </b></span></p></div><div><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">We have to take advantage when luck is on our side, and do as<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span>much to help it as it's doing to help us. It's called the principle of favorability. Or beginner's luck."<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> He still had some doubts about the decision he had made. But he was able to understand one thing:<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">making a decision was only the beginning of things.</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">One: </span>When someone makes a decision, he is really diving<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span>decision.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>One: When someone makes a decision, one is really diving into a strong current, and will be carried to places never dreamed of when the decision was first made. </b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><b></b><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">The closer one gets to realizing one's destiny, the more that destiny becomes one's true reason for being,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">"That's the principle that governs all things," he said. "In alchemy, it's called the Soul of the World. When<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It's always a<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">positive force."<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">Meanwhile, the boy thought about his treasure. The closer he got to the realization of his dream, the<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">more difficult things became. It seemed as if what the old king had called "beginner's luck" were no longer<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">functioning. In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">courage. So he could not be hasty, nor impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">the signs and omens left by God along his path.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">"It's not what enters men's mouths that's evil," said the alchemist. "It's what comes out of their mouths</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">that is."<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"> </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">***"There is only one way to learn," the alchemist answered. "It's through action. Everything you need to<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">know you have learned through your journey. ... "The wise understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that,<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">through its visible objects, one could understand one's spiritual teachings and the marvels of one's wisdom.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">That's what I mean by action."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">to you. Because you'll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say. That way,<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">you'll never have to fear an unanticipated blow."<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">with God and with eternity."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">That night, the boy slept deeply, and, when he awoke, his<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">heart began to tell him things that came from the Soul of the World. It said that all people who are happy<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">have God within them. And that happiness could be found in a grain of sand from the desert, as the<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">alchemist had said. Because a grain of sand is a moment of creation, and the universe has taken millions<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">of years to create it. "Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him," his heart said. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">***"What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we've learned as we've moved toward that<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">dream. That's the point at which most people give up. It's the point at which, as we say in the language of<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.'</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "To show you one of life's simple lessons," the alchemist answered. "When you possess great treasures<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">With every day that passed, the boy's heart became more and more<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">silent. It no longer wanted to know about things of the past or future; it was content simply to<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">contemplate the desert, and to drink with the boy from the Soul of the World. The boy and his heart had<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> When his heart spoke to him, it was to provide a stimulus to the boy, and to give him strength, because<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">the days of silence there in the desert were wearisome. His heart told the boy what his strongest qualities<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">were:</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">No one fails to suffer<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span>the consequences of everything under the sun."<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "Your eyes show the strength of your soul," answered the alchemist.<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "And then there were the others, who were interested only in gold. They never found the secret. They<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">forgot that lead, copper, and iron have their own destinies to fulfill. <b>And anyone who interferes with the</b><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b> </b></span><b>destiny of another thing never will discover his own."</b></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><b></b><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "If a person is living out his destiny, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "Remember what I told you: the world is only the visible aspect of God. And that what alchemy does is<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">to bring spiritual perfection into contact with the material plane."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">the wind came from no place at all, nor did it go to any place; that's why it<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">was stronger than the desert. Someone might one day plant trees in the desert, and even raise sheep<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">there, but never would they harness the wind.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times"> "That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times">around us becomes better, too."<span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"> </span></p></span></div>Loving.April.Livehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14223824050437999578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321321681429516242.post-33063159952228177302011-04-08T17:47:00.000-07:002011-04-08T17:53:25.611-07:00Back to the MatWow...it's been a little while. I've had about a two year break from this cyber space that I shared with for some short time. I believe I might come back and share my experiences on my mat:). My practice has developed amazingly:). I've incorporated chants in a variety of ways, three in particular. one began in a space known as a meditation center for Siddha Yoga:). The other, mainly in the confines of a car, in a condo, on some land surrounded by water, with a friend. A very new to me, embrace of the great faith developed in chanting harmony. and lastly, my daily attribute of AUM...my commitment to study, consider and incorporate the most magnanimous chant of them all.<div><br /></div><div>I appreciate all that may gain insight, love, peace or experiences from my pieces. Most of all, I appreciate the opportunity to share, be it for myself...because I am a compulsive writer for myself...or for anyone who may benefit.</div><div><br /></div><div>love.:) aprili</div>Loving.April.Livehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14223824050437999578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321321681429516242.post-48655658051241905002009-05-07T19:55:00.000-07:002009-05-07T20:09:33.001-07:00The Invitation~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br /><br />It doesn't interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for and <strong>if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing</strong>.<br /><br />It doesn't interest me how old you are I want to know if you will <strong>risk looking like a fool for love for your dreams for the adventure of being alive.</strong><br /><br />It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow <strong>if you have been opened by life's betrayals</strong> or have become shrivelled and <strong>closed from fear of further pain</strong>. I want to know if you can sit with pain mine or your own <strong>without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.</strong><br />I want to know if you can be with joy mine or your own <strong>if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes --without cautioning</strong> us <strong>to be careful</strong> be <strong>realistic</strong> to <strong>remember </strong>the <strong>limitations</strong> of <strong>being </strong>human.<br /><br />It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. <strong>I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.</strong><br />If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.<br /><br />I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And <strong>if you can source your own life from its presence.</strong> I want to know if you can live with failure yours and mine and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, <strong>"Yes." </strong><br /><br />It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.<br /><br />It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.<br /><br />I want to know if you can be alone with yourself <strong>and if you truly like the company you keep</strong> in the empty moments.<br /><br /><br />Oriah Mountain Dreamer Canadian Teacher and Author<br />© 1995 by Oriah House, From "Dreams Of Desire"Loving.April.Livehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14223824050437999578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321321681429516242.post-85807846296018892362009-04-18T12:10:00.000-07:002010-06-20T11:52:35.797-07:00My SecretLive Breathe, love -be- appreciation.<div></div><div><br /></div><div>A.Walker: Everyone must have a practice.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I think of the precious beautiful things I have to be grateful for in every light of life. It thrills me and it brings me closer to that part of life:)</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm grateful to share this with you all.</div>Loving.April.Livehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14223824050437999578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321321681429516242.post-82555201951210565662009-04-17T20:45:00.000-07:002010-06-20T11:49:14.639-07:00Poems...Poetry..Word.I am a poet... In my own mind... and that is all that matters... That is the greatest mind that matters to me anyway... in the noon day, I will search for more poets to fuel my mind and it will matter greatly to me that they fuel me. It will matter most that they point out areas for my improvement, my inspiration and my ability to impart knowledge upon others... So, I am a poet, I am a poet in my mind and when I am able to share this to the world, I will be a poet in their eyes too... in the eyes of me, you... and well ...you.<br /><br /><strong>a couple of my own...</strong><br /><br /><br />*under construction:)...just look for the poetry in my prose;)<br /><br /><strong>So... Poems that I like...</strong><br /><br /><br /><em>The Guest House</em><br /><br />This being human is a guest house.<br />Every morning a new arrival.<br />A joy, a depression, a meanness,<br />some momentary awareness comes<br />as an unexpected visitor.<br />Welcome and entertain them all!<br />Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,<br />who violently sweep your house<br />empty of its furniture,<br />still, treat each guest honorably.<br />He may be clearing you out<br />for some new delight.<br />The dark thought, the shame, the malice,<br />meet them at the door laughing,<br />and invite them in.<br />Be grateful for whoever comes,<br />because each has been sent<br />as a guide from beyond.<br />~ Rumi ~<br />(The Essential Rumi, versions by Coleman Barks)Loving.April.Livehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14223824050437999578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1321321681429516242.post-75361560669298696472009-04-02T17:26:00.000-07:002009-04-19T21:40:37.660-07:00My Daily Meditation PracticeGreater depth in breath & beating(heart)…<br />“Wow, today I appreciated the focus on my breath and more so—more deeply—the sense of being that noticed my body’s natural movements, my body’s vibrations & beats rhythmically throughout my body. I appreciated…knowing a oneness in my body. My smells cultivated my mind, and peace and oneness were sealed in the dong(of the bell).”<br /><br />First time on yoga mat…<br />My body’s aching & I’m grateful for a long and prosperous day. My meditation was in a space that I briefly set up for myself on a yoga mat & with my back erect(against my wooden bed side) & my body facing a window to the East. I once again experience the beating of my pulse, my pump of blood throughout my body—thrusting and moving me with its rhythm. I felt the beauty of my heart beat & resonate my body. I tried further & retreated, I want more later.<br />Journey to Love<br />Today I meditated 11mins. I had a # of things on my mind. I had music playing accidently—that I was[faintly] aware of. I thought mainly of what I believe life is really all about. What it means to me—I wish/pray that I will think of how—that essence of what life means will reveal to me how to go forth in life thru this revelation of what life is. I have realized that life means Love—Love of oneself—completely—&my ? is—how am I gonna allow this meaning to thrive my life forward? An ever present drive—charge & adoration to Love myself fully—really love all I am & all that I am to be. Do things to strengthen me & make me proud of myself & love myself 1st. that’s my drive. –success used to drive me—yet, I believe this comes as I love myself enough to accept my success as it is & is to be. I thought of a funny movie I watched last nite and how much I enjoy my bff’s company here now-- & stf I must b responsible for.<br /><br />Reaping Peace<br />I reap peace. I am sitting in my favorite alone spot on campus & I hear the sounds that sometimes calm me. I attempt freeing my mind—the sounds & smells stimulate accelerate too many thoughts. I feel calm, confused, wishful—wanting—clarity. Thinking of sowing seeds of hard work. how much rest I’ve had lately & what that sows—I believe peace. I am sowing Peace with my practice and this is as important as anything else!Loving.April.Livehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14223824050437999578noreply@blogger.com0