Review: Essential Spirituality

April 30, 2013 By 2 Comments

Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind

I picked up this book as it was the book club pick for Stratejoy & I was a little apprehensive going into it about stepping outside of mainstream Christian readings.  However, the idea that all of major world’s religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) all shared these core principles about how to be more spiritual.  I’m so glad that I read this book, and it was really interesting to me all the similarities and themes that were common across so many religions.

I’d decided to take notes in my journal on this book & I’m really glad that I made this effort- there were so many great lessons and things that I learned.  The first few chapters were challenging reading, but once I got through them a light bulb really went off for me.  Been on a bit of a quest lately, soaking up lots of information about consciousness, spirituality, and soul health.  It’s a really big topic that’s challenging to wrap your mind around and really feel comfortable talking about it or feeling like I have anything cohesive to say about it.  At this moment, spirituality to me is being more fully present and aware in the moment, and living a life of gratitude, service, and compassion.

According to the book, the purpose of increasing our spirituality is to be more ethical (make moral choices & actions), improved concentration (deeper thinking & enhanced presence), and wisdom (beyond knowledge).

  1. The first exercise was about transforming motivation, or reducing our cravings and finding the soul’s desire.  This really struck home with me where we live in a society obsessed with happiness and obtaining material possessions.  We try to control every outcome and spend immense time and energy (and worry) attempting to guarantee a specific result.  All this craving, which is never satisfied even when we get our desires, just causes unnecessary suffering & we are better served by not attaching our happiness to outcomes but seeking higher motives (truth & justice, kindness & altruism, and beauty/sacred).
  2.  Cultivating emotional wisdom instructs us to heal the heart (learn to forgive) and learn to love (not lust or cheap love).  Having greater control over our emotions (and emotional reactions) is really a powerful tool that so many people could really benefit from in life.  
  3. Living ethically is another common theme among all religions and includes the idea that we feel good when we do good by increasing our positive emotions and decreasing the mental turmoil (guilt/grief) we must manage. 
  4. By improving concentration and calming the mind (meditation), mindfulness is increases and we are less likely to let the subconscious control the conscious or behaviors. (mindfulness turned inward)
  5. To awaken the spiritual vision is another shared practice among the religions which aids us in seeing clearly and recognizing the sacred in the everyday and everything. (mindfulness turned outward)
  6. All major religions also advocate cultivating spiritual intelligence which is the basis for wisdom and help us understand the life (purpose & death) beyond just intelligence, knowledge, experiences or power.  Both having vision (understanding) and the wisdom to know how to take practical actions are important to tackling the deeper questions of nature, life, God, and the mind.
  7. The final shared spirituality practice is applying all these principles to action through the  joy of service to others and expressing generosity.  Realizing that every action can be service to others, transforming the  motivations towards love, kindness, and compassion is the key to releasing attachments (#1) and helping us heal our wounds (#2).

These exercises were quite valuable to me as I am on this journey towards enlightenment, and I thought it was so fascinating that all these religions had shared themes and goal even if they used different methods to arrive at spirituality. This is a great book & I highly recommend it to those who are looking for something a little different than a typical “christian book”  but also want to learn ways our faith should really be making a big impact in our daily lives. 

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Hanging out with my sister for dinner & helping her plan her summer trip to Cali.

Filed Under: book, faith, review

Election Night 2012

November 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 I’d been looking forward to election night for several weeks- I knew that things were looking promising for Obama’s re-election & the Democrats in general.  I’d bought a fancy bottle of champagne (probably much nicer than ours on Election Night 2008), decided to do a pot roast in crock pot so we would have good food without having to actually cook that evening.

We fired up both the laptop & iPad, me following the live blogging & Hubby fascinated by all the Nate Silver predictions at 538.   Early on we parked the TV on MSNBC, but as the returns started pouring in, we’d cycle through all the channels to see how they were reporting the results & to see who had the latest updates.

 And then we watched & waited….the news started slowly but turned very favorable quickly.  A few early swing states were called for Obama & many of the down ballot candidates & progressive measures were receiving wide support.

We knew there could be election difficulties in Ohio, New Jersey, and especially Florida if the results were close.  Things were going so well that I kept telling hubby I wanted to open the champagne early so we’d have the evening to enjoy it, but he insisted we wait until it was officially called.   Luckily, picking up all the swing states gave Obama enough electoral college votes that he was over the top once they called Ohio for him, a little after 10PM our time.

 Although different than his first election win in 2008, the 2012 Election was just as important and historical.  I was thrilled with the election of so many women to Congress (Go Elizabeth Warren!)  & so many other monumental firsts for our country, especially representing minorities.  It was exciting to see marijuana legalized in 2 states, as well as gay marriage- it was such a big night for progressives & liberals.  And it’s apparently a really bad idea to run campaigns belittling rape, cause you gonna’ lose- big time, and it was The Single Biggest Night For Gay Rights In Electoral History.

The only real disappointment was the loss of Prop 37 in California, which required GMO foods to be labeled. I’m not very familiar with the law or requirements, but in general, I do think the public has a right to know about genetically modified foods & made informed decisions about their health.

We’ve got a long way to go from here as a country, but I really hope that we can go forward with a national political party that doesn’t insult women, minorities, gays, people who believe in science/facts/math, and basically anybody with a job.  I don’t agree with everything the Democratic Party does & our country works best when we have two viable, intelligent parties balancing out the power & decision making.

It was also quite a fascinating evening on the election front in terms of actual voting.  From the crazy delays & long lines on Florida during the shortened early voting period to the GOP imposed stricter limits on voter ID requirements in many states.  There were lots of people that had to make a real effort, going out of their way, to simply vote.  Something that should be easy, effortless, and accessible to all people since voting is the most fundamental right we cherish as America.  I loved this collection of people voting- exercising their right & making their voice heard.   Although the Presidential election was called fairly early, there were so many down-ballot races that really mattered & there are even several states (with very dysfunctional electoral boards) still counting votes & calling local races.

I found this great wrap-up & wanted to share and memorialize all the incredible things that happened on Election Night 2012.

On Tuesday, November 7th 2012 the United States of America reelected President Barack Obama, while the Democrats and Republics held on to their control of the Senate and the House, respectively. Historic victories and milestones in this year’s election results include:
-President Barack Obama won re-election with 55% of women’s votes and 45% of men’s votes for a decisive and historic 10% gender gap, according to CNN exit polls.

-The 113th Congress will have 20 women Senators, the most in US History.

-Same sex marriage was legalized in Maine, Maryland and Washington via ballot measures — marking the first time marriage equality has been won through the ballot.

-Minnesota rejected a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman — marking the first time voters have rejected such a constitutional amendment.

-Tammy Baldwin was elected to the US Senate — she is both the first woman elected to the US Senate from Wisconsin and the first openly lesbian/LGBT US Senator ever elected.

-Elizabeth Warren became the first woman ever elected to the US Senate from the state of Massachusetts.

-Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. In Colorado, residents who are 21 or older can now use and possess an ounce of marijuana, and the state can regulate retail sales of the drug. In Washington, the state will now sell of small amounts of marijuana to people 21 and older, with sales tax.

-Maryland passed a state version of the DREAM Act — the first act of its kind passed.

-New Hampshire elected the first-ever all-women congressional delegation.

-Mazie Hirono is the first Asian-American woman elected to the US Senate.

-Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever elected to the US House.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: So excited to spend the day in Philly & hang out with my best friend more this evening. 

Filed Under: faith, politics

Review: Sea of Miracles

August 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

I actually read TWO books in July, the second being an e-book called -Sea of Miracles by the incredibly talented Amy Oscar.  I’d seen Amy around the internet, and she was actually at the Creative Joy retreat I attended in June.  She recently released this book, and it’s a culmination of years of working with angels.  She collected thousands of stories & did hundreds of interview with people who say they’ve had some type of encounter with angels.  Everything from mysterious gifts, coincidental messages, helpful strangers that disappear, or benevolent animals are ways angels could be contacting you.

Let me just say I was totally blown away by this book!  It had me turning the pages quickly so I could keep learning more.  Although I go to church every week, angels are generally something relegated to a few books in the Bible, not something we can encounter every day.   I was fascinated with the many stories she shared, both of other people & her own personal encounters with spirits & the universe.  The book shares that angels want to interact with us & protect us or give guidance & comfort, but we are generally too oblivious to their signals and signs.  I read this book almost a month ago & I’ve dared my angels to play with me, and been surprised when I’ve found a few feathers & loose coins in very unusual places (check out my instagram stream for signs).  This was a short & easy read, mostly because the topic of angels was utterly magical and engaging to me.  Amy also writes weekly on her blog, and always has such fabulously encouraging messages, and I just realized she’s offering a month-long online class for Sea of Miracles in October.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Having a final dinner with my brother before he heads off to college tomorrow.

Filed Under: book, faith, review

Creative Joy Retreat

July 13, 2012 By 5 Comments

 Two weekends ago, I had the honor & privilege to attend the Creative Joy retreat in Garrison, New York with more than 60 other amazing women and three incredible leaders.   It was held at the the spectacular Garrison Institute (post & photos to follow), and was one of the most incredible things I’ve done in a really long time.  There aren’t going to be enough superlatives and adjectives to do this experience justice, but I’ll try to tell you how my life was deeply impacted through playing with yoga, photography, & writing as I nurtured my creative juices.

 We all met several times each day in the main sanctuary for morning mediation, the writing workshop, or evening gatherings.  I loved the way the group of women circled up, sprawled out on the floor, mats & journals ready for inspiration to strike.  I can’t say enough praises for Jen Louden (writing), Marianne Elliot (yoga), and Tracey Clark (photography) who inspired and challenged us throughout the weekend to be silly, try new things, trust ourselves, to listen to ourselves, to tell our story, to be seen, and to embrace our beautiful.

The whole weekend away was amazing & I can’t believe I’ve never been to a retreat before.  It reminded me of college- from the tiny dorm rooms to the family style dining in the cafeteria.  It was a great opportunity to step out of my normal, everyday life long enough to do some soul-searching, some healing, some thinking, and just plain have some fun on an adventure.  Yes, it’s pretty much everything you imagine a group of talented & wickedly vivacious women would do- dance, sing, cry, laugh, share, meditate, and hug!

 I bought a special Creative Joy journal from Chickadee Road & loved filling up the pages with writing and jotting down my random thoughts & documenting my weekend.  Since returning home, I’ve finished out the small journal by adding lyrics from some of my favorite songs from the weekend & gluing in some of my favorite photos.  I’ve turned into a little bit of a journal junkie lately, so I loved seeing everybody else’s beautiful notebooks.

 I arrived at the retreat super pumped to be doing 2 of my absolute favorite things in the world- yoga & photography.  I’m not a huge writer by any means, but I wanted to get better so I was eager for those sessions too.  However, many of the women on the retreat were quite nervous about yoga and/or photography since they didn’t have fancy cameras or had never really tried yoga.  My absolute favorite part of the weekend was seeing so many women fall in love with both yoga & photography when it was offered to them in a gentle, fun, supportive way.  Tracey & Marianne did such an amazing job of sharing the joy, fun, and passion with the ladies that many were excited and thrilled to experiment and play in a new arena.

To make things a bit more manageable, we broke up into small groups once a day to do a little more intimate checking in & getting to know each other.  One evening, we went out side (once they ridiculous heat had subsided) and practiced catching the light during the magic hour just as the sun set behind the mountains on the other side of the Hudson River.

 Each evening, one of the 3 women shared a bit of their personal story with us and how they’d overcome various obstacles.  Jen, Marianne, and Tracey are all such incredibly strong, smart, and funny ladies and it was an absolute pleasure getting to know them more.

 It was such a wonderful weekend for me on so many levels.  It’s part of a long slow process to do some healing, do some processing of my thoughts & emotions, to learn more about myself.  I’d highly recommend a retreat- even if it’s not a formal, organized one, do a mini-self retreat (Jen’s first book The Woman’s Retreat is on this very subject).  I do a ton of traveling, but have never gone away with purpose & it was so valuable, I will try to keep doing it at least once a year in the future.  I came away from this experience with so much more than I ever imagined- I just thought I was showing up to a whole weekend of yoga, photography & writing, but it was such a beautiful and awesome transformational experience for me.

Also see my photos of Garrison Institute & my favorites from the photography sessions.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY:  A day late on the blogging all week, but that’s just fine by me.

Filed Under: faith, fitness, nature, photography, review, Travels ->

Beautiful Gifts from Brave Girls

July 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

 One of my absolute favorite new websites is Brave Girls Club- for their inspiration, encouragement, and daily love notes they send.  The email from a little bird, telling me how lovely I am every single day are almost always the first email I open in the morning.

 They recently opened a fantastic little shop full of irresistible goodies.  I was so excited when my package arrived and loved the tiny bonus messages scattered throughout the packaging.

 I purchased 2 sets of magnets for my fabulous dry erase board- the  Seek Beauty set and the Live your Dream set.  Love them both!

All the packaging and materials were so exquisite, it was such a treat to even open each item. I also ordered a fancy new pen with a gorgeous design on it, and I couldn’t resist the amazing “Life is Beautiful” notepad for my desk too.  So excited to have these new encouragement items & they make me smile every time I see them!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: A day in the office & tomorrow out of the office before the weekend as I head to LA tonight.

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