November 22, 2012 ~ Giving Thanks

November 22, 2012 ~ Giving Thanks

"He enjoys much who is thankful for little; a grateful mind is both a great

and a happy mind."

~Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury, 18th century

 

"Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

~GK Chesterton (1874-1936)

Today is the day we have set aside for thanks giving. And hopefully—along with allowing ourselves to get caught up in the mad rush for Christmas bargains at the big box stores (do you know that some people have literally been camping out at Best Buy stores since MONDAY?), and fussing over trussing the perfect turkey—hopefully somewhere in the midst of it all we will actually take time to reflect on the bounty and the beauty that surrounds us every moment and share that with one another.

I'll sneak in one more quote, by Eric Hoffer: "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."  How true. Writing this blog for the last 6 months has certainly opened my eyes to how much in life I have taken for granted, and I am grateful to be cultivating the eyes to see and a heart opening to gratitude and wonder. I am reminded of the wise fox in The Little Prince who says, "it is only with the heart that one can see rightly."

I think we're 'hard wired' to always want more...and better...and it's that spirit of evolution and expansion that propels humankind to great innovation and wonderful creative endeavors and scientific breakthroughs. However, we can also get stuck in the groove of taking for granted the many gifts we have been given and focus on what's missing...always wanting more, so that it never quite feels like enough. The remedy is found in giving thanks.

When we actually sit down with pen in hand and list all the things, and people, we have to be grateful for, it is absolutely mind boggling. Like food, shelter, clean water to drink, a source of income, beloved pets, cherished friends and loved ones, for starters—and the list is literally endless. Then taking the time to share with these folks how much we appreciate them...well, there is no greater gift.

So this Thanksgiving weekend, may we truly enjoy the feast of beauty, wonder, love, and infinite blessings that abound in our lives, as well as the feast on the table. May our hearts be full as well as our bellies. To enjoy a feast for the soul, check out the Youtube video "A Good Day" with Brother David Steindl-Rast. Guaranteed to uplift and inspire.

Wishing you many blessings this Thanksgiving Day and always,
Joanne   

November 15, 2012 ~ Kindness

November 15, 2012 ~ Kindness

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word,

a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring,

all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

~Leo Buscaglia

Did you know this is World Kindness Week? We have not only a day but a whole week to practice being kind. How fabulous is that?! November 13 was the original date decreed for World Kindness Day at the first World Kindness Movement conference in Tokyo back in 1998, and now there is a whole week, from November 13-20, designated as a time to focus on acts of kindness. If you'd like some ideas, there are several websites to offer inspiration: www.randomactsofkindness.org;  www.helpothers.org; and www.onemillionactsofkindness.com to name a few. 

Some of the ideas they suggest are: cook dinner for a friend; offer to help a family member, friend or neighbor with yard work or babysitting; give someone an inspirational book with a note in it; go to a public place and pick up trash; offer to fix someone's car; help teach a child; give care packs to the homeless...the possibilities are endless.

Although I think kindness is as much about a state of being as it is about doing anything in particular. Sometimes a simple heart warming smile or a gentle touch or a listening ear convey kindness and caring in profound ways that we may not even realize. It is the love and compassion behind the action that can be healing and even life changing.

I was thinking about some acts of kindness that I have received in my life (and there are MANY, for which I am very grateful), and a few touch me deeply in recalling the memories. When I was about 12 years old I wanted to do something special for my Dad's birthday, so I baked him a cake. Unfortunately, in removing the cake from the round pan, part of it stuck to the pan, resulting in several large craters in the top of the cake. I was inconsolable about this 'disaster', terribly upset that the cake was ruined. My grandmother "Mimi", a lovely, kind, woman with a jolly soul, reassured me, exclaiming with delight and a twinkle in her eye, "Oh! This is perfect! We'll make it a 'sand trap cake'!" My Dad was an avid golfer, so this made perfect sense to me. We had so much fun decorating that cake, making little fairways with flags, a little duck pond, and sand traps. It was the coolest cake ever!

What an act of kindness it was for my grandmother to spend time with me helping to turn this disappointment into a delightful experience. And what a wonderful lesson about creative problem solving. It is a treasured memory that warms my heart to this day. Kindness is such a simple thing to practice, and much needed in the world today.

So, this week, I'll be thinking about ways to spread a little more kindness in the world. I hope you'll join in the fun too!

November 11, 2012 ~ Butterflies, Beauty and Grace

November 11, 2012 ~ Butterflies, Beauty and Grace

"Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies

lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine."

~Jeffrey Glassberg

 "There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."

~R. Buckminster Fuller

I'm suddenly noticing butterflies everywhere~flitting across my path as I walk along the wildlife ponds, in movies, and in books. As someone who enjoys looking at the symbolic significance of animals and insects that I encounter in dreams and in waking life, I am drawn to inquire how am I being invited to make changes in my life; what is in the process of transformation; and how may I find lightness, beauty and joy in the process?

What an amazing little creature, the butterfly! So delicate and fragile, yet powerful and strong. It boggles the mind to think of the transformation this little being goes through. It begins life as an egg, than grows into a furry little caterpillar that inches along the ground and munches leaves, and then compelled by some ancient instinctive impulse, finds a sheltered spot, suspends itself and creates a cocoon, and waits...and by some miraculous process of transmutation, becomes something that is totally unrecognizable from its former self. For a time, it is what one might call "goo", neither caterpillar nor butterfly. Once the transformation is complete, it emerges from its cocoon, in a sort of rebirth, as a magnificently beautiful creature capable of taking flight and pollinating the flowers, helping to fill the world with even more beauty. 

And then there's the Monarch—what an amazing feat these tiny delicate creatures perform, migrating as far as 2,500-3,000 miles to winter in the warmer southern climate of Mexico and Southern California. How do they know the way? How do they find the very same trees year after year that previous generations roosted upon? Guided by some inner compass, no doubt.

I am feeling very grateful today the presence of butterflies in the world~for sharing their radiant beauty and for reminding us of our potential for transformation. For there may be times in our lives when we feel we are "in the goo" of it all—life as we knew it is no longer recognizable; we are not who we once were...and not yet who we will become. Being in the goo can feel like a lonely and frightening place. The butterfly reminds us that we too have an inner guidance system and an inner compass, and we are invited to nurture connection with Spirit, with our 'higher self', our inner wise man or woman, through contemplation, prayer and meditation. We can trust in the perfect unfolding, even in the uncertainty of life. And we are reminded of the exquisite beauty, joy, and freedom that is found at the other end of the transformation process.

Wishing you moments of beauty, grace and inspiration this day and always. Yours in continuing gratitude and awe,

~Joanne 

Nov. 5, 2012 ~ The Enneagram: Freeing the Angel in the Marble

November 5, 2012 ~The Enneagram: Freeing the Angel in the Marble

"Freedom is knowing who you really are."

~Linda Thomson

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."
~Michelangelo

   
I'm very excited to be learning about the Enneagram, an ancient tool of psychological and spiritual growth and transformation, and grateful for new insights that are helping me release old patterns of behavior. 

Have you ever felt like there's more of you hidden inside than meets the eye, other songs your heart would sing if they were allowed air time? Have you noticed automatic ways of reacting in life, patterns and circumstances that repeat over and over (the names and faces change but the relationship patterns are strangely similar)—and have you ever wanted to unravel the mystery of what gets in the way of achieving your goals and ideals? Those are some of the gifts of studying the Enneagram. 

The Enneagram is a circle graph with 9 points that describes nine basic personality types, each style having different ways of being in the world, with different motivations, perspectives, ways of thinking and feeling and relating to others. The premise is that we all come into the world with essential qualities such as Love, Goodness, Wisdom, Power, Peace, Joy, etc. and with unique gifts and talents. Over time, however, certain personality traits can develop in reaction to family and environmental influences, and as the personality overlay grows stronger, we lose connection to our essence, to our authentic self. We become identified with the personality, and for better or worse can become fixated in ways of thinking and relating to others. 

Studying the Enneagram and learning about who we really are in essence beneath the outer shell of the personality, to borrow the picture from Michelangelo, we 'chip away at the marble' of the personality to reveal the authentic being inside and we 'set the angel free'. For me, the revelations have been profound. I have discovered that I'm a 9-point. Nines are the Peacemakers and Mediators, as they can understand multiple points of view. Accommodating to others, they often have difficulty knowing what THEY think and feel, what THEIR needs and desires are...and they can get distracted with trivial pursuits rather than doing what is really important to them or following their true path.

The 'virtue' for the 9-point is ACTION—taking authentic action that honors their essential nature. So, being consciously aware now of my tendency to procrastinate, lose focus, or become distracted, I am beginning to make different choices—taking action that honors my gifts and talents, and committing to walking my true life path. Like honoring my commitment to writing rather than watching TV tonight, for instance :-) 

There is indeed freedom in knowing who you really are, and great joy in 'chipping away all that is not David' (to borrow another metaphor from Michelangelo) to free the angel in the marble! 

If you are interested in learning more about the Enneagram, here are some websites to visit: www.enneagram.com; www.enneagramspectrum.com;  and www.internationalenneagram.org. If you send me an email, I'd be happy to send book recommendations as well: joannelefferts@gmail.com.