Between Us Girls

Passage Meditation: How it Can Help You to Translate Your Spiritual Ideals into Your Everyday Life

Although meditation is much-talked-about, it is easier said than done for most of us. It can seem too foreign, too complicated, or too strange, but somehow the promised benefits keep drawing us back in to take a look again and again and to wonder:

Can I learn to do this? Will meditation really help me to think more clearly, get in touch with my true self, realize that I am more than my body, more than my mind, part of a greater whole? Can I learn to train my mind, to become more focused, to learn to think and act rather than to simply react? Will I ever be able to sit still long enough to even try?

I believe that we all have what it takes to do this, but we may need a little help. There are many, many different ways to meditate and we need to find the way that is right for us. I've been searching for the right way for myself for a while now and I think that I may have found it. So of course, I 'd like to share it with

Finding the Meaning of Life

We all have our moments...times when we just don't like the way life is going, when we feel that nothing is working, when everything seems so overwhelming. We feel like we're swimming upstream and we wonder why we are even bothering. What's the use? Why does life have to be so hard?

Sometimes life is hard. But it's also true that no matter how difficult it gets, there is always a way to go on. Always. No matter what. Whatever your circumstances, you can find something to live for. But when we are in the midst of a bad time, we can easily lose sight of that fact, can't we? Times like these call for drastic measures. Times like these call for a story. Let me tell you one

How Spirituality Can Help You Reach Your Goals

     Some of us are naturally spiritual people and some are not.  Some of us equate spirituality with religion and some do not.  Whether we attend church, chant and meditate, participate in drum circles or eschew all things spiritual or religious in nature, one thing that we do share is the tendency to build our lives around our goals.  We can also agree that achieving the goals we set for ourselves isn't always easy.

     I have written elsewhere about the importance of choosing our goals wisely.  Goals that are congruent with our values are much more meaningful and more likely to be attained.  But psychological research shows that having goals that are not just meaningful, but spiritually meaningful, boosts our power to achieve.

"Psychological studies have recently begun focusing on better defining and studying spirituality, as opposed to a cloudy mix of religion and spirituality, and the results are quite interesting. It turns out that a sense of spirituality can be good for you, especially when it comes to achieving your goals."

     Having spiritually meaningful goals doesn't mean that you need to become religious or set goals like "ending hunger" or "saving the whales."  But contemplating your place in the world and the meaning of your life may help guide you in determining the goals that are most meaningful to you.  To find out more, read my guest post "How Spirituality Can Help You Reach Your Goals" at www.effortlessabundance.com.

    

The Strength to be Yourself

     Once in a while I get in a funk...don't we all? I fall into the trap of comparing myself with others, regretting past mistakes, wishing I had done things differently or that I was more like someone else I imagine to be far better off. For a day or two, I can't seem to muster the energy to take all of my own advice on positive thinking, gratitude, living in the here and now, blah, blah, blah.

     Hey, I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. Yes, I know better and yet sometimes, even knowing better isn't enough to keep my spirits up when things aren't going my way. So, I allow myself a day or two of moping and then I get on with my life. I get back on the positive psychology wagon. I focus on the moment, try to meditate, exercise (of course), engage in activities that foster more positive emotions (like reading or walking outside or a little gardening) and the world seems bright once again.

     It's good that I go through this really. It keeps me humble and serves as a reminder that there is a lot of unhappiness in the world and that we are all susceptible. Experiencing it myself now and again helps me to be more compassionate towards others who are feeling low and maybe don't have the knowledge or the skills to pull themselves out of it like I do. I believe that we all need to do what we can in this crazy world to try to stay positive, to improve our lives and to be happy. I also believe that we owe it to our friends, our families and our neighbors to reach out and grab their hands and lift them up as well.

Bee-ing a Good Citizen

      The idea of being a good citizen means different things to different people, but I think that, at it's core, good citizenship refers to doing not what is easiest or best for oneself, but focusing more on what will contribute most to the common good.  Some will explain it as being helpful to one's neighbors, others may describe it as loyalty to one's country.  What creates variations in our definitions of good citizenship is our individual perspectives of what larger context we are considering ourselves a part, and, what obligations we feel toward that larger context.

     My beliefs lead me to view the entire planet as the larger context of which I am but a small part.  I believe that we are all - the plants, the animals, all of humanity - part of an interdependent web of existence.  We are all part of one large ecosystem and our obligation is to ensure the well-being and continuity of that entire system and all of its members.  While I know that some may not share these beliefs or simply may not care enough to have given it any thought, I am happy to see that, little by little

Doing Less and Getting More Done - Taoist Secrets

     Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I like to read and that my reading tends to lean toward the psychological, ecological and the spiritual.  When I find reading materials that address all three, I'm truly happy.

     For those of you who share my interests, you might want to check out my latest read "Ecotherapy" by Howard Clinebell.  It's an interesting book on the theory of ecopsychology and suggestions for the practical application of that theory in the therapeutic or educational setting.  You can find a link to that book and many others in the same vein in my Amazon Bookstore.

     Now getting back to the topic at-hand, like so many people these days, I struggle to stay calm, focus on the positive and find (and maintain) some sense of happiness and contentment.  In our stress-filled world, this is no easy feat but find that reading and thinking about things like ecopsychology and various forms of spirituality helps to sustain me and keep me on track.  As much as my approach to spirituality may be non-theistic and non-traditional, it is perhaps a more important part of my life than I sometimes realize and I believe this is true for most of us.

     Whether or not we consider ourselves religious or non-religious, I think that we are all in some respects spiritual.  As I discussed in a prior post, The Meaning of Spirituality, spirituality is about feeling that we are each one part of a larger whole.  The whole may be defined differently for each of us - Christianity, Islam, the human race, all living things, the universe etc.  Or, for many of us, the whole may be indefinable.  As human beings, it seems to be in our nature to wonder about our place in the universe and our role or purpose.  We need to have meaning in our lives and this is what I am talking about when I talk about spirituality.

     As I read, I seem to find that Eastern Philosophies have the most to offer when it comes to practical spitituality.  In Taoism in particular, I have found a great deal of practical wisdom, some of which I have already shared with you in my post  Come On Get Happy.

     I've also written a guest post for the PositivityBlog about Taoist Secrets to Doing Less and Getting More Done.  Those of you who like my prior post on Taoism or who simply like practical spirituality might find my guest post helpful as well.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  And, if you have any spiritual reading suggestions, please share them.

    

Questions of Morality

     Psst...I have a secret to tell you.  You might find it quite shocking.  Religion does not have a corner on the morality market.  No really, it's true...left to our own devices, ordinary people all adhere (or at least try to adhere) to the same basic set of moral standards.  Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Humanists, Atheists all tend to agree on the same moral precepts...love and compassion, caring for the sick and weak, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, don't kill, lie or steal etc..

     Questions of morality have to do with how what we do effects the happiness and/or suffering of others.  Morals are our code of conduct, our rules for living, our ideas and beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong.  It turns out that most of us share a common set of moral standards.  Of course, whether or not we manage to live by them is quite another story.  But what we hold up as our ideals is remarkably consistent.

     Of course, religious leaders would have us believe otherwise.  Here in the U.S. the most vocal of those religious leaders are what we have come to call "Conservative Christians."  Christianity does claim the most adherents of any religion in America, but the most conservative of those Christians wield an inordinate amount of power.  They are very vocal and very forceful when it comes to (Read more...)

Softball Lessons

     My daughter started softball this spring.  She's seven, totally inexperienced and very excited.  I'm hoping that she'll learn all of the important stuff that she needs to become a good ball player, but I'm hoping she'll learn some important life lessons as well.  A very inspiring story from the news this week makes me believe that my hopes may be justified.

     Maybe some of you already heard this story, but it is well-worth repeating.  This past week, the women's softball teams from Central Washington University and Western Oregon University were competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  Sara Tucholsky, a senior player with the Western Oregon team came up to bat.  With two runners on base and a strike to her credit, she did something she had never done before; she hit a home run!  The crowd cheered as Sara began running the bases but, in her excitement, she failed to actually touch first base.  She turned to step back and tag it and, suddenly, collapsed.  Sara's quick turn had torn a knee ligament.

                                                                    Unable to get up, Sara looked to the first base coach who told her that it was against the rules for her teammates to help her.  The umpire stepped in and said that her team could send in a pinch runner, but the hit would only count as a single.

    In order for the hit to count as a home run, Sara herself would need to touch all of the bases.  Sara was devastated.

    It was then that Mallory Holtman, first baseman for Central Washington University, stepped up to the plate - so to speak.  Mallory asked if there were any rules that would prohibit her, a member of the opposing team, from helping Sara.  When the umpire said no, Mallory and her teammate, Liz Wallace, carefully picked up Sara Tucholsky and carried her from base to base, pausing just long enough for Sara to reach down with her uninjured leg and touch each of them. 

     The three-run homer counted and as a result, Mallory and Liz's team not only lost the game, but lost any chance of winning the conference and going on to the play-offs.  Mallory (Read more...)

Religion and Politics

   Long considered taboo for polite discussion, religion and politics now seem to be the topic of the day.  Who you're for is no longer a private matter when it comes to religion or politics.  In fact, the implication is that they should somehow go hand-in-hand. 

     Last night, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fielded questions that had to do with their faith, their politics and how the former may influence the latter at a "Compassion Forum" held in Pennsylvania.  Don't let the title fool you, the forum had little if anything to do with compassion and lots to do with nailing down the faith perspectives of our two democratic candidates.

     In America, our nation was set up in a way that would ensure the separation of church and state.  Why - because the founding fathers were a bunch of atheists?  No, because many of the people who settled here had come to escape religious persecution.  They wanted the freedom to worship (or not) as they saw fit.  Keeping a separation between church and state ensured that the political powers of the day would be  (Read more...)

Come On Get Happy - The Taoist Approach to Life

     It's no strange coincidence that so many of us are looking for happiness.  The more we have separated ourselves from nature and from each other, the more miserable we have become.

     We are struggling to find happiness, as if it is out there somewhere hiding from us.  But it's right where it has always been...we've just lost sight of it.

     Happiness is something within us, something that we create for ourselves...it is a way of being in the world...a way of living in harmony with nature (both our inner nature and the nature that surrounds and sustains us).  How do we find our way back?

     We can find our way back to happiness by looking backward in time and following the ancient wisdom of a people who truly understand how to live happily.  As I have begun to explore the basic principles of Taoism, I have been surprised by both their (Read more...)

Journey into the Brain - A New Take on Nirvana?

Eastern spirituality seems to be the West's largest and perhaps most important import these days.  It seems that our hard-driven, overly-ambitious ways have caught up with us and we suspect there must be a better way. 

     We have turned, in large numbers, to the techniques and practices of ancient Eastern religions in record numbers - Buddhist temples now dot the American landscape and yoga classes and meditation centers have found their way to even the most backward of regions.  We are all desperately seeking nirvana.

     But what is it that we really expect to find and how are we going to find it?  Is nirvana out there somewhere or is it within?  Do we even know what we're looking for and will we recognize it when we find it?

    So many of us are looking outward to find the things or activities that will make us happy.  What I am beginning to realize through my own experience however, is that until I am able to find some inner peace, (Read more...)

The Meaning of Spirituality

       Like many people, I have wrestled with religion and spirituality throughout my life.  For a long time, I rejected religion.  The dogma of organized churches had never set well with me so I chose to distance myself from it.  I considered myself a spiritual person, just not a religious one.

     Then I had children.  I thought that perhaps belonging to a church would be a good thing for the kids.  So we tried.  At first it seemed to be working out, but then I found myself bristling at the ideas that I was a sinner who needed to beg for forgiveness, that I needed to believe the unbelievable in order to be saved, that I had to live a lie - hiding my true beliefs for the sake of fitting in. 

     The straw that really broke the camels back was when my six-year-old son began to rebel.  I found myself forcing him to go along with ideas that I couldn't even buy into.  I knew then, it was time to go.

     But what now?  I still longed for a sense of community...of like-minded, hopeful, positive, loving people (Read more....)