Desert Moon Rising

Life Coaching & Conscious Living

October 17, 2012
by Pam Bell
Comments Off on Embodying Fall in Preparation for Renewal

Embodying Fall in Preparation for Renewal

Embodying Fall in Preparation for Renewal

Fall is a bit of a contradiction both in nature and in our bodies. The weather is invigorating, the colors inspiring, yet the culmination of it is an invitation and a lesson in letting go.

The heat of summer has passed and the high energy from long summer days is gone. There is a freshness in the air as temperatures cool and although we are energized by the beauty of fall colors  and low angled light, this energy is more mellow as innately we know, there is renewal and restoration on the horizon.

Nature begins to shed itself of that which is unnecessary. It reduces it’s requirements for the non-essential to journey inward and so must we.

How can we, as conscious yet busy beings, join in this cycle of nature and begin dropping the non-essential in our own lives? How can we begin to purify and cleanse ourselves of the excesses in our bodies and in our lives?

Below you will find a few tips to help you do just that! 

Practice in sequential order will be most beneficial.

1) Begin to think about that which is unnecessary. What of your busy-ness can you live without? Can you drop some of your current commitments? Are there activities you’re engaged in that you’ve long outgrown? What is it to honor this growth and change within you? What would it feel like to let go of all that is non-essential?

Nature does it every year and so can you! Use the meditation below to help.

2) Meditation on Falling Leaves – visualize yourself as your favorite deciduous tree (maybe it’s a Maple? or a Birch? or an Elm?). Having drunk up all the nourishment and sunlight from summer, having had your fill and then some, visualize the excesses in your life and slowly begin to let them go. One leaf, and then the next. Let the chronic need for always  wanting “more” subside. Let the need to be “in control” relax. Too much activity, too much food, too much judgement, too much worry – let it all go. Allow yourself to sense and feel the purging. Another leaf and yet another. Continue this until your tree is bare. There is nothing to fear, you will not perish, but you will feel closer to who you really are! Feel the gentle sense of relief that comes from not trying to hold on. Let nature be your guide. You’re in good company!

3) Exfoliate – after your meditation, take a shower or a bath and using your favorite exfoliant, scrub all the excesses from your body. Remove the dead skin, cleanse the pours and visualize a total purification from the inside out. Make your own exfoliant using coconut oil, sea salt and your favorite essential oil.

4) Dietary Cleanse – this is a great time of year to do a dietary cleanse! Our bodies need a break from season to season and easing into the hearty dishes of late Fall and Winter is always a good idea. There are many cleanses out there on the market and online but it could be as simple as eliminating sugars, alcohol, caffeine and high fats for a short period of time. Two weeks is a good goal because it’s long enough for your body to actually reap the benefits and for your to notice the change. While cleansing: focus on eating whole foods, grains and fresh vegetables slightly steamed or sautéed for optimal nutrition. Use lots of ginger and garlic for detoxing and lots of lemon for balancing your ph.

“We cling to our own point of view, as though everything depended on it. Yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away.”  ——-Chuang Tzu

Enjoy and be well. Cheers to your optimal health!

Letting Go

October 17, 2012
by Pam Bell
Comments Off on What do Your Words and Actions Say About Your Life?

What do Your Words and Actions Say About Your Life?

What do Your Words and Actions Say About Your Life?

The final article in the sequence of – Thoughts, Words and Silence: Your Three Most Influential Assets – will focus on your “words” and “actions” and the power they have over the ultimate success or enjoyment of your life.

I have chosen to use words and actions synonymously because they are both manifestations of our thoughts. They are thoughts made physical and visible for the all world to see. We all know words and actions are very different things – even as I write this a litany of cliché’s run through my mind informing me that, “actions speak louder than words” “talk is cheap” and to “practice what you preach” – but, put in proper context these cliché’s become simple reminders  to keep and honor our words by acting in accordance with what we say.  They challenge us to not only speak of good deeds but to make them real through action. Not to just speak of love but to become the love we speak of.

Every day we have thousands of opportunities to transform our thoughts into the material world. Our day begins when we get out of bed but because thought precedes all action, we must first have the thought to get out of bed.  We take a shower, we eat breakfast, we choose our clothes, we get in our car, we listen to music, we plan our day, our night, our lives and in the course of all of this thought, which precedes all of our action, we speak. We speak to ourselves: “Wow, I really feel good today!” Or, “I should have gone to the gym this morning; I am such a slacker!” with a tinge of guilt. We speak to strangers: “The weather is beautiful today, we’re so lucky, aren’t we?”  Or perhaps, “Get out of my way you blankety blank and learn how to drive!”  We speak to colleges: “I really enjoyed the presentation you gave yesterday Mary, it inspired me in new ways.” Or sadly, “What were you thinking when you asked that question? What an idiot!”  And we speak to the people we love: “I am so happy to know you because you bring such joy and richness to my life.” Or unfortunately, “Can’t you do anything right? I’ve asked you a thousand times to not leave your stuff all over the house!”

I am guessing we have all fallen prey to both sides of these scenarios but seeing them spelled out somehow makes it so obvious which statements are infused with light and compassion, and which statements are dampened with darkness, negativity and judgment. The messages of light are life giving – they are supportive, loving and infused with hope and possibility. The messages of darkness are life taking – destructive and generally infused with anger or resentment.

How we choose to communicate on daily basis say’s a great deal about our personal beliefs and informs us as to whether our life is guided by fear or by faith. Not necessarily faith in the religious since but faith in ourselves, in our personal ability to create a life of meaning and of substance.

There is such a fine line between the light and the dark, a shade of this or a tint of that, and much of our life is spent teetering from one side to the next – seeking balance, equanimity, peace. The beautiful thing about being human is that we get to choose which path we ultimately want to take. I believe given a choice (which we all are), most people would choose the path of light – a path that leads toward growth, expansion and fulfillment.

I hope by now you see the importance of your primary influential assets – your silence, thoughts, words and actions – and are able to use them to your benefit, to move toward the light that lies within you.

  • Through the practice of silence you gain awareness and clarity. 
  • Through the practice of right thinking you gain compassion, flexibility and inspiration. 
  • Through the practice of right action and mindful communication you gain a sense of connectedness, devotion and possibility. 

It is the intentional use and unification of all of these assets that adds depth, purpose and meaning to one’s life.

Taking time for silence, cultivation life-giving thoughts and acting with deep respect for all that is will reward you with riches beyond anything you can imagine in the material world.

Readers Inquiry:

  1. Which thoughts can I transform today to be more Life Giving?
  2. Can I observe my speech today and refrain from criticism?
  3. Can I refrain from speech entirely unless I have something loving or constructive to say?
  4. In what ways are my actions backing up my speech? In what ways are they not?
  5. How can my speech or actions contribute to a better world?

 

Junior Monks in Bhutan

 

September 12, 2012
by Pam Bell
Comments Off on Transforming Your Thoughts to Enhance the Quality of Your Life

Transforming Your Thoughts to Enhance the Quality of Your Life

Transforming Your Thoughts to Enhance the Quality of Your Life  

Last month’s column was titled: Thoughts, Words and Silence: Your Three Most Influential Assets. I spent the entire article on the topic of Silence because I felt its importance worthy of such coverage. In this months column I will discuss the power of our thoughts to transform not just our own life but the life of those around us.

Let’s take a close look at “thought”. Thought or the ability to think is what makes us human and more sophisticated than any other living species. We think therefore we are. It is a special privilege and a gift to have this ability bestowed upon us. It is sublime to look at the world around us and to acknowledge that everything we see of an industrial or manmade nature was preceded by a single thought. Pause for a moment and take notice of this incredible reality: the houses we live in; the highways we travel on; jet airplanes; automobiles; rockets to the moon; the idea that we could get to the moon in the first place! Irrigation; desalination; elevators; roller coasters; art; music; indoor plumbing; bottled water. The list goes on and on of the everyday things we take for granted that would not exist without the ability to first visualize and conceive of the possibility in the mind’s eye.

If we are capable of such inventions as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Panama Canal, planetary travel and instant worldwide communication through technology, what are we not capable of? Anything we don’t have, or don’t know we don’t have, has simply not been thought of yet and from this perspective, we are capable of everything. Our thoughts are powerful and just as we can use them to create life-changing inventions for mankind, we can also use them on a more personal level to transform our everyday lives.

Where do you spend your time in thought? Are your thoughts of fear? Worry? Degradation of self or others? Are your thoughts of lack or abundance? Do you view your world as a rich and wonderful place to be, or as a place of pain and suffering, as if life is simply something to endure? Or maybe you are so busy you “don’t have time to think” as we often hear people say.

Where we place our energy in thought is important to reflect upon because what we think about is what expands. If our thoughts are based in lack and limitations we will create a very different scenario than if our thoughts are rooted in love and abundance. Thankfully we have the ability to create rich and meaningful lives simply by changing the way we think.

Changing the way we think is not an easy task. Our conditioning runs deep but once we have the tools and determination, our desire to overcome and to realize our full potential can’t be held back. With intention, patience, practice and possibly some professional guidance, we have the power to make the shift toward a more productive way of thinking and thus, of living.

Thoughts are a tool and learning how to use them to your advantage is just like any craftsman and his tool: a carpenter can use his hammer to build a beautiful and solid foundation from which to grow or he/she can rip that very foundation from the ground. For some, the best place to become familiar with your tool of thought is by becoming aware of it, witnessing it, feeling it and by doing a practice called “acting as if.” This is where you act as if you’ve already made the changes you are wanting to make, even if inside you don’t yet believe it to be true. It is a reconditioning of your perceiving and after a period of time you’ll begin believing this to be true, just as you adopted the inappropriate idea that you were limited in some way.

Our thoughts affect not only our individual lives but also the totality of life around us. Seeing how we are all interconnected (plants, animals, man) and of the same biological makeup, then what we emit is what we collectively share. It is our responsibility and I believe deepest desire, to at least attempt to leave this world a better place than which we found it. To know we made a difference, that our presence in some way contributed to the betterment of our fellow man and future planet. Paying attention to the quality of our thoughts is the best place to begin in achieving this noble end.

 

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.”…..Anatole France

 

Readers Inquiry:

Take a moment to ask yourself these questions:

1) In what way can I change my thoughts to improve my life?

2) In what way is my thinking holding me back from doing the things I really want to do?

3) Using my thoughts as a tool, how can I move from a place of fear to a place of trust?

4) How can I move from a place of lack to a place of abundance?

5) What would it feel like if I could transform disappointment into gratitude?

6) Hate into love?

 

September 12, 2012
by Pam Bell
Comments Off on The Invitation – by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

The Invitation – by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

The Invitation – by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

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, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.
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, “Yes!”

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 the night of grief and despair, weary and
bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

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.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like
the company you keep in the empty and quiet moments.


September 6, 2012
by Pam Bell
Comments Off on Thoughts, Words & Silence: Your Three Most Influential Assets

Thoughts, Words & Silence: Your Three Most Influential Assets

Thoughts, Words & Silence: Your Three Most Influential Assets

The three most powerful tools we all possess are our thoughts, our words and our silence. With these three assets alone we can change the way we operate in the world and hence, change the world. Gandhi’s quote: “We must be the change we wish to see in the world” is a truism that many of us had rather not face. As we continue our endeavors to change what is outside of ourselves, i.e., other people, our image or status, or our beliefs to fit the current trend, the inside of ourselves slowly falls asleep leaving us on a default path of continual dissatisfaction.

We’ve all heard many times over the saying, “the only person who can make you happy (in the deeper more spiritual sense of the word) is you!” Sure we can garnish brief moments of happiness in the company of others. We can also have glimpses of happiness by eating a fabulous meal or watching a great movie. But these are only glimpses and looking for happiness in these places over a lifetime might just leave you feeling disconnected from your source or feeling as if you can never quite grasp the deeper meaning of life.

If this describes what you might be feeling, a disconnect or lack of meaning in your life, don’t worry. It’s never too late to take notice of the sleeping giant inside of you and begin the journey toward his/her awakening.

Of the three assets I mention, the best place to begin your process of awakening is with silence. I will focus on silence in this post and address our “thoughts” and “words” in my next two posts.

Silence is the best place to begin but it is also the most difficult. Our world is so full of noise that we are not conditioned to sit with silence. It is awkward and uncomfortable. It will make your skin crawl with frustration as you play battle with the swarming thoughts inside your head. “What’s for dinner? Where am I going on vacation this year? I wonder what kind of trouble so-and-so got into at the office, etc.”….. “Shhhh” you say, “Be quiet! I am trying to practice silence.” And this could go on for the longest 5 minutes you’ve ever known. Be happy, this is totally normal and you are simply going through a decompression process. How long this decompression lasts depends on how often you practice. If you practice silence every day you will find your still point much quicker than if you practice only once a week.

By now you might be asking Why? I mean, if achieving silence is so difficult and it takes such effort to get good at it, then what could possibly be the benefit? Essentially, this is where your true self lives and it is through this silence that he or she communicates with you. Your inner-self could be screaming out to you to leave a job you hate, to create a life of deep meaning, or to learn to play the musical instrument you’ve always dreamed of playing but without the ability to listen, the voice inside you will fall asleep….until whenever the day comes, if it comes, you are finally ready to hear it.

Connecting with your inner-self (and the collective consciousness at large) is the biggest benefit of practicing silence yet there is still so much more. Sitting in intentional silence for even five to ten minutes everyday is calming – it reduces stress and helps you to feel more grounded. Silence improves your concentration and focus and allows you to gain higher quality results from your efforts. Silence awakens your senses. It increases your awareness to the surplus of noise that surrounds you. I’ve found after practicing silence for many years it has become a like massage or a time-out for my brain, a necessary and welcomed respite from the many distractions in the world. It is in silence that we hear the birds sing, and in music, it is the silence between the notes that give it emphasis and meaning.

There is another aspect of silence that I would like to address. It is not so much about the silence within you but rather the choice you have to exercise silence at appropriate moments like when a friend is spilling out their heart and it is your job to just listen rather than to advise, or in withholding judgment of others if it would diminish rather than enlighten their spirit, or by not joining in on the gossip-chain around the office.

Another time to use silence with great impact is when giving a speech or presentation and you want people to pay attention to what it is you have to say. I’m sure if you consider any great speaker, like Martin Luther King Jr. for example, you’ll often remember the silent moments as the most profound. There is a fierceness in silence – an awe of sorts that makes people stop and listen. You can employee it between sentences or before you answer an important question but the underlying message you put out is this: “I think carefully about what I want to say and what I have to say is important. I think you won’t want to miss it.” Silence creates a commanding presence  impossible to deny.

I encourage you to practice silence in both forms and see for yourself what change your efforts will bring. Once you get started in the practice of silence I bet your day just won’t be the same without it!

“Live loud enough in your heart and there is no need to speak.”—Mark Nepo

 

Readers Inquiry:

1) Where can you incorporate more silence into your day?

2) How do you perceive the benefits of silence?

3) What are you willing to commit to?