Just a Word - Time

It's been a long time since I've been in this space. I had a struggle figuring out how to get my Google id and password, but somehow I did it and here I am again in this space, but with nothing much to say, except that I have been writing my meditation insights at Beliefnet now. I think my URL is Beliefnet.com/DariaMcB.

Also since the last time I posted here, I have been practising Yoga every day. Yoga is meditation using the body to experience each moment. It has broaden my meditation experience tremendously. It's also helped me lose some pounds.

So there are my words for today and though it's been a long time since I've been here, the only time is this moment and so there is nothing lost.

Insight Discussion

In my meditation the other day I saw how desiring other people to share insights with me in this blog is just mind wanting to think again. All these thoughts I've written in this blog are thoughts taking up space, mind thinking, thoughts thinking themselves. I guess it's a good place to put the thoughts, so they are not taking up the space in my head.

I also had a realization in a med recently that I never wrote because judging mind kept it off the page. It was a realization of how God comes to you when you meditate. It's not like God comes to you because you are meditating (or whatever people do that brings them close to God/divinity). It's more like a realization when one is in that quiet space of no thought, that I dwell within God all the time in every moment. I'm moving and having my being inside of God substance all the time, but when my mind is crowded with thoughts of wanting, needing, revulsion, and aversion, I'm not aware of my oneness with God.

My concept of "God" is the whole universe - the substance of all that exists. I don't believe there is a separate entity that we call "God". I am living in the substance all the time, but I may or may not be aware I am a part of it when I am worrying about getting money so I can buy food. My fear thoughts about my body prevent me from being aware of my oneness with the universe. When I'm so in fear of not having enough for my body, and the fear causes me to chase after the needs of my body, I forget to remain silent in the trust that the universe is beneficient and nurturing, and my body will always have enough.

Creative Thought

I don't know if this is the appropriate place for this commentary, but I'm not motivated to start a new blog at this time, so I'll just slip it in here.

I claim no religion. I do have beliefs. One belief is that our thoughts create. The premise for this is in the law of sowing and reaping or karma, if you will. What my thoughts focus on, is what I attract into my life. If I focus on things I have aversion for, these things will appear in my life. If I focus on joy, this too, will manifest in my life. My thoughts always seems to reap what they sow.

Meditation allows thoughts to pass by and not stick anywhere. When I see myself attaching to a thought or an event in my life, I watch it, note the feelings or sensations it brings; perhaps there is some desire for it, or aversion... and then I just let it pass. So, to me it makes sense that I can participate in creating, along with God, the universe or whatever the thing is that manifests things and events in our lives. I can focus my thoughts on what I intend to create. I see myself happy, thin, prosperous... Then I let the thought go out into the void, or out to God/Universe. It is surprising how many times the thing I see comes back even better than how I envisioned it. This is the basis for affirmative prayer. And this is why I have been affirming the prayer (below -- Campaign for Consciousness) for the children of Africa.

I think it was Freud who theorized that there is a collective consciousness. If this is so, then the more souls who focus thoughts on positive things, wouldn't it make sense that the collective consciousness would create more positive things? But the outward appearance at this time, is that our collective consc. is manifesting fear thoughts: wars, disease, poverty...

In one aspect, fear can be very stimulating - it is dramatic. It can also be destructive. Fear is just a thought about the future. Fear goes nowhere, does nothing, has no power outside of the power we assign it. We can simply let it go now, collectively. I choose to let it go. I think I can see why someone wrote this scripture now:

"Finally Brothers, whatever is noble... right... pure... lovely... admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." Phillipians 4:8 NIV

Campaign for Consciousness Affirmation Statement*

We believe in a better life for the children of Africa who are perfectly created in the image of the divine. We identify the children of Africa with health and vitality of mind, body and spirit - the exact image of the divine.

As the universe is vast and unlimited, there can be nothing like limitation, known or unknown, which would obstruct all good from flowing to and through the children of Africa. Together, we erase all false opinions that there are not enough resources. Right here, right now, we discontinue fueling thoughts of lack, sadness or limitation. And our eyes tune in to seeing all the vast abundance right here in front of us each moment.

We now affirm the children of Africa are a radiating magnet, mighty to attract all good to and through them in every moment. There is more than enough passion, policy and prosperity to demonstrate this vision. We see the Living Spirit of wisdom manifesting in their lives in this very moment. Amen.

*my personal version

http://www.campaignforconsciousness.org

Rain for My Med

The sky has decided to rain and what a beautiful background music for my med. today. I became mindful before my treadmill/Yoga workout today, so I used meditation in my workout and saw a few things I hadn't known were present before today. After the workout, I sat briefly for a med. I noted mostly sounds. I noticed one sound that was both pleasant and unpleasant. My birds were twittering and warbling and the sound was pleasant, but in the moment of me trying to concentrate, it was unpleasant and irritating. In the same moment, there was the sound of rain, and it was pleasant. I also experienced a lot of unpleasant body sensations. And always back to the breath: arising, passing. All phenonmenon fleeting.

Everywhere, Love

Was I the only one who saw this heart-shaped gift, placed lovingly by my secret lover's hands just outside the post office door today? Or so it seemed so perfectly placed, like a message from the heavens. I reached down to grasp it, tearing it a little in the middle as I did so. I brought it home and left it on the counter for my husband to see. When I remembered later and asked if he saw it, he fished it out of the garbage... I guess in reality it truly is just that: garbage - a parched, dead leaf. But what I see is something more - like love, ever present, even in death, even in 100 degree temperatures, even in trash. But that's just how I see it. I wonder if we fine tuned our sight, could we see more than just what we see with our eyes...

Meditate on the Hand

I've been trying this Zhine meditation where I focus on Buddha's hand and let thoughts pass without any noting. It hasn't been working for me very well. I'm so steeped in my old way of meditating, that it's very difficult for me to use another method. So today I am back to my old Vipassana way. I still need help with motivation. But that's where I am with my meditation in this moment. It's the truth of the way it is for me right now - I'm lacking motivation. It's not good, bad, or ugly. It just is. I see it. And I let it pass along with all the other phenonmenon arising and passing around me.