Affirmation: “MOKU-YOKU SHIN-TAI TOGAN SHU-JO SHIN-JIN MU-KU NAIGE-KO KETSU.”

From the Wall at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in the Ventana Wilderness area of the Los Padres National Forest, southeast of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, is the oldest Japanese Buddhist Sōtō Zen monastery in the United States.

“As I bathe this body I vow with all sentient beings to wash from this body and mind all dust and confusion and feel healthy and clean within and without.”

This is so on my list of sacred places to visit once I make it out West.

Namaste.

Photo courtesy of the San Fransico Chronicle 

Affirmation: “My heart blooms like a star.”

Affirmation: “I think open-mindedly.”

Affirmation: “I love unconditionally.”

Affirmation: “I see the stars.”

Affirmation: “I understand we are all connected.”

What pattern is emerging from your spiritual path to date?

We all go about our days with some sort of routine, and when that routine gets shaken up, our worlds come tumbling down, or it may seem that way at first.

There is a pattern though that exist, we all have our moments, but there is this innate beauty to the way we go about our days if seen through the eyes of mindfulness.

Our daily devotions, whether they are prayers or reflections on our dreams or the day to come, they have a significant and musical pattern.

This pattern is a drum beat, a heart beat. The divine pulse that moves us and inspires us to continue on. Step by step, word by word, phone call by phone call there is a pattern to it.

For me, you see the Builder gives me a significant reflection and affirmation: “I wield my power with wisdom based on my discipline, knowledge, and respect for all that is.”

For me, the Builder is the epitome of that which I am aspiring.

“Committed to the ethics and principles of sustainability, he has built an earth-friendly house. Drying herbs hang from the rafters, firewood is stacked in preparation for winter, and a spiral of beach stones leads the visitor to the arched doorway. The Builder is strong and comfortable in his own authority. Inspired by the Green Man, the spirit of the wildwood…he works in harmony with nature and honors Mother Earth’s animals and resources. The Builder creates networks and systems that enable people to live and work together, sharing resources and creating a supportive, sustainable community.”

All of which are patterns unfolding not only within my spiritual practice, but within my whole life. At work, I am seen as a green champion always recycling what can be reused. (I am working hard to get a good recycling initiative started.) And even the spirit of the Green Man is one of my Holy Ones I respect and acknowledge. With my holistic practice, it is exactly what I hope to create: “a supportive, sustainable community.”

So, this pattern that is unfolding… The Builder is exactly as I am doing. I am embracing my authority…and working hard at my plans. I am creating elegant carvings on the foundation poles of the circle I am building. I hope to continue to “love, guide, and protect my patients having clear boundaries and a disciplined approach to bring security to us all.”

Namaste.

Now get out there today and ask, What patterns are emerging for you?

Question posed by Caitlin Matthews, Celtic Devotional.
Photo of The Builder from the Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert.

What fears are holding you back? What weakness do they hide?

I have a fear.

To be seen as someone who is pushy, arrogant, and self-important.

The idea of others seeing me as such, tends to make me second guess myself. In the holistic world, there are still many people who see what we do as “woo-woo.” The last thing that I want by following my dreams and purpose is to be seen as a snake oil salesman…
A dishonour such as this can be crippling if made real, and even though it hasn’t happened, I still worry.

I know that there is a certain level of intimidation which accompanies alternative medicine. I understand and respect others opinions, yet it pains my heart to know that there are people out there who could reap so much fertility…if they only opened up their minds. This fear of mine, however does keep me practical, but at what expense? It is hiding a truer authenticity that begs to be shown.

Because, underneath the “woo-woo” is a person who can ” embody the power of transformation. With gifts of the shamanic and healing arts.” Because I am someone “whose vitality, pride, dignity, and accomplishments are powerfully attractive. I have a chance to slip between this world and the Otherworld, moving power and creativity back and forth between the two.” I will make things happen!

“I am at home in all the worlds of power and transformation.”- Joanna powell Colbert

Question posed by Caitlin Matthews, Celtic Devotional.
Photo of The Elder of Fire, from the Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert.

Affirmation: “There is a Solstice in my heart.”

You Shine With Dignity

“Perhaps we just need little reminders from time to time that we are already dignified, deserving, worthy. Sometimes we don’t feel that way because of the wounds and the scars we carry from the past or because of the uncertainty of the future. It is doubtful that we came to feel undeserving on our own. We were helped to feel unworthy. We were taught it in a thousand ways when we were little, and we learned our lessons well. So, when we take our seat in meditation and remind ourselves to sit with dignity, we are coming back to our original worthiness. That in itself is quite a statement. You can bet our inside will be listening. Are we ready to listen, too? Are we ready to listen to the currents of direct experience in this moment, and this one, and this…?”- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You go, There You Are, 1994

TRY: Sitting with dignity for thirty seconds. Note how you feel. Try it standing with dignity. Where are your shoulders? How is your spine, your head? What would it mean to walk with dignity?

We have a bad habit as a society with putting others down. Bullying and abuse permeates our culture. As much as we love an underdog, people still feel it necessary to pronounce dominance over others. This is not the way of living holistically.

To live holistically means that there are no power struggles. There is no need for hierarchy. At its core, to be holistic is to live in balance, in harmony, with all organic and inorganic life. It is the path of serenity. It is the path of reclaiming your own worth without abusing our friends, family or even people whom we would not know. To live is to be deserving. To be worthy. To be dignified. It is to reteach oneself in a thousand and one ways. What does it mean to sit with dignity? It means to shine with such an inner brilliance that you ripple peacefully in and out simultaneously. One needn’t a crown, harsh words, or a fist to proclaim ones own dignity. One simply needs to sit. To stand. To walk. To be.

One simply needs to shine.