God’s Orgasm

Posted on by

Nature-Spring-013

I think if God were to have an orgasm it would be called “Spring”.

Doesn’t it just take your breath away?  Don’t you find yourself marveling at the awakening of nature?  I don’t care where you go in the world but there is a moment in time everywhere that we experience a moment (or more if we are lucky) that we exclaim, “WOW!”  The explosion of color found in the flowers, the buds on the trees coming into life, a warmth in the air and our emotions being lifted by the extra light and raised temperature. We can’t help but feel better! Spring is the season of new growth, and the signs of change are all around us.

Springtime is seen as a time of growth, renewal, of new life being born, and of the cycle of life once again starting. It is also seen more generally as the start of better times. At this time of year we begin to feel less sluggish, and become more open to inviting changes – both big and small – into our lives.

The symbolism of spring is one most people can appreciate. In all cultural traditions, the world over, it is a time of re-birth and new beginnings.

Throughout the history of the world, there are celebrations, ceremonies and religious observations that occur during the season of Spring.

  1. The ancient Saxons in Northern Europe worshiped the Goddess Oestre at the time of the Spring Equinox.  The Godess Easter represents the sunrise, spring-time and fertility along with the renewal of life.
  2. The Green Man in pre-Christian times is a spirit of nature personified as a man.  He is believed to have been intended as a symbol of growth and rebirth, the eternal cycle of the coming of spring and the life of Man.  It is a notion that Man was born from nature and the idea that Man is directly tied to the fate of nature.
  3. Christians celebrate Easter, Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It is celebrated on Sunday, and marks the end of Holy Week, the end of Lent, the last day of the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday), and is the beginning of the Easter season of the liturgical year.   Easter represents the fulfilment of God’s promises to mankind, it is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar.
  4. The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. The day falls on the first full moon after the northern spring equinox and lasts for seven days. (new beginnings)
  5. In Japan, the annual blossoming of cherry trees has become a significant national event. Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, is a time for festivals and gatherings at parks and shrines.  Cherry blossoms, or sakura, symbolize the transience of life, which is a major theme in Buddhism.
  6. Holi is a lively Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring.  It dates back to texts from the 11th century and is connected to both deities and rites of spring.

    Holi celebrates the story of a pure-hearted devotee, Prahlad who underwent many trials to maintain his faith as well as the burning of carnal desires by Shiva to reach a higher level of love.

Spring has always been considered as a time for change and personal evolution, and another common way to embrace the sense of optimism and enthusiasm is to have a good old clear-out. Spring cleaning has a very valuable function, psychologists believe. We de-clutter our houses of anything that we needed around us to feel more comfortable during the long winter months, and we bring in new items, symbolizing new beginnings.

Ultimately spring is all about opportunity – a time for cultivating the qualities of courage and optimism, of strengthening the belief in ourselves and our powers to achieve and overcome obstacles – the greatest of which is perhaps our own fear, which prevents us from taking risks and stepping into the unknown.

As the days grow longer and warmer, we can choose to capture that sense of freshness and renewal in order it can be remembered, savored and built on throughout the year.

So take this time to prepare. Let the thoughts of love and romance fill your heart and mind.  Let the cleaning of your soul begin, and the believe in your own power to renew yourself. Clean out the weeds from your garden and plant good thoughts and healthy intentions.  Spread your wings and fly!  Be all you can be and know that God and nature are alongside you every step of the way!

 

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Posted on by

Mayor of Limerick John Gilligan announced that 26 year old bubbly children's TV Presenter Emma O'Driscoll is to lead Limericks Saint Patricks Day. The theme of the Saint Patricks Day parade is Go Green and festival organisers are hoping that a spectacle of colour and sound will fill the streets of Limerick. Picture Seán Curtin Press 22.

Top of the Mornin’ to ya!

Today is March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day.  Did you know it was not always celebrated with lucky charms, green beer, fashion mayhem and leprechaun’s?  The March 17 celebration started in 1631 when the Church established a Feast Day honoring St. Patrick. He had been Patron Saint of Ireland who had died around the fifth century—a whopping 12 centuries before the modern version of the holiday was first observed.

We know that he was a Roman citizen, because Britain was Roman then, and then he was enslaved and taken to Ireland, where he either escaped or was released.  He became a priest and went back to Ireland, where he had a lot of luck converting the Druid culture into Christians.

St. Patrick was actually born Maewyn Succat, but  changed his name to Patricius (or Patrick), which derives from the Latin term for “father figure,” after he became a priest. And the supposed luck of his is the root of all the themed merchandise for modern St. Patrick’s Day.

It wasn’t until the early 18th century that many of today’s traditions were kicked into high gear. Since the holiday falls during Lent, it provides Christians a day off from the prescriptions of abstinence leading up to Easter, and around the 1720s, the church found it got kind of out of control.  The church assigned him a botanical symbol which was customary for all saints, the symbol we know as the “lucky shamrock.”

Modern-day celebrations and themes continued to take shape during the rest of the 1700s. In 1762, the first New York City parade took place. It wasn’t until 1798, the year of the Irish Rebellion, that the color green became officially associated with the day.  Up until the rebellion, the color associated with St. Patrick was blue, as it was featured both in the royal court and on ancient Irish flags. But as the British wore red, the Irish chose to wear green, and they sang the song “The Wearing of the Green” during the rebellion, cementing the color’s relevance in Irish history.

As for the green beer, that’s an even later addition. In fact, it wasn’t until the late 20th century that Ireland repealed a law that initially kept everything—pubs included—shut down for the day. Since then, thanks to a marketing push from Budweiser in the 1980s, downing beer has become a common way to celebrate, regardless of how closely it’s tied to the actually meaning of St. Patrick himself.

Irish Limericks are a form of simple poetry with a long, proud history. While the basic form dates far back as far the 12th century in other European countries, the Irish version found its stride in drinking establishments in the late 18th century and fit in with the days festivities especially over a few beers at the pub!
There was an Old Man of Kilkenny,
Who never had more than a penny;
He spent all that money,
In onions and honey,
That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny.”

Growing up in an Italian-Irish household I am very familiar with the fun, frolic and frivolity of the day.  Although I much prefer Italian food to Irish, I will enjoy a taste of home-made Irish Soda Bread, a slice of good ol’ corned beef with some cabbage, carrots and boiled potatoes and top it off with a swig of Guinness (or perhaps a Ballentine Ale in honor of dear old dad) all while listening to those Irish crooners sing “When Irish Eyes Are Smilin”,  “Danny Boy” and “Take Me Home Again Kathleen.”

 

 

An Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Soften Your Heart

Posted on by

be-kind-550x317

Here are a few ways to soften your heart today.

  1. Take every chance to lighten the day.
  2. Look through gentle eyes.
  3. Feel for others, sense their emotions.

 

 

 

 

 

Practicing these three things will make your journey so much richer and take your mind off your troubles. You will feel the warmth flow back to you.

Take every chance to lighten the day.  One way to do this is to let go of expectations and negativity.  That means expectations we have put on yourself and others.  Relax and focus on the positive in any person or situation.  When people disappoint us, and they will, it is within our control to let it go.  If we don’t we will find our hearts hardening and the only one being hurt is you. Learn to let go of grudges and forgive those who hurt you.  If you need to release that person for your mental health then do that in a gentle and loving way.

Look through gentle eyes.  The eyes are the windows to the soul.  The language of the eyes is universal.  We may respond more trustingly to kindly eyes than to cold eyes; our guards may be more likely to come down around smiling eyes than piercing ones… The look of love is  not simply a matter of being captivated by the beautiful features of someone’s face, but being vividly aware of the other’s profound loving attitudes toward us. Learn to see others as God sees us.

Feel for others, sense their emotions.  An empath is someone who feels what other people are feeling.  Some psychics have this gift and grow this ability so they are “tuned in” all of the time.  We may not call ourselves empaths, but we can have empathy and slow down enough to really see, focus in and take time to understand the people we come in contact with.  On the upside, you know what it feels like to be another person.

 

 

Gathering of the Godesses

Posted on by

IMG_1943Right now I am enjoying a vacation with two of my oldest and dearest friends.  This is our second year of taking a trip together and the beginning of a tradition I hope we keep honoring long into out golden years. We can be silly at times and dubbed our time the gathering of the goddesses!  We empower each other and support each other and there is no better feeling. One of my sister’s at lunch yesterday shortened us to the grand “g’s” and I jumped in and said, ” no, not yet!  that’s us after the grandkids come”.

Don’t underestimate the value of good friends. Especially girl friends. They are one of the most important things you can have in life. We need friends. The companionship, the unconditional love, the honesty.

As friends we make mistakes because we are after all human. But we love each other anyway. They are not afraid to tell you when you are wrong or being an idiot or hurting feelings because good intentions are always obvious. Friends are your biggest encouragers and will laugh and cry with you.

So fill your life with people who add value to it. Let go of those who don’t. Remember life is short.  Tell your friends what they mean to you. Appreciate them. And just remember hearing a friend say they will always be there for you when you fall is better than hearing it from the cold hard floor.

So to my Goddess friends, I love you. I appreciate you and I thank God for your love, light and encouragement.

Dance

Posted on by

 

8c06248d91d6d8887ee5c3967dc6468f

When is the last time you went dancing?  There’s no right or wrong way to shake that booty—and doing it might very well be the health boost you need.   I think that dance can be such a mentally healthy activity for anyone.  Besides the physical health benefits, dance provides a mental health boost as well. Becoming successful at dance takes work, dedication and discipline.  Each little step and move you master gives you a sense of achievement. The experience of success, found in most hobbies including dance, can help us become more confident and take advantage of more opportunities in the future.  So this week, step out of your comfort zone and find a new way to find successes– maybe take a dance class at one of the many studios in the area.  It will help you gain confidence and feel better about yourself, while also providing a great work out.

It’s if this isn’t for you!  Even turning up the tunes and shaking off the day helps you feel happier and healthier.   According to the New England Journal of Medicine, studies have found that dancing increases cognitive activity, and subsequently decreases the risk of developing dementia.  And based on a reading of these results by Stanford University, dancing frequently reduces the risk of dementia by 76% –considerably more than any other activity studied, including reading. The reason for this is that dancing requires you to make “split-second, rapid-fire decisions,” basically with every step you take. These kind of exercises have been shown to increase and maintain brain function in people of all ages. According to Stanford, “In freestyle social dancing, both men and women are spontaneously open to the infinite possibilities of the moment, responding to one’s partner and to the music.”  Pretty awesome!

Now get out there and bust a move!!!

Alone

Posted on by

143daa07cb38eecb92e59121d17dc789

The hum of conversation

clinking glasses -coffee cups

The buzz of the grinder

People rushing – people resting

conversation and solitude

The local coffee spot

whitewashed, shiplapped

old hardwoods with a story to tell

I sit alone

I search for an eye, maybe  a smile

waiting, hoping, searching

I see…Mothers and daughters

friends and lovers

business in the making.

Who sat in this seat before me?

What story did they tell?

Does anyone care about mine?

 

You Can – Do Good

Posted on by

do-all-the-good-you-can

Do all the good you can

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

 

John Wesley

 

 

2 Thessalonians 3:13
As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good

 

I found this quote attributed to John Wesley when I was pondering what I wanted to put into words this morning.  It is a nice sentiment but apparently John Wesley was not the person who penned it even though you see his name underneath the quote all over the internet.  John Wesley was a man of God, a great evangelist and founder of the Methodist faith.  I am confident he understood what it meant not to grow weary in doing good. I believe we all do.

I am a professional photographer.  My work is seasonal and during the winter I find it uncomfortable to be me.  I like being busy.  I like having my mind occupied.  I like interacting with fellow humans.  I like doing.  This quite season that I experience is like a double edge sword.  There are many things I can be accomplishing from cleaning closets and re-organizing drawers to marketing and growing my business.  I don’t want to.  I can but I don’t want to and some days I don’t.  I believe I can do good even when I feel like I am doing nothing.  You see, I am not really doing nothing.  I am doing less but not nothing.  I am meditating.  I am praying. I am serving the poor in my community.  I am assisting my mentally ill child.  I am digging into God’s word during these 40 days of Lent.  I am exercising my body and my mind.  I am doing good.

Why do we feel like we have to supersize life?  I want to fight that urge.  I want to embrace the simplicity and quiet that I am given during this time.  I want to use it for good.  I want to allow God to work in me so that I have the strength to be the hands and feet for others.  I want to see and do and be all that He made me to be.  NOT who I WANT to be or THINK I SHOULD be.  So whoever penned the call to action command I began this post with, thank you.  You can and I can make a difference today and tomorrow and each day after.

 

Meditation – Exercise for the Brain

Posted on by

 

meditation-techniques-for-beginnersThe word meditation can immediately conjure images of Buddhist monks in saffron robes or new-age beatniks in clouds of incense — which isn’t necessarily untrue. But meditation doesn’t have to be about religion or even spirituality, really.

Meditation is about training your brain to bring your thoughts and feelings into awareness; it’s about examining who you are and your place in the world; it teaches you to appreciate every moment for what it is. Similar to how we do bicep curls to develop our arms, meditation tones and strengthens the mind.

Buddhists have long known the benefits meditation has on the body, mind and soul, which may be even more relevant today in our constantly connected, busy world. Only recently have scientific studies been able to delineate the effects it has on the brain, including stress reduction, improved attention and productivity, better memory and even increased creativity and feelings of compassion.

  1. Sit for just two minutes. This will seem ridiculously easy, to just meditate for two minutes. That’s perfect. Start with just two minutes a day for a week. If that goes well, increase by another two minutes and do that for a week. If all goes well, by increasing just a little at a time, you’ll be meditating for 10 minutes a day in the 2nd month, which is amazing! But start small first.
  2. Do it first thing each morning. It’s easy to say, “I’ll meditate every day,” but then forget to do it. Instead, set a reminder for every morning when you get up, and put a note that says “meditate” somewhere where you’ll see it.
  3. Don’t get caught up in the how — just do. Most people worry about where to sit, how to sit, what cushion to use … this is all nice, but it’s not that important to get started. Start just by sitting on a chair, or on your couch. Or on your bed. If you’re comfortable on the ground, sit cross-legged. It’s just for two minutes at first anyway, so just sit. Later you can worry about optimizing it so you’ll be comfortable for longer, but in the beginning it doesn’t matter much, just sit somewhere quiet and comfortable.
  4. Check in with how you’re feeling. As you first settle into your meditation session, simply check to see how you’re feeling. How does your body feel? What is the quality of your mind? Busy? Tired? Anxious? See whatever you’re bringing to this meditation session as completely OK.
  5. Count your breaths. Now that you’re settled in, turn your attention to your breath. Just place the attention on your breath as it comes in, and follow it through your nose all the way down to your lungs. Try counting “one” as you take in the first breath, then “two” as you breathe out. Repeat this to the count of 10, then start again at one.
  6. Come back when you wander. Your mind will wander. This is an almost absolute certainty. There’s no problem with that. When you notice your mind wandering, smile, and simply gently return to your breath. Count “one” again, and start over. You might feel a little frustration, but it’s perfectly OK to not stay focused, we all do it. This is the practice, and you won’t be good at it for a little while. “Your job is to witness the process … and be OK with it.”
  7. Develop a loving attitude. When you notice thoughts and feelings arising during meditation, as they will, look at them with a friendly attitude. See them as friends, not intruders or enemies. They are a part of you, though not all of you. During your meditation, you may experience feelings of frustration, boredom, fear, anxiety, pain or anger — this is all normal. Be friendly and not harsh.
  8. Don’t worry about clearing the mind. Lots of people think meditation is about clearing your mind, or stopping all thoughts. It’s not. This can sometimes happen, but it’s not the “goal” of meditation. If you have thoughts, that’s normal. We all do. Our brains are thought factories, and we can’t just shut them down. Instead, just try to practice focusing your attention, and practice some more when your mind wanders.
  9. Stay with whatever arises. When thoughts or feelings arise, and they will, you might try staying with them awhile. Yes, I know I said to return to the breath, but after you practice that for a week, you might also try staying with a thought or feeling that arises. We tend to want to avoid feelings like frustration, anger, anxiety … but an amazingly useful meditation practice is to stay with the feeling for awhile. Just stay, and be curious.
  10. Get to know yourself. This practice isn’t just about focusing your attention, it’s about learning how your mind works. What’s going on inside there? It’s murky, but by watching your mind wander, get frustrated, avoid difficult feelings … you can start to understand yourself.
  11. Do a body scan. Another thing you can do, once you become a little better at following your breath, is focus your attention on one body part at a time. Start at the soles of your feet — how do those feel? Slowly move to your toes, the tops of your feet, your ankles, all the way to the top of your head.
  12. Notice the light, sounds, energy. Another place to put your attention, again, after you’ve practice with your breath for at least a week, is the light all around you. Just keep your eyes on one spot, and notice the light in the room you’re in. Another day, just focus on noticing sounds. Another day, try to notice the energy in the room all around you (including light and sounds).
  13. Really commit yourself. Don’t just say, “Sure, I’ll try this for a couple days.” Really commit yourself to this. In your mind, be locked in, for at least a month.
  14. You can do it anywhere. If you’re traveling or something comes up in the morning, you can do meditation in your office. In the park. During your commute. As you walk somewhere. Sitting meditation is the best place to start, but in truth, you’re practicing for this kind of mindfulness in your entire life.
  15. Follow guided meditation. If it helps, you can try following guided meditations to start with.
  16. Find a community. Even better, find a community of people who are meditating and join them.
  17. Smile when you’re done. When you’re finished with your two minutes, smile. Be grateful that you had this time to yourself, that you stuck with your commitment, that you showed yourself that you’re trustworthy, where you took the time to get to know yourself and make friends with yourself. That’s an amazing two minutes of your life.

Love

Posted on by
635901229056694012132699739_Love-vs-Logic
Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.

Loretta Young
Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

Mother Teresa
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.

Aristotle
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Jesus Christ
Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

Robert Frost
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.

Oscar Wilde

Ladies and Dogs

Posted on by
Girl with a Pearl Earring, oil on canvas, 1665.

Girl with a Pearl Earring, oil on canvas, 1665.

IMG_0838(1)

I took this photo of my Pit mix Willie on my cell phone.  When I looked at it my mind immediately went to one of my favorite paintings, a Vermeer!  You can see it above.  When I saw this weeks challenge was life imitating art I remembered this photo.  So here is MY life imitating art!