April 27th: Message Louder

No reading yesterday.  Instead, a Tedx talk sent by a friend.  A woman was dying of lymphoma, and after a near death experience, came back from a coma and a wasted body to be fully cured - spontaneously.  The medical world did not have an explanation. 

She had us imagine being in a warehouse - a huge warehouse that was totally dark -  and we were moving throughout with our little flashlight.  We would be able to

see, perhaps, a shelf or two in front of us.  Then, imagine that - perhaps for just a second or two - all of the lights in the warehouse come in and we see its vastness - its rows and rows of materials and goods.  Then the lights go off and we are back in the dark with our little flashlight.  We can no longer see its vastness - but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. The experience she had of God in her near death experience, and of "being" with relatives who had already passed, was similar.  She saw and experienced a  "flash" that took her to a much broader and deeper level of consciousness.  That could no longer see and experience it now does not negate its existence.  

 She had everyone in the room notice things that were red

in color.  Then she had them close their eyes, and she had them recall things that were blue.  The point she made was about awareness - what we focus on makes a difference.  It can cause us to "miss" seeing other things.  

There were 5 things that she learned - and I have forgotten all of them except two: love and laughter - and perhaps loving yourself was a third.  




My readings today are about intention/focus and becoming stronger with meditation.  One of the main points was that meditation or other spiritual disciplines give us the tools (tenacity, toughness, you pick the noun) to take hold of our lives.  

("Slow Down. Listen")

And then my brain moves to many things: preparing the room for a friend who will be staying for a week; getting wool things mended and put in the cedar chest; letting go of things I brought here - but have no place for; and the ad infinitum list of things for work.  

 "Slow Down. Listen."






It moves to getting a doctor's appointment for my eye and skin; to stating clarity with someone who has been pursuing a relationship/friendship/not sure what to call it with me (Clarity needed.  Obviously.); to lying around and watching Netflix; to getting an exercise program started so that I can begin more rigorous hiking and make sure that this body is in good working shape; to digging on the hillside and planting flowers and vegetables.   

"Slow down. Listen."

When I see all of those things that are in my head listed there in black and white on the page in front of me, then it seems clear to me that  practice in listening, meditation, or other spiritual undertaking seems right. 

Oh - and another one: getting instructors names into FLAC so that their Blackboard pops up.  That's a work thing.  

And my grandmother's clock seems to want to go faster and faster - no matter how low I have the pendulum swinging.  Is it an outward sign of my own speeding up?  

"SLOW DOWN. LISTEN. SLOW DOWN. LISTEN."

Meditation.  Planning.  More time needed in both.  Living with intention - and ensuring that there is some sort of a balance in my work and play and spiritual nourishment - seems to be really important.  

And now it's time to exercise.  Then sit?  Wait...am I hearing something????

Maybe it's time to Slow Down, and Listen.