inner peace

Where Is Your Home?

"As the Mother of life, Mother Earth gives birth, and gives us everything we need to live – the food, the water, the medicines, the clothing, the shelter, and most of all, the love, kindness and teachings that a mother gives to her child." 

Manitoba Elders, Turtle Lodge,
The Great Binding Law• December 25, 2015

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As I sat down to figure out how to honour our collective mothers this Mother's Day, I stumbled upon the turtle, as a symbol of the great mother earth.

Turtles symbolize long life (they can live to be 150 years), fertility and good health. Creation stories see her as rescuing mankind from the floods while others say she dove down and retrieved mud so the creator could make the earth.

Some indigenous cultures view the turtle as a mother, who carries man on her back, and moves slowly and deliberately while grounded to mother earth.
Even the 13 sections (on some species) of her shell have symbolic importance as they are said to represent the 13 moon cycles of motherhood.

She not only carries her home, SHE IS HER HOME. Her shell is her home; a place of safety, protection and support. 

We all need a home where we can feel those qualities and by going within, finding a quiet place of presence, both men and women can find their MOTHER WITHIN their ALIVENESS and the grounded safety of Mother Earth. 

In our quietest moments we find our inner, safe, place of support where we can 'mother' ourselves.

We all came from the home inside our Mothers. 
So, this Mother's Day take a moment of quiet so you can go inside yourself to recognize that you too carry your home.
Home is where you are.

Thank you to all of our mothers who...
Love, Protect, Laugh, Hug, Listen, Nurture, Make Peace, Guide, Challenge, Love, Inspire, Boost, Cry, Worry, Push, Comfort, Teach, Hold, Question, Release, and Love.

Helping you smooth out your day-Michele

activate more love within yourselF. CHECK OUT THIS PREVIOUS BLOG POST: YOUR HEART ENERGY IS YOURS TO USE.

Grab my 3 Simple and Fast Meditation Tips BELOW.

References:
https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-symbols/turtle-symbol.htm                      https://taniamarieartist.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/gaia-earth-mother-and-turtle-ancient-wisdom-for-conscious-living/                http://www.shamanicjourney.com/turtle-power-animal-symbol-of-mother-earth-fertility-protection-support-security

Caregivers-How Heavy is Your Worry Load?

"If you have someone who has many things going wrong and one thing going right, beat the drum of what's going right, and let that be your point of attraction." Abraham-Hicks, San Diego, 2003


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When I look beyond the headlines and examine humanity, at the ground level, I'm truly in awe of all the caregivers among us. For some it's a vocation or calling, while for others it's just 'what they do'. Sometimes the need is great and very demanding and other times it requires the subtle moments of a look, smile or presence. 

Even when you don't have all the answers, solutions, or next steps, you have enough energy and compassion to sit with the problem, and when you can do this without the WORRY THOUGHTS about tomorrow, you can begin to activate a very strong vibration of LOVE. When your mind (thought) activity gets calm, your heart can feed YOUR energy.

I know that you're constantly 'giving care', of one kind or another, to your family and others in your life, and while we often talk about exhaustion and OVERWHELM, and the need for self-care, part of that should include our mental experience. I know that a big part of caring is DOING but another big part is THINKING.

Who ever THOUGHT that THOUGHTS could be so exhausting? But they are, and they can keep us up at night too.

By tapping into your heart energy you can begin to find a way to FUEL UP.
How can you access this fuel?

I've been re-reading a lot of Eckhart Tolle these days and practising stepping out of my thought storms so I can WITNESS the habitual nature of OVER-THINKING. I try to gently feel the aliveness of my hands, my body, and my breath. When I do that I can momentarily escape, or rather, take a break from thought, and re-fuel.   

If you're looking to calm down your worry thoughts check out my quick, printable meditation cheat sheet HERE.

Another Step on Your Path - Michele

Seriously?

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What's with the news? TV newscasts (and news channels) seem to be worse than radio broadcasts and radio is worse than newspapers. What am I talking about? Bad news. So, how does our BRAIN feel about watching the news?

The Merriam -Webster definition of the word NEWS is:  
a a report of recent events
b previously unknown information
c something having a specified influence or effect

This definition seems fairly harmless and neutral; news isn't only BAD. Why then are newscasts generally so negative and stressful?

Our eyes and ears are taking in 'STRESS MESSAGES' and, even though we're usually far removed from the events, we humans will be experiencing, connecting, sensing and feeling them. I can almost feel my brain bending toward judgement, negativity, outrage, shock, fear and stress.

You might be THINKING that it's important to know what's going on in the world and I may be WONDERING if I'm taking things too seriously or overreacting, but for the most part the news doesn't really influence me enough to take action, to grow. 

There are 7.4 BILLION PEOPLE on the planet, many of whom move through their lives creating, designing, inspiring, discovering, assisting, loving, inventing and exploring, and the newscasts can barely muster up a couple of feel good stories-one of which tends to be the latest viral video from YouTube or Facebook. Here's a RHETORICAL QUESTION, and a topic for another day, does a newscast's content get built by ratings?

Okay, I don't want to live with my head in the sand but lately I've become more AWARE of what I feed my brain and as a seeker of NEWS I want it to nudge me forward in my life. 
As I look for BETTER BALANCE I think I'll turn the TV off!

Winter Equinox, our turning point.

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The Winter Solstice, December 21, marks the day the SUN STAND STILL-- from the Latin words sol = sun, sistere = standing  still.  This switch from 'daylight shrinking' to 'daylight growing' marks a TURNING POINT in the sun's path across the southern sky and it gives us a chance to contemplate OUR turning point.  Could it be to CHOOSE a better thought, a better food, a better reaction, a better focus, or a better action for YOURSELF? The timing is perfect; why wait for the New Year?