Ascension Times

Traveling into the backcountry is an opportunity to reconnect with nature and test the limits of our strength and courage.  Mediation:  I am here.  Here I am.  I am safety.  Safe I am.  I am love. Loved I am.    Stillness can be found anywhere - in nature, at work, in the shower, in the dark hours of  night, alone or with a companion. Our stillness in ourselves comes with our ability to breathe deeply and listen. When we slow down and listen with our hearts instead of our ears, something amazing happens. The space before us opens up and out of the void, we begin to perceive the magic everywhere. The colors of the galaxies and the motion of the universe can zoom into our awareness, like a high resolution cameral lens. The softness and love that enfolds us begins to feel as if it is hugging us close and letting us know that everything that is created is for the benefit of all things.  It takes time to quiet the mind and the body enough to ...

Aristotle is believed to have said, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom."  Self. What is it? Does anyone really know? A deceptively simple question, but one without a simple answer.  If we were to stop  for a moment to reflect on all of our personal history, we would in fact see many "selves" emerge from the shadows of our past. We would see our childhood Self, remember our hair and eye color, remember our fantasies, remember our deepest joys and passions, and recall our dearest friends at the time. We might remember the clothes we wore, the schools we attended, the houses we lived in, our family and family gatherings, and the chores we hated to do around the house.  If we advance further in time, beyond childhood and into the adolescent and young adult years, a different version of our Self emerges. Residential addresses have changed, new friends have shown up, and old ones have moved on; our own feelings and awareness have developed into an outw...