Dharma in the Garden

I am angry.

I am sad.

I go within.

I forgive myself.

 

A tranquil oasis with trees, waterfalls and bridges, where ducks swim, children play and dogs are walked. Located in a quiet residential area, the noises of everyday life won't disturb you here. There are plenty of quiet spots where you can sit and contemplate, water and birdsong the only soundtrack to your dreams.

The bridges and winding pathways guide you over and around a deep pool which is fed from above by a small waterfall which gurgles and gushes over rocks and stones.

This garden paradise is only a brief walk from our home - we are truly blessed!  Today it was sparkling in the sunshine, a kaleidescope of colours.  The water was like a mill pond creating the most beautiful reflections.

Sketchbook and pencils remained in my bag as the camera was definitely the favoured medium for capturing all this vibrancy. 

The name of this paradise is Johnston Gardens.  More images can be found in this album.

Have you met me?

Bored, bored, BORED. My head hurts from the sheer boredom of today's stifling routine. If it is possible to have a day that was less creative, less fulfilling, less authentic, less real, then I hope I never experience it.

But boredom served its purpose - it made me realise that how I am living my life is totally unacceptable and that I am tired, tired, tired of being the square peg in the round hole.  I want to live my life, live it fully, really, authentically. I want to grab my life with both hands, hang on and shout "come on, let's run, let's jump, let's skip, let's play".  There are ideas buzzing, flying around my head, there is a creative bubble inside me ready to burst out, I can feel pure joy and energy fighting to be let loose, I want to laugh long and loud for the sheer delight of hearing its sound. I want the plug to be pulled, the bottle uncorked, the dam released and everything that was stuck fast to come rushing, pouring, tumbling out.  I want to live my values, speak my truth, blow my trumpet.

Phew! Good to get all that out.  Right now I feel I am being swept along in a torrent of emotions, not knowing what will happen or where I'll end up. You know, I've realised that it's actually really hard work pretending to be someone else. And I'm not an actor so I don't even get paid! A lifetime's work and it's not even a great role.  Time for the mask to be removed, the disguise to be taken off, to step from the shadows and into the (spot)light.

Time to introduce ME.

Tingling Fingers

Loving my Shakti acupressure ring, which looks beautiful (although a little big to wear as a decorative ring) but more importantly actually works!  Not sure how it works - something to do with the meridians (energy lines) in your fingers being stimulated - but it does.  You roll the little ring up and down each finger about 20 times and you start to feel your fingers tingling.  Great for my cold hands.

Attitude of Gratitude

'Count your blessings' is simple to the point of stupid—and powerful to the point of life-altering. Gratitude, that very specific feeling of thankfulness in your heart, allows you to see and absorb all you have, forgetting for a moment all you may lack. It connects your brain with your heart, and gives you the ground to be more giving, effective, loving human. Being grateful allows generosity to flow. And many believe it also makes us more receptive—as in, the more you love what you have, the more you get what you want. So herewith, a list to remind you of fundamental things to be grateful for every day—from apples to clouds to ice cream to getting enough nightly Zzz’s. 

See the list at 26 Reasons to be Grateful - The Ultimate Gratitude List from A to Z

Energise

In an effort to get this old body moving better I have ordered two of Shiva Rea's DVDs - Yoga for Beginners and Daily Energy.

I saw a few minutes of her Daily Energy workout on the Body in Balance channel last night - she has an amazing body (soooooo jealous) - and then I found my yoga mat behind the sofa bed in the spare room (it will sure do me a lot of good there!).  

So I thinking that with a little discipline and determination I could become stronger and more flexible but I want to learn yoga for my mind as well as my body.  I am not confident about going to a class right now so being able to workout in my own living room is appealing (no-one to see the saggy bits except me!)

Did do some de-cluttering of wardrobes and drawers today in the belief that clearing out the old will make way for new things to come in.  Despite the cold I opened the windows to allow fresh air and new energy to circulate.  There is a slow thaw in the garden (can now see a little of the grass!) but it's still too cold to venture outdoors or to do work in the summer house.  But I have a new Tuesday morning class starting soon at the local art gallery learning all about the collections and the role of the curator.  So lots of new and positive ventures on the horizon for mind, body and spirit.  

Wishes

I have just received a small pack of the Angels of Awakening Angelic Wishes Oracle Cards by Daisy Foss & Laraine Krantz. There are 36 cards in the pack - 12 Wishes of Life, 12 Wishes of Creation and 12 Wishes of Love.  

Asking the angels for a wish of love for myself, a wish of life for others and a wish of creation for the world, I selected three cards at random:

Wishes of Love - I sing and dance to my own tune, I make a positive influence in the world
Wishes of Life - Ensure all creatures are safe and healthy
Wishes of Creation - Help nature maintain a balance of health for our planet

These are beautifully illustrated little cards and their messages are uplifting and inspirational.

Beginnings

"Every morning is a fresh beginning. Every day is the world made new. Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment - this day - is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day - each moment of this day - a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity." Dan Custer, Author

Done complaining (well, almost)

My Complaint Free bracelet has been ordered but as it could take up to 45 days to arrive I have decided to start my challenge now and consider it a bit of a practice session to see how I get on.  So far I have learned that by monitoring myself for every little moan or complaint I might make I am able to turn my attention to more positive thoughts and feelings.  I have forgotten a few times of course and ended up having a good old rant about something or other.  So early days yet.  I think the physical act of having to switch the bracelet from one wrist to the other each time I catch myself complaining will definitely help.  Even if I stop complaining simply because I get so fed up switching the bracelet back and forth!  Of course I could just take the bracelet off altogether but that's just defeatist.

A Complaint Free World

I'm seriously thinking about taking the challenge to go a full 21 days without a single complaint.  This inspirational challenge has been set by A Complaint Free World, an non-profit, non-religious organisation who envision a positive shift in the world's consciousness.  The want to inspire 1% (60 million people) of the world's population to leave the toxic communication of complaining behind and experience an internal shift towards being more positive, hopeful and optimistic.

One of the ways they hope to achieve this goal is by selling purple bracelets. You wear the bracelet for 21 days and each time you complain (about anything) you switch it to the other wrist.  The goal is to go for 21 consecutive days without complaining or switching the bracelet.  

I found it interesting (and slightly synchronistic) that their motto is "if you don't like something, change it, if you can't change it, change your attitude - don't complain."  I have this quotation pinned up beside my computer at work but didn't realise these are the words of Dr Maya Angelou. She received the 6 millionth purple Complaint Free bracelet on 10 September this year.  Eckhart Tolle also expresses these sentiments in his book The Power of Now.  

It's certainly very easy to complain about our lot in life rather than counting all the blessings we have. I've just finished reading an article by Doreen Virtue in which she asks that we enjoy our life now in this moment and not waste our life waiting for some future day when we have no problems.  Every single moment contains a blessing, even the worst day of our life.

The same magazine had an article by Tim Freke in which he talks about the mystery of the moment and how by spending so much time engrossed in the story of our lives we are missing out on all the wondrous magic of our existence. Just by stepping out of our 'story' for a little while and noticing the beauty and mystery all around us can be exhilarating and helps us see everything from a new perspective.

21 days of no complaining seems like a tough challenge - I wonder if I'm up for it.  Watch this space.

Healing Plants

I have started giving myself daily treatments of Reiki again.  You need to practice regularly to keep the energy strong and unfortunately I have been very bad at doing this.  I have even been treating a couple of my plants to a healing session. Well, you never know.  If it can do wonders for me who's to say my plants won't benefit.

I've added an Osteospermum, a Geum, a Gentian and a Poppy Orientale to one of my borders.  Oh and a Stachys Byzantina (lamb's lugs). It's the poppy that needs some TLC at the moment.  I planted it when the weather was warm but since then it has turned really cold so it obviously didn't like that (I wasn't too happy either!). Sadly it also looks like my Apple Scrumptious won't be producing fruit again this year. It might have apple scab. Then again it could be blossom wilt. I really don't know. And my clematis has still not produced any flowers (this is it's third year).  So I turned my garden into an outdoor treatment area and went round giving Reiki to various plants.  If anyone had witnessed the scene I'm not sure what they would have thought.  Anyway, the experiment is in its early stages and I think more sessions are required.  But I could be onto something here...

Learning to follow my bliss

"Nobody else knows your reason for being. You do. Your bliss guides you to it. When you follow your bliss, when you follow your path to joy, your conversation is of joy, your feelings are of joy -- you're right on the path of that which you intended when you came forth into this physical body."

Quote courtesy of Abraham Hicks

How many of us can actually say that we are on our path to joy, that we are following our bliss.  There are brief moments, heck I would go as far as to say there are even whole days, when I know I am on that path and bliss is my companion.  Most of the time however I find I'm way off the beaten track and stumbling through a fog.  Sometimes the detours can be interesting but I always feel bliss calling for me to get back on the right path.  More and more I am starting to listen to my guide.

The new bird feeder in our garden is really becoming a star attraction for birds.  We had a pair of robins at the weekend, which is quite unusual as they are normally solitary birds.  Lots of sparrows of course and our little blue tits who have taken up residence again in tree at the bottom of the garden.  However, there was one bird that we can't identify.  It had a red, black and white striped head, a black and white spotted body and a yellow tail.  So far a search of the internet has failed to provide the answer. I do hope it comes back so I can get another look   Although it is proving quite difficult to get pictures of our feathered friends.  Either I can't get close enough or they are never around when I have the camera in my hand.  But we are awaiting a new camera which has a very powerful zoom lens so I will be able to happily snap away without them knowing from the bedroom window.

A Guardian Angel

A guardian angel
Flew down from above,
To teach me a lesson
About the powers of love.
She whispers to me,
Takes a hold of my hand,
There are so many things
I wish you to understand.
About the powers of love,
And all it can do,
To someone who needs
To share it with you.
A pat on the back,
A kind smile on your face,
Can make someone's life,
A much brighter place.
It doesn't take much,
To show someone you care,
To give them the love,
God gave you to share.
So please keep in mind,
All the powers you possess,
To grace someone's life,
When they're in distress.
You've been put on this earth
To bestow the powers of love,
And with those final words,
She disappeared up above.

~Author Unknown~

... but is it Art?

"There is no "The End" to be written, neither can you, like an architect, engrave in stone the day the garden was finished; a painter can frame his picture, a composer notate his coda, but a garden is always on the move." Mirabel Osler.

Art can take many different forms and can mean many things to many people.  A recent online discussion about how art can be both healing and transformative prompted me to view my own garden space as an artistic work in progress, one which has no end as it will always develop and change.  The whole process of creating and watching my garden grow and develop has been hugely transformative for me and is a source of much healing.

Fire the Grid :: Be Defined

I recommend a visit to Fire the Grid.  If, like me, you are concerned about what we are doing to our wonderful planet and worried about its future then Shelley Yates provides 'The Plan' which will hopefully provide the remedy to our situation.  It requires only one hour from each of us on 07-17-07 at 11:11. Shelley's story is incredible - she is truly an inspiration.

Today's Horoscope

“Sometimes, you appear cooler on the surface than you truly feel. You may be tempted to downplay your feelings so that others don't get worked up with your emotional drama. The problem with this strategy is that your secret passions may not find a way to express, unless others in your life know how you are feeling. This can be terrifying, for you don't want to be inappropriate, but it's time to act on your feelings now.”

Now this is particularly accurate in my case.  I’m not inclined to show my emotions very easily.  And yes, I have been known to downplay my feelings on occasion.  However, after reading the above, I’m left wondering exactly how I should go about expressing my ‘secret passions’.  Passionate displays certainly sound terrifying, but I’m thinking probably more so for the person on the receiving end than for myself! But on reflection this has got me thinking.  Is the reason behind my calm exterior and downplaying of feelings a way of trying to convince others (and more likely myself) that I am in control and that displays of emotion are a sign of weakness?   Putting my emotional dramas ‘out there’ for others to see just seems way too scary right now.  I’m going to think more about this and return to it at a later date. 

Oasis for The Body

Way back in 1990 I was a solo visitor to Le Sport in St Lucia.  It's on my travel wish list as the place I would like to return to (I'm thinking a holiday for our anniversary next April might be nice...).  I also read recently that Kira Bowie, a lady here in Aberdeen who runs pilates classes and who I bought my MBT trainers from, teaches a few weeks a year at Le Sport as a Master of Pilates. 

A brief search of the internet after that found the website for Le Sport - they have certainly added to the resort over the years and it looks very impressive.  When I was there I particularly liked the Oasis, which is the Spa which stands on a hill overlooking the hotel.  It is moorish in design (see photo) and is a haven of tranquility.  Since I was there they have added to their list of treatments and therapies.  They now have a resident doctor of holistic medicine who is available for consultation and individual treatments which work with the body, breath, mind and soul.  They also offer ayurveda therapies and a series of holistic practices encompassing yoga, meditation, massage and detoxification.  Add to that the healing arts of Kinesiology and Iridiology, a specialist skin clinic, a whole range of fitness classes, a gym, massage rooms, nude sun deck, meditation temple, not to mention the incredible list of heavenly face and body treatments, and it's no wonder that this resort was recently named as the number one destination spa in the world by readers of Conde Nast Traveller.

The tag on their website says "give us your body for a week and we will give you back your mind".  I'm having to hold myself back from booking this holiday right now.

Healing Angel

I am reading the 'Angel Bible' by Hazel Raven and have discovered several fascinating facts about Archangel Raphael.  I have always called on Raphael (and other angels) when I practice Reiki but I didn't really know why.  However, I did know his name means "God heals" and that he is the angel of healing.  Since reading the Angel Bible, I now know that Raphael is also associated with Spring (my favourite season), Wednesday (the day I was born), the zodiac sign Virgo (my birth sign) and the planet Mercury (ruler of the sign of Virgo).  It's no surprise that he also appears in my favourite book, Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers! 

Raphael grants us many gifts, including joy and creativity. He encourages self-motivation to become who we are meant to be. He is also the angel of communication (I am calling on him right now to help me convey this message!). Raphael spreads love and laughter and delights in helping people.  I am reassured that, despite being an Archangel, anyone can call on Raphael for help and we don't need to be psychic or have any special powers to do so. We just need to open our minds and our hearts.  Synchronisities are the angels' way of letting us know they are there. Thank you Raphael - I've got the message.

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. Gilda Radner

I long for the perfect ending. If a book I’m reading doesn’t have an upbeat conclusion, I feel let down, cheated somehow out of the “happy ever after” that doesn’t exist in real life but that I look for in fiction.

Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that I’m a perfectionist, or should I say a recovering perfectionist. I was, and still am to a certain extent, a real stickler for everything to be just right, nothing out of place, to always have the perfect ending. But you don’t half set yourself up for disappointment when you try to control and organise every aspect of your life. I learned that the hard way. Of course, life isn’t perfect. Deep down I knew that. It didn’t stop me trying though.

Today, I can accept life and all its imperfections (although not without a struggle!). I wouldn’t want it any other way. Life can have moments of desperate sadness and terrible tragedy but equally can give us moments of sheer joy and untold pleasure. We definitely do have to make the best of what life deals us. To learn from the past but not dwell in it, plan for the future but live for the moment. To look forward, not with fear or dread but with anticipation and hope.

Clean Regime

I usually enter a New Year in the mood for cleaning out. Sometime during the hiatus between Christmas and New Year I start planning my clean regime around the house. I'm very good at planning. Not so good at the doing unfortunately.

However, the old digestive system hasn't been so good the last few weeks and this is one area that really could do with some attention.  So in order to get some 'friendly' bacteria into my digestive system I've started taking Lactobacillus Acidophilus twice a day. In addition I'm taking two Red Clover Combination supplements twice a day to cleanse the toxins from the bloodstream.  Caffeine has been replaced with peppermint tea (also great for the digestion) and I'm getting lots of nutrients from home made vegetable soup. 

I've read about Bodytox Detox Foot Patches and apparently the results are amazing! You place the patches on the sole of each foot before going to bed and the toxins are absorbed while you sleep.  I'm going to give these a try and see if what they are claiming is true.

While the house might not be spick and span, hopefully I'll be starting the New Year thoroughly cleansed!

Dharma Creation

In the beginning...

Dharma in the Garden is being created.  Watch this space!