I've been thinking about this word a lot "enlightened". What does it mean to be enlightened? Who are the people who are enlightened? What qualities do they possess?
I grew up in a small village in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. My grandfather planted a huge garden in our backyard; we had cucumbers, tomatoes, all sorts of greens, lemon trees, various fruit trees, grapes and so much more. I doubt my grandfather needed to take time out of his day for a meditation. The man was meditating with God every moment of his day. He wasn’t planting seeds while jamming to an IPod nor was he chatting or texting on his cell phone. He passed away not ever having seen an IPod to begin with or having owned a cell phone. He probably would have thought both items were totally unnecessary for anything he’d like to have accomplished. I wish I could’ve learned a lot more from my grandfather; I’m sure his wisdom and enlightenment was priceless.
I’m wondering if we’re introducing so many new things into our world only to have to undo their effects. I love teaching my meditation class because it’s an opportunity for me to share with my students how to take 15 minutes out of their day to be still and quiet. I ask that they block all noise and stimulation allowing their senses to settle down and come back to center. I doubt a meditation class would have been necessary in my village 50 years ago. I wonder if a meditation class is necessary in parts of the world that are undeveloped and “backwards”. I’m starting to wonder who has it backwards us or them. There's something to be said about the simple life.
Is enlightenment possible with all the stimulation we have coming at us all the time? I read a fantastic book a while back called Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert. The author talks about going to an ashram in India to find her center again.
In her book The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit, Shirley McClain walks the famous pilgrimage across northern Spain known as the Camino, the Santiago de Compostela Camino. It is said that this 500-mile path lies directly under the Milky Way and that it reflects the energy of the star systems above it. The intention of this pilgrimage is to find deep spiritual understanding which Shirley McClain was able to do.
I'm not sure many of us could swing a month in India or Spain to find our center again. I read The Camino way before I had kids and thought to myself this is something that is definitely going to make my bucket list. Now that I have kids I think to myself when would I ever realistically take a month away from my family to walk under the stars in Europe. Maybe when my kids are way older I can convince my husband to go walk the Road to Santiago with me.
In the meantime, I’m going to have to resort to my daily meditations, my walks in the park and Wayne Dyer to keep me on the right track. I have to say though that the first three days of trying to keep two boys constantly entertained during Spring Break have proven to me just how un-enlightened I truly am. It is very clear to me that I have a long ways to go in learning the art of patience. Is it me or do kids need constant stimulation. My five year old will declare that he is bored the first minute he’s in a car on his way to a birthday party or to the zoo. Why is it bad to be bored anyway?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com Classes will resume in May with the first of the series being a meditation class.
Off to find those two boys! My youngest is five today; I wish him a lifetime of happiness and love.
Mary
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow
I'm currently reading The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran. On the day that Almustafa, the chosen and beloved, is leaving the city of Orphalese its people come to ask the prophet their questions and to gain from his wisdom. This book is not an easy read and I have to admit that I may read the same chapter five times getting something different every time.
The chapter where a woman asks the prophet to speak to them of Joy and Sorrow is one of those that I have read numerous times. I’ve included only a few lines of what the prophet answers:
"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”
I’ve thought about this a lot since I read it. I have to say from my own experience that I truly have never appreciated life or experienced joy more deeply than I have since losing Isabella last summer. For those who don’t know, I had a 20 week pregnancy loss of a baby girl during which I almost lost my life as well. It’s very humbling to face your own mortality and to realize that it could all end at any moment. Although the experience of losing a child at 20 weeks in the womb was very sorrowful for me, I have to say that it is because of that I appreciate the everyday with the two fantastic boys that I do have. My friend phrased it perfectly when she said “I doubt we could know the joy of life without the tough moments.”
I jokingly say that when I get to heaven I’m going to swat Isabella’s little butt and put her in time out for all the aggravation that she’s given her family. On the other hand, I will definitely say thank you to her. Thank you for helping me to understand what’s important in life. I color with the kids when we go to restaurants, I dance with my husband every time he asks me to, I eat the piece of cake at a birthday party without worrying about the side-effects it’ll have on my hips, I hang out with my friends and listen to them without worrying about having to run errands … I am so much more present and I do have to give credit to a little girl whose journey was 20 weeks in the womb for helping me sort all that out.
I admire those who live their life to its fullest without experiencing sorrow but I do know that for some it’s the sorrow that actually gives life its richness.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com Classes will resume in May with the first of the series being a meditation class.
Laughing with the little boys who are outside playing baseball!
Mary
The chapter where a woman asks the prophet to speak to them of Joy and Sorrow is one of those that I have read numerous times. I’ve included only a few lines of what the prophet answers:
"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”
I’ve thought about this a lot since I read it. I have to say from my own experience that I truly have never appreciated life or experienced joy more deeply than I have since losing Isabella last summer. For those who don’t know, I had a 20 week pregnancy loss of a baby girl during which I almost lost my life as well. It’s very humbling to face your own mortality and to realize that it could all end at any moment. Although the experience of losing a child at 20 weeks in the womb was very sorrowful for me, I have to say that it is because of that I appreciate the everyday with the two fantastic boys that I do have. My friend phrased it perfectly when she said “I doubt we could know the joy of life without the tough moments.”
I jokingly say that when I get to heaven I’m going to swat Isabella’s little butt and put her in time out for all the aggravation that she’s given her family. On the other hand, I will definitely say thank you to her. Thank you for helping me to understand what’s important in life. I color with the kids when we go to restaurants, I dance with my husband every time he asks me to, I eat the piece of cake at a birthday party without worrying about the side-effects it’ll have on my hips, I hang out with my friends and listen to them without worrying about having to run errands … I am so much more present and I do have to give credit to a little girl whose journey was 20 weeks in the womb for helping me sort all that out.
I admire those who live their life to its fullest without experiencing sorrow but I do know that for some it’s the sorrow that actually gives life its richness.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com Classes will resume in May with the first of the series being a meditation class.
Laughing with the little boys who are outside playing baseball!
Mary
Friday, March 26, 2010
What about that Sunshine?
My oldest son turned seven on Monday. We went to go celebrate his birthday at Benihana's. We ended up sitting next to a couple who had one child with them. I immediately assumed that he was an only child and part of me felt sad for him. Why I would make that judgment and then proceed to have an emotion about it is beyond me?
After talking to his mom for a few moments I realized that he has an older and younger brother. I asked her where her other children were. She said that they were with their grandparents. I thought that this boy may be celebrating something special with his parents and he was getting a night out. I find out that they actually lived in Wyoming and that they are in Denver for a whole week where he could get treated for his asthma problems. They were here to learn to read the signs of an asthma attack coming before it actually did to hopefully make it more manageable for their son. Wow! I thought to myself at that moment that way too many assumptions were made on my part during that hour we shared together. She asked me if there were fun places to visit and I started naming a few of my boys’ favorites but I had to stop to think if they were appropriate for a five-year old with asthma. I guess running around at Monkey Bizness is out as is throwing a football in the park.
This morning I read an article about the Nuggets coach and his battle with throat cancer. I have to be honest that I didn’t have the stomach to read the whole thing. I did read the last couple of lines of the article where the interviewer asks the coach if he’s scared. I included the coach’s answer as well as the last few lines of the interview.
The Coach answers: "I'm scared every day," he says. "Scared all the time. But my kids, my family, my staff, they keep me thinking positive."
Interviewer: “Anything good coming from all this?”
Coach: "Oh, yeah. Lots. Sometimes, I feel the sunshine on my face and I just stop and think, 'Damn, this feels good.' I never used to think about sunshine, you know?"
I’ve thought about his a lot. How many of us think about the sunshine? Isn’t that fantastic?
This is life; it's having asthma, getting cancer, getting married, having children, changing jobs, losing 20-week pregnancies …etc. Life is up, down and everything in between. Through it all we’ve got to remember the sunshine!
I wish the little boy with asthma the best of luck and pray that it’s manageable so that he can live his life as normal as possible. I pray for the Nuggets coach a speedy and healthy recovery. I wish for myself to remember the sunshine and to take the time to bask in it!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com Classes will resume in May with the first of the series being a meditation class.
Going to enjoy the sunshine today!
Mary
After talking to his mom for a few moments I realized that he has an older and younger brother. I asked her where her other children were. She said that they were with their grandparents. I thought that this boy may be celebrating something special with his parents and he was getting a night out. I find out that they actually lived in Wyoming and that they are in Denver for a whole week where he could get treated for his asthma problems. They were here to learn to read the signs of an asthma attack coming before it actually did to hopefully make it more manageable for their son. Wow! I thought to myself at that moment that way too many assumptions were made on my part during that hour we shared together. She asked me if there were fun places to visit and I started naming a few of my boys’ favorites but I had to stop to think if they were appropriate for a five-year old with asthma. I guess running around at Monkey Bizness is out as is throwing a football in the park.
This morning I read an article about the Nuggets coach and his battle with throat cancer. I have to be honest that I didn’t have the stomach to read the whole thing. I did read the last couple of lines of the article where the interviewer asks the coach if he’s scared. I included the coach’s answer as well as the last few lines of the interview.
The Coach answers: "I'm scared every day," he says. "Scared all the time. But my kids, my family, my staff, they keep me thinking positive."
Interviewer: “Anything good coming from all this?”
Coach: "Oh, yeah. Lots. Sometimes, I feel the sunshine on my face and I just stop and think, 'Damn, this feels good.' I never used to think about sunshine, you know?"
I’ve thought about his a lot. How many of us think about the sunshine? Isn’t that fantastic?
This is life; it's having asthma, getting cancer, getting married, having children, changing jobs, losing 20-week pregnancies …etc. Life is up, down and everything in between. Through it all we’ve got to remember the sunshine!
I wish the little boy with asthma the best of luck and pray that it’s manageable so that he can live his life as normal as possible. I pray for the Nuggets coach a speedy and healthy recovery. I wish for myself to remember the sunshine and to take the time to bask in it!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com Classes will resume in May with the first of the series being a meditation class.
Going to enjoy the sunshine today!
Mary
Monday, March 22, 2010
I am now living an ABBA song ...
I had a fantastic girl's night in the other night where we shared food, drink, laughed a ton and watched "Muriel's Wedding". I had never seen this movie before. It was definitely entertaining although sad at times as well. The main character of the movie is Muriel who would spend hours in her room doing nothing but listening to ABBA songs. Muriel’s goal in life was to fit in and get married. She meets an old friend of hers while on a vacation where they totally hit it off to become best friends. Muriel moves away from home, rents an apartment with her friend, gets a job and starts becoming more confident. Her friend falls on hard times and she wonders why Muriel is still her friend. Muriel’s answer to her was “before I met you I would sit in my room and listen to ABBA songs all day. Since I met you I haven’t listened to one ABBA song and that’s because now my life is an ABBA song.” I thought that was fantastic! I’ve been thinking about that line in the movie ever since.
You've heard me say this before but I can't resist "I love Wayne Dyer!" If you ever hear him lecture you’ll probably hear the story of how he was going off to the navy and his uncle gave him Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. I haven’t read the story myself but to quote Wayne Dyer about it he says that Ivan Ilyich was a judge who although was successful wasn’t happy throughout his life. On his death bed, he whispers to his wife whom he did not get along with “what if it was all wrong”. Isn’t that powerful? What if someone lives their whole life only to realize at the time of their death that it was all wrong?
Wayne Dyer will say “don’t die with your music still in you”. That is also how he lives his life. He certainly shares his music with the world and for that I am certainly grateful.
I guess the first question to ask is “what music is within me?” When I was a teenager and younger I was super intuitive. I could hear things, see things and certainly know things. I knew that my father was going to pass away a couple of months before he did because I kept hearing a voice telling me about it. When I was 20, I decided to shut my intuition off. I told my mother than no one would want to date a weirdo which is what I thought I was. I was never able to completely shut it off but I did manage to live what I thought was a "normal" life. When I was 29, I got pregnant with my oldest son Louie. That’s when my intuition came flooding back and there was no holding it back. On a side note, Louie’s birthday is today, he is 7 years old and a total joy. Happy Birthday my love bug! Back to this post, Louie’s mission now I believe was to replay that music within me. His mission was two-fold; bring back my intuition and help me appreciate it.
My inspiration now is Wayne Dyer. I’d love to eventually write books that are an inspiration to many, lecture to hundreds of people and change lives.
What is your music? I’d love to hear from you. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com Classes will resume in May with the first of the series being a meditation class.
Dancing to my music!
Mary
You've heard me say this before but I can't resist "I love Wayne Dyer!" If you ever hear him lecture you’ll probably hear the story of how he was going off to the navy and his uncle gave him Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. I haven’t read the story myself but to quote Wayne Dyer about it he says that Ivan Ilyich was a judge who although was successful wasn’t happy throughout his life. On his death bed, he whispers to his wife whom he did not get along with “what if it was all wrong”. Isn’t that powerful? What if someone lives their whole life only to realize at the time of their death that it was all wrong?
Wayne Dyer will say “don’t die with your music still in you”. That is also how he lives his life. He certainly shares his music with the world and for that I am certainly grateful.
I guess the first question to ask is “what music is within me?” When I was a teenager and younger I was super intuitive. I could hear things, see things and certainly know things. I knew that my father was going to pass away a couple of months before he did because I kept hearing a voice telling me about it. When I was 20, I decided to shut my intuition off. I told my mother than no one would want to date a weirdo which is what I thought I was. I was never able to completely shut it off but I did manage to live what I thought was a "normal" life. When I was 29, I got pregnant with my oldest son Louie. That’s when my intuition came flooding back and there was no holding it back. On a side note, Louie’s birthday is today, he is 7 years old and a total joy. Happy Birthday my love bug! Back to this post, Louie’s mission now I believe was to replay that music within me. His mission was two-fold; bring back my intuition and help me appreciate it.
My inspiration now is Wayne Dyer. I’d love to eventually write books that are an inspiration to many, lecture to hundreds of people and change lives.
What is your music? I’d love to hear from you. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com Classes will resume in May with the first of the series being a meditation class.
Dancing to my music!
Mary
Monday, March 15, 2010
Do I really want to hear that?
In his book, The Message from Water, Dr. Masaru Emoto asks the question “what is the difference in the information that each type of water holds?” Through freezing he was able to take pictures of the water crystals and see what shape they were making.
Dr. Emoto took pictures of water crystals from all around the world. The pictures are fascinating to see. We would expect every crystal to look like a beautiful snowflake but truly that is not the case. The form or lack-of the crystal depended on how clean the water was or whether it had chlorine in it and so on. As an example, the water crystals from the “St. Lourdes’ Fountain” in France were amazingly beautiful. St. Lourdes is said to be a fountain of miracles. You can also see the progression of beautiful crystals to distorted ones as the Shinano River moved from its source but gradually got contaminated as it approached urban areas.
What I found fascinating was the part where he subjected the water to certain words and phrases. For example, the words "soul", "angel" and "beautiful" formed a beautiful crystal as did the phrases “thank you” and “let’s do it”. On the other hand the words “demon”, “dirty” and the phrases “you make me sick, I will kill you” and “do it” did not form crystals at all instead the images were totally distorted and dispersed.
Dr. Emoto and his team also exposed water to different music. You can see that music such as Beethoven and Bach formed amazing crystals whereas heavy metal did not allow a crystal to form. Chopin’s farewell song formed many smaller crystals that were all separated from one another. I just think this stuff is amazing!
I teach a seven month program called Spiritual U and I bring this book to one of the classes to show these pictures. I really want my students to understand that what we expose ourselves to is really important. Just like the distilled water in the jar is responding to words and music, the water in our bodies is doing the same. We are approximately 70% water and every water crystal is responding to words, music, phrases, food, drink and energy that it is exposed to.
Trust me I used to love AC/DC too and I could sing “Hells Bells” in its entirety. The following are the first few lines of the song:
“I'm rolling thunder, pouring rain
I'm coming on like a hurricane
My lightning's flashing across the sky
You're only young but you're gonna die
I won't take no prisoners won't spare no lives
Nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya, satan get ya”
Really? That’s what I’m going to expose myself to? I don’t think so. I’ll bet even reading these lyrics makes your stomach cringe.
On the other hand let’s read the words to St. Francis’ prayer:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.”
Enough said? I think so.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
Cecilia, Deva Premal and Diane Arkenstone are the CDs in my car.
Mary
Dr. Emoto took pictures of water crystals from all around the world. The pictures are fascinating to see. We would expect every crystal to look like a beautiful snowflake but truly that is not the case. The form or lack-of the crystal depended on how clean the water was or whether it had chlorine in it and so on. As an example, the water crystals from the “St. Lourdes’ Fountain” in France were amazingly beautiful. St. Lourdes is said to be a fountain of miracles. You can also see the progression of beautiful crystals to distorted ones as the Shinano River moved from its source but gradually got contaminated as it approached urban areas.
What I found fascinating was the part where he subjected the water to certain words and phrases. For example, the words "soul", "angel" and "beautiful" formed a beautiful crystal as did the phrases “thank you” and “let’s do it”. On the other hand the words “demon”, “dirty” and the phrases “you make me sick, I will kill you” and “do it” did not form crystals at all instead the images were totally distorted and dispersed.
Dr. Emoto and his team also exposed water to different music. You can see that music such as Beethoven and Bach formed amazing crystals whereas heavy metal did not allow a crystal to form. Chopin’s farewell song formed many smaller crystals that were all separated from one another. I just think this stuff is amazing!
I teach a seven month program called Spiritual U and I bring this book to one of the classes to show these pictures. I really want my students to understand that what we expose ourselves to is really important. Just like the distilled water in the jar is responding to words and music, the water in our bodies is doing the same. We are approximately 70% water and every water crystal is responding to words, music, phrases, food, drink and energy that it is exposed to.
Trust me I used to love AC/DC too and I could sing “Hells Bells” in its entirety. The following are the first few lines of the song:
“I'm rolling thunder, pouring rain
I'm coming on like a hurricane
My lightning's flashing across the sky
You're only young but you're gonna die
I won't take no prisoners won't spare no lives
Nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya, satan get ya”
Really? That’s what I’m going to expose myself to? I don’t think so. I’ll bet even reading these lyrics makes your stomach cringe.
On the other hand let’s read the words to St. Francis’ prayer:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.”
Enough said? I think so.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
Cecilia, Deva Premal and Diane Arkenstone are the CDs in my car.
Mary
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Be present
I was trying to call a friend of mine the other day when I got a busy tone from her line. A busy tone is not something you hear every day so I tried again; I just couldn't get through. I saw her later on and asked her about it. She said that her husband could not stand the idea of call waiting; he thought that was rude to just bump people off for the next best thing or phone call in this situation. I have thought statement a lot since the day I heard it.
The Denver Waldorf School is hosting a 5 class parent education series. I’ve attended 3 classes so far all which have been fantastic. Dr. Adam Blanning was the host of last night’s talk about how we keep ourselves and our children healthy in a world that wants us to consume without end. Think about media and how much of it we are exposed to. Many things come at us so fast that we barely have time to digest them all which leaves us over stimulated and tired. Probably the most interesting point that was discussed last night was that of our 12 senses (not 6 like I thought we had). These senses are word, sound, temperature, vision, smell, taste, touch, vestibular, proprioception, life, I and thought. I am not going to go into all of those senses but what I found fascinating was that sense of “I”; that of the human being or individual. Dr. Blanning talked about how important that sense was to have when engaging in an activity with your kids especially under the age of 9. For example, reading a book to a child has the sense of “I” for your child but listening to a story on tape does not. The sense of "I" can be thought of as human interaction.
I thought about how important that sense of “I” is for adults as well if not more important. That connection we make with another human being is tremendously essential for our well-being. Most of the activities we do are fast-paced and hurried because there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day; we pay at the pump, we eat while driving, make all our phone calls while running errands and so on. Didn’t it feel good when you had to pay inside for gas which allowed you that essential human contact with the attendant? I’m not saying that these conveniences aren’t great to have but they do come at a price.
I was doing a reading this morning for someone when we got interrupted by someone on her end. Her energy got scattered and my energy got scattered after that interruption. My boundaries are very clear when I’m giving someone a reading; I meditate prior to the reading, I disable call-waiting on my phone and I close my door. This practice guarantees that I am fully present for the person and myself.
If you are having coffee with a friend don’t answer your phone when it rings, if you’re working-out don’t try to read your book, if you’re talking to someone on the phone don't type an email at the same time, when you pick your kids up from school realize that it’s their turn to have your attention, dinner with your family is the time for everyone to sit around the table and share their day … and so on. I know you’re all nodding your head yes. Trust me if you allow yourself the gift of being present you will feel an overwhelming sense of well-being and balance.
I don’t know that I am ready to disable call-waiting on my phone permanently but I can tell you that I won’t be taking that other phone call quite as easily.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
In the present!
Mary
The Denver Waldorf School is hosting a 5 class parent education series. I’ve attended 3 classes so far all which have been fantastic. Dr. Adam Blanning was the host of last night’s talk about how we keep ourselves and our children healthy in a world that wants us to consume without end. Think about media and how much of it we are exposed to. Many things come at us so fast that we barely have time to digest them all which leaves us over stimulated and tired. Probably the most interesting point that was discussed last night was that of our 12 senses (not 6 like I thought we had). These senses are word, sound, temperature, vision, smell, taste, touch, vestibular, proprioception, life, I and thought. I am not going to go into all of those senses but what I found fascinating was that sense of “I”; that of the human being or individual. Dr. Blanning talked about how important that sense was to have when engaging in an activity with your kids especially under the age of 9. For example, reading a book to a child has the sense of “I” for your child but listening to a story on tape does not. The sense of "I" can be thought of as human interaction.
I thought about how important that sense of “I” is for adults as well if not more important. That connection we make with another human being is tremendously essential for our well-being. Most of the activities we do are fast-paced and hurried because there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day; we pay at the pump, we eat while driving, make all our phone calls while running errands and so on. Didn’t it feel good when you had to pay inside for gas which allowed you that essential human contact with the attendant? I’m not saying that these conveniences aren’t great to have but they do come at a price.
I was doing a reading this morning for someone when we got interrupted by someone on her end. Her energy got scattered and my energy got scattered after that interruption. My boundaries are very clear when I’m giving someone a reading; I meditate prior to the reading, I disable call-waiting on my phone and I close my door. This practice guarantees that I am fully present for the person and myself.
If you are having coffee with a friend don’t answer your phone when it rings, if you’re working-out don’t try to read your book, if you’re talking to someone on the phone don't type an email at the same time, when you pick your kids up from school realize that it’s their turn to have your attention, dinner with your family is the time for everyone to sit around the table and share their day … and so on. I know you’re all nodding your head yes. Trust me if you allow yourself the gift of being present you will feel an overwhelming sense of well-being and balance.
I don’t know that I am ready to disable call-waiting on my phone permanently but I can tell you that I won’t be taking that other phone call quite as easily.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
In the present!
Mary
Monday, March 8, 2010
How may I give?
My kids go to the Denver Waldorf School. We have an auction coming up on March 20th. Our school is one of those that need auctions and annual giving campaigns to bridge the gap between what is brought in from tuition and the actual costs of running the school. At our last parent council meeting, we realized that it was a necessity to procure more items for the auction. I was one of those that said "give me a job and I'll go out and do it!" One of the jobs was to go to Cherry Creek North and get some of the stores in that shopping district to donate some items. For those of you that don’t know Denver, Cherry Creek North is a high-end shopping area. I decided to also go to the Lowry shopping center which is not quite as big.
I can’t say I’m a customer of any of the stores or restaurants in either shopping area other than Cucina Colore in Cherry Creek which is a fabulous Italian restaurant I might add. Those stores that I walked into and just gave me something right away were the ones that I have talked about to everyone I have seen since the moment I left their store. It doesn’t matter if they gave me a “wine of the month” gift certificate for a whole year or a $10 coupon – I truly appreciated the fact that they gave something.
I can say to you that I will go out of my way to buy a bottle of wine from Chateau Liquors or The Vineyard in Cherry Creek. I will definitely find a way to take knitting lessons from “The Modern Ewe” in Lowry. The Savory Spice Shop in Lowry has ready-made boxes that they just hand out to anyone who shows up asking for a donation. They have made a lifetime customer out of me with their donation of a spice box worth $21.50. The restaurant Brio handed me a $50 gift certificate on the spot. Doesn’t that make you want to go there for dinner tonight? There’s something about receiving that makes you want to turn around and give right back.
I had a young lady call me the other day for a reading. She said that she had called a few people prior to me and she felt like they had conned her out of a lot of money without truly giving her any of the answers she was seeking. Of course always the teacher I told her that maybe that was her sign from the Universe that she needs to look within for the answers. We hung up under the assumption that if she wanted to call me back for a reading she should do a 1 question reading for $15. That is my way of allowing someone the opportunity to get a reading without investing a lot of money. I’ve learned that everything in life is a balance and there must be a give and a take in everything. However, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
My oldest son is affectionately termed the wizard by me because he constantly is telling me what God wants me to know. Some of my students have seen him do readings with his crystal ball. He just picked it up one day and just started talking; after a few minutes he had my full attention. For those of you with young kids, try asking them about their relationship with God and their spirit guides; you’ll be amazed as to what comes out of their mouth.
The other day, I asked him to give me a reading. I asked him if I should give this young woman a free reading and these were his exact words “mommy that would be great. If you gave this woman a free reading you would be so much better off with God. If you don’t give her a free reading that is ok as well but giving her a free reading will give back to you so much more.” This is also the kid that told me “the problem with adults is that we don’t think before we do, kids think before they do. They look at which football team they’d like to be on instead of just jumping in to the wrong one.” I’ll bet you’d be listening to my 6 year old as well when he’s communicating with his crystal. So of course, I called the woman back and told her that I was offering her a free reading. I can tell you that I am already ecstatic that I did that because I could feel her energy soaring after I told her.
It has been a fun process going out there and procuring items for our upcoming auction but I tell you the best part was being the recipient of generosity. It’s certainly made me think of how may I serve and how may I give. You never know how someone gets touched by generosity and how it’ll make a change in their life. Make that your theme for the day “how may I give?” Maybe to the next person who shows up at your door or just by listening to a friend.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
In a giving mood!
Mary
I can’t say I’m a customer of any of the stores or restaurants in either shopping area other than Cucina Colore in Cherry Creek which is a fabulous Italian restaurant I might add. Those stores that I walked into and just gave me something right away were the ones that I have talked about to everyone I have seen since the moment I left their store. It doesn’t matter if they gave me a “wine of the month” gift certificate for a whole year or a $10 coupon – I truly appreciated the fact that they gave something.
I can say to you that I will go out of my way to buy a bottle of wine from Chateau Liquors or The Vineyard in Cherry Creek. I will definitely find a way to take knitting lessons from “The Modern Ewe” in Lowry. The Savory Spice Shop in Lowry has ready-made boxes that they just hand out to anyone who shows up asking for a donation. They have made a lifetime customer out of me with their donation of a spice box worth $21.50. The restaurant Brio handed me a $50 gift certificate on the spot. Doesn’t that make you want to go there for dinner tonight? There’s something about receiving that makes you want to turn around and give right back.
I had a young lady call me the other day for a reading. She said that she had called a few people prior to me and she felt like they had conned her out of a lot of money without truly giving her any of the answers she was seeking. Of course always the teacher I told her that maybe that was her sign from the Universe that she needs to look within for the answers. We hung up under the assumption that if she wanted to call me back for a reading she should do a 1 question reading for $15. That is my way of allowing someone the opportunity to get a reading without investing a lot of money. I’ve learned that everything in life is a balance and there must be a give and a take in everything. However, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
My oldest son is affectionately termed the wizard by me because he constantly is telling me what God wants me to know. Some of my students have seen him do readings with his crystal ball. He just picked it up one day and just started talking; after a few minutes he had my full attention. For those of you with young kids, try asking them about their relationship with God and their spirit guides; you’ll be amazed as to what comes out of their mouth.
The other day, I asked him to give me a reading. I asked him if I should give this young woman a free reading and these were his exact words “mommy that would be great. If you gave this woman a free reading you would be so much better off with God. If you don’t give her a free reading that is ok as well but giving her a free reading will give back to you so much more.” This is also the kid that told me “the problem with adults is that we don’t think before we do, kids think before they do. They look at which football team they’d like to be on instead of just jumping in to the wrong one.” I’ll bet you’d be listening to my 6 year old as well when he’s communicating with his crystal. So of course, I called the woman back and told her that I was offering her a free reading. I can tell you that I am already ecstatic that I did that because I could feel her energy soaring after I told her.
It has been a fun process going out there and procuring items for our upcoming auction but I tell you the best part was being the recipient of generosity. It’s certainly made me think of how may I serve and how may I give. You never know how someone gets touched by generosity and how it’ll make a change in their life. Make that your theme for the day “how may I give?” Maybe to the next person who shows up at your door or just by listening to a friend.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
In a giving mood!
Mary
Friday, March 5, 2010
Superstitions ... really?
My boys were wrestling right outside their bedroom door the other day (something that is not unusual in our household I may add). I needed to get into the room but my little guy was blocking the door so I stepped over him to get in. For a moment after I did that I thought: "Oh my God, what if he stops growing because I stepped over him". Well when I took a moment to realize how silly that superstition was I started thinking about all the other falsehoods I was carrying around in my head.
Culturally we have a lot of superstitions in Lebanon; the house has to be spotless on New Year’s Eve for the year to be prosperous, you can’t cut your nails at night, you have to wear something blue so that the “evil eye” can’t get you and the list goes on … trust me. I’ll bet you’re reading this going “what’s wrong with cutting my nails at night?” I couldn’t tell you. I’ll be that even the people who totally believe that couldn’t explain to you why either. I can’t say that I believe in these superstitions anymore but apparently there at least one I wasn’t aware of that on some level I was still afraid of.
Think about Friday the 13th and how many of us fear that day. I’ll bet most of us can think back to at least one totally uneventful Friday the 13th. Even the fear of the number 13 is huge. Did you know that most of the high-rises don't have a 13th floor and most airplanes don’t have a 13th row? I find that to be fascinating!
If we were to take it one step further we’d realize that there are a lot of ideas or beliefs that we have that don’t have much validity to them if we were to think about it. Think about the statement that we constantly hear and tell our kids “do you know how expensive that is? Money doesn’t grow on trees you know. We work very hard to put food on the table; you’ve got to appreciate it”. There are so many things wrong with that statement much more than I’m about to explain; kids come into the world believing that they can accomplish anything but all of a sudden we make them feel that the Universe is not abundant and that they have to work really hard to get something. The Universe is abundant and we can totally get what we want without working hard for it – we just have to believe it!
I truly believe we are the creators of our own Universe and victims of absolutely nothing. We have total control over our beliefs and what we think our limitations are. Today, you can start believing that walking under a ladder brings you good luck and it will if you truly believe it. You can also choose to have no limiting thoughts whatsoever and always be open to experiences. Louise Hay says “it’s just a thought and a thought can be changed.”
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
I fully believe that my son will continue to grow taller even though I had to step over him to get into his bedroom.
Mary
Culturally we have a lot of superstitions in Lebanon; the house has to be spotless on New Year’s Eve for the year to be prosperous, you can’t cut your nails at night, you have to wear something blue so that the “evil eye” can’t get you and the list goes on … trust me. I’ll bet you’re reading this going “what’s wrong with cutting my nails at night?” I couldn’t tell you. I’ll be that even the people who totally believe that couldn’t explain to you why either. I can’t say that I believe in these superstitions anymore but apparently there at least one I wasn’t aware of that on some level I was still afraid of.
Think about Friday the 13th and how many of us fear that day. I’ll bet most of us can think back to at least one totally uneventful Friday the 13th. Even the fear of the number 13 is huge. Did you know that most of the high-rises don't have a 13th floor and most airplanes don’t have a 13th row? I find that to be fascinating!
If we were to take it one step further we’d realize that there are a lot of ideas or beliefs that we have that don’t have much validity to them if we were to think about it. Think about the statement that we constantly hear and tell our kids “do you know how expensive that is? Money doesn’t grow on trees you know. We work very hard to put food on the table; you’ve got to appreciate it”. There are so many things wrong with that statement much more than I’m about to explain; kids come into the world believing that they can accomplish anything but all of a sudden we make them feel that the Universe is not abundant and that they have to work really hard to get something. The Universe is abundant and we can totally get what we want without working hard for it – we just have to believe it!
I truly believe we are the creators of our own Universe and victims of absolutely nothing. We have total control over our beliefs and what we think our limitations are. Today, you can start believing that walking under a ladder brings you good luck and it will if you truly believe it. You can also choose to have no limiting thoughts whatsoever and always be open to experiences. Louise Hay says “it’s just a thought and a thought can be changed.”
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
I fully believe that my son will continue to grow taller even though I had to step over him to get into his bedroom.
Mary
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Shift: Taking Your Life from Ambition to Meaning by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
I just finished reading Wayne Dyer’s new book The Shift: Taking your Life from Ambition to Meaning. This is a book that was sent to me for free by Hay House to read and review. I am now part of the Hay House New Release Reviewers program where I will periodically be sent books to read and review at no cost to me or them.
I watched the movie “The Shift” last year around this time and I remember that it made a huge impact on me. I went to see Wayne Dyer in Maui where I heard some of the same information and again it made a huge impact on me. And now, I can truly say that after reading this book which again presents similar information that I am impacted once again.
It’s no secret that I absolutely love Wayne Dyer. I find him to be one of the most empowering spiritual teachers out there. There’s something about his words and concepts that no matter how many times I hear them I always learn something new. I feel that I am ready to take life on by the horns when I’m done reading one of his books, watching a PBS special or attending one of his lectures – he is truly fantastic!
The first time I heard the phrases “the morning of your life” and “the afternoon of your life” was when I watched the movie “The Shift”. I have often thought about the change from how we view things when in one phase versus the other. In this book Wayne Dyer again talks about these two concepts but goes even further to explain how we get from the morning to the afternoon of our life and what becomes important. He does so by breaking down and explaining the following words; from, ambition, to and meaning.
The first chapter of the book discusses the concept of where we came from. Most of us will not argue that we came from source and to source we will return. If we came from source then we must be like what we came from and therefore we are source as well. The problem is that most of us have forgotten our divine roots. He says to remember God we must “get quiet, let go of conflict, become peaceful and remember the eternal gentleness that resides within you”. I love that statement! It's a total reminder that for you to achieve peace, going within is a must.
Then “ambition” is that phase of our life that is ego-driven where we measure ourselves by our material success or accomplishments. Whether that’s due to the influence of the world around us or by our own doing most of seem to go through this phase in the morning of our life. Think about the following sentence taken from the book “the problem that exists with the mind-set of evaluating ourselves on the basis of what we’ve acquired is this: If we are what we have, the when we don’t have, we aren’t!” How can we never exist or never be? We truly are never worth that which we produce or make only.
It seems like most of the time we need something major to happen for us to start re-evaluating our life and our priorities. Since reading the book I have really thought about that u-turn and heading towards God or our source. I can tell you that for me there have been many small moments but by far the loss of a baby last summer was a huge quantum moment or quantum event I should say. Wayne Dyer talks about looking for the energy in a fall to propel you upward; that is something I can testify to you first-hand. I can say that my loss was definitely humbling and allowed me to take it down a notch. I find that because of that I am so much more accessible to so many more people. These people have in turn allowed my life to be rich with incredible conversation, experiences and relationships. Humility is huge in the afternoon of one’s life.
Finally we get to the “meaning” phase of our life; the phase of our life where we respect all things, where honesty is a priority and where we offer our support and service to others. This is the phase of our life that having trust in ourselves, God and others is apparent and so much more. Think about this “a life of Meaning is literally only a thought away”.
Once again Wayne Dyer has managed to motivate me and help me to take it up a notch in the right direction. I highly recommend watching the movie and reading this book. You will get a lot out of both experiences – this I promise you.
You can buy this book at Hay House, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Enjoy!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book when you read it! You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
With Meaning,
Mary
I watched the movie “The Shift” last year around this time and I remember that it made a huge impact on me. I went to see Wayne Dyer in Maui where I heard some of the same information and again it made a huge impact on me. And now, I can truly say that after reading this book which again presents similar information that I am impacted once again.
It’s no secret that I absolutely love Wayne Dyer. I find him to be one of the most empowering spiritual teachers out there. There’s something about his words and concepts that no matter how many times I hear them I always learn something new. I feel that I am ready to take life on by the horns when I’m done reading one of his books, watching a PBS special or attending one of his lectures – he is truly fantastic!
The first time I heard the phrases “the morning of your life” and “the afternoon of your life” was when I watched the movie “The Shift”. I have often thought about the change from how we view things when in one phase versus the other. In this book Wayne Dyer again talks about these two concepts but goes even further to explain how we get from the morning to the afternoon of our life and what becomes important. He does so by breaking down and explaining the following words; from, ambition, to and meaning.
The first chapter of the book discusses the concept of where we came from. Most of us will not argue that we came from source and to source we will return. If we came from source then we must be like what we came from and therefore we are source as well. The problem is that most of us have forgotten our divine roots. He says to remember God we must “get quiet, let go of conflict, become peaceful and remember the eternal gentleness that resides within you”. I love that statement! It's a total reminder that for you to achieve peace, going within is a must.
Then “ambition” is that phase of our life that is ego-driven where we measure ourselves by our material success or accomplishments. Whether that’s due to the influence of the world around us or by our own doing most of seem to go through this phase in the morning of our life. Think about the following sentence taken from the book “the problem that exists with the mind-set of evaluating ourselves on the basis of what we’ve acquired is this: If we are what we have, the when we don’t have, we aren’t!” How can we never exist or never be? We truly are never worth that which we produce or make only.
It seems like most of the time we need something major to happen for us to start re-evaluating our life and our priorities. Since reading the book I have really thought about that u-turn and heading towards God or our source. I can tell you that for me there have been many small moments but by far the loss of a baby last summer was a huge quantum moment or quantum event I should say. Wayne Dyer talks about looking for the energy in a fall to propel you upward; that is something I can testify to you first-hand. I can say that my loss was definitely humbling and allowed me to take it down a notch. I find that because of that I am so much more accessible to so many more people. These people have in turn allowed my life to be rich with incredible conversation, experiences and relationships. Humility is huge in the afternoon of one’s life.
Finally we get to the “meaning” phase of our life; the phase of our life where we respect all things, where honesty is a priority and where we offer our support and service to others. This is the phase of our life that having trust in ourselves, God and others is apparent and so much more. Think about this “a life of Meaning is literally only a thought away”.
Once again Wayne Dyer has managed to motivate me and help me to take it up a notch in the right direction. I highly recommend watching the movie and reading this book. You will get a lot out of both experiences – this I promise you.
You can buy this book at Hay House, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Enjoy!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book when you read it! You may leave a comment below, email me to mary@marysalfi.com or find me on Facebook by becoming a fan of marysalfi.com
If you’d like to receive information on upcoming classes and events please sign up for my newsletter at www.marysalfi.com
With Meaning,
Mary
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