Mojo Monday ~ Listening to Your Heart

Listening.

This is my focus this month.  

I am trying to quiet my mind that is known to race, make lists, check off to-do lists, focus on schedules and spiral or spin on a variety of subjects.

I am also attempting to get clearer on what makes my heart sing, what brings me peace, happiness, contentment and joy.  

On May 2nd my listening had me paying close attention to a post by Mary Anne Radmacher, a writer and artist I have long admired and found inspirational.  Here is what she shared on her Facebook page.

"What do you think of those 'training opportunities' that assure they will double, or triple your business activity? Hmmm. Just got a note from Twitter that they want to help me grow my business. So kind. A live stream webinar of experts teaching me how to optimize my twitter feed. Do I want to grow my business? Yes. Yes, I do. Do I want to grow my business applying a formula and rationale that is being taught to and applied by tens of thousands of people? I don't think I do. When I offer something I've made, I tell about it. I show you. If I'm excited or touched or impacted, I tell you that, too. Sometimes I remember to link to twitter. Sometimes I don't. But at least people know when I show up on social media it's because I want to be there. I think formulas are great - and they are formulas because they work. That said, I think I'll stick to my plod-along " marketing formula." What is that? Create fresh + meaningful message + sharing + showing = a business that feels good to me."

This spoke to me when I read it.  I love how her focus is on creating fresh and meaningful messages, sharing and showing, and definitely connecting with other people.  This speaks to me as I explore my own dreams and goals. I tucked this into my bag of inspirational messages for the month.

This is also the month for the chapter called "Listening Woman" in The 13 Original Clan Mothers, by Jamie Sams.  Here is how the chapter begins:

Echoes of the Ancestors
Ride the Winds of Change,
Voices of the Creatures
Calling out my name.
Singing spirits on the breeze,
The crashing of waves to shore,
The poundings of Earth Mother's heart
Teach me what to listen for.
In stillness, before dusk and dawn,
Hidden messages are set free.
Like the chants of my people,
Their rhythms speak to me.
My ears can hear this music,
And my heart can understand.
Clan Mother of Tiyoweh,
I am yours to command.
I listen for your whispers
On a course you will chart,
Searching for the still voice
That lives within my heart.

One of my deep loves is to listen to music.  I love to really hear the lyrics and to seek out inspirational messages.  Here are two new songs that are have my heart listening.  The first is called The Heart by a band called Needtobreathe.  The second is the song Love Me by Katy Perry.

Here is the official music video for the song The Heart by Needtobreathe

The Heart
Lyrics by Needtobreathe

Ain't no gift like the present tense
Ain't no love like an old romance
Got'sta make hay when the sun is shinin'
Can't waste time when it comes time to dance

Slammin' this door with a heavy hand
signin' this line like a deed to land
keeping in touch with the windows down
Dreading this night since the rain hit the ground

[Chorus]
Long live the heart
Long live the soul
That knows what it wants
That piece you can find
That part is the whole
It never lets go

Always tryin to be the one outlaw
Goes where he wants never does get caught
Pushing this line like the Lord ain't comin'
Building this house like they're scared of something else

[Pre Chorus]
Be my winter in this living hell
Be my one last dying wishing well
oh well

[Chorus]
Long live the heart
Long live the soul
That knows what it wants
That piece you can find
That part is the whole
It never lets go

[Bridge]
Got'sta make hay when the sun is shinin
Can't waste time when it comes time to dance
keeping in touch with the windows down
Dreading this night since the rain hit the ground

[Chorus]
Long live the heart
Long live the soul
That knows what it wants
That piece you can find
That part is the whole
It never lets go

[Chorus]
Long live the heart
Long live the soul
That knows what it wants
No matter how far
How heavy this load
It never lets go

There is no official video for the song Love Me by Katy Perry, but here is a fanmade video that paired the song with a promotional video for Katy Perry's perfume.  

Love Me
Lyrics by Katy Perry

I lost myself in fear of losing you
I wish I didn't do, but I did
I lost my own, my own identity
Forgot that you picked me, for me

But now, I don't negotiate with insecurities
They always seem to get the best of me
I found I had to love myself, the way I want you to

Love me, no more second guessing
No, there's no more questioning
I'll be the one defining who I'm gonna be
No concealing feelings, or changing seasonally
I'm gonna love myself, the way I want you to love me

Sometimes I wish my skin was a costume
That I could just unzip, and strip
But who I am is who I'm meant to be
And it's who you are in love, in love with
So now, I don't negotiate with insecurities
You're gonna have to take a back seat
I know I have to love myself, the way I want you to

Love me, no more second guessing
No, there's no more questioning
I'll be the one defining who I'm gonna be
No concealing feelings, or changing seasonally
I'm gonna love myself, the way I want you to love me

No more standing in my own way
Let's get deeper, let's get closer
No more standing in my own way
(I want you to love me)
No more standing in my own way
Let's get deeper, let's get closer
No more standing in my own way
(I want you to love me)

No more second guessing
No, there's no more questioning
I'll be the one defining who I'm gonna be
No concealing my feelings, or changing seasonally
I'm gonna love myself, the way I want you to love me

No more second guessing
No, there's no more questioning
I'll be the one defining who I'm gonna be
No concealing feelings, or changing seasonally
I'm gonna love myself, the way I want you to love me

This week (or month) carve out some time to listen. 

What catches your attention when you make it a priority?  

Even when reading what jumps out at you when you listen with your heart?

Seek out some new music.  Listen to a new-to-you band.  What do you hear?

Go outside and soak in the sounds of nature.  How do the sounds make you feel?

When a loved one speaks to you really listen and then also try focusing on listening with your heart. Does anything change when you place a focus on it?

Mojo Monday ~ Shhhhh....

Turn down 

the volume of demands

and listen

to the grace of

the small,

the silence,

the whisper.

~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Does the pace of the world ever seem frenetic to you?  

Do you ever find yourself struggling in order to keep up with emails, texts, blog posts, facebook posts, on-line classes, and phone messages?  

Do you ever find yourself filling every moment of your day with the many forms of communicating and social networking that are now possible?

While driving or at stoplights do you talk on the phone, text, check email, or surf the web?  

Do you ever feel inundated by too much information and too much stimulus?  Perhaps too many offers to participate in this or that teleconference or amazing life-changing workshop?

Do you ever take time to just sit?

Do you ever take time to just think?

Do you ever carve out quiet time?

Does the idea of quiet time seem far-fetched, because of the demands of your life?

Is quiet time something you long for or is it something you would dread?

This piece started to percolate in my mind after reading that a favorite author of mine by the name of Brene Brown was struggling with being on all the time.  She was finding herself checking emails or the web at stoplights.  She was filling every moment with communicating in some form or other. 

Just the thought of doing those things sounds crazy making to me.  I wondered, when does she get down time, quiet time, time to just think? It made me wonder how other people balance out being busy, with taking necessary time out for oneself?

Once a week, for work, I have an hour drive out of town and then I turn around and do it again in the afternoon to return home.  While the drive can sometimes get stressful due to driving conditions, for the most part, I use this time to simply listen to music and think thoughts.  I may come up with a new idea for an article.  I may ponder something.  I might imagine a new painting.  I may try to work out a problem in my mind.  The idea of using that time to communicate with others is not at all appealing. This for me is a perfect time to be unreachable.  

Is quiet time at all important?  Are we humans missing out on something if we fill our days with constant stimulation such as pinning pictures, reading status posts of friends and family, texting till our fingers are numb, talking on the phone at all hours, or signing up for every teleconference that hits our in-box?  

In wondering about this very thing I came across this quote by the Dalai Lama:

"If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, 

we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation."

Why would the Dalia Lama believe such a thing?  Would a violent free world really be the result of all the children meditating?  Would meditation really change them and our world that much?  

Cynthia Dawn,  a writer, children’s meditation facilitator, raw and vegan food enthusiast enthusiast, and co-creator of The Intention Tree Project, shares this about meditation:

"Meditation is a powerful adeptness for anyone and we are learning (remembering really) that when we have this modeled to us as children the reverberations are profound!

On a physical level, scientific studies have found that meditation:

* increases levels of immunity
* prevents and/or reduces cancer and autoimmune disorders
* improves hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders
* alleviates respiratory disorders and digestive problems
* reduces the severity of asthma and panic attacks

On a mental and emotional level, experts have found that meditation:

* encourages a healthy sense of self
* promotes well-being and self-esteem
* increases focus, concentration and problem solving skills
* fosters awareness and creativity
* instills connection, understanding, and compassion

On a Universal level many believe that meditation is a large part of the solution for world peace. When we are at peace with ourselves and no longer fighting a physical, mental, or emotional war ~ we can be true peacemakers within our world."

The sentence that really impacted me from above is:

 "When we are at peace with ourselves 
and no longer fighting a physical, mental, or emotional war ~ 

we can be true peacemakers
within our world."  

I also came across this report about meditation in public schools:

"A University of Michigan study concludes that two, ten-minute meditation sessions per day in a public school setting reduces stress in children and teens and promotes emotional stability.  Participants within the study group were found to exhibit less verbal aggression, anxiety and loneliness.  Based on this study, a growing partnership of Detroit area parents, teachers and physicians are now calling for schools around the country to offer meditation breaks each day.  'It wouldn't be difficult,' a spokesperson said, 'and it requires no expensive equipment, no special outfits or footwear.'  Since meditation is not a religion, proponents claim that meditation would be an appropriate stress reliever in the schools."

It seems that with meditation or even just the practice of getting quiet regularly, allows you to center yourself.

BJ Gallagher at the Huffington Post wrote a brief post titled Buddha: How to Tame Your Monkey Mind that explains more.

Buddha described the human mind as being filled with drunken monkeys, jumping around, screeching, chattering, carrying on endlessly. We all have monkey minds, Buddha said, with dozens of monkeys all clamoring for attention. Fear is an especially loud monkey, sounding the alarm incessantly, pointing out all the things we should be wary of and everything that could go wrong.

Buddha showed his students how to meditate in order to tame the drunken monkeys in their minds. It’s useless to fight with the monkeys or to try to banish them from your mind because, as we all know, that which you resist persists. Instead, Buddha said, if you will spend some time each day in quiet meditation — simply calm your mind by focusing on your breathing or a simple mantra — you can, over time, tame the monkeys. They will grow more peaceful if you lovingly bring them into submission with a consistent practice of meditation.

Do you long for more peace in your heart and mind?

Are there things that feel unsettled for you?

Do you feel content and happy most of the time?

Do you have time in your life to just be, to dream, to imagine, to just breathe?

What would it really take for you to start a meditation practice of your own?

What would it take to simply ensure that you get quiet time regularly?



"If we have not quiet minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot."

~ John Bunyon

"We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly...spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order."

~ Susan L. Taylor