Mind-Body Connection

I'm on the 7th day of the 21-Day Meditation Challenge through the Chopra Center. If you haven't joined in, please do so, I believe you can still sign up. http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/bestsellers/MEDITATION_WINTER_2012/register.asp

It always amazes me when I feel the shift from unwell emotional thinking to feeling healed. I'm there today. While doing the meditation this morning, I felt something inside me relax, become joyful; I even felt an inner smile of contentment. It's exactly what I needed and what I've been waiting for.

I've stepped away from the mosaic work table for a bit to heal my injury completely and give the muse a much needed break. I've had no desire to mosaic lately and it is painful inside and out when I feel that way; often I fight it until I just can no longer ignore it. This time, however, I really do feel physical pain when I tried to work, so I decided I had to give myself a longer break and step away for a while from creating mosaics. Once the Doctors Without Borders "Beyond Borders" a mosaic online auction happening in September was complete and sent on its way, I covered up the work table (right next to my bed) and haven't needed to uncover it yet. In stepping away from it for a while, this gives me time to explore different creative venues. It also gives me a chance to gather future mosaic pieces in my mind and on paper.

Someone mentioned my auction piece reminded them of something drawn by Kandinksy so I set about looking at his artwork. My goodness how inspiring I found his works! Many are retro and speak to me LOUDLY. Having some of my work compared to his is an honor. But it got the juices flowing a bit and made me see the muse wasn't gone for good. She is just slumbering.

I grabbed the camera over the weekend and took some photos of a birthday party for my step-granddaughter, a rambunctious 6 year old on Saturday. I found a few photos that my daughter and I took to be quite colorful and really amazing. Yesterday I went for a short walk in the sunny but cold outdoors. I used an online photo editor for all the photos I took this weekend and found I enjoyed that very much. You can see the entire grouping of all photos on my flickr photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaic_queen2008/), but here are a few I really like:

Stay peaceful.

Broken Spirit

Altering my life to accommodate the physical healing that has begun has been a challenge. My mobility has been altered the most; less strength, pain when it rains and swelling in the joints, possibly forever. I have found this past years events have broken my mental spirit as well. I am pleased that I see this problem on the heels of starting the 21-Day Meditation from the Chopra Center. If nothing else, I will be spending 10-15 minutes a day sitting quietly listening to guided meditations. This always helps lift my spirits, calms and centers me and I always wonder, once I've found the balance again, why I let it slip in the first place.

It's ironic that once I decided to take others' advice and start an uplifting blog that I have lost a lot of my positive energy. It's time to restore the balance between mind, body and spirit.

If the term "inspired" actually means "in spirit", then when the spirit is broken, we are uninspired. This is certainly true for me. When I worked at the mosaic table yesterday, although I made 3 things using dish shards and some stained glass, the inspiration was not there at all and I wasn't pleased with how any of them looked when I finished them.

I have started the Meditation Challenge today along with millions of other people and will continue for the full 3 weeks. It was life-altering for me each time in the past. I will find my spirit again and when I do I'll also find the renewed enjoyment of still being able to move, albeit slower and without as much bounce in my step.

I will be able to share inspiring quotes, websites and thoughts and theories here in this blog as time goes on. I reminded myself that I am a spiritual person having a human experience. That's a very good place to start in order to find my enthusiasm towards my life and every day events.

I know everything comes to us when we need it. I'm confident that this upcoming event with the Chopra Center will give me one or two things to help me out of my slump. Before the month is done, I will once again say: Life is good.

The first quote from the 21 Day Meditation Challenge: “Have your attention on what is and see its fullness in every moment. The presence of the divine is everywhere. You have only to consciously embrace it with your attention.”~ The Vedas

Stay peaceful. See you in the gap. Namaste.

Announcement

As the end of the year approaches, my online shop here will be disappearing and replaced with another wordy blog of info and stuff and things. Perhaps a sale or two will be mentioned and shared.


But for now, it's still open and has a few items in it that can be purchased directly from it. These items may, possibly, become available on Etsy next year ... that's still to be determined.


Have a look, and wave goodbye!


It helped me so much during my transition but now it's time to move on and make life simpler again. :)

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me as I continuously find my way. Hugs to you all!