When I was in Florida, my husband and I went to New Smyrna Beach. It was cooler that day, but the ocean water was warm. I walked into the ocean – almost up to my knees. As I stood still and closed my eyes, I could feel my feet steady on the sand. But as the waves rolled back, my feet sank into the sand.
I think life is a lot like the sand – it’s always changing. When I think I’m stable, something happens in my life to create instability. I know the only way to accept this change is to embrace love and impermanence.
As a spiritual person, I think I have gained spiritual wisdom. But then, when I have a challenge in my life, I am reminded of how much work I still have to do. It’s okay to keep learning. I need a good dose of self-compassion.
The ocean is vast – and it keeps moving. I need to keep moving and growing too. I need to accept who I am – a spiritual being with ocean water running in my veins.
Today I am wet sand, and tomorrow I will be dry sand.
Last month, I turned 51 years old. I thought about the next 50 years of my life. What do I want to do? How do I want to change my life?
Several things have changed since December 2021. I took a freelance job. I work for a publishing company that owns three newspapers and an advertising company. I am writing a lot more!
Sometimes I record the interviews for the paper. I get to hear my voice – the quality and how I communicate. I’m learning a lot about the tone of my voice and how I project words. I realize that I need to be more mindful about what I’m about to say.
Each year I focus on one chakra. For 2022, I’m working on my throat chakra. I want to become more aware of the vibration of spoken words.
My friend and mentor, Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz, says to be silent and listen with our hearts. I wish to bring more peace into my heart and mind. I want to be quiet and listen more.
Just before I turned 51, I cut my hair short. The last time I had my hair short was when I was 17 years old. I want to go beyond physical appearances – I’m ready for that change.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about India. I was there seven years ago on a study abroad trip. I miss the Ganga river and the ashram the most. When I was there, I met Ma Tureeya, a Catholic nun. She said, “Make space for the Divine to enter.” Meditation is the way.
I meditate in the morning, but I want to add an evening practice. I plan to continue to work with the chakras (see the chart below). It is interesting to note the connection of “SHAM” with shaman.
This chakra chart is from the book, “Shifting Frequencies,” by Jonathan Goldman.
I am ready for the next 50 years of my life! I am leaving the mother phase and entering the crone phase. I am excited to dive deeper into wisdom!
This morning, my friend and I went to St. Joseph Catholic Church near my house. I was raised in the Catholic faith, but now I consider myself a Catholic-Buddhist. I love blending the religious traditions of the East and West.
I enjoyed spending time in the church with its old German architecture from the early 1900s (see the photo above). As I sat in the pew, I looked up at a large painting of Jesus, Mother Mary, and St. Joseph in front of the chapel. With my eyes searching for balance, I was pleased to see the representation of yin and yang (feminine and masculine). In the middle of the painting is Jesus, the Son of God.
I meditate every morning. So, even in the church, I closed my eyes to connect with my energy and calm my thoughts. I prayed to God. After my prayer, I received a message. The message said, “It is only through humbleness that we can truly love.” When we are humble, we let go of everything (especially our ego). When we are humble, we are open to love.
Today’s reading, during Mass, was from the Corinthians:
Love is very patient and kind,
never jealous or envious,
never boastful or proud,
never haughty or selfish or rude.
Love does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable or touchy.
It does not hold grudges and
will hardly even notice when
others do wrong.
It is never glad about injustice, but
rejoices whenever truth wins out.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
After the message, I saw myself floating on my back in the lake. Just like floating, I need to trust and let go. Just like water, I can be humble and supportive.
Why is it so hard to let go of everything? Death is the ultimate letting go. But why wait until death?
Ego is a form of attachment. It looks for justification. It is the opposite of letting go – it wants to hold on. My ego looks for recognition. According to the dictionary, recognition is the acknowledgment of something’s existence. I need to let go of being “someone.”
Through humbleness, we can love. When we love, there is no judgment. The heart is open like the sky, and when we see our reflection in the water, we see the expansiveness of our soul.
The Rugged Terrain of My Heart – Painting by Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz
Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz is my friend and mentor. I have known her for 30 years. She is a Sister of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis and has devoted her life to teaching and providing spiritual counseling. Sister Lucy was born on November 16, 1936, and died on March 28, 2022.
Here are some quotes by Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz (from her journals):
Aging is passing – experience something coming through us.
The Earth has meridians, and the body has meridians.
Memory holds Truth – quest for Truth.
Something more than biology is shaping my life.
Practice by sustaining the deep presence by listening to self first, then others.
Share ways to thrive.
Divine Will – What does God want of us?
The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Strive to desire what God desires for you and respond to the call. It always seems like it’s a surprise when God creates that newness for me and you.
Gemstones are from the Angelic.
Moon Goddess, I honor you and love you beyond understanding. I will stay open to your changes in me.
Explore change and how it is that we invite, resist, or learn with it and how it affects our relationships.
When we help other people get what they want, we get what we want.
Follow the silent whispers that echo down the golden spirals through the corridors of your own being.
Spiritual Direction: I call out something that I never saw in myself.
Where you turn, there is the face of God.
Creativity is the surest pathway to the Truth.
Follow your Heart. Wherever it takes you, and be happy. Life is brief and very fragile. It’s only loaned to us for a while. Wake up every morning with the thought that something wonderful is about to happen, and take one moment at a time.
Honoring
My Soul Honors Your Soul
I honor the place in you
Where the entire universe resides
I honor the light, love, and truth
Beauty and peace within you.
Because it is also in me.
In sharing these things
We are united
We are the same
We are one.
– Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz
Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz in 1995. Photo by Gina M. Gafford
Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz is my friend and mentor. I have known her for 30 years. She is a Sister of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis and has devoted her life to teaching and providing spiritual counseling. Sister Lucy was born on November 16, 1936, and died on March 28, 2022.
Here are some quotes by Sister Lucy Bruskiewicz (from her journals):
Always be kinder than necessary.
When you talk to anybody, just think your soul is talking to the Spirit of God.
To reach for our potential – Spirit is Medicine.
For those who are tripped up by “perfect.” When is it good enough?
How very little can be done under the Spirit of Fear!
The fondest memories are gathered when we share at the table.
The world needs our story.
I must live the life of the Gospel, understanding the way.
The original use of the word “courage” means “to stand by one’s heart.”
All of us are smarter than any one of us.
It’s odd that in our noisy and protracting world, it’s only when we come face to face with death, we experience what is often missing in life.
Go into your heart for what you desire. We are never distant from God’s heart.
When you nourish your soul, life falls into balance. Each of us creates our own “recipe,” adding the essential “ingredients” that sustain us best.
I want to encourage you to trust the mystical, divine, which comes as an intuitive pulse or rhythm. Trust your own experience of Holy.
What we don’t see is more real than what we do see. Spiritual vision is possible. What blinders must we remove to have more clarity?
From stress to strength. Every encounter with stress is a chance to turn your life around.
When you empty by sharing, you make room for more.
Follow the path that is leading us to the Best.
Leave something of value behind. What is it? I hear the call to honesty – deep honesty within myself.
Have you ever noticed the word “heart” contains the word HEAR? It is only in this way that we can learn what others want. And the words “silent” and “listen” contain the same letters. Perhaps this means we should be silent and listen with our HEARTS.
Whoever departs from this world without having realized his own inner world, to him life has been of no service: it remains unlived, like an undone deed. - Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad
When you reach your arms and hands straight above your head, you will touch your Soul Star Chakra. This chakra connects you to the heavens. The Earth Star Chakra connects you to Mother Earth.
When we connect with our Soul Star Chakra, we see our potential to ascend into higher consciousness. When we walk on the Earth (Middleworld), we are presented with a psychological “Hall of Mirrors.” It is maze-like and confusing at times. However, we can learn to master the mind and have order instead of chaos. It is a fact that Mother Earth prefers order. We can also be the Master of Mirrors.
To master the mind, we need to touch the eternal part of who we are. Do not get trapped in the Hall of Mirrors. See yourself clearly, and have compassion for yourself. Look into the mirror and see your greatness.
Caitlin Matthews, in her book, Singing the Soul Back Home, says, “Each part of our soul needs to be with us, to enable us to pay proper attention to the different dimensions of our lives: to be emotionally aware, to give love, to appreciate what is true and beautiful, to respect boundaries of others and ourselves, to discern danger. If one or more soul-part is missing, we begin to find some of these things difficult or impossible.”
To heal ourselves, we need to go inward. The outside world is only a distraction – to pull us away from our true work. We can heal ourselves by looking straight into the eyes of fear. Matthews continues in her book, Singing the Soul Back Home, “Dealing with fear requires courage. Many people feel it is easier to live with the self-imposed controls of fear than to experience the liberation of the power that lies beneath the fear.”
To work with fear, you must realize your power. It is time to polish your mirror. Who are you?
You can ascend into higher consciousness with grace and gratitude. Meditate every day, practice mindfulness, and learn to balance all of your chakras.
What do you need when there’s uncertainty, chaos, relationship problems, or stress? Find within yourself deep peace. There are many ways to get peace. You can rest, listen to music, take a walk in nature, be mindful of your environment, pray, meditate, go on a retreat, or take a vacation.
I decided to go to Colorado to take a break from my daily life. Going somewhere far away gives me new perspectives. Several times I’ve told myself I just need peace. I need to rejuvenate so I can continue to give to others. Peace creates sacred space and increased awareness.
I work in hospice – caring for the dying. After someone dies, I tell the family, “May peace be with you.” When we have peace, we create the space to heal. Deep peace helps us feel connected to God.
It’s no secret that the world is changing before our eyes. Deep peace creates “right thinking.” Everyone has their own beliefs and thinking. For me, right thinking is spiritual wisdom. This wisdom has to transcend the problems of daily reality. It must go deeper into understanding the spiritual realm.
For the past two mornings, during my sun meditation, I received a vision of a key and a lock. There are a lot of secrets about humanity and the world. And if we want to open the door to these secrets, we need to create deep peace.
May peace be with you.
Namaste, world.
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, by Susan Boyle
Make me a channel of Your peace Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love Where there is injury, Your pardon Lord And where there’s doubt, true faith in You
Make me a channel of Your peace Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope Where there is darkness, only light And where there’s sadness, ever joy
Oh Master, grant that I may never seek So much to be consoled as to console To be understood as to understand To be loved as to love with all my soul
Make me a channel of Your peace It is pardoning that we are pardoned In giving to all men that we receive And in dying that we’re born to eternal life
Oh Master, grant that I may never seek So much to be consoled as to console To be understood as to understand To be loved as to love with all my soul
Make me a channel of Your peace Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope Where there is darkness, only light And where there’s sadness, ever joy
In a few weeks, I am going on a solo trip to Sedona, Arizona. I am preparing myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically for the trip. I keep telling myself that I need to have a strong mind while I am there.
In 2016, my friends and I went to Sedona, Arizona, on a spiritual pilgrimage. I remember one night energy was bouncing off the walls. It really scared me – I’ve never experienced anything like that before. Part of me realizes that I might encounter more strange phenomena during this upcoming trip.
The energy in Sedona is strong because of the vortexes and ancestral energy that resides there. I will be alone on the red mountains (I’m never really alone). I am excited and nervous at the same time.
How am I preparing myself for this trip? I am reading more about Sedona, practicing Qigong every day, and I am working with my mental energy.
I am going to Sedona to connect with the unique energy that is there. I want to meditate and connect with the spirit of Sedona. I am going with an open mind and no set expectations.
I understand that as human beings, we are visible and invisible. The visible part is our physical body and the invisible part is our mind.
The mind is very powerful. We need to be careful because the mind likes to manifest. We need to put our energy towards positive thoughts and less energy into things that cause fear, pain, struggles, etc. It’s easy to just let the mind think what it wants, but it’s crucial to think thoughts mindfully. Remember – thoughts are things. Where thoughts go, energy flows.
I can see myself on Bell Rock. I can feel the warm wind on my skin. I can feel the energy in my body as I connect with Heaven and Earth.
It is time to train your mind. You can control your thoughts! Rein your thoughts like a rider reins a horse. Also, become aware of how your environment affects your thoughts. You need to be careful of what you let into your consciousness, especially from technology/media, books, and other people. Remember where thoughts go, energy flows.
As you train your mind, connect with higher vibrations of love and intuition. It’s not always easy – it takes practice. The best way to train your mind is through daily meditation. Singing or reciting mantras can also help to train the mind. The word “mantra” is from Sanskrit and contains two words. “Man” or “manas,” which means “mind” and the suffix “tra,” which means “tool.” Translations of this mantra are “instrument of thought” and “I am that I am.”
Here is a video of the seven chakra mantras to help balance the energy in your body and mind:
Tunnel Vision 8 