human spirit, well being, creative, meditate, energy, health, environment

The happy return of Soul

BOSS — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:12:57 +0000

It’s not all that cool to talk about soul in the head-spinning technological world of 2012 . I don’t mean the feeling that comes with achieving celebrity or financial success, but rather the essence that our ancestors used to quietly explore in reading, reflection or — gasp — church. There’s no app for it. It’s nowhere in science books and it’s not taught in schools. The closest I could get to it on hotel cable was American Pickers. But just because we’ve lost sight of it doesn’t mean it’s gone anywhere, or that it isn’t still our only link to the supreme eternal mystery. Nope, it’s just been gathering dust in one of life’s dilapidated outbuildings, waiting for someone who knows the market to rediscover it for its redeemable value.

Legend has it that soul actually can be sold short for temporary profit, but that’s better left to professional storytellers. In real life we’re more likely to misplace it, and only later bump into some reality that causes us to seek and preserve it for its intrinsic value. We cannot put it on display. We cannot see it to describe it. We can’t say from whence it comes and we do not know where it goes. We have learned to manipulate for our earthly purposes practically everything except that which animates us.

Naturalist Loren Eiseley wrote in his essay, The Hidden Teacher: “The human body is a magical vessel, but its life is linked with an element it cannot produce. Only the green plant knows the secret of transforming the light that comes to us across the far reaches of space.”

Maybe Thoreau entertained a similar thought as he left his sunny doorway at Walden Pond for the last time. We all know it, really. Go outside.

Left Unsaid

BOSS — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:48:55 +0000

by Joan Klostermann-Ketels

We should all write

when we feel the need

to clear our heads

from all the dread.

To instead find

rhythm in words

that seldom

get said…

Inspired by David Whyte’s What to Remember When Waking

Quiet, consciousness & gratitude

BOSS — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:43:25 +0000

The speed with which changes can unfold will astound you….you should be able to move forward without any difficulty. It is a question of consciousness, of being able to raise one’s consciousness and adjust to all that is taking place. Those souls who are aware of the Christ consciousness are being drawn together at this time like steel to a magnet. We may not always be aware of it at the time, but it will become very clear in the days ahead. It is this consciousness which is drawing more and more souls together so that we all may become aware of the Christ within, and give eternal thanks for this awareness. — Eileen Caddy, Opening Doors Within (Findhorn Press, 20th Anniversary Edition, 2007)

Thank you, Karen M. Rider

BOSS — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:38:18 +0000

Karen M. Rider finds the heart of HumaniTrees. SEE: Soul of a Writer

Be at perfect peace

BOSS — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:10:09 +0000

November

“I was shown the earth like a draught board painted in big black and white squares. As rain came down, the black paint ran into the white, and the whole became a dirty grey. Then even heavier rain came, and the whole was transformed into the purest white. I heard the words:

Have faith. Hold fast and know that the whole earth and all in it are going through a tremendous cleansing process. All is very, very well, for all is going according to my plan. Be at perfect peace.”

– from “Opening Doors Within” by Eileen Caddy/Findhorn Press

Tina makes herself at home

BOSS — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:16:14 +0000

My how the year does get away. We lost two lovely neighbors this fall, one to advanced old age and one to New York City. The garden’s put away, the hostas and other plants are cut back. The deer are making themselves seen, and…a wild turkey has taken up residence in our residential hamlet by the lower lake. We’ve named her Tina. Today, she’s making herself comfortable on our back deck right outside the kitchen door. She probably knows Thanksgiving is still safely three weeks away

Take good care of the elders

BOSS — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:33:28 +0000

Evolved

“As we grow old, the beauty steals inward.”

That is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It accompanies a picture of a tree titled “Evolved” in Joan’s book, PersonaliTrees: Let the Human Spirit Awaken in the Presence of Trees. The tree has a stong — but not straight — trunk, and appears to have weathered and withstood more than a few trying seasons. Its unique beauty becomes apparent if we allow our perception to absorb the decades of spiritual strength this tree exudes, and is trying to share with us. If you think of it today (or tomorrow or the day after) take a moment to appreciate a human being who has evolved in such a way. Do some small nice thing without their even knowing about it. You may not know him or her; you may not even have occasion to have have a conversation with them. But having appreciated them, your spirit will be lifted in a very real way.

A Calming Three Minute Meditation: repost by request

BOSS — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:10:30 +0000

One early April morning, Joan sat down at the piano in our house overlooking the lake. She has a system (she calls it the BOSS system) whereby she places her fingers on the keyboard, clears her mind, and just lets the music of the moment come forth. She says she could never play any of these inventions the same way again. Lucky I have the H2 Zoom digital recorder handy at such occasions. Here’s what came out that day; I named it Spring Thaw. Think of it as a three minute meditation on the changing of the season. Enjoy.

All-day rain refreshes our spirit, and the trees

BOSS — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:45:02 +0000

Today we are having one of those all-day rains that I remember from years past. So often now it seems we have mostly weather events of extreme kinds, with high winds and driving downpours. Today, though, it’s a grey, all-day soaker gentle enough for the orioles and finches to be at the feeders as if nothing is out of the ordinary. We are particularly happy that Joan’s 2nd book, “HumaniTrees: Exploring Human Nature through the Spirit of Trees” (Findhorn Press) has arrived at the warehouse in Chicago and is now available in the U.S. The book, and the beauty of today’s weather, reminds us that the woods can be a place of quiet contemplation — and great excitement — where we can experience love and grace if we allow it.

HumaniTrees has arrived!

More from Diana Cooper’s tour of New England

BOSS — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:51:18 +0000

Maine: the way life should be…or something like that…it’s the state motto, we’re told, and for good reason. After a wonderful three days of accompanying Diana Cooper on her book and teaching tour in the amazing cities of Andover, MA, and Nashua, NH (courtesy of Cathy & Elizabeth and everybody at Circles of Wisdom in Andover), we moved on to beautiful Freeport, ME. There, thanks to Melissa and family (Leapin’ Lizards stores in Portland & Freeport) we were treated to — among other things — fresh Maine lobster and the amazing beauty of the rocky seacoast. It was fantastic! The incredible energy at these sites has Diana wanting to revisit these two areas of the NE US in the near future. Given the timely and vital importance of Diana’s teachings (see Findhorn Press: 2012 and Beyond, Keys to the Universe), we’re looking at a BIG tour of the states for her in 2012, from the NE to the Pacific Northwest. Stay tuned.