I've been away much of this week, spending some time with Quester's family, and it's been pretty intense. More about that later, when things are more fully resolved. For now, I'll just say that there have been many moments of sadness and tears, as well as those of joy.
Alongside these family matters, I've been continuing to work through my process of transformation. This includes releasing old patterns, rediscovering my self worth, and starting to explore some new mysteries. It's also intense, but rewarding. Since the festival, I've been filled with more confidence and power-from-within than I have in many months. I'm glad, because I'm able to use that energy to help my loved ones through some major challenges, as well as to fuel my own growth.
I returned home to a very full e-mail inbox, and so I've been sifting through, reading and replying to messages. I thought for now I'd offer you, without further comment, a few quotes that I've discovered waiting for me upon my return to home base. Enjoy, and blessings.
“Maybe being powerful means to be fragile.” – Ai Weiwei
"Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you." – Wayne Dyer
"The best career advice to give the young is, find out what you like
doing best and get someone else to pay you for doing it." – Katherine
Whilehaen
"What would it look like to stop trying so hard, and start trying softer instead?" – Tara Wagner
"The flow of creativity feels like an avalanche of joy and wonder. Being open to that possibility creates connections with everything." - Feline Dreamers
Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quotes. Show all posts
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Toward a Broader Awareness
"Political awareness can become a tyranny of its own, not least because it locks us into the issues and perspectives of a particular time. But when we are looking at questions of the sacred, we move beyond time. To create the changes in consciousness needed to transform society at a deep level, we need insights broader that the issues of the moment can provide." - Starhawk
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Starcat's Favorites: Encouragement and Rest
How is your July going so far? What types of fun things have you been up to? This week, I've been taking some extra time for rest, as I let my body heal and recover. I've also been swimming quite a bit, with the kids (we've been to the lake, river, and ocean, all in this one week!). I love to swim, and to spend relaxing time outdoors.
I've also been giving myself some encouragement, as this week's links will show. Sometimes you just need a little boost, to realize that you really are on the right path. Enjoy this week's findings, and have a blissful weekend!
Why is it that we so often think about how far we have to go, rather than celebrating where we've been? Here are some wise ways to recognize your progress.
Are you following your calling in some way? Are you sharing your talents with the world? Whether you are or not, here are some key questions to ask yourself.
We often think of education as something done in a classroom. Truly, you are learning in each moment, and from the things you choose to focus on. And so is everyone else.
Here are some seemingly simple, yet profound, ways to improve your life and have more fun in the process.
Do you love inspired quotes? You can probably tell that I do. Here's a collection of some awesome quotes to fire you up!
I love metta (loving-kindness) meditation, and I incorporate it into my regular spiritual practice. Here's a lovely guided metta meditation that will take you less than ten minutes. Try it and see what happens!
Blessings to you and yours, always.
I've also been giving myself some encouragement, as this week's links will show. Sometimes you just need a little boost, to realize that you really are on the right path. Enjoy this week's findings, and have a blissful weekend!
Why is it that we so often think about how far we have to go, rather than celebrating where we've been? Here are some wise ways to recognize your progress.
Are you following your calling in some way? Are you sharing your talents with the world? Whether you are or not, here are some key questions to ask yourself.
We often think of education as something done in a classroom. Truly, you are learning in each moment, and from the things you choose to focus on. And so is everyone else.
Here are some seemingly simple, yet profound, ways to improve your life and have more fun in the process.
Do you love inspired quotes? You can probably tell that I do. Here's a collection of some awesome quotes to fire you up!
I love metta (loving-kindness) meditation, and I incorporate it into my regular spiritual practice. Here's a lovely guided metta meditation that will take you less than ten minutes. Try it and see what happens!
Blessings to you and yours, always.
Friday, June 29, 2012
On Imagination
"The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after the death of the vegetative body." - William Blake
"It's like what Jung meant by the 'collective unconscious.' Only in my mind it not only takes in the past and all of human knowledge, I think it takes in the future. I think it takes in other worlds. I think it takes in the language of trees and animals. What's important about that is the imagination is a real place. We simply have to learn how to enter into it." - Deena Metzger
"It's like what Jung meant by the 'collective unconscious.' Only in my mind it not only takes in the past and all of human knowledge, I think it takes in the future. I think it takes in other worlds. I think it takes in the language of trees and animals. What's important about that is the imagination is a real place. We simply have to learn how to enter into it." - Deena Metzger
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
"I don’t care if you are a hardened cynic, entrepreneur, techie nerd, or froo-froo floaty vegan meditating skateboarder, practicing gratitude is one of the best ways to open up to abundance and prosperity. Gratitude is saying yes. And yes opens us up. It makes us more receptive. We say, 'I already have these gifts.' Then we keep attracting gifts because all of our power is saying yes." - Christine Kane
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Sixties Reborn
“When in the flow of human events it becomes necessary for the people to cease to recognize the obsolete social patterns which had isolated man from his consciousness and to create with the youthful energies of the world revolutionary communities to which the two-billion-year-old life process entitles them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind should declare the causes which impel them to this creation.
“We hold these experiences to be self-evident, that all is equal, that the creation endows us with certain inalienable rights, that among these are: the freedom of the body, the pursuit of joy, and the expansion of consciousness, and that to secure these rights, we the citizens of the earth declare our love and compassion for all conflicting hate-carrying men and women of the world.” – The editors of the San Francisco Oracle, 1966
“We hold these experiences to be self-evident, that all is equal, that the creation endows us with certain inalienable rights, that among these are: the freedom of the body, the pursuit of joy, and the expansion of consciousness, and that to secure these rights, we the citizens of the earth declare our love and compassion for all conflicting hate-carrying men and women of the world.” – The editors of the San Francisco Oracle, 1966
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Whole Is Good
I'm tackling another writing prompt, this one from a blog called Re-Minderz. The idea is to journal or write about this quote: "I'd rather be whole than good." - Carl Jung
My first reaction is that, while I understand the intention behind the quote, I would think that if we were whole, we would also be good. I guess it depends on how you're defining "good." If it means "well-behaved," then yeah, that's just conformity and trying to please others. True wholeness brings an independence of spirit that probably doesn't fit with society's expectations of the model citizen (or consumer).
I guess the Jungian concept of whole would mean that we've integrated our shadow side. Although, again, once we've done that work, I think a certain intrinsic goodness would prevail, in the higher sense of the word. But if I just had to choose between the two, I guess at this point in my life I'd go for wholeness. I mean, that's what I'm working on, really. I'm learning to be whole unto myself and not rely on external conditions in order to be well. And that includes not relying on other people for my happiness.
Yet sometimes that concept leaves me feeling a bit sad and lonely. Perhaps I just don't have the lens adjusted quite yet. I want to be able to feel wholeness in my heart, to really mean it with my whole being when I say that I'm just fine on my own. I do feel it, to a great extent, yet I guess there's still a part of me that wants to be cherished and nurtured. But that's my job, not someone else's.
I think when I say it's "my" job, I need to expand what I mean by "my self" to go beyond the ego or conscious self and to include playful child self, deep self, soul, Source. That is what being whole means - that I'm deeply connected to my place in the multiverse, and thus to all other beings. Then I can act and feel and be from that wider space. When I do, it feels good. It might appear, from an outside perspective, that I'm not being "good" (well-behaved) and doing what I "should," because instead I'm following my individual path, moment by moment, in a place of harmony with All That Is. Whole is good.
My first reaction is that, while I understand the intention behind the quote, I would think that if we were whole, we would also be good. I guess it depends on how you're defining "good." If it means "well-behaved," then yeah, that's just conformity and trying to please others. True wholeness brings an independence of spirit that probably doesn't fit with society's expectations of the model citizen (or consumer).
I guess the Jungian concept of whole would mean that we've integrated our shadow side. Although, again, once we've done that work, I think a certain intrinsic goodness would prevail, in the higher sense of the word. But if I just had to choose between the two, I guess at this point in my life I'd go for wholeness. I mean, that's what I'm working on, really. I'm learning to be whole unto myself and not rely on external conditions in order to be well. And that includes not relying on other people for my happiness.
Yet sometimes that concept leaves me feeling a bit sad and lonely. Perhaps I just don't have the lens adjusted quite yet. I want to be able to feel wholeness in my heart, to really mean it with my whole being when I say that I'm just fine on my own. I do feel it, to a great extent, yet I guess there's still a part of me that wants to be cherished and nurtured. But that's my job, not someone else's.
I think when I say it's "my" job, I need to expand what I mean by "my self" to go beyond the ego or conscious self and to include playful child self, deep self, soul, Source. That is what being whole means - that I'm deeply connected to my place in the multiverse, and thus to all other beings. Then I can act and feel and be from that wider space. When I do, it feels good. It might appear, from an outside perspective, that I'm not being "good" (well-behaved) and doing what I "should," because instead I'm following my individual path, moment by moment, in a place of harmony with All That Is. Whole is good.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Powers of Positivity, Activate!
"Quite simply, a belief in the good without a belief in the evil, may seem highly unrealistic to you. This belief, however, is the best kind of insurance that you can have, both during physical life and afterward.
"It may OUTRAGE YOUR INTELLECT, and the evidence of your physical senses may shout that it is untrue, yet a belief in good without a belief in evil is actually highly realistic, since in physical life it will keep your body healthier, keep you psychologically free of many fears and mental difficulties, and bring you a feeling of ease and spontaneity in which the development of your abilities can be better fulfilled. After death it will release you from the belief in demons and hell, and enforced punishment. You will be better prepared to understand the nature of reality as it is. I understand that the concept does indeed offend your intellect, and that your senses seem to deny it. Yet you should already realize that your senses tell you many things which are not true; and I tell you that your physical senses perceive a reality that is a result of your beliefs."
- Seth through Jane Roberts
"In my work I have chosen the positive approach. I never think of myself as protesting against something, but rather as witnessing for harmonious living. Those who witness for, present solutions. Those who witness against, usually do not - they dwell on what is wrong, resorting to judgment and criticism and sometimes even name-calling. Naturally, the negative approach has a detrimental effect on the person who uses it, while the positive approach has a good effect. When an evil is attacked, the evil mobilizes, although it may have been weak and unorganized before, and therefore the attack gives it vitality and strength. When there is no attack, but instead good influences are brought to bear upon the situation, not only does the evil tend to fade away, but the evildoer tends to be transformed. The positive approach inspires; the negative approach makes angry. When you make people angry, they act in accordance with their baser instincts, often violently and irrationally. When you inspire people, they act in accordance with their higher instincts, sensibly and rationally. Also, anger is transient, whereas inspiration sometimes has a life-long effect."
- Peace Pilgrim
"It may OUTRAGE YOUR INTELLECT, and the evidence of your physical senses may shout that it is untrue, yet a belief in good without a belief in evil is actually highly realistic, since in physical life it will keep your body healthier, keep you psychologically free of many fears and mental difficulties, and bring you a feeling of ease and spontaneity in which the development of your abilities can be better fulfilled. After death it will release you from the belief in demons and hell, and enforced punishment. You will be better prepared to understand the nature of reality as it is. I understand that the concept does indeed offend your intellect, and that your senses seem to deny it. Yet you should already realize that your senses tell you many things which are not true; and I tell you that your physical senses perceive a reality that is a result of your beliefs."
- Seth through Jane Roberts
"In my work I have chosen the positive approach. I never think of myself as protesting against something, but rather as witnessing for harmonious living. Those who witness for, present solutions. Those who witness against, usually do not - they dwell on what is wrong, resorting to judgment and criticism and sometimes even name-calling. Naturally, the negative approach has a detrimental effect on the person who uses it, while the positive approach has a good effect. When an evil is attacked, the evil mobilizes, although it may have been weak and unorganized before, and therefore the attack gives it vitality and strength. When there is no attack, but instead good influences are brought to bear upon the situation, not only does the evil tend to fade away, but the evildoer tends to be transformed. The positive approach inspires; the negative approach makes angry. When you make people angry, they act in accordance with their baser instincts, often violently and irrationally. When you inspire people, they act in accordance with their higher instincts, sensibly and rationally. Also, anger is transient, whereas inspiration sometimes has a life-long effect."
- Peace Pilgrim
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Quotes from a Night of Dreaming
I keep a dream journal, and usually I either write down a dream or two in the morning, or I can't recall any well enough to capture them. However, one night last week I woke up with a couple of quotes that were part of my dreamscape in some way. Here they are:
"Vampire Book Club: you don't want to read the books these creatures suggest. Creepy not cool."
and
"It's like trying to crack the eggs from a rubber chicken."
I wish I knew what "it" was in the second one, but I have no idea. Let me know if you come up with any scenarios. ;) Enjoy!
"Vampire Book Club: you don't want to read the books these creatures suggest. Creepy not cool."
and
"It's like trying to crack the eggs from a rubber chicken."
I wish I knew what "it" was in the second one, but I have no idea. Let me know if you come up with any scenarios. ;) Enjoy!
Monday, January 31, 2011
No Problem
"Whenever possible, minimize the importance of a problem. Forget a problem and it will go away. Dumb advice, surely, or so it seems. Yet children know the truth of it. Minimize impediments in your mind and they do become minimized. Exaggerate impediments in your mind and in reality they will quickly adopt giant size." - Seth through Jane Roberts
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Loving My Self
“You can never love another person unless you are equally involved in the beautiful but difficult spiritual work of learning to love yourself. There is within each of us, at the soul level, an enriching fountain of love.” – John O’Donohue
Since quitting my day job a couple years ago and following my calling, I've been focused on creating the life I want. I've been revamping old beliefs, learning to trust that the universe really will provide for me and mine, and becoming more fully myself. My specific wishes - for a steady income, an addition on our home, travel, and the like - have been refined to an overall desire to be happy. I've learned that when we focus on being happy, the circumstances we want will naturally flow to us.
Yet somehow there has seemed to be a blockage, something holding me back from the full expression of my creativity and happiness. Something that prevents me from allowing my dreams to come true. Just this week, I read the words of a woman who, in the same situation, had decided to focus on self-love. She wrote, "I didn't have to concentrate on being happy too much because I already was. I found, however, there was another factor in the equation. Unless you really love yourself and believe yourself to be a worthwhile and wonderful person, you will sabotage your happiness." Aha!
Self-love isn't something that comes naturally to me. I was a shy and awkward child and I absorbed a lot of that "I don't fit in" energy, and felt bad about it. These days I value the fact that I'm a weird and funky person. And yet I still tend to criticize myself a lot and wish I could do better - which works well for urging me to grow and change as a person...but can be harsh. And, apparently, can block the very growth I'm looking for. The author went on to describe how she had changed her beliefs about herself by writing up a series of positive statements about herself and reading them each night before she went to sleep. I'm going to try it. I'll let you know how it goes.
Since quitting my day job a couple years ago and following my calling, I've been focused on creating the life I want. I've been revamping old beliefs, learning to trust that the universe really will provide for me and mine, and becoming more fully myself. My specific wishes - for a steady income, an addition on our home, travel, and the like - have been refined to an overall desire to be happy. I've learned that when we focus on being happy, the circumstances we want will naturally flow to us.
Yet somehow there has seemed to be a blockage, something holding me back from the full expression of my creativity and happiness. Something that prevents me from allowing my dreams to come true. Just this week, I read the words of a woman who, in the same situation, had decided to focus on self-love. She wrote, "I didn't have to concentrate on being happy too much because I already was. I found, however, there was another factor in the equation. Unless you really love yourself and believe yourself to be a worthwhile and wonderful person, you will sabotage your happiness." Aha!
Self-love isn't something that comes naturally to me. I was a shy and awkward child and I absorbed a lot of that "I don't fit in" energy, and felt bad about it. These days I value the fact that I'm a weird and funky person. And yet I still tend to criticize myself a lot and wish I could do better - which works well for urging me to grow and change as a person...but can be harsh. And, apparently, can block the very growth I'm looking for. The author went on to describe how she had changed her beliefs about herself by writing up a series of positive statements about herself and reading them each night before she went to sleep. I'm going to try it. I'll let you know how it goes.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Baby, It's Cold Outside
"The appreciation that Source feels for you, never-endingly, will wrap you in a warm blanket of worthiness if you will allow it." - Abraham through Esther Hicks
Sunday, October 03, 2010
A Quiet Sunday
"Before you speak, ask yourself: is it kind, is it true, is it necessary, does it improve upon the silence?" - Shirdi Sai Baba
Thursday, September 09, 2010
I'm Unlearning
“At the level of the soul, we know everything we need to know. For some reason, we have to experience physical lifetimes to learn in a different way. This is the only place where we have physical bodies and emotions. Our task here is to become more Godlike, to recognize the divine and spiritual nature of our soul. To do that, we need to unlearn rather than learn. When we unlearn fear, violence, greed, ego, and power, then kindness, joy, love, and spiritual wisdom are all there.” – Brian Weiss
Friday, May 21, 2010
Love Is Action
“I’ve heard people say that they cling to their painful thoughts because they’re afraid that without them, they wouldn’t be activists for peace. If I felt completely peaceful, they say, why would I bother taking action at all? My answer is, because that’s what love does. To think that we need sadness or outrage to motivate us to do what’s right is insane. As if the clearer and happier you get, the less kind you become. As if when someone finds freedom, she just sits around all day with drool running down her chin. My experience is the opposite. Love is action. It’s clear, it’s kind, it’s effortless, and it’s irresistible.” – Byron Katie
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
On Spiritual Teachers
I am listening to an audio book that an online friend gave me, "A Thousand Names for Joy" by Byron Katie. It's awesome! She intersperses quotes from the Tao Te Ching, but this quote is actually from Katie herself:
"I don't ever see myself as a spiritual teacher. Of course, you can use me by asking me a question. I answer you. You hear what you think I say, and you set yourself free, or not. I am your projection. I am, for you, no more and no less than your story of me. You tell the story of how I am wonderful, or how I'm terrible. You see me as an enlightened being and make me into an all-knowing guru or faerie godmother. Or you see me as a Pollyanna-ish New Age flake, or simply as a good friend. You give me to you or you take me from you... I know what I am. I know what I'm not."
If you want to find out more about Byron Katie, click here. As for some thoughts on New Age practices and how they fit with my Pagan spirituality, I wrote an article about it, which you can find here.
"I don't ever see myself as a spiritual teacher. Of course, you can use me by asking me a question. I answer you. You hear what you think I say, and you set yourself free, or not. I am your projection. I am, for you, no more and no less than your story of me. You tell the story of how I am wonderful, or how I'm terrible. You see me as an enlightened being and make me into an all-knowing guru or faerie godmother. Or you see me as a Pollyanna-ish New Age flake, or simply as a good friend. You give me to you or you take me from you... I know what I am. I know what I'm not."
If you want to find out more about Byron Katie, click here. As for some thoughts on New Age practices and how they fit with my Pagan spirituality, I wrote an article about it, which you can find here.
Monday, March 29, 2010
You Belong Here
"Wanting to belong is when we get into trouble. The wanting is the beginning of control and distortion and inauthenticity. This wanting comes from our programming that we don't belong. In order for us to internalize that concept we have to be told somewhere along the way that because of what we say or what we do or how we be we don't belong. The truth is we already belong. Our very presence dictates it so. We belong in this world, here we are. We already belong and by knowing this deeply within, by feeling it deeply our communication is authentic and real and fearless. By feeling this deeply we love ourselves and we are free to love everyone else."
- Josha Grant
- Josha Grant
Monday, February 08, 2010
Let's Build It
“The theory is simple. What we create with our thoughts is what we can expect. If we focus on disaster, this increases that possibility. If, on the other hand, we focus on positive matters, we have a chance to build a better world.” – Shirley Andrews
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Reflection and Rediscovery
I've been going back through some of my old journals, looking for inspiring quotes. BlackLion and I are going to start a weekly Feline Dreamers e-zine (a newsletter sent via e-mail) and we plan to include a quote in each issue. We now have over eleven pages of quotes typed up, and the file continues to grow!
Besides finding tons of relevant quotes, I've also rediscovered several interesting and useful tools. The poem featured in my last blog post, for example, is a good reminder for me about how easy it can be to find my bliss. I found an idea for a guided meditation, which BlackLion and I can use in our Core Belief Kit. My notes on the "dropped and open" state of awareness from Vermont Witch Camp will come in handy when I lead a session at one of my Pagan study groups. And I also found a technique for releasing worry, which has worked well for me in the past - not only can I use it again myself, but I also plan on incorporating it into a book or article at some point.
In the process of skimming through these old journals, I've also been able to reflect on my spiritual journey and see how far I've come. And also where I'm still working on some of the same lessons that have been with me for years - though I do continue to slowly uncover new aspects of them. It's revealing to see how my concept of myself has changed over time.
I had no idea I have such a treasure chest of ideas and tools sitting on the shelf! The journal I'm writing in now is number 22, and I have no intention of stopping. Maybe I can create a book from them at some point. "Autobiography of a Modern Witch?" Or I'll just leave them for those who come after me to puzzle over at their leisure.
Besides finding tons of relevant quotes, I've also rediscovered several interesting and useful tools. The poem featured in my last blog post, for example, is a good reminder for me about how easy it can be to find my bliss. I found an idea for a guided meditation, which BlackLion and I can use in our Core Belief Kit. My notes on the "dropped and open" state of awareness from Vermont Witch Camp will come in handy when I lead a session at one of my Pagan study groups. And I also found a technique for releasing worry, which has worked well for me in the past - not only can I use it again myself, but I also plan on incorporating it into a book or article at some point.
In the process of skimming through these old journals, I've also been able to reflect on my spiritual journey and see how far I've come. And also where I'm still working on some of the same lessons that have been with me for years - though I do continue to slowly uncover new aspects of them. It's revealing to see how my concept of myself has changed over time.
I had no idea I have such a treasure chest of ideas and tools sitting on the shelf! The journal I'm writing in now is number 22, and I have no intention of stopping. Maybe I can create a book from them at some point. "Autobiography of a Modern Witch?" Or I'll just leave them for those who come after me to puzzle over at their leisure.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Moderation
"Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide." - Cicero
"Moderation in all things." - Terence
"It is better to rise from life as from a banquet - neither thirsty nor drunken." - Aristotle
As the result of a couple of recent conversations, I've been thinking about moderation. One conversation was about food, and the other about being sensitive to one's environment, and they struck me as both being related to our physical health. While pondering this, I've also extrapolated to other areas of life, for example, empathy and emotions.
In these conversations, I perceived a duality being offered up: some people are advocating, for example, eating whatever you want in the moment (or allowing one's children to do so) and trusting that a balance will naturally be found. Another approach is to regulate very carefully what you ingest (in these conversations, the choices being discussed range from organic vegan food to raw foods and pure spring water to sugar- and gluten-free options, depending on the person's beliefs). It seems to me that moderation may serve us better.
An example: I know people who eat a lot of processed, high-salt and high-sugar foods. They also get sick frequently with colds and flus. From my perspective, perhaps their bodies aren't receiving enough vitamins and nutrition to keep their immune systems strong. I've also met people on strict diets (varying by person) who become ill when they choose to eat something different, say at a party or gathering outside their home. It seems to me that their bodies are no longer able or willing to adapt to foods that are outside their "norm." Either way, it's inconvenient and uncomfortable to have a cold or headache or stomach pains.
Another example: in modern society, we've learned that the spread of germs can compromise our immune system and give us a greater chance to become ill from viruses and bacteria. However, this can be taken too far. If you live in a near-sterile environment, relying on antibacterial soaps, sprays and hand sanitizers, your body forgets how to deal with germs. Sooner or later, you go out in public or to another person's home and suddenly you're sick for the next couple of days.
For me, being very sensitive (what I would call, for myself, oversensitive) to others' emotions hasn't helped me to find joy. I was once incredibly shy, and what I wanted most was to have friends. Yet going to parties or initiating conversations was extremely difficult. As I've grown older, I've adapted to my surroundings such that I can enjoy situations that I would have once found painful or uncomfortable. I didn't go to the extreme of deciding that others' feelings don't matter. Yet I learned that I don't need to take every emotion I sense in others personally, either. I know that it's more compassionate, in the long run, for me to continue to be centered and offer my help from that balanced place when possible and appropriate. It's a matter of moderation.
As someone who chooses to be out in the world, interacting with a variety of people in different settings, moderation helps me to live more joyfully. If I wanted to be absolute about certain beliefs, I could choose a lifestyle that supports that. Some fundamentalists of varying religions only socialize with others of like mind, and that's their choice, of course. Monks and nuns choose to express their beliefs in a sheltered place where they can remain very focused on certain aspects of their spiritual life. But if we choose to explore the world, moderation may serve us well, helping us to stay centered as we adapt to the varying circumstances we discover along the way.
"Moderation in all things." - Terence
"It is better to rise from life as from a banquet - neither thirsty nor drunken." - Aristotle
As the result of a couple of recent conversations, I've been thinking about moderation. One conversation was about food, and the other about being sensitive to one's environment, and they struck me as both being related to our physical health. While pondering this, I've also extrapolated to other areas of life, for example, empathy and emotions.
In these conversations, I perceived a duality being offered up: some people are advocating, for example, eating whatever you want in the moment (or allowing one's children to do so) and trusting that a balance will naturally be found. Another approach is to regulate very carefully what you ingest (in these conversations, the choices being discussed range from organic vegan food to raw foods and pure spring water to sugar- and gluten-free options, depending on the person's beliefs). It seems to me that moderation may serve us better.
An example: I know people who eat a lot of processed, high-salt and high-sugar foods. They also get sick frequently with colds and flus. From my perspective, perhaps their bodies aren't receiving enough vitamins and nutrition to keep their immune systems strong. I've also met people on strict diets (varying by person) who become ill when they choose to eat something different, say at a party or gathering outside their home. It seems to me that their bodies are no longer able or willing to adapt to foods that are outside their "norm." Either way, it's inconvenient and uncomfortable to have a cold or headache or stomach pains.
Another example: in modern society, we've learned that the spread of germs can compromise our immune system and give us a greater chance to become ill from viruses and bacteria. However, this can be taken too far. If you live in a near-sterile environment, relying on antibacterial soaps, sprays and hand sanitizers, your body forgets how to deal with germs. Sooner or later, you go out in public or to another person's home and suddenly you're sick for the next couple of days.
For me, being very sensitive (what I would call, for myself, oversensitive) to others' emotions hasn't helped me to find joy. I was once incredibly shy, and what I wanted most was to have friends. Yet going to parties or initiating conversations was extremely difficult. As I've grown older, I've adapted to my surroundings such that I can enjoy situations that I would have once found painful or uncomfortable. I didn't go to the extreme of deciding that others' feelings don't matter. Yet I learned that I don't need to take every emotion I sense in others personally, either. I know that it's more compassionate, in the long run, for me to continue to be centered and offer my help from that balanced place when possible and appropriate. It's a matter of moderation.
As someone who chooses to be out in the world, interacting with a variety of people in different settings, moderation helps me to live more joyfully. If I wanted to be absolute about certain beliefs, I could choose a lifestyle that supports that. Some fundamentalists of varying religions only socialize with others of like mind, and that's their choice, of course. Monks and nuns choose to express their beliefs in a sheltered place where they can remain very focused on certain aspects of their spiritual life. But if we choose to explore the world, moderation may serve us well, helping us to stay centered as we adapt to the varying circumstances we discover along the way.
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