Tag Archives: healing

Rhythm | Chill out

Time to relax, unwind, chill out, play. I’m very good at work; not so much at play. If you are the same, try to make some time today to soak up some sunshine. Or, dust off that umbrella if need be, and do a little rain. Whatever she’s doing in your neighborhood, get outdoors and enjoy some Nature. She never fails to slow us down and unbend our minds.

A heavenly slice of nature, courtesy Brandon Montrone, Pexels

Inspirational Quotes:

“Late in August the lure of the mountains becomes irresistible. Seared by the everlasting sunfire, I want to see running water again, embrace a pine tree, cut my initials in the bark of an aspen, get bit by a mosquito, see a mountain bluebird, find a big blue columbine, get lost in the firs, hike above timberline, sunbathe on snow and eat some ice, climb the rocks and stand in the wind at the top of the world on the peak of Tukuhnikivats.” ~ Edward Abbey

“Sunbathe from within.” ~ Dejan Stojanovic

“Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind.” ~ Amit Ray

“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.” ~ Jane Austen

Rhythm | Chill out © Susan L Hart 2019 | Hart Haiku

Folly | Humanity’s fate

A fundamental belief in Native culture is that we are deeply connected to the Earth. Papatūānuku, Gaia, Pachamama – the Earth Mother goes by many names. Some people reading this are immediately thinking, “Well ya, duh, of course!” We depend on her for food, it is becoming glaringly obvious we are susceptible to changes in her climate, etc.

But wait! There is a second and even more important principle that hooks into this belief. And that is, that by virtue of all the Earth provides for us, we owe her respect. We owe it to live in harmony with her. We owe her gratitude.

We are blowing it. When will we all really open our eyes to the fact that we each play a part in this? That is, the using up of our most important partner and asset, the Earth. It starts with our own attitudes, gratitude and respect.

Progress is not a given simply by a forward movement in linear time. It is not something that is fact because we have more technology. It is measured by the quality of life and harmony experienced by humanity. It is evident in the higher principles of life practiced in any society. And viewed in that way, currently humanity is in a state of devolution. It is up to us to decide our priorities, what is really important in life.

And we must all do it soon. The web of life is disintegrating before our very eyes.

Inspirational Quotes:

“This we know: The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” ~ Chief Seattle, How can you buy or sell the sky?

“We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world. We need to restore honor to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of the earth’s beings.” ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

“Every living thing has its own creation song, its own language, and its own story. In order to live harmoniously with the rest of creation, we must be willing to listen to and respect all of the harmonies that are moving around us.” ~ Sherri Mitchell, Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change

“A species and a culture that treat the natural world with respect and reciprocity will surely pass on genes to ensuing generations with a higher frequency than the people who destroy it. The stories we choose to shape our behaviors have adaptive consequences.” ~ Robin Wall

“To understand the Dreamtime, you must understand that we do not own the land. The land is our mother and she owns and nurtures us.” ~ Lance Morcan, White Spirit

Folly | Humanity’s fate © Susan L Hart 2019 | Hart Haiku

Smile | The power gift

A smile is one of those powerful tools in our life toolbox, but sometimes we forget to use it. Distracted with our own thoughts, we easily disconnect into our own headspace. But a smile is a gift, a little piece of light and hope we can send out to others, and it does not cost us anything but a little conscious thought and effort. And before we know it, it becomes an easy habit.

Even if you don’t feel like it, send a smile to at least one stranger on your path today. Perhaps you won’t get one back; maybe that person is in a place that they are simply unable return it. But you gave them a little love offering, one that may positively impact them in ways you will never know.

It is also as likely you will receive a smile back that will light up your own world, even just for a moment. Each smile is full of possibility, the potential to create something good. There is a reason smiles are curved. Yours and the ones you receive back make a circle, a never-ending ripple effect of infinite joy.

Smile, and spread some joy today.

Photo courtesy KLM, Pexels

Inspirational Smile Quotes:

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” ~ Mother Teresa

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” ~ John Lennon

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.” ~ Mark Twain

“Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” ~ Marilyn Monroe

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” ~ Phyllis Diller

“Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting.” ~ William Makepeace Thackeray

Smile | The power gift © Susan L Hart 2019 | Hart Haiku

The Love Cure | is You

Do you realize? You have more personal power than you likely know to change the world. The news is rife with division, hate, and fear. Some people just wait and hope for an external power or institution to cure the problems “out there”, so they can finally find some peace and happiness within themselves. They have a long wait.

If we don’t care enough about the world to personally get in the game, it will slip through our fingers like quicksand. It begins with one random act of kindness, a single word of compassion, a step upward on the stairway of understanding.

It’s one bit of love at a time. It ripples outward, and it builds. It comes from you, and me, and anyone else who chooses to participate, instead of just complaining about how bad things are. It’s what the ancient Greeks called “agape” – a selfless love for humanity – and the world sorely needs more of it.

Adopt a global consciousness. Choose to be a living example of love, compassion, and understanding. Work to bridge the divides you encounter. As Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Because in the final analysis, that which you give to the world, you ultimately give to yourself.

The Love Cure | is You © Susan L Hart 2019 | Hart Haiku

Long-lost | Nature’s call

When I was a girl, I’d lay in the grass on a summer day, look up at the trees and listen to the wind whisper its secrets through the leaves. I do believe that when we are children, we are much more attuned to the language of nature and the universe. There is no alphabet for this language; it is something we feel and assimilate in a different way.

Mother Nature knows, too much computer and TV aren’t good for your mind, body or spirit. Whether you know it or not, she is waiting for you to return, to feel her language and love once again. She is a jewel, a treasure, just begging to be rediscovered. She will help heal your tattered soul, tired from the chaos of the world.

A quote from the classic book “Walden”, by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), transcendentalist, writer, and a man who loved nature:

“If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal – that is your success. All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself. The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are the highest reality. Perhaps the facts most astounding and most real are never communicated by man to man. The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.”

Photo courtesy Ian Turnell, Pexels

Escape | Your space within

Is it just me, or is the racket of the world getting louder? Lately I notice it’s harder for me to find my inner peace, to hear my own voice. I connect with it easily in nature, but a walk to my park, resplendent with melodic river and soothing eucalyptus, is not always possible.

Hence when a friend invited me to attend a group meditation session, a voice within me whispered, “Go”. In past I have been sporadic at practice, but my deep sense is that now I must solidly commit. My mind, body, and spirit are crying out for it. And I will share this:

Stillness in meditation is not accomplished within a vacuum, the absence of all noise, because your combined environment and monkey mind can never be that. Hence my stumbling block in past, trying to achieve that impossible state. In essence, I was working too hard at it, which was derailing my practice.

Meditation is also not passive. Rather it is an intentional walk through a passageway, whilst using simple techniques to overcome the barriers of noise and mind. Finally, it is a calm “room” you enter at the end of the hall. And you surrender. When you find the knack, the approach, it is effortless.

The reward? I do experience this at other times, most often in my nature walks, or, in the hypnogogic state before sleep. But now with practice it will be attainable anytime, anywhere:

A door opens to a sacred space, where the divine in you lives. The external world and your own relentless mind-grind fall away to the background. You are still remotely aware of them, but they are unimportant, like tiny fleas on an elephant’s back.

In that beautiful room, you have access not just to peace, but also to divine wisdom. You feel it. It’s very big in that room. You have entered the infinite. For you Dr. Who fans (I am a big one!), this idea will resonate. Think of that room as your Tardis, a place for your soul to rest, escape, explore, discover.

I will now purposefully make space for more meditation, because the crucial point the session demonstrated was its importance. And I hope in the reading of this, you will be inspired to do so too. It’s our safe escape from the chaos, and one we sorely need, now more than ever.

Breathe | Take a break

Big cities are high energy and fast-paced. Sometimes nothing can beat the excitement of adventuring a new one. I’ve been fortunate to visit some of the biggest in the world, and there are many I’d still love to experience. Paris and Rome are two on my wish list!

Then comes the drain

However, the downside of cities is that it can be extremely depleting to live in one full-time. The subway system in Hong Kong is one of the best in the world, and fun to ride as a tourist. But, I observed the residents carefully in the time I visited. People constantly sandwiched into crowded places, faces planted in their cell phones. There was little connecting with other people, smiling or even making eye contact. Everyone just seemed to be enduring their own personal grind, surrounded by soulless cement.

Be in tune with body messages

It is very important to be cognizant of the drain on our energy in cities. Sometimes it can be difficult or even impossible for city dwellers to escape to green space for a reprieve from the pollution, noise, and crowds. I realized about a year ago that the traffic noise near my house was constantly making me feel on edge. It was a low grade, incessant drain that at first was easy to block out. But there came a time when I realized it was slowly sucking the life energy out of me.

Find your piece of green, today

So as much as I hate moving (who doesn’t?), I bit the bullet and did it for my physical and mental health. My partner and I are now installed in a new neighborhood, which is a short 5-minute walk to green space with a large park and river. I head there frequently for my “nature medicine”, and I’m feeling in better balance these days. And never underestimate the power of even a little patch of nature to energize. If outdoor green just isn’t easily attainable, how about a mini-garden on your windowsill?

Such simple medicine, but so potent. There’s a great Time article about embracing nature as a mood booster. What Green Spaces Can Do to Your Mood is well worth the short read.

Hart Inspirations