Gold Flakes
Today, I surrendered myself into an unusually deep meditation.
In the depths of it, I found within myself, tiny flakes of pure joy which reminded me that everything is going to be just fine.
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Gold Flakes
Today, I surrendered myself into an unusually deep meditation.
In the depths of it, I found within myself, tiny flakes of pure joy which reminded me that everything is going to be just fine.
love
much love!
Having a Great Day
this is going to sound like some wishy-washy self help book, but I just want to share a little insight I had on the way home from work.
I recently got a new job and started at the bottom of the totem pole. It was a very rocky start to say the least. Those two weeks were very unsettling for me. I skipped out on my usual meditation/running regimens. I didn't get enough sleep, and I drank too much coffee. But today, I realize I've grown immensely in the two weeks. Because of this, I began to feel comfortable and relaxed for the first time since I began.
Now that I'm here, now that I've accomplished this feat, I realize that I have no more of a right to be happy than I did yesterday, or any day since I began this job. I let myself feel intimidated and undeserving until I proved myself. I'm sure that's no way to live.
I imagine this is how a retired CEO feels, after working for 40 years to cover up his inner sense of inadequacy.
The thing to gain from this post is simply that positive states of mind are not reserved for the accomplished.
Spaciousness
I recently moved in to a new room in a house with some great guys. I didn't take anything except clothes, my laptop, zafu, guitar, and some sheets. I don't have any furniture. The room is 95% empty space.
And I love it.
Why do we tend to focus on buying gadgets to trap us inside of our rooms? I know I had computer monitors, guitars, amplifiers, musical equipment, shelves of books.
Instead of finding stimulation alone in a room, why don't we spend our day at the park? Then the room can be a place of peace to come home to.
I'm sure many of you will find this advice obvious. Well, it's not so obvious for me, and I'm writing this for the people who may spend a lot of time in their rooms (where are you reading this post from??)
Commissioning a Symphony in C
I often think of this stanza from a good ol' cake song, Commissioning a Symphony in C. They help me remember that thinking about things that could be, things that will be, and things that don't exist, are a short path to unhappiness. Peace comes from acceptance of the moment!
You're sitting there thinking your thoughts They are not about what is but what is not You are sitting there breathing in your breath You are seldom breathing life but mostly death
Loving-Kindness
I love mindfulness in plain English. Before every meditation session, release yourself temporarily from your ego by using these words (or similar words) with intention.
1. May I be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to me. May no difficulties come to me. May no problems come to me. May I always meet with success.
May I also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
2. May my parents be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them. May no difficulties come to them. May no problems come to them. May they always meet with success. May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
3. May my teachers be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them. May no difficulties come to them. May no problems come to them. May they always meet with success. May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
4. May my relatives be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them. May no difficulties come to them. May no problems come to them. May they always meet with success. May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
5. May my friends be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them. May no difficulties come to them. May no problems come to them. May they always meet with success. May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
6. May all indifferent persons be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them. May no difficulties come to them. May no problems come to them. May they always meet with success. May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
7. May my enemies be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them. May no difficulties come to them. May no problems come to them. May they always meet with success. May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
8. May all living beings be well, happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them. May no difficulties come to them. May no problems come to them. May they always meet with success. May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and determination to meet and overcome inevitable difficulties, problems, and failures in life.
Treasure Hunting Inside
As humble as my meditation practice is, I feel like a treasure hunter. I'm always finding treasure within. Today, during my meditation:
I learned that our modern world tends to make us believe that we are incomplete. That we aren't good enough. That we're doing everything wrong, and we should be ashamed. But the truth is we are complete, in fact we're perfect. No matter which path we take, it's perfect. The only sin that exists is not enjoying it.
It's something I'm sure many of you have seen for yourselves.
Always Remember The Goal
The goal is to be continually conscious.
Psychology, the descriptive science
A very psychologically oriented friend has been explaining to me my MBTI psychology. Apparently I am an INTJ. This means that I have some interesting psychological quirks. For instance, I have trouble understanding the importance of social rituals.
Apparently I am limited in social abilities. But what this friend doesn't understand is that I am not my psychology. I can not let myself be defined by it. I shouldn't say, "well, I'm an INTJ so I'll never understand relationships." Rather, it is a temporary and vague measure of the traits which I manifest most often.
My true self is deeper than these manifestations. I am that which experiences life, not the compulsive mind-robot which thinks.
i live in beautiful, sunny florida too.
Cool! Do you go to college around here?
A Crow Left Of The Murder
Unlearn me... Ditch what I read behind what I heard Look, Find, Free. Yet, do you get it yet? Do you get it? From here on it's instinctual, even straight roads meander Every piece contains a map of... it all it all Evidence in the march of the ant Pulse of the sea Look, find, free. Yet, do you get it yet? Do you get it? From here on it's instinctual Even straight roads meander Every piece contains a map of... it all, it all! Out of line and indivisible A crow left of the murder Every piece contains a map of it all it all Everything I wanted, wanted to know Everything I wanted, wanted to see... to see, yeah... Unlearn me... Unlearn me... Do you get it yet? Look, find, free... Do you get it yet? (x7)
I was searching songmeanings for interpretations of this song, and posted my own interpretation. I never thought much of this song until I heard it recently, and i kind of got it. I don't agree with the common interpretation that the song is about simply finding your own path in life or thinking for yourself. I know that Brandon Boyd has been described as anti-religious, yet spiritual. That's the basis of this interpretation. "look, find, free" Buddha taught that one must find truth for themselves to become free. His teachings were an invitation to a personal experience in which one must find the four noble truths for themselves. It's the goal of awareness meditation to rise above intellectualism/thought and into the realm of consciousness/awareness. "From here on it's instinctual," As in, not seeking intellectual experience but rather living through pure experience. "Every piece contains a map of... it all it all Evidence in the march of the ant Pulse of the sea" These could be references to the connected "oneness" of all life in the universe, another goal of meditation is to experience and understand this truth. So to me, this song is about a spiritual experience of sorts. "Do you get it yet" could be an attempt to taunt/jab the listener to actually look past the song and into the meaning, which is how I came about it. Alternatively, it could be a self-taunt. Many times in Buddhist meditation, we intellectually understand great truths, but without experience, wisdom will never come about. In that respect this whole song could be directed towards himself, as a sort of mantra. "Do I get it yet?" I practice meditation, so this song stuck out to me.
Don't Live in the Past
In your past, you had some good things happen, some bad. You have some regrets, some grudges, you have fond memories and terrible scars.
Some minds continually live out the past, like a movie playing over and over. This fantasy world takes a lot of energy to create, and it destroys our ability to live in the present moment.
You must remember, the moment in which you will continually find yourself for the rest of your life is the present moment.
Therefore, it is imperative that we practice daily the recognition of our past-dwelling thoughts. When you find yourself playing pictures of the past over in your head, recognize that these pictures are not real! Remind yourself, the past can't touch you here, in the present moment!
I tell myself "go back to center" all the time when i start nexting--projecting, thinking and worrying about the future that hasn't come yet or when i think about what i could have done in the past differently. finding my center is to look and focus at what's in front of me... not the past... not the future. future thinking often leads to some feelings of anxiety for me. "fight club only exists in the hours between when fight club starts and when fight club ends"keep at it bro. you should read that fight club book too. i recently got into meditation because of that book. that and the joy of living by yongey mingyur rinpoche.
I actually did read fight club! I also watched the movies.
The other day, I was really sick and I was having bad thoughts. I couldn't find my center and I just wanted everything to go away. I just wanted to avoid the pain, and I kept drifting into unconsciousness.
Then I thought of a Fight Club quote, which brought me back:
Tyler: Stay with the pain, don't shut this out...Without pain, without sacrifice we would have nothing...Stop it, this is your pain, it's right here...What you're feeling is pre-mature enlightenment...This is the greatest moment of your life man and you're off somewhere missing it...First you have to give up, first you have to know, not fear, know that someday you're gonna die. It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.
Some great philosophy in that quote.
Find Your Center
I think I know what "Find Your Center" means now. I've been sick for four days, and by day two I became very negative and sick. I attempted to continue with my meditation practice, but I couldn't stay focused on my breath, so I quit. I kept thinking I could do it if only my concentration were stronger, my willpower.
Today I sat down with the same anxiety I had the previous days. Unsure of myself, I continued to sit. I kept trying. And finally, I found what I had been looking for. The state I had fallen out of. Once I found it, I realized I hadn't been living the past four days at all. I was overcome with a renewed sense of joy. What peace I had found, like new!
Now I feel wonderful, so I thought I'd post this :)
Rest And Meditate On What You've Learned.
Who says video games can't offer good advice? I was looking at my configuration settings for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and found these wonderful inspirations. Every time your character grows stronger, his meditations give him new insight. This is a list of the insights, in order.
Level2: You realize that all your life you have been coasting along as if you were in a dream. Suddenly, facing the trials of the last few days, you have come alive.
Level3: You realize that you are catching on to the secret of success. It's just a matter of concentration.
Level4: It's all suddenly obvious to you. You just have to concentrate. All the energy and time you've wasted -- it's a sin. But without the experience you've gained, taking risks, taking responsibility for failure, how could you have understood?
Level5: Everything you do is just a bit easier, more instinctive, more satisfying. It is as though you had suddenly developed keen senses and instincts.
Level6: You sense yourself more aware, more open to new ideas. You've learned a lot about Morrowind. It's hard to believe how ignorant you were -- but now you have so much more to learn.
Level7: You resolve to continue pushing yourself. Perhaps there's more to you than you thought.
Level8: The secret does seem to be hard work, yes, but it's also a kind of blind passion, an inspiration.
Level9: Everything you do is just a bit easier, more instinctive, more satisfying. It is as though you had suddenly developed keen senses and instincts.
Level10: You woke today with a new sense of purpose. You're no longer afraid of failure. Failure is just an opportunity to learn something new.
Level11: Being smart doesn't hurt. And a little luck now and then is nice. But the key is patience and hard work. And when it pays off, it's SWEET!
Level12: You can't believe how easy it is. You just have to go -- a little crazy. And then, suddenly, it all makes sense, and everything you do turns to gold.
Level13: It's the most amazing thing. Yesterday it was hard, and today it is easy. Just a good night's sleep, and yesterday's mysteries are today's masteries.
Level14: Today you wake up, full of energy and ideas, and you know, somehow, that overnight everything has changed. What a difference a day makes.
Level15: Today you suddenly realized the life you've been living, the punishment your body has taken -- there are limits to what the body can do, and perhaps you have reached them. You've wondered what it is like to grow old. Well, now you know.
Level16: You've been trying too hard, thinking too much. Relax. Trust your instincts. Just be yourself. Do the little things, and the big things take care of themselves.
Level17: Life isn't over. You can still get smarter, or cleverer, or more experienced, or meaner -- but your body and soul just aren't going to get any younger.
Level18: The challenge now is to stay at the peak as long as you can. You may be as strong today as any mortal who has ever walked the earth, but there's always someone younger, a new challenger.
Level19: You're really good. Maybe the best. And that's why it's so hard to get better. But you just keep trying, because that's the way you are.
Level20: You'll never be better than you are today. If you are lucky, by superhuman effort, you can avoid slipping backwards for a while. But sooner or later, you're going to lose a step, or drop a beat, or miss a detail -- and you'll be gone forever.
Default:The results of hard work and dedication always look like luck to saps. But you know you've earned every ounce of your success.
I'd say I'm at level 6. What level are you on?
Suffering!
Last night rapidly turned uncomfortable as I felt a sudden onset sore throat coming. I was exhausted and hadn't been eating right. I barely got any sleep last night, and now I'm going through my work day fueled by coffee!
What a wonderful time to practice mindfulness! Appreciate your good health, but know that it too will deteriorate.
Where do you live? I'm not asking specifics or anything. Just generally.
I'm from Florida! Beautiful here, just went to the beach yesterday :D