Those of you who have followed me for awhile probably know that I believe affirmations can be a powerful tool in creating change. I recommend that my psychotherapy clients use affirmations to change negative belief patterns by picking one and saying it (internally) a minimum of 1000 times a day for 21 days.
A friend showed me this video yesterday. I loved it and hope you do to!
Before I left for Toronto last Thursday I harvested everything I could from the garden in an attempt to keep the vegetables from getting huge during the five days I was gone. I can only imagine how big those items would have been if I had left them on the plants. I came home to a whole new set of gigantic vegetables!
This is only a partial harvest from the front yard garden. The vegetables are even bigger than they look in the photo.
This is a zucchini! It is eight inches high and nineteen inches around.
Generally, I only give food scraps to the worms in my two worm bins, but I decided to share one of the big zucchini’s with them. After all, their ceaseless work contributed significantly to making the garden what it is today.
I’ve had a garden in my front yard the last few years, but it has never been like this before. Maybe it is because of the new raised beds, or the extraordinarily hot weather, or the vermi-compost.
Whatever the reason, I am marveling at what is unfolding in front of my eyes! There have been times when everything was growing so fast that I wondered if I was living in the Jack and the Beanstalk story.
This may not amaze those of you who are used to successful gardens but this is the first time I’ve had this experience!
One of the things I am especially happy about is that the garden is full of bees. Most are bumblebees but there are honey bees as well. Two years ago bees were rarely to be found in my garden.
As I have walked my psychological and spiritual life journeys, I have been taught much about desire. This week I have been reflecting on what I have learned.
From Amma I learned:
Peace of mind comes when the mind is free of desire. Amma uses the example of chocolate in teaching that concept. If I have been desiring chocolate, the moment the chocolate touches my tongue I may have the experience of bliss. If the bliss came from the chocolate then I could eat more and more chocolate and I would experience more and more bliss. Instead, if I continue eating chocolate, I will make myself sick. The bliss comes because my mind becomes silent the instant the chocolate touches my tongue. Moments later, another desire emerges and my mind gets caught up in wanting again.
My desires are most likely to be realized if I let go of them. If I hold on and try to force the issue they are less likely to materialize. It is also important for me to “Put in the effort and let go of the results.” If I have done the best I can in a given situation and let go of the results, I am more likely to have peace of mind. Staying attached to them is one way I make myself miserable.
From Church of God in Christ ministers I learned:
When the praises go up, the blessings come down!
God isn’t deaf. There is no need to ask for the same thing over and over. If I don’t receive that for which I ask, the answer may be “No.”
Worry is an insult to God.
Ask for what I want and then start praising and thanking God as if the desire has already manifested Continue reading “Reflection on Desire”
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.
— Mahatma Gandhi
Source: Pyarelal, Mahatma Gandhi, Volume X: The Last Phase, Part II (Ahmedabad: Navajivan, 1958), page 552
I suspect all of us prefer living from a sense of abundance rather than scarcity. Moving from scarcity to abundance, however, requires that we change our unhealthy beliefs and behaviors, many of which have probably become habits.
Over the years, some of my clients have found it helpful to make the abundance contracts that I describe in this post. Each contract is based on principles I have learned in my personal and/or professional journey. Continue reading “Creating Your World of Abundance”
1. I learn from every mistake.
2. Change is a necessary and important part of living.
3. I honor my growth.
4. I treat myself and others with respect.
5. The old lessons were for then. It is time for me to move on. Continue reading “23 Affirmations for Letting Go”
I spent a lot of time during my childhood sitting in my room pouting. Decades later, during my personal therapy journey, I was able to move beyond much of the negativity and pain of those early years. It was in my therapy community that I first had a strong sense of belonging. I felt content and happy. One day, though, I heard a friend talking about feeling joy. Happiness versus joy….. hummm. That was something to contemplate. I felt happy, but I certainly did not feel joy. Continue reading “Living in Gratitude”
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