Monthly Archives: May 2013

*Doing versus Being*

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white black * yin yang

life death *happy sad

opposites attract

and shine light through the illusion

for one cannot exist without the other

their paradoxical worlds coming together in an embrace

carving beauty and understanding into our everyday lives

without the darkness, we wouldn’t see the stars *****

illuminating the sky so brightly

revealing hidden truths … – KTR

In my meditation tonight, I had some interesting insights regarding the black, grey and white zones in life. The *black zone* involves the state when one is highly productive and experiencing a lot of output. Like a highly functioning machine, this state is perfect for those times when you need to be producing but needs to be balanced out in order to get the full effect. The *grey zone* is an area that you want to avoid at all costs because it doesn’t have much benefit for you in the long-term. A lot of worrying, obsessing and fingernail biting happens in this area and takes you a few steps backwards on the game board of life. As Erma Bombeck said so eloquently,  “Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.”  The *white zone* represents  a more relaxed, tranquil state that allows you to access a different area of consciousness and creativity. When you are in the white, your alpha waves increase in the brain, leaving you more susceptible to a deeper connection with yourself.

In Life, we should aim to oscillate between the black and white states to create balance and  harmony in our lives. I was talking with some friends of mine who seem to find themselves flourishing in the black zone but have a difficult time transitioning into the white. This got me thinking about Western society and our incessant need to do, do, do!  I believe that there are two separate intelligences coming from different parts of the brain. The left brain, as we all have heard,  is very analytical and logical (usually the majority of the black in many cases) and the right brain,  is more creative, flowing, interconnected (usually more in the white zone, the ability to let go, meditate, connect). Our society *stresses* the intelligence and high powered doing of the left brain BUT older schools of thought, dating back to ancient cultures (usually Spiritual in nature) were more about being connected to the land, nature and their community. This resulted in an all powerful perspective and awareness about life. There was a  beautiful balance and harmony between the left and right brains spheres . I believe that our right brain cries out to us to meditate, relax and sit in our beings to uncover different types of answers; a unique knowing that lies buried deeply in our cells DNA … These answers don’t come from doing or overachieving, they come from just *BEING* and transitioning into a calmer, less anxious state. Unfortunately, this is not stressed as important in our society but is a powerful practice that will lead us down the path to even more Greatness.

It’s the balance of the two intelligences that really aligns you with universal power. Being in the white and accessing your higher consciousness should’t be viewed as a difficult or strenuous task.  It’s merely an act of LETTING GO, relaxing, and giving ourselves the gift of *down time*. These activities are often equated with laziness and/or guilt because accomplishing is no longer involved.  But we are going by our society’s definition of “accomplishment”. When we dig deep within ourselves like emotional archaeology and peel off the layers to our *true inherent being*, we give birth to a deeper knowing and a greater Awareness. This in turn sets us free and unleashes our psyche into Terence Mckenna’s highly praised “featherbed”. This is a major accomplishment and will open many hidden doors of perception ….

Try to be aware of your black, grey and white zones this week. Where are you spending most of your time? Are you stuck in worrisome thinking that is imprisoning you in fear and preventing you from taking steps towards your goals?  Try to balance out the  *DOING DOING DOING* with *BEING BEING BEING* … get lost in the moment, do some creative activities, be playful, … allow your inner child to come out, watch the moon rise, the sun set,  the clouds pass by, calm your mind and connect to your heart. Balance out the seesaw and see it as giving this deeper, all powerful *white zone Self* a chance! It has many secrets to tell you …

I will leave you with a wonderful video by Jon Kabat-Zinn. In this video, he explains the beauty of meditation and awareness to a group at Google. He stresses how vital it is to “drop into your being” on a daily basis. I highly recommend watching this throughout your week!

 

Much Love,

*Katherine*

*Image from www.incrediblethings.com

The *PULSE* of Fear by KTR

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My mind is cluttered with fears, anxieties that run rampant like a horse spooked by an unknown force

Crawling within my soul, these fears form tangled nests of pain

I cry out, but no sound is heard

My voice is weak and frail, as if never given the chance to speak

I feel the burden of these anxieties filling out and giving shape to the person I have become

This is not me, I cry

I don’t recognize her; I shield my eyes

I was born in radiant love. I was born free  & fearless

This was never who I was supposed to become

My heart beats fast, my palms sweat

Fear, fear, fear sneakily pulses with my heart, like an enemy that has feigned friendship in order to get its way

I feel like fleeing, like running because that is all I know

But I keep running in circles, with no destination in mind

As a last resort, I knock on the door where my soul hides

Come out and reveal yourself, I cry

A voice arises; this voice has depth & clarity

A deeper knowing that at once comforts me, like an old friend

This voice is not stained by the fear that has left me cold

She has been hiding, locked deep within my being, holding the code to a combination that once seemed unbreakable

You are much more than these fears, she whispers in my ear

Your fears are but mere illusions, clouding over your perception

A trick of the mind

You are flecks of the universe, twinkling like the stars

Peel back the layers that the world has laid upon you

Remember your truth

Sit with yourself in the empty space of silence

And you will remember

The beautiful self that knows no limitations, is fearless

Cleanse your consciousness & believe

Love is the absence of fear, she says

My heart slows and my mind shifts from tumultuous seas to tranquility

A giant wave washes over me and swallows up the pain, the hurt, the darkness

I am reborn, the phoenix out of the ashes

She rocks me gently into a deeper knowing

I smile into my dreams

 

 

 

*Image from http://pinterest.com/pin/33214115972046456/

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“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people *exist*, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Image from http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=live

Don’t Go Back to *Sleep*

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“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep”   – Rumi

It’s 7:30 AM and my alarm is blasting! I can’t tell if I’m dreaming of beeping noises or if I have managed again to unconsciously hit the snooze button for the third time. In my logical mind, I know that I am just delaying the inevitable. As I lie in bed battling the opposing forces within, I surrender to the power of my weaker side that provides me with a multitude of excuses. I just really need the extra sleep today … I didn’t fall asleep until really late ….  I can do yoga and meditation in the afternoon …  Breakfast is so unnecessary! It really only takes a couple of minutes to get through that uncomfortable wall of resistance that wants to keep me warm and cozy under the covers. This is the same voice that says it’s okay to skip a day of exercise or to indulge in the new flavor of Ben & Jerry’s. This voice in your head is a *LIAR* and doesn’t want to see you grow, evolve and change into the incredible person you were meant to be. This habit creates a snowball effect of feeling behind the eight ball all day long. It seems like the right decision in the moment but in the long term, this habit is not serving me in any way shape or form! When I get up before the alarm and immediately do my *morning routine*,  I feel 100% better and more productive throughout my entire day. Instead of being on the wrong end of the clock all day, I am ahead of the game and assume the role of the take action *Superhero* that I was born to be!

In the book As a Man Thinketh, James Allen comments on the importance of rising at an early hour: “Those whose awakening consciousness have become alive to its lofty possibilities, who are beginning to shake off the darkness of ignorance in which the world is enveloped, *rise before the stars* have ceased their vigil, and grappling with the darkness within their souls, strive by holy aspiration to perceive the *light of truth* while the unawakened world dreams on.” Allen also remarks that most important spiritual leaders, saints, and teachers of truth all intended to rise at an early hour. “Jesus habitually rose early and climbed the solitary mountains to engage in holy communion. Buddha always rose an hour before sunrise and engaged in meditation, and all his disciples were enjoined to the same. ”

Another very special visionary named *George Harrison* (lead guitarist/vocalist for the popular band The Beatles) used to rise every morning at 5:00 AM to engage in deep meditation and yoga to express his deep found devotion for Krishna. As George became increasingly spiritual and connected to the sitar, these practices became more and more important to him as he evolved into an incredibly devoted yogi.

If you choose to engage in these early morning rituals, just realize that you are not *alone*. Let me name a few well-known badasses who are also rising with the Sun: Michelle Obama, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Disney CEO Robert Iger, Oprah., Christie’s CEO Steve Murphy, and even Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz (probably with a nice hot skinny latte with a whisper of Madagascar cinnamon).

I’ve always been so enticed by the early morning hours. There is a beautiful *stillness* that you can’t find at any other time during the day. The rest of the world is sleeping but you are discovering the intuitive messages within your being and the planet.

So how do you want your morning to unfold? Are you throwing your buzzing alarm across the room in order to get that ten extra minutes of sleep? Or are you taking a powerful action step and setting the tone for a blissful day full of positive *intention*? It’s up to you! Just remember, you are the *creator* of your own Destiny. Everything in life comes back to the *daily choices* we make towards our future and remember, the breeze at dawn has *secrets* to tell you, DON’T GO BACK TO SLEEP!

Love,

*Katherine*

 

 

 

*http://herecomesthesunbook.blogspot.com/, http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-early-risers-2012-1?op=1

* Image from http://pinterest.com/thlco/