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This memorial day, I hope you’ll take a moment to remember, to pray for, all those who have fallen in the lines of fire – not just “our” men and boys, wives and daughters, but all of those who have fallen, everywhere around the world.
In Memoriam
Written Memorial Day, 2009
My mother grew up
with photos
of
Continue reading My Grandfather’s Flag – In Memoriam
“Day five of water-only fasting. No food at all since Friday night. And I’m not the only one. Hundreds of thousands of faith leaders, secular leaders, workers’ rights activist, and poor folks nation-wide are fasting too. I happen to fall into more than one of those categories.
And still the collective silence is deafening. Too many
Continue reading Fasting Against Hunger – at elephant
(Reprinted from Elephant Journal. First publication 3/8/11.)
I am not, nor have I ever been, your typical Christian. Most wouldn’t even call me Christian, though I would say my spiritual reality is very catholic (small “c” intentional) and I do have my own special relationship with Christ.
I am in no way claiming to be your spiritual
Continue reading Lent: A How-To for Mystics
Read my latest at Elephant Journal, Lent; A How-To for Mystics, TODAY!
Excerpt:
I am not, nor have I ever been, your typical Christian. Most wouldn’t even call me Christian, though I would say my spiritual reality is very catholic (small “c” intentional) and I do have my own special relationship with Christ.
I am in
Continue reading Lent: A How-To for Mystics at Elephant.
Altruistic Fostering: http://balneus.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/chimps-altruism-and-helping-with-the-kids-of-others/
This week in my teleclass series, A Course in Deep Acceptance, we’re working on the theme of “Family”. Here I’ll share one of the exercises from the course materials with you.
The Gift of Recognition
Sometimes when I’m in the middle of a project it’s hard to hear a request for my attention as
Continue reading The Gift of Recognition
On this day, and everyday, let us remember those who have gone before us, engaged in the ongoing struggle for recognition of the rights of all. Let us not forget the strides that have been made through applied inspiration, engaged activism, and movement toward the Greatest Dreams. And, let us not shy away
Continue reading In Honor of Dr. King – Lest We Forget
Winter Solstice brought 2010 to a powerful close with a solstice/full moon/eclipse, and 2011 began with another astrological event that was intense. And while I don’t put store in the “determinist” theories of astrology, I do find many models and modes of exploration worth incorporating into my personal practice and path.
So, the full moon/lunar eclipse
Continue reading It’s never the same river twice.
Looking Forward to 2011!
(Instead of Resolutions, Try Dedications, Intentions, and WHY NOTs Instead.)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Jump into Your New Year: Mind, Body, and Spirit Renewal Program * New Year’s Coaching Sessions – Start the Year with Clarity
Dedications:
Self:
To keep working toward my best over-all health:
Exercise.
Diet.
Rest and Relaxation.
Meditation.
Mental
Continue reading Looking Forward to 2011!
— It’s Never Too Late to Try Dedications, Intentions, and WHY NOTs!
by Lasára Allen, www.LasaraAllen.com
Are you planning on making any resolutions for the coming year?
Many of us make New Year’s resolutions – and then fail. A whopping 88% of well-meaning New Year’s revelers will “fail” in achieving the resolutions they set out as a
Continue reading A New – Or POST – New Year’s Tradition; Give Up Resolutions!
In honor of Ramadan, 2010
In the name of Allah, most beneficent, most merciful.
“The foremost in religion is the acknowledgement of Him,
the perfection of acknowledging Him is to testify Him,
the perfection of testifying Him is to believe in His Oneness,
the perfection of believing in His Oneness is to regard Him Pure,
and the perfection of
Continue reading Islamic and Sufi Mystical, Metaphysical, and Religious Quotes
Tonglen meditation is a simple practice of transmutation. It’s the process of breathing in “dirty” energy, thoughts, or feelings, and releasing them with compassionate non-attachment as pure light.
As opposed to the idea of breathing peace and calm into the body and mind, in tonglen we breathe in pain and suffering (dukkha) and transform it into
Continue reading Tonglen Meditation as Self-Healing
As you move through your life today, think “I love you” to everything and everyone, ALL THE TIME! Or at least whenever you remember to. Most importantly, think “I LOVE YOU!” when you are feeling sad, angry, separate from another, or from source, or alone. Don’t forget that YOU are
Continue reading I Love You – A Daily Practice
Often referred to as “Dalai Lama’s 18 rules for living”, this piece of writing does not actually originate with the Dalai Lama. Regardless, it’s a great piece of writing, with many important reminders. I needed some of them badly today, and thought you might, too. Enjoy. I hope this list provides some sweet upliftment for
Continue reading 18 Rules for Living
For the first day in this 21 day experiment, I am not feeling overly inspired to write. As another writer taking part in the experiment asked this morning, “where do I start?” I answered; “Start where you are! Trite, but still good advice. ”
And here I am. Stuck.
Over the past few days I have
Continue reading Breathing for the Liberation of All Beings
Dilemmas of a Householder
There was a time in my life where I so strongly desired to be in perfect Presence all the time that my desire for Presence became the greatest pain I had ever felt.
I sought absolute ego death; annihilation of self into Self, the surrender of “I” into that which is greater than
Continue reading The Devotion of Presence, The Presence of Devotion
Do you want more gratitude in your life? If so, cultivate it! This article will give you tools that allow you to take an active part in creating a more grateful world.
As AJ Muste, a committed nonviolent peace activist said, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” The more we practice peace,
Continue reading How to Grow a Grateful World: Three Steps to Engaged Gratitude
The world is what you make it. The Buddha is credited with this quote:
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Consider how you are making your world – what thoughts are building what outcomes in your life?
If you can change how
Continue reading An Empowerment for Presence: Change Your Mind, Change the World
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood
Continue reading A Meditation on Peace, and the Prayer of Saint Francis
Manifesting is not always easy. Here are some tips that will help you through the days where it would be way too easy to give up hope. Manifestation is not a mystery; it’s a kind of technology or tool that one must learn to harness, and sometimes it just takes some work.
1. Desire + action
Continue reading Manifestation in Twelve (Sort Of Complex) Steps!
Bodies communicate, moods, good or bad, are caught and transmitted like a virus. Like ripples in a pond, what you feel radiates out. Your happiness, your ease, your joy. Or, your stress, your fear, your anger. Every moment, you are modeling the creation of the world.
And, every moment, your children are building the foundation of
Continue reading Your Family is a Living System
**This meditation is modeled on the loving kindness meditation from Ezra Bayda’s book, Being Zen, and further modeled on many practice for what in Buddhism is called generating bodhicitta.**
This Awakened Heart meditation is designed to encourage awakening, develop presence, and to cultivate compassion. Bring your whole self to this experience, and come fully
Continue reading An Awakened Heart Meditation: Cultivating Compassion
Keywords: — The Answer to the Season’s Biggest Question; Yes, Santa IS Real!, santa claus, santa clause, god, christmas, family, values, generosity, mysticism, children, santa is real, holiday season, hard questions, faith, christmas spirit, jesus, belief , magic, miracles, christmas miracles, question, santa, spirit, babbo natale
When it comes to the delicate matter
Continue reading The Answer to the Season’s Biggest Question; Yes, Santa IS Real!
God is Limitless.
Enjoy some of my favorite quotes on mysticism, metaphysics, and more:
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This
Continue reading Mystical, Spiritual, Philosophical, Metaphysical, Inspirational Quotes Compiled by Lasára Allen
Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
~ Kahlil Gibran
You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing,
Continue reading Some of Lasára Allen’s Favorite Gratitude Quotes
A Bodhisattva Meditation for Cultivating Loving Compassion for the Self
by Lasára Allen, www.lasaraallen.com
Gate gate, para gate, parasam gate, bodhi svaha.
The one responsibility of the bodhisattva is to not cause suffering.
The one commitment of the bodhisattva is to love all beings pervading space and time, regardless of any beings ability to return,
Continue reading A Bodhisattva Meditation for Cultivating Loving Compassion for the Self
OM TARE TUTARE TURE MAMA AYURPUNYE JNANA PUTIN KURU SVAHA.
bodhisattva, definition;
n. Buddhism
An enlightened being who, out of compassion, forgoes nirvana in order to save others.
[Sanskrit bodhisattvaḥ, one whose essence is enlightenment : bodhiḥ, perfect knowledge + sattvam, essence, being (from sat-, existing).]
- Answers.com
This Page Offers A Sampling of Many Ways of Engaging with the
Continue reading The Bodhisattva Vow
Click HERE for another beautiful page about the Heart Sutra.
Thanks and credit for this page to: Tom Barrett and www.interluderetreat.com Mantra Mystery
GATE GATE PARA GATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA!Mantra of the Prajna Paramita (Hint: Gate is pronounced like “gah-tay”)
The mantra of the Prajna Paramita is found at the end of a brief, but classic Buddhist scripture,
Continue reading Gate Gate Paragate Para Sam Gate Bodhi Svaha
A NEW New Year’s Tradition; Give Up Resolutions!
– Try Dedications, Intentions, and WHY NOTs Instead.
by Lasára Allen, www.LasaraAllen.com
Have you made any resolutions for 2010?
Many of us make resolutions – and then fail. Though I have almost always met with success in my new year’s resolutions, I think resolutions come from a somewhat limited, and
Continue reading A New New Year Tradition; Give Up Resolutions!
Things I’m most grateful for from 2009
Getting married to my true and eternal love. It’s for reals, yo! Seriously now, I didn’t think that love like this was possible, and there’s nothing I have loved more to be proved wrong about that. I want to shout it from the mountaintops; TRUE LOVE IS REAL!
Continue reading I’m Grateful for 2009!
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