Seeking Our Vision

"Know that you yourself are essential to this world. Believe that. Understand both the blessing and the burden of that. You yourself are desperately needed to save the Soul of this World. Did you think you were put here for something less?"

Chief Arvol Looking Horse


Seek your vision, hear your call, know your dream, free your voice, follow your Spirit. ...your purpose here is to live it.

Great Spirit always supplies an abundance of all good things in many different ways. Open up to the Wind and receive the embrace of Spirit. Listen, then go forth with all courage, strength, and determination. Pursue all the good things of your heart and Walk with no fear, honoring all Kingdoms, with Peace and with all blessings. RedskyHawk








Gaze for awhile into the Sacred Flame

"...come sit by the Fire with me, let's gaze for awhile into the Sacred Flame, ...let's gather the Silence and listen to the Universe. All of Mother Earth, all of Father Sky, our Ancestors, ...all of the Teachers are around us, ...here in this one place, in this Circle, for us. We Hear as the stories are shared, the lessons are learned, ...this is where we Walk. We feel the Stars, the Clouds, and Moon move across Sky ...this is where we Touch. We watch the smoke of Oak, Cedar, and Sage as it is carried with our gratitude and prayers to the Great Spirit, ...this is where we See. We come together in this place as One with each other, as One in this Circle, as One with Spirit. We come together You and I, and walk through into this Sacred Space of the Great Mystery."

By Redskyhawk
© 2013 RedskyHawk/Tina Phillips re-posted with permission
Walking the Earth Touching the Sky

Artist~JW Baker


Listen to sister RedskyHawk talking to us from her deep connection with Earth and Sky and the Human Spirit, to help on our journey to Seek our Vision. Gene Stone

Wisdom knows the Nature of Creation

Knowledge knows what elements create nature.
Wisdom knows the Nature of Creation's Elements.

Knowledge knows what conditions form the clouds.
Wisdom is understanding the Clouds in all forms.

Knowledge studies how to harness the wind.
Wisdom knows the Wind is never harnessed.

Knowledge keeps records of every stone.
Wisdom knows Stone as the Record Keeper.

Knowledge understands its truth from great books.
Wisdom knows Truth from Great Spirit.

Knowledge sees all life created as separate.
Wisdom sees all Life in Creation as One.

RedskyHawk


RedskyHawk/Tina Phillips © 2013 re-posted with permission
photo courtesy-unknown


Blessings and Peace for your Directions

Giving thanks each day for...

...the Light and Wisdom given from the East,
and the sunrise in our Hearts.
...the Love and Strength given from the North,

and the courage for our Walks.
...the Lessons of Life given from the West,
and the journey of our Soul.
...the warmth of Creation given from the South,
and the Wind that teaches our Spirit.


Blessings and Peace for your Directions,Redskyhawk
re-posted with permission


Redskyhawk Talks of Carrying of Medicine

...giving thanks for the Light brought from the East this morning and for all gifts of Great Spirit. We receive much as we walk on our Sacred Mother, we gather in humbleness. Listen and hear, ...everything is sent for a reason, everything is here for learning, everything here is here for one another. We find our happiness in this.
Speak quietly, listen well, carry your Medicine always. Most of all, May we walk in Love and Peace, with kindness for all Life.

Blessings Redskyhawk
re-posted with permission








Being Here Now
Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is.

The future has not yet come.
Looking deeply at life as it is.
In the very here and now,
The practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom.

Bhaddekaratta Sutta



Facing the Wind

To face the Wind you know all things are possible. Spirit gives each of us the protection we need to face our trials, to learn our Truths, to seek out our Visions and Dreams. Nothing will be given to you that you do not have the ability to conquer, to learn from, or to make Peace with. Stand strong, it might seem impossible, but know this Strength lies within you as you are surrounded and protected by the might of Great Spirit.

Peace RedskyHawk




Finding your power place is a gift, you know once you're there, your heart opens up, you feel the connection with Mother Earth in your gut. It is a place of healing, to revive yourself, to become new. A place to realize we are created in the image of our Creator, a place of unlimited potential, a place of becoming co-creators with Creation. It is different from a Sacred Space, or a Vision Quest, it is a place she has for you to connect with Great Spirit and the Chiefs of Air, Earth, Water, and Fire, to come together in unity with them. It is a place where you learn the blessings of every rock, tree and flower. A place to re-member your gifts and use them as the Great Mystery intends. ...They are all there waiting for you. Walk there in gratitude and sacredness,

Journey well,RedskyHawk



As the dawn breakswalk into the rays of Light, they are straight as the arrow, always guiding us, filling us with warmth, always bringing us the colors and wisdom of Spirit. Take your rest by the Waters, draw from the Springs of Wisdom, always leading us, nurturing us, and always refreshing our Soul. Walk in gratitude to Great Spirit, for all Creation, and for our Mother, our Grandmothers and Grandfathers, for our Journey, and the renewal we receive each day. With Peace & Kindness for all...blessings to you, Walkers. Redskyhawk

Artist - Cliff Vestergaard










Blessings for your day,
As we Walk we study the Life of this Earth around us. We notice the changes in the Elements, the changes in the activities of the Creatures around us. We pay attention to the subtle differences in the song of the small ones, ...the screech of the winged Spirit, the movement and body language of the four leggeds, we even notice the changes in the crawlers and swimmers, We watch the Waters, the Sky, the Kingdoms of plants, trees and rocks. May we understand to see from the perspective of all these things. To watch as the Circle begins, as the cycles become complete, and then start again. Let us have understanding and be able to apply this to our life and the life of others, ...to help, to serve, to bring Peace and healing. To align our self in the center, and face the Directions, to purify and empty, to gather and share the wisdom of this Great Medicine Wheel and the vastness of this Great Mystery. Walk in Peace.

When you are Walking, hold on to the sacredness within. We understand that as we walk in the physical nature of our Mother Earth, we are walking within the spiritual nature of ourselves. Every Stone, every Tree, every Mist, and ...all Creation is there for this reason, to show you Yourself. Walk with Honor, respect, and love. Cleanse and protect all. Listen for all the lessons the Great Spirit shows you and watch and learn from all Creatures that are near to you. Listen to the Waters flow through the veins. Hear the Wind whisper through the Pine. Feel your Drumbeat. These things that are being shown to you on the outside are a connection to what is going on inside. As within so without, as above so below. Peace and Blessings to you, Walk in sacredness, be gentle. RedskyHawk


Redskyhawk sharing more clarity on seeking our vision.
We offer our prayers to the Creator, in thanksgiving for all that has been Created. As we walk we listen to the Sun rise and learn, we listen to our Mother Earth and learn, we listen to our Father, and we learn. Walking we become one with everything around us... We realize the Universe and the Mystery are inside of us.... as we breathe, as we live, as we think, as we speak, just as we are, we are an expression of this Great Mystery. ...may we learn to understand, and make every step along our path in sacredness. Walk in Peace, Redskyhawk


...there are those who tell me how I am "supposed" to experience my spirituality within the confines of four walls, and under the dominion of those who make Spirit a corporation and denomination, ...there is division.
I choose to experience and commune with Spirit in the place where the Earth touches the Sky for myself... where all is One ...and all is good....
Walking the Earth Touching the Sky. Redskyhawk


As we spin through the cycle of Winter, we begin a new year. The path ahead of us is unknown and always changing. Bear teaches us to go deep within ourselves during this time, to rest and slumber, to search for understanding, to recognize what our dreams are, to find our Direction, so that when the warm Winds begin to stir us, we may step out onto our sacred path recognizing the Light sparkling on the Waters, and dancing on the Earth. The Great Spirit, the Creator, God, the Light, Wakan Tanka, ...is all the same, ...never changing, He is in All, and the Spirit of his Breath is in All things, He knows the Path before us, He sets our stepping stones in front of us and guides us into this change. May we begin the new Circle, and step into the Beauty of the rebirth of our self and our Earth Walk with Peace and Blessings. RedskyHawk



Walking the Earth Touching the Sky

It ends where it begins,
It begins where it ends.

The ending of a season, of a path, or of a chapter in our life, is only the beginning of a different journey that is waiting patiently before us. There is no end to anything only a change, a new beginning being birthed. We need only to change our perception of this Universe to realize the endless beginnings we are given. These Sacred Circles in our paths are everywhere, may we find the Breath, Balance, Strength, and Wisdom we need when we open our eyes to the Eternal gifts of our Creator.  Peace and Blessings for your Walk RedskyHawk

I love Walking...on Spirit Walks, I always have to stop for a while and listen to Crow speak, as he has so much to say ....and if I don't listen, Crow gets mad. I have noticed as my Hawk Spirit soars thru the sky and over the lands, Crow is deliberately picking on me... constantly. There is no rest until I stop and meditate with him,...so I do. Crow whispers and tells me.... To stay on path, As I let my Spirit soar watch my direction, Keep true to myself, Listen to the law I hear from the Ancestors who walk with me, Observe as I am being led, Watch out for loose stones, Put my trust in the security of Deep Roots, ...so I do. Then I smile, you wise ole Crow. Peace Walking today, Redskyhawk  

Walking the Earth Touching the Sky
copyright © 2013 RedskyHawk/tlp  shared with permission
photo-unknown 



Weaving the Path

...Our life paths are woven together by Spirit. Our journeys take us to the places where we are destined to be. Each step, each encounter with another soul adds color, everything we touch or that touches us is woven together with care and purpose. As we grow through this Life our Circles are joined together, our Spirit is woven, our re-births, and our Path are meticulously placed to take us higher into the completion of ourselves. We are the Creation of the Great Spirit, we are to be filled with all gifts and all lessons gathered from our Life Journey.
Fill your Heart Basket with all good things, Walk in the good way, and thank all Kingdoms."

Peace to you walking,  Redskyhawk
© 2013 RedskyHawk/tlp  shared with permission                   Walking the Earth Touching the Sky

Artist - Teri Siday 

The Earth and all her Life are the Teachers. 

The Sky and all the Heavens are the Teachers. I study as I watch the Cloud People, the Moon, and the Sun. I learn from the Hawk as it soars through the air and catches the Wind to rise higher and higher, and I learn from the seed who trusts the Wind to carry it to new destinations. We are all students, learning to watch, to listen, to trust, to rise on the Wind. We begin to grow in gratitude and humbleness when we realize the grace by which the Wind of Great Spirit has carried us to where we are today. We learn to begin to trust the process of letting go of the fear that grips us, the fear that keeps the Wind from carrying us. As we trust we are carried into the new heights and the unseen realms of new territory to be raised up and rooted deep in Spirit.
Peace trusting Spirit,  Redskyhawk                    

© 2013 RedskyHawk/tlp  shared with permission 

Reflections of Night and Day...

Understanding that there is duality in all things helps to find the inner balance needed to Walk. Conquering the fear of the unknown, knowing that there are things that cannot be seen with our physical eyes or understood with our physical mind, and allowing our perception to adjust is a key to the peace of the inner balance. To see thru this fear with Spirit is to know that the duality of Light and Dark exist. The positive and negative charge of all things. Everything is made up of these energies. The positives not always being the good, and negatives not always being the bad. It's the balance of both that forms us. The Shadows that cause the Darkness are formed only when fear blocks the Light. It is part of the journey to recognize the shadows exist, not as negatives, but as something that is created by the Light, or by us, ...it is something that is being held up to the Light casting the shadow. It is a part of our path to be learned, to be embraced, or overcome. When we expose the shadow, we accept our vulnerability and allow the Great Spirit to teach us the perfect balance. Redskyhawk

How I received my spiritual name, Three Trees Cloud

As a young boy I would climb trees, lay on the ground, climb on the roof and watch the clouds from every vantage point.  The Thunder Beings and the Cloud People seem to surround me. They would tell me stories, talk to me in different ways by their shapes, sizes, and sounds. It seemed to me at a very young age that the clouds, the sky and the earth and I were connected in some way that I couldn't quite understand. But it was clear that I would have more to learn from these Beings as time went on. They have continued to be a source of strength, vision and happiness in my life. Years later, after I returned home from Vietnam, I found myself learning to meditate and once again found myself in the clouds. On one occasion I remember walking around in the flint hills of Kansas looking up at the beautiful clouds rolling in all around me with their beauty and all of the energy awakening my senses as they did when I was younger. Laying on the ground I looked up to see this one distinctly powerful cloud only to realize that I was part of the cloud and when I looked down I saw my body on the ground. At that moment I felt my body dissipate into tiny molecules and I saw and I felt that I was part of the earth, and the earth was part of me. I could see and feel how even the spaces between objects were connected. It looked just like snow on the old black and white televisions.  

Living on a "Ridge" in Kansas near a place known as Three Mounds for some years learning from the Mother Earth and Thunder Beings, it seemed far to soon I was called to move to Flagstaff. Within my first few days I found myself coming out of a friend’s tipi, opening the flap of the lodge, which was facing East with the morning star shining as the sun came up that morning looking back from where I had just come from. The setting was so wondrous I was dropped to my knees with gratitude. In that place the vision of the 3 cedar trees from the ridge I lived on and started my awakening on for those years came to me under the morning sky. The Cloud People were speaking in a strong way, giving me the image of 3 Trees Cloud.

For me I had learned that I was part of everything in the universe, WE WERE ONE! From that point in my life I started to become more conscious of everything around me, always keeping in mind that we were all part of the earth, and all the wonders in this life. I began to be able to feel the plants, the animals, and other human beings in a way that I was not aware of before. I began to listen more carefully, look for the signs, paying attention with my heart, my spirit, my eyes, and my mind. At this point in my life I knew that I'm only limited by my own creativity and lack of ability to be more inclusive in my thoughts and actions. I must now learn each day to give and receive love with the creation without limits. I will be working on this until my life is complete.

I invite everyone to seek your vision in this life, each in our own way, and receive your spiritual name so the Spirits will recognize you and you will know more deeply who you are, where you came from, and where you are going. We are all part of the Earth.   

      

3 Trees Cloud

 Journey of the Soul...

... As the Light and Warmth of Sun draws up and forms each individual droplet of Water from the Oceans, it is carried up through the filters of Sky and rained down by Spirit. Each drop of water is as an individual, drawn from the Pure Source of the Sacred itself. Each drop containing its own particles of Life, and being the very substance of Life itself. Each drop travels its path, unique and with purpose, picking up particles and leaving particles of Life as it journeys. As our bodies are formed from the dirt of the Earth and the dust of the Universe a shell of our self has been created. A droplet of Water is as our Soul, drawn from the ocean of pure Light Consciousness, the Source, our Creator, and contains the substance of our Life. It joins our dry bodies and gives us Life, it is our Soul. Each path we travel, each person we touch, each time we join together, each time we stop to pray, each time we laugh or we cry, we are leaving traces of our soul and we are collecting pieces to our soul. We are being filtered by Spirit, just as Earth and Sky filter the Rain. We are drawn up out of the Sacred as spiritual beings, we are given to our Earth body and we travel through this Life. ...we join together with each other, just as the waters join the lakes, and join the rivers, we flow. Just as the Waters travel deep within Earth and seemingly dissipates, we travel deep within our self and we are filtered just as the Water is when it returns back out of Earth. We are drawn back up to Spirit and given again, over and over, rebirth after rebirth, filter after filter, rain after rain, purified over and over, ... flowing in the rivers, giving nourishment, receiving nourishment.. to our Roots, and to our Seeds, finding our way back to the Light of Sacred Consciousness, back to the Beginning, ...Awakening. Know we are a part of this Circle, journeying through this Mystery carrying inside of us a part of the Pure and Sacred Consciousness of our Creator. It is never apart or never separated from our being, from our Soul, and is the source of our Journey beginning to end.  Redskyhawk Photo - Annawon Weeden who is a proud member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe 

My place in the universe

Good morning Creator thank you for the power in this Universe, help me to find my place in your creation. Help me to remember there is no separation from you Creator, find gratitude for this, acceptance, and love, with a good heart find my place in the great Circle of life and know this is the way it should be. Help me to state my prayer clearly in a simple way so that I understand its meaning. Then put my prayers into action. Help me to open my mind and heart to receive. I must have no fear to walk knowing it is so, for prayer is an action. Remembering that prayer is always complete when gratitude is given, I give it to you now.  Gene Stone 

Walking the Earth Touching the Sky

To walk on the Sun's Light, to be moved by the Wind's Spirit, to be tumbled and smoothed by the flow of the Waters, to understand ànd hear the stillness within and without, ... these are the places we journey to. These are the paths that are the steepest, the rockiest, the paths that most do not choose. These are the paths that lead us into the self and where we begin to learn to leave that self behind. Redskyhawk  shared with permission from Walking the Earth Touching the Sky            

Walking the Earth Touching the Sky 

..and so the climb to the top is the Journey. Be not worried with those around you who claim to know that summit, as It is not a heart followers ego path that we take, but the opposite. It is sometimes the path the heart would not desire, the path where it seems your happiness is not the most important destination. It is the path of Awakening, of understanding gratitude and humbleness, sacrifice and service, of putting the needs of others before the need of self. Walking this path learning the tenderness of compassion, ...learning to completely empty ourselves of self purifies our Spirit allowing the Creator, the Great Spirit, to be our true guide and lead us to the true summit of happiness. Peace and blessings Redskyhawk 

Coming Home - Awakening to Spirit

A meeting designed for the new and long term person in sobriety to “reawaken” our connection to spirit, or our Higher Power. We would also like to invite people from all areas of life even those who have never had any problem with drugs or alcohol. It is our belief that people who are new to recovery could benefit from the experiences and support of others from all walks of life.

The format of this meeting will be a general discussion of the problems we face in life finding sobriety day by day and awakening our consciousness to help improve our lives.

1.  We will start with a short quiet meditation.

2.  Those who wish may share about the problems they are facing.  

3.  We will learn how gratitude can help us face these problems.

4.  What and how do we surrender problems to help us awaken to gratitude.

5.  We will learn how to connect with all of our relations for healing.

Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley, San Clemente California Feb 5, 2016 at 8 AM. 1201 Puerta Del Sol, San Clemente, CA 92673 This is a non-smoking facility.

We welcome with respect people from all backgrounds and faiths to this meeting.  Please take what is meaningful to you and let go of what is not.

We named this meeting Coming Home: Awakening to Spirit.  What does that mean to us?  It means the consciousness of knowing we are never separated from God or our Higher Power. By coming home we remember that we are one with Spirit.  We return to the inner self - the part that is connected always with Spirit.  Coming home is the place where we find our strength and our healing and our connection with all things.

Presentation for February 5, 2016:

* Meditation

* Introductions

* Invite people to share their thoughts. This is a time for listening to each other. This your time to speak about whatever brought you here today.

*Expressions of Gratitude:

We have found the practice of gratitude to be a powerful tool in helping us to overcome our daily challenges.

List the things you are grateful for. Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, argues that gratitude has two key components, which he describes in a Greater Good essay, “Why Gratitude Is Good.” (Greater Good Berkeley)

“First,” he writes, “it’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.” In the second part of gratitude, he explains, “we recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves. … We acknowledge that other people—or even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset—gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.”

What good is gratitude?

1. Gratitude allows celebration of the present.

2. Gratitude blocks toxic emotions (envy, resentment, regret, depression)

3. Grateful people are more stress-resilient.

4. Gratitude strengthens social ties and self-worth.

5. Gratitude brings us happiness.

6. Gratitude is good for our bodies.

7. Grateful people sleep better.

8. Gratitude promotes forgiveness.

9. Gratitude practices:  And here are some of the most effective ways to cultivate gratitude, according to research.

• Keep a gratitude journal, recording three to five things for which you’re grateful every day or week. Because some evidence suggests that how we keep a gratitude journal—for instance, how often we write in it—can influence its impact, Jason Marsh offers  research-based tips for gratitude journaling. Apply these tips through the new and easy-to-use online gratitude journal, Thnx4.org.
• Write a “gratitude letter” to an important person in your life whom you’ve never properly thanked. Research suggests gratitude letters provide strong and long-lasting happiness boosts, especially when they’re delivered in person.
• Savor the good in your life—don’t just gloss over the beauty and pleasures that come your way. Loyola University psychologist Fred Bryant has identified 10 ways to practice savoring; advisory board member Rick Hanson has developed his own method for savoring positive emotions and experiences, which he calls “taking in the good.“
• For more info go to the Greater Good website at: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good

What good is surrender?

Surrender is the ability to give yourself wholly to something, to flow like a river, not force things. It is the grace of letting go into the right moment. Knowing how to let go and let God. Releasing self doubt and over thinking things. Surrender brings more peace into our lives.  From Judith Orloff  

*** We are all related.  

As we heal, others heal, making the world a better place for everyone.

Facilitated by Gene & Joyce Stone. This is a non-smoking facility and meeting.

Spiritual Surrender

Surrender is the ability to give yourself wholly to something, to flow like a river, not force things. It is the grace of letting go into the right moment. Knowing how to let go and let God. Releasing self doubt and over thinking things. Surrender brings more peace into our lives.  From Judith Orloff M.D.  

We have found that one of the best tools for helping us to return to the present moment is  surrendering to what is.  Many of us grow up with fear, anger, and worry in our lives.  Spiritual surrender frees us from fear, worry, and anger.  

Surrendering to the present, being with what is happening in the present, not worrying about the past or future, helps us to find peace within.

Surrender does not mean giving up.  It is about acceptance, joy, and faith.

Marianne Williamson says, “Surrender means the decision to stop fighting the world, and to start loving it instead.”  We can get out of the way and allow and trust Spirit or our Higher Power to guide us.

Spiritual surrender is not about becoming lazy, it is about compassionate action.  Pema Chodron says “Compassionate action is the importance of working with rather than struggling against.”

Some ways to learn surrender:

• Open the heart
• Listen
• Pray
• Meditate
• Let go  

All My Relations

Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ is a phrase from the Lakota language. It reflects the worldview of interconnectedness held by the Lakota people of North America. This concept and phrase are expressed in many Yankton Sioux prayers, as well as by ceremonial people in other Lakota communities.

The phrase translates in English as "all my relatives," "we are all related," or "all my relations." It is a prayer of oneness and harmony with all forms of life: other people, animals, birds, insects, trees and plants, and even rocks, rivers, mountains and valleys.

Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ and its relevance in the Lakota ideology of "underlying connection" and "oneness."

“Our relatedness and what is also understood as 'The Ancestors' includes all the beings we share this universe with. As that transcendent force or being that we usually call God, Great Spirit or whatever is the  Father of all of us and the Earth, giver of manifestation is our Mother. And we are related, through the blood and breath of our ‘Original Parents’, to the: Stone People and the four elements or winds etc.; to the finned and creatures of the sea; the Standing Ones and all the plant kingdom; the Creeping Crawlies and all those that live within Our Mother; the Winged Ones and all those of the sky; the Four Leggeds, all the other Two Legged (Human) races, and all the way up to the Star Nations, or all that live around, throughout, and within; and probably also beyond, the entire universe.” Cody Sunbear

Why is the spiritual concept that we are all related important to us in sobriety? The wisdom that comes from knowing that we are related to all things is it will change our perspective of how we interact with the universe around us. Understanding this concept we'll change our perspective and the way we treat others which will ultimately affect how we understand and treat ourselves with respect. This is a very valuable spiritual tool to help us in our sobriety.

Awaken and expand your consciousness in Oneness so that your concept of yourself ceases to be limited to the little body. Meditate on this. Realize it. Your consciousness has no circumference. Look ahead millions of miles: there is no end. Look to the left, above, and below: there is no end. You mind is omnipresent, your consciousness unlimited. Paramahansa Yogananda

What is Inner Peace?

Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being "at peace" is considered by many to be healthy (homeostasis) and the opposite of being stressed or anxious.

Inner Peace can be as simple as letting go, and resting under the shade of an old tree.

The path taken to find inner peace is as hard or simple as a person makes the journey of self acceptance to be.

"If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family our entire society, will benefit from our peace." Thich Nhat Hanh

How do we find inner peace?  It is a choice.

LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT

Living in the past and worrying about the present does not give one peace within.  It prevents one from feeling enjoyment in the present moment.

Cultivate awareness of each moment.  Focus on what is in front of you right now. Find a way to remind yourself.  Stop frequently during the day and return to your breath or say a phrase to yourself, such as “I am here now.”  Savor every moment you are in.

LEARN TO ACCEPT

There are many things we would like to change.  Remember to avoid frustration and turmoil by learning to accept what is while working to transform what you can. Marianne Williamson says,

“Surrender means the decision to stop fighting the world, and to start loving it instead.”

FORGIVE

It is critical for us to forgive ourselves and others for the mistakes or unskillful behavior of the past.

Learn to forgive yourself. It is difficult to have self respect, confidence and self esteem if we have not forgiven ourselves. Withholding forgiveness for those who have hurt us only hurts us more.

Forgiveness opens our heart to healing, happiness, growth and peace.

MEDITATE

There are many benefits of meditation which can lead to inner peace.  Meditation can induce calmness, lower the blood pressure, increase concentration, and help us to connect with and realize the Spirit within.   Meditation can help decrease obsessive thinking, decrease anxiety and tension and increase our positive insight.

SIMPLIFY

“The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer sense of well being that places harmony in one’s life.” - Peace Pilgrim

Let it go.  Let go of all those things that no longer serve us.

JOURNAL

Journaling can be a record of our journey to inner peace. Writing helps us to gather our thoughts and emotions and make sense of them. Write down daily your commitment to creating inner peace in your life.  Give yourself validation for what you accomplished each day. Use the journal to remind yourself of the things you were able to release and the things you are grateful for.

Truly our Ancestors are with us. They are standing over us, as tall as the mountains. They are walking beside us as silent as the Eagle's wings in flight... yet, we hear them. We hear them as they whisper upon the cool winds. They are heard in the rustle of the leaves, the sway of the tall grasses in the fields moving like waves upon the ocean, and in the songs sung from the tall pines. It is, as if, the Musician with his flute standing right beside us. We can feel their warmth through the colors, see their reflection looking back at us from the waters, and absorb their wisdom through the vibration of the Life surrounding us. Walk quietly, gently, ...have Peace and know that you are never walking alone.  Redskyhawk   

Peace, Walking the Earth Touching the Sky