Wandelen met muziek (Playlist)

Gisteren ben ik heerlijk bezig geweest met muziek. Ik voelde me energiek, vrolijk, lichtjes in de ogen, noem maar op.

Vandaag bedacht ik mijn wandeling eens anders te doen, namelijk met oortjes in, playlist aan.

Je moet weten, dat ik dit eerder absoluut niet wilde doen. Ik wilde genieten van alles om me heen .. de bomen, planten, wind, vogeltjes, noem maar op en geen afleiders, zoals muziek.

Wel!! Verrassing!!

Het was geweldig! Ik voelde me vrij, los, alles om me heen kreeg een andere dimensie en echt waar! Geen fantasie! De intensiteit van de natuur om heen verdiepte zich, ondanks (dankzij) de muziek (die natuurlijk niet keihard aanstond) klonk het gezang van de vogels helderder, alles bij mij ging "aan". Volgens mij straalde ik zo van blijdschap, dat bijna iedereen die ik tegenkwam naar me glimlachte en groette en ik vermoed, dat de springerigheid van mijn lopen zo nu en dan leek op dansen.

Over mijn liefde voor muziek heb ik al het nodige geschreven en nog steeds doe ik ontdekkingen. Een mens is nooit te oud om te leren, daar komt het eigenlijk op neer.

Het is een aanrader!

Lieve groet,

Juliet Joan

Inspiration for the month of June

“You cannot, you cannot use someone else’s fire. You can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe that you have it.” – Audre Lorde

 

June’s story

In the context of Audre Lorde’s quote and with the realization of philosophy and religion of Spiritualism I would like to work with Audre’s words in relation to the 7^th principle, Eternal Progress open to every human soul.

 

First, I would like to adapt the word Fire to Inspiration.

Definition of Inspiration according to Oxford Languages:

1.     the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

2.     a sudden brilliant or timely idea.

 

We have infinite possibilities to grow and evolve spiritually. What this principle suggests is that we should strive to progress to a higher understanding of life, away from the ties of oppressive ideas and opinions that are taught. We should consider all that we have learnt so far, as a springboard to the world of infinity. The moment we become curious about something we have the choice to examine it, study the subject and become free thinkers and find that fire inside of us, that drives us forward.

 

I have found a beautiful example of this in “Richard Bach’s – Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. This is the story of a gull leaving everything behind to go out in the unknown world to explore, to find his own personal boundaries, to progress. 

 

The discovery and investigation of quantum physics since the beginning of the 20^th century is a wonderful example of the human mind struggling and stretching to find answers to complex and unsatisfying propositions. Quantum physics have also opened a doorway into solving mysteries that have to do with parapsychology. (Broughton – Parapsychology, the controversial science).

Mankind have evolved from primitive barbarous ancient times. It has been a slow, painful struggle to the ‘more civilised/enlightened’ stage of existence we have in this world today. This struggle continues throughout existence on into the spiritual and will throughout time.

On an individual level, man struggle with their ‘lower animal nature’, their desire for sensuous pleasures, their greed and instinct for aggression. But we know we can progress away from this to higher fulfilment, to seek out nobler goals. We may accomplish progress but by doing so we become aware of even greater possibilities before us and through the Spirit world we are informed that this expanding awareness goes on forever.

Nature, human history and our own experience show us that the old resists the new. Change is unsettling, it is a journey into the unknown. The competing forces of progress with stagnation cause disharmony and negative influences. The 7th Principle “Eternal Progress open to every human soul” reminds us to seek out progress; that the potential for progress is inexhaustible and will inevitably lead mankind to higher and higher levels of Spiritual existence. We progress with love as a result of our experience and knowledge and all can share in this advancement if they so desire.

It is at this point, that I like to refer to Audre Lorde’s words again.

“You cannot, you cannot use someone else’s fire. You can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe that you have it.”

(Audre Geraldine Lorde was born on February 18, 1934, in New York City, and went on to become a leading African American poet and essayist who gave voice to issues of race, gender and sexuality).

With love,

Juliet Joan

Tips om te mediteren.

De laatste tijd ben ik regelmatig aan het Podcasten. Veel van de afleveringen zijn meditaties.

Ik zal proberen de afleveringen te delen op mijn Blog.

Veel plezier met luisteren.

JulietJoan on air

Lieve groet,

Juliet Joan

November

Never ever have I taken health for granted. These past seven months, with so much attention being given to covid-19, I have re-discovered how important it is to be healthy, to feel healthy, but also, that work has to be done in that area, in fact it has number ONE priority. 

All of a sudden my morning walks have become a habit and I know in the past I felt there was no time, because other things were much more important. Not anymore. It is such a joy to feel good enough to maintain the new routine introduced 7 months ago. The routine to work out in the morning and have that daily walk and discover, that my energy level is at a nice height.

Today I am going to share a couple of pictures from my daily walks the last couple of days. 

Let me start with the geese on a chimney top. I hope you can see them, they are very observant and do not like us to come much closer.

In the village I live in, a lot of old farmland has been replaced by modern buildings. In the middle of such an area an old chimney has been left. Why did they leave it there? Is it to remember the days gone by? Is it to make sure a couple of geese have a resting place on their way to find a suitable location to spend the winter?

Just looked it up. It is an old chimney used in the old days for combustion plants in greenhouse horticulture. Well, geese like it, because I notice them regularly.

We have been so lucky with the weather so far. This is the month of November. We have had mist and sunshine in the mornings and rain in the evenings. Many birds are singing their song and we feel blessed to be able to daily enjoy nature. In the woods the leaves are turning into red and golden. 

In our garden everything is coming to a standstill, the trees and plants  are getting ready for winter, directing their energy inwards, gathering strength to surprise us with their beauty once more when it is spring.

With love,

Juliet Joan

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Good intentions

For years one of the goals I set for myself was to take a walk every day, a walk of at least half an hour. No problem when Toby, our dog was still with us. After he died, well, that was quite a challenge and slowly the daily walks stopped.

Well, okay, I went to the gym at least twice a week to "work out" (my own level, no group work for this woman, oh no). Well done.

What about the walks?

There was always an excuse not to go walking. Not enough time today, too much wind, it looks like it is going to rain today, I am not in the mood .. you name it.

On March 7, 2020 the country went in total lockdown due to covid-19 and the world fell silent. Within a week I noticed the consequences, the need to create a new daily routine, but what I found most difficult was the lack of movement. No gym to go to was no excuse, so after a week I found myself walking outside early in the morning and after a month I remembered my Nordic walking poles and the mini trampoline I once bought in a whim. Believe it or not, I created my very own gym and found out that the daily physical exercises are so uplifting mentally and physically.

Today I can state, that after 7 months of this it has become a pleasure and no burden at all to begin my day. Winter still has to begin, but without snow and ice I'll keep the routine, I know that now.

In the end I believe we all need to set goals in our lives and sometimes we cannot fulfill them for some reason, but they are still there waiting for the right moment to fit in.

With love,

Juliet Joan

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Finding the way - 1

Good intentions

Over the years there have been so many, too many moments, that I did not fulfill my dream to make writing and drawing the highlight of my days.

There is always something else that creeps in .. studying, the phone, emails, a cup of coffee with a great conversation-to-go .. you name it.

In fact I am not the only one with this problem and the biggest hurdle to do what I want to do is perfectionism.

Today I told myself that this frustration should end. I do not have to write or draw every day! One or two times a week is so much better than not at all.

Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way is lying next to me and she indicates two pivotal tools in creative recovery: the morning pages and the artist date.

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Studying the book and bringing forward the results will be my focal point in the next future.

Turning point

At the beginning of May I was in hospital, diagnosed with a pneumonia.

I was seriously ill and totally apathatic, not interested in whatever anymore. It took two days of tubes with fluid, oxygen and antibiotics to get me into the awareness, that I was surviving something very invasive that could have killed me.

Today I feel so much better. The lungs are totally clear and powerful!!

I have the feeling, that it is high time to listen to that inner voice that gently pushes me towards developing that side of my inner being more.

With love,

Juliet Joan

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Matters of the Heart - 5 - Balance (revised)

The heart chakra is about love. Love of self and love of others. The colours that resonate with it best are pink and green. The element is air. Think of earth and all her abundance. Feel the beating of your heart in tune with your breath .. Feel the expansion of your lungs .. You may BREATHE.

Balance

It has taken some time to continue with posts about the heart chakra. Opening up to the heart is opening up to the soul and that leads to contemplation, awareness, getting some issues out of the way, meeting the Self in all its beauty but also some characteristics that need to be dealt with. 
Moreover life has been very busy and writing this kind of post is not a one minute thing.
Opening up the heart is opening up to love but also to vulnerability. To discover how THAT can be acknowledged as an enormous power and not as a weakness is truly an eye opener. 

How do I use balance?

The word balance has several meanings. 
In this post it is about "to be or become equal or even" in a psychological and personal way.

For me one of the most important things in life is to find the right balance between body and soul. 

During the past 14 months I started changing my eating habits. They are now low on carbohydrates and sugar and that suits me fine. I have discovered, though, that it is difficult for me not to take pastries when offered. But .. I do not keep anything in stock, which helps a lot. Although it was not my goal to lose weight I did. Without any effort I lost 6 kilograms and that is an extra bonus, because not only do I feel better healthwise, that natural loss of weight has given me an extra glow (or I like to think that it does). I have much more energy and feel more vital which benefits my outlook on life. This diet thing just happened. One day I simply decided that all that bread and all that rice I consumed were "out". That was the beginning of the change. I have added much more vegetables and fruit and nuts to my meals and that was that!!
Oh .. I also bought an activity tracker and I use it.

Working towards balance and the value we place on it

We can work towards balance within our own heart chakra. There are loads of practices to be found to try and get there. (Don't forget, that in your busy life you can choose for walking meditations as well!!)

I have selected some tips to meditate to help you on your way. 

• Time (don’t stretch yourself timewise. Start with a daily routine, for instance 5 minutes a day, preferably at the same time and see how it goes).
• Take a couple of moments to wind down and clear your mind.
• Shower before going to bed and visualize letting go of everything “heavy” that happened during the day 
• Create a designated space to meditate.
• Start with a few deep breaths to calm the body.
• Start a diary (it can be so helpful helping to reflect in the future on what you have already achieved by meditating) 

The heart chakra is the fourth of the seven main chakras and plays a central role in passing through life's energy to all the others. (In fact all chakras do that, a blockage in one of them results in unbalance throughout). The heart as seen as the core of who we truly are, the resting place of our soul, has my full attention right now. Learning to listen to your heart can be achieved in silence, through meditation, by becoming aware what makes you "tick" and to go for it. Nobody can dictate that to you.

We can acknowledge there is no perfection. The value we place on a balanced heart chakra is ours to determine. It is hard work if we intend to do soul searching and it is an ongoing process throughout life. 

It is not easy to write about balance and searching around I found this interesting quote which covers a lot of my thoughts and ideas.

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” – Robert Fulghum


The next keyword is Compassion


With love,
Juliet Joan

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Tranquillity; part 3

It was one of those day

Writing about tranquillity is a challenge. Every now and then it feels like it is out-of-reach. Today, for no reason at all there was this restlessness, this feeling of “why do I have this uncomfortable feeling” .. “where is my peace-of-mind”. In theory there are so many solutions, so many ways to try and get mySelf together .. and believe me .. I know quite a few.

Giving in?

Giving in to this mood is easy enough but the feeling of unhappiness that is its mate is terrible. The ultimate solution is always, was always and will always be the realization, that for some reason I was out of balance and there you go!!

Restoring the balance

Restoring the balance is a physical and an emotional thing. For me it has everything to do with aligning my chakras which leads to emotional and mental balance as well and phew … I am back on my feet again, very quiet and in tune, focussed and happy and waiting around the corner is that tranquillity.

With love,
Juliet Joan

Tranquillity; part 1

In the Netherlands the month of April has been chosen as  "Month of Philosophy". The theme the Foundation "Month of Philosophy" has chosen for this year, 2017, is Tranquillity. 
I could also translate the Dutch word "Rust" as quietness, calmness, silence, quietude and a number of other words, but I like "Tranquillity".

Tranquillity

Tranquillity brings memories of hidden brooks, the effect of that unseen waterfall and the slaps of the sea on the shore, catching tiny colored fish for my aquarium when I still lived in the tropics, in fact I realize, my perception of Tranquillity, has a lot to do with water.
In my Philosophy class last night I brought up the subject and invited the students to bring forward their interpretation of Tranquillity.

It was beautiful. Not only did we receive a scala of descriptions but there were also images in my mind of the vastness .. the depth this word enfolds. Even the people wishing to work with another theme caught up with Tranquillity. Amazing isn't it?

Meaning of tranquillity

Tranquillity .. a State of Being, Deep Within The Soul,

A Deep Calm, Natural State, Deep Peace, Deep Connection To God .. Our Own Spirit, Awareness, Presence, Sunset, Rocking Chair, Summer Evening, Something From Within, Timeless-ness, Being In The Moment, Having A Better Perspective On Things Happening ..

Wow .. these were descriptions shared by the students in the, yes, "tranquil" atmosphere of the class.

Natural State

Last night, the mentioning of "Natural State" hit home mostly. Asked for confirmation that I had understood it well, the student explained (and this is my interpretation and feeling as well) that it meant "a state of being that is natural to us, a state of being that is ours, a state of being that often seems to be forgotten and CAN be remembered and brought back into our lives."

Inspiration

There was also a poem, a beautiful text and I have the author's permission to share it with you.

Thank you Melanie Alberts.

Tranquility Prayer

Inside each of us, dear God

Is a steadfast beating heart, 

Lungs that breathe without a thought, 

Thoughts that arise, visit with us, 

Then depart. We choose which thoughts

Linger, to which thoughts we serve a cup of tea

Or which thoughts we shoo out the door.

Dear God, let us serve you by choosing wisely,

By uttering only words that uplift and guide

Our brothers and sisters out of darkness,

out of busyness, and back into our hearts. 

When we are still and listen instead of speaking,

We find a small puddle of tranquility at our feet.

May we find the power of consideration within us

So that puddle rises into a pool of nourishing 

And refreshing tranquility. Dear God, show us

Examples in nature, let us be grateful for still waters

For noticing the changing colors of the sky.

Tranquility is within us, and outside of us, it is our choice 

To embrace these moments when they happen. 

We bow our heads in gratitude, dear God. 

May it be so.

With love,

Juliet Joan