Exposed...

Exposed to violence...

Thich Nhat Hanh;

“We are often exposed, if not first hand, then through films, reading material, and conversations, to violence, fear, hatred, meaningless infatuations. Society is full of violence and hatred, which accumulates in the collective consciousness.

If in our daily lives we do not know now to abstain from damaging materials and attitudes, the seeds of violence, hatred and suffering in us will continue to be watered. We need to be aware of what we hear, see, and read every day… Do our associations and consumptions poison us?”

The last weeks I have had troubles with sleeping. I just could not fall asleep even though I was really tired. I tried a lot of different things but nothing helped. Then I remembered that very often before I went to sleep I watched a movie or spend time on the internet.

Now I don't watch TV or at images at my computer anymore at least one hour before I go to bed. Instead I listen to relaxing music and burn some incense or look at something that I find very beautiful. Like a burning candle or a beautiful flower. And it really works....my mind is more at ease and I don't have troubles falling asleep anymore. Above that I can feel how I get more inner peace..... There is still so much positive beauty in the world why focus on the negativity?
Take care and I hope you will see a lot of beauty today :)

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle.
But I think the real miracle is not to walk either
on water or in thin air,
but to walk on earth.
Every day we are engaged in a miracle
which we don't even recognize;
a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves,
the black curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes.
All is a miracle.


Thich Nath Hahn

A change

Ten thousand flowers in spring

the moon in autumn,

a cool breeze in summer,

snow in winter.

If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things,

this is the best season of your life.

Wu-men

My dear friends there is something I would like to change about my blog. I have been reading my last posts and I think the last one about letting go is a beautiful post to start with a new way of writing a post. To let go of the habit of making one with my head. Making a post and taking pictures should be a moment for me of peaceful sharing from the heart, not the mind (ego).

I don't now if you will notice a great change but to me it feels like I can share on another level with you now. There is more peace in my heart and my mind and ego are more at ease :)

So let us continue our journey and let's try to make it a bright and clear day.....

Since it is all too clear
It takes time to grasp it.
When you understand that it’s foolish to look for fire with fire,
The meal is already cooked.

Wu-men

Letting go

If you love somebody,

let them go, for if they return,

they were always yours.

And if they don't,

they never were.

Kahlil Gibran

Even as a child I have had troubles with letting things go. I wanted to keep everyone and everything close by so I could touch and defend them. In fact... to keep control. Later on I learned that those things in life that are worth fighting for come in complete freedom to you. And in complete freedom they should stay. It is impossible to hold on to someone or something that is not meant to be with you. It needs trust to let go....
Today I reached that point again... to let go even for a short while always has filled me with an incredible fear. But today it felt different, it felt peaceful. It felt like a saw myself from above and saw how I was trying to hold on, affraid of loosing a loved one. But deep down inside I already knew that in true love there is no holding on.... just letting go...

It feels so good to let that convulsive retaining go, and to feel how so much fear went away along with it. It feels like I can breathe again and feel the true essence of love. When there is fear there is no room for love and now love has the space to blossom and grow :)

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength;
loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Lao Tzu

Thoughts over tea

We can live without religion and meditation,

but we cannot survive without human affection.

Dalai Lama

Today I was drinking my tea while reading the comments on my blog. It felt heart warming to share thoughts like this. It made me realize how important it is to be able to share and feel a connection with other people.

The more I see how many of my actions are conducted by the need to be loved and acknowledged, the more I understand these actions. Isn't it so that the most of our feelings of anger, fear and jealousy find their roots in the fact that we feel denied in our need for love and affection?

I am often amazed by the power of this need and it gives me a feeling of peace when I look around me and see that in fact we are all in need. And how this want for love and affection connects us all. So while I am drinking my tea I think of all the lovely people from all over the world who are drinking tea at this moment too.

We look completely different, have different backgrounds and maybe can't communicate because we speak different languages. But our deepest inner layer is the same, we all need love and affection and as long as we use love to communicate we all can touch and understand each other. Take care and thank you for sharing this Sunday tea :))

There is more hunger in the world
for love and appreciation in this world
than for bread.

Mother Teresa

Food for thought

dry seeds scatter
from my hand into the wind
one clings
as if to say there is in me
something yet to be-

Jeanne Emrich

A candle

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle,

and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Buddha

Today I made this tiny candle arrangement with one Ivy leaf, grass and a little flower. I made it to underline this saying of the Buddha, which I wanted to share because I was feeling happy. The sun was shining and my sister came to join me to for a cup of tea. While drinking our tea we talked about our lives and our struggles, and about the different insights we have had. It felt lovely and warm to talk so openly about our experiences in life.

I wish us all a lovely weekend, with open conversations and tea, take care :))

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire,

men cannot live without a spiritual life.

Buddha

On our way

If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out.

To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.

Mother Teresa

Today while reading the comments of the past days and I suddenly felt tears in my eyes. I realized that since I started my blog there have been quite a few changes in my life. I feel how I came closer to myself by sharing my thoughts with you. These daily posts are a moment for me to reflect on my own daily life.

While preparing a post I place things in a new perspective. Like looking at it from a different angle. Sometimes it is very confronting and sometimes it gives me a new insight, but it is always very constructive to me. Today when I read the comments I noticed how we are all on the same road, although we are coming from different directions. I recognize so much in the comments and feel such a connection when I read them. It gives me a warm feeling inside. I am on my way, learning step by step, doing my best. To read that others have similar experiences and are working on themselves too is so encouraging. Yes, we are on our way, walking in our own speed, sharing our thoughts and insights.... So let us continue our journey my dear friends, while supporting each other by sharing the road :)

To understand the heart and mind of a person,
look not at what he has already achieved,
but at what he aspires to do.

Kahlil Gibran

Dandelions

Krishnamurti;

-Have you ever sat very quietly with closed eyes
and watched the movement of your own thinking?
Have you watched your mind working?

or rather, has your mind watched itself in operation,
just to see what your thoughts are, what your feelings are,
how you look at the trees, at the flowers, at the birds, at people,
how you respond to a suggestion or react to a new idea?

Have you ever done this?-

From time to time I get carried away, like this week. It was a lovely week but a very busy one too. I came home late, nearly had time to make my blog and I didn't had enough time to respond to the comments. So today suddenly I felt how my thoughts were taking over again instead of listening to my inner voice.When I reach that point I really need to sit down and look inside. Why am I acting like this...what is the real reason for my actions. It has always been very helpful to me and today it worked again. By looking inside I could let the stress go and focus again, instead of letting hasty thoughts take control.And as I sat quiet in my garden later on with a cup of tea I noticed some new Dandelions. They were so lovely that I wanted to share them with you. They had grown this week while I was so "busy" and now they were standing there proudly with their beautiful yellow heads facing the sun. They felt like a lovely present and I wanted to share them with you :)

Take care my friends and I hope you feel the lovely glow from the Dandelions :)

Awake.
Be the witness of your thoughts.
You are what observes,
not what you observe.

Buddha

Inner child

To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature.
Most persons do not see the sun.
At least they have a very superficial seeing.
The sun illuminates only the eye of the man,
but shines into the eye and heart of the child.
The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward
senses are still truly adjusted to each other;
who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today I am quite dreamy and although I have to leave for an appointment in about half an hour I am still in my house-suit sipping from my tea. I found these marbles in the cellar which I have had since I was a child. It gave me a strange feeling when I saw them again after so many years. Like they belonged to a distance past but at the same time I could feel that child vividly inside me.

It is good to treasure our inner child I guess....to keep that open pure view. Today I felt her deep inside and I promised myself to take good care of her. Have a playful day and take care :)


A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful,
full of wonder and excitement.
It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision,
that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring,
is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.

~Rachel Carson

Smiling

Smiling is very important.

If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace.

It is not by going out for a demonstration against

nuclear missiles that we can bring about peace.

It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing,

and being peace that we can make peace.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Ladybugs always make me smile and it feels like a little present when I see one. Today the sun was shining while we finished my mother's cat playground. (As I write this post I still can feel my head glowing from the sunbeams). My mother was so happy today that it brought tears to my eyes to see her smile so lovely.

I am going to bed now as I am very tired but very satisfied. I just wanted to share this lovely romantic scene with you that I witnessed today in my mother's garden. I hope these little ones will bring a smile to your face too. Big hugs and take care........ :)

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,
but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thoughts over tea

Have patience with everything that
remains unsolved in your heart.

Try to love the questions themselves,

like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language.

Do not now look for the answers.

They cannot now be given to you
because you could not live them.

It is a question of experiencing everything.

At present you need to live the question.

Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it,

find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke is one of my favourite poets and this is one of my dearest poems by him. I often read his work during a cup of tea. But this morning I just have time for one cup because in about half an hour a friend is picking us up. Today we are making a cat house for my mother, so she can sit outside with her cats in the sun.
I really love it to work with my hands and to create something. Today the three of us are working outside while my mother cooks for us during the day. It is so lovely to work together with love on a project each one doing his part and to finally create something new together.

The idea of my mother sitting happily outside with her cats in the new cat house makes me smile and is worth all the effort. Take care today and enjoy your tea with love :))

This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love:

the more they give, the more they possess.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Weekend

We have to try to get rid of the notion of time.

And when you have an intense contact of love

with nature or another human being, like a spark,

then you understand that there is no time

and that everything is eternal.

Paulo Coelho

I am definitely in the weekend mood. Saturday always reminds me of my youth when the Saturday evening meal contained bread rolls with all kinds of sandwich fillings. We used to talk about the week and enjoyed being together. It is a lovely gift from my parents because I still get a warm feeling when I think about it. A lovely memory for life :)) Take care this weekend my dear friends and let us try to make it a peaceful one. I am slowly beginning to prepare our Saturday evening meal now, and I can feel the same love my mother felt when she prepared the dinner for us at my parental house.

Come out of the circle of time

And into the circle of love.

Rumi

Positive

Keep your thoughts positive

because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive

because your words become your behaviors.

Keep your behaviors positive

because your behaviors become your habits.

Keep your habits positive

because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive

because your values become your destiny.

Gandhi

Today I wanted to share some sayings by Gandhi which have been a great help to me and still are. Whenever I feel hurt or scared I read these lines again and I can feel my heart taking over from my emotions again. Slowly and gently loving energy flows in and my defence system lets go and I can see things clearly again.

To me it has been very helpful not to let my emotions take over but to take a step back and to reflect on a situation first. It prevented me a lot of times from stepping into an argument or feeling rejected. I am still working on it but it gets a little bit easier every time I practice it. It makes me so happy to feel the progress inside and to see the effect is has on my personal life.I hope you will have a lovely weekend with some quiet moments to share a cup of tea together. Take care and big weekend hugs to all of you :))

It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that"s important.

You have to do the right thing.

It may not be in your power, may not be in your time,

that there'll be any fruit.

But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing.

You may never know what results come from you action.

But if you do nothing, there will be no result.

Gandhi

A walk

You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one.

Each day is a different one,

each day brings a miracle of its own.

It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.

Paulo Coelho

I have had a wonderful lovely day. My sister came to visit me and I told her about my plans to spend less time behind the computer and the TV. The sun was shining outside and I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. Toek also needed a break from his work and the three of us went on our way.

The city where I life is quite sober. Nobody paints their houses in bright colours and when you walk the streets you don't get to see many colours. But it didn't matter because the sun was shining and every little flower seemed to have much brighter colours. Beauty is everywhere when you want to see it.

These flower shots are taken in a small garden-centre we visited during our walk. The owner was very friendly and while I was taking my pictures, he was watering the plants while my sister and Toek sat in the sun on a bench. It made me completely happy.

There were just a few flowers and some seemed a bit withered already. But when I looked more closely I could see that they all had beautiful flower centres. It suddenly occurred to me that we humans are exactly the same, in our centres, our souls we are all beautiful and connected.While I am writing this post I still feel calm and warm inside. Normally I would watch TV for two hours before going to bed, but I have new plans. I have bought a natural shower cream with Jasmine oil and a body cream with Lavender oil to relax. So after my shower I will go to bed and read a while. A peaceful ending to a beautiful lovely day...... big hug to you and take care :)

The appearance of things change according to the emotions,
and thus we see magic and beauty in them,
while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.

Kahlil Gibran

Peaceful

"If in our daily life we can smile,

if we can be peaceful and happy,

not only we, but everyone will profit from it.

This is the most basic kind of peace work."

Thich Naht Hanh

I was reading the lovely blog by Peggy from Creative Influences and she mentioned Thich Nath Hahn. I realized I had a book by him and decided to spend my afternoon reading it. It is truly beautiful to feel the warm glow inside when you read these words that are written with so much love.

Peace is every step.
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows.
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step. It turns the endless path to joy.

Thich Nhat-Hanh

It is lovely to read again in silence. To let the words come in and warm my heart. I really notice how important it is for me not to spend too much time just watching TV or sitting behind the computer. Reading a book, doing some gardening or taking a walk are activities much more constructive for me.

Beautiful how one decision to read a book can lead to an insight like this :)
Take care my friends and I leave you with one more beautiful poem;

Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe when we feel safe in ourselves.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Balance

Life is like an onion.

you peel it off one layer at a time,
and sometimes you weep.

Carl Sandberg

When I read the comments on my last posts I realized that some people got the feeling that I am sad or down in some way, and some of them even seemed concerned. It made me smile because in fact I am happier then ever before. But sometimes you have to experience pain or sorrow before you get at a higher level of happiness.

I am making my daily posts for about three months now. And it has changed from a purely interior related blog to a more personal one. I needed that change because I had the feeling that I got stuck in a frame and because I wanted to share much more. A few days ago I got the same feeling while I was reading some of my elder posts. The past months I have experienced a great personal growth. I got insight in some things I was struggling with for quite a while. It doesn't feels true to me to just share the insight with you without sharing also the journey to get there. And almost every journey has its dark sides too, before reaching the light. There is no point in just showing you my virtues while pretending not to have vices. For me there has to be a balance between those two.

There is no end to education.

It is not that you read a book, pass an examination,

and finish with education.

The whole of life,

from the moment you are born to the moment you die,

is a process of learning.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

I always love to read the books of Krishnamurti, because he describes the journey of life and its lessons in such a calm and clear way. To me his writings are very helpful to stay focussed and not to let myself get carried away by my emotions. So hopefully by writing this post I cleared up some misunderstandings about my state of mind. And I hope we can share our journey with all its ups and downs, take care and be well :))

“You must understand the whole of life,

not just one little part of it.
That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies,
that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems,
and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.”

Jiddu Krishnamurti