Sunday Scribblings #91 - Follow

When I read or hear the word "follow",
It's a reminder to me to always
Follow my heart.
I spent a good 30 years figuring that out and won't look back on that life lesson.
Ever.
We are wiser about our own needs than we could ever fathom.
(Take that from someone who has been to the brink of death and back).

The Soul Project

On Thursday, I submitted my entry for the Soul Project.

It's a project being run by the most *beau-ticious* Brooke Manning

Basically, she's asking for your soul, for a year, in whatever form that may be.

So I sent her mine.

The explanation is here:





These *magical* sand packets come from here:


This is the vestibule of *magical* sand (& rocks & water) from the Ganges river in India which I keep on my mantle. I keep it in plain view as a reminder of how restorative India is for me.









And this is the water. From the Ganges. They say it is healing and I believe it.






I look forward to April 2010 when I learn about the gifts my soul has given and received.

Thanks Brooke.

Sunday Scribblings #90 - Language

Language is so much more than words. Well, technically, it's both bigger and smaller than words, but....I spent 6 years in university conceptualizing about that and, well, I'm done with that.

No language is not only the syntax trees or the SVO sentences of my undergrad linguistics classes.
Nor is it just about the phonotactic rules or the morphological patterns uncovered in my fourth year Swahili course.

Language is more than what sets order to mathematical systems, artificial languages, and computer programming.

Language is in a look, wrapped around gestures and floating through colours and songs.
Language is hidden in hugs and upturned lips parted when laughing.
Language flirts with the breeze and makes us huddle inwards to stay warm.
Language is in images and movement and the sparkle of our eyes.
Language rides on my breath and collides with space.
Language is opaque, slippery, a rusty bolt.

Sunday Scribblings #89 - Scary

As a little girl of maybe 6 or 7 years old,
what would keep me up at night

was the idea of "everlasting life".

For most Christians, this is a reassuring idea.

Who wouldn't want to be suspended in time, surrounded by the comfort and peace and joy?

But for me, it was a pretty black-and-white concept.
My under-developed frontal lobe could not understand
life without end.

I would lie awake at night absolutely terrified of the idea of non-stop life.

Endless existence was NOT comforting.

Despite the promises of light and life,
somehow it reminded me of my first ride in the haunted house (on Toronto's Centre Island), where anything could pop out at me and the unpredictable was worse than the neuro-chemical thrill of adrenaline pumping through my innocent veins.

It was incomprehensible.

It freaked me out.

Maybe it was "too-good-to-be-true".

And then the Biblical counsel-of-fear:

Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

The clear message: life or shame.

How is that not scary?

In my 30s I began to contemplate the idea of reincarnation, or past lives or whatever you'd like to call this branch of thinking.


"To be made flesh again"

Somehow this seemed a more reassuring concept and continues to occupy a good deal of my headspace in this my 4th decade of living.

That I could connect in a different body, under a different set of circumstances with life here on earth sent an "ahhhh, finally" sense of ease through my body.

Knowing that this belief has ancient roots gives me validation: Hindus, Jains, some ancient Greek philosophers, modern Pagans, practitioners of Kabbalah, and Gnostic and Esoteric Christians go for this.

So why shouldn't I?

I especially resonate with the Buddhist concept of reincarnation which believes that the reincarnated soul is unchanging.

Static.

EVERLASTING.

(Does this mean I get to stay with me, and just get better? I'm no spiritual/religious scholar, and have a LLLOOOONGGGG way to go in my understanding, but if this is true, I'm quite happy to spend time getting better at being me!)

Sunday Scribblings #88 - Celebrate!

When I think "celebrate", I think Nia.

Nia, a movement practice that, I kid you not, has been medicine for my soul.

Don't believe me?

See here or here or here for proof.

This is not the first time I've written about Nia.

I have shared my experiences with Nia before. I believe in her power. See here for a description of my experience when I dance.

Now I'm writing about Nia as a cause for CELEBRATION!

This year, Nia is 25 years old. And the international Nia community are celebrating. And here, at the home of ME (my body, mind, emotions & spirit) I am CELEBRATING LARGE!

Nia gave me my life back. How? Read here and here and here to find out.


(if nothing else about this post catches your attention, maybe the yumminess of the icing on the birthday cake will do it?)

We (in Toronto) are so fortunate to have the founders of Nia, Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas, here in Toronto. They'll be here in June, 2009. We're working on the big *SPLASH* of events. But here's one that you can register for NOW. It's called the Heart of Nia Playshop and will be held on June 24, 2009. You can register here for it....

Stay tuned...more events and information WILL follow!


Nia

Now
i
am

....balanced, peaceful, in charge, grounded, secure, FIT

Never
in
another

....crisis, helpless state, out of touch reality, danger zone

Nia...with purpose in Swahili...Nia