Living Consciously June 18, 2009

Dear friends,

Lots of us will be heading off on vacations in the coming months. It is a rare person who will not have a schedule all planned out for their time away from work. We have such high expectations for having fun that we will cram our days with activities, deplete our energy and return home exhausted.

If we would shift our focus from doing to being, from expectation to presence, from activity to learning, we might find that the time seems to lengthen! Having a plan is fine if we are able to allow it to shift and change. Sometimes the most memorable moments are the small ones that were spontaneous responses to what was in front of us.

One of my favourite memories is eating from a bag of Lilikoi Malasadas with my daughter in Maui. We hadn’t planned to stop at the Komoda bakery but there it was and the aroma was too tempting. I will never forget the sheer deliciousness of that time together, and the heavenly malasadas, something I never ate when I lived in Hawaii!

There is no need to rush off every morning. There is always a little time to sit and be still, to reconnect with our selves and our inner source. In fact, for those who complain that they never have enough time for spiritual practice, a vacation is the perfect opportunity to get back in the routine. A little meditation in the morning will prepare you for a day of peaceful spontaneity.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes

Living Consciously June 19, 2009

Dear friends,

Stopped at a traffic light, I looked through the windshield of my car and saw the whitest cluster of clouds floating across the sky like a silent voyager, a great ghost ship. It glided just over and behind a nearly completed skyscraper. I heard myself think, which is more real? Is it the activity of humans or the quiet presence of nature? My next thought was, what a silly question.

It was certainly not an earth-shaking moment but I was reminded of a simple truth. If we would look beyond whatever we are doing, we would see or feel the ever present reality that supports us. The air, the ground, gravity, rain, trees, birds and insects; all are in constant relationship with earth and will continue when we are gone. Nature is the real evidence of a spiritual universe. It is not some old guy looking down on us, but a very real intelligence taking shape as the natural world, which is a relationship of interdependence.

Whether we stop to acknowledge it or not, we are constantly interacting with the living environment. We breathe it, eat it and depend on it for our very existence. And if that were not sufficiently impressive, it is also beautiful! Those white clouds against a brilliant blue sky, the geometric patterns found on the skins and coats of wild creatures, the intricate design of insects and their dedication to the ongoing maintenance of ecology, these are worthy of awe and wonder.

In the midst of a concrete jungle, we are surrounded and supported by millions of hard working entities. We are immersed in profound beauty. We are part of a larger order. Take some time today to cease thinking about what you are doing and notice what is being done on your behalf. Look around and see what is real.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev Carol Carnes