Journal

12/10/20 12/10/20

Insights for November and December 2020

Greetings embodied ones and happy Fall 2020; the winding down of a year we will never forget. Ihave thought of all of you often and am happy to have worked with many of you this year. It hasbeen a year of challenge, tension, fear, fatigue, and hopefully some growth in different ways for all of us. We are sharing collective stress, angst, and loss, (to name a few) as well as resilience,endurance and hope (I hope.) On top of that we are all experiencing our personal challenges andevolution. It is a lot. It is too much. My hope is for some peace and ease in late December.

ASTROLOGY insights

The astrology is looking better going forward (I have waited a long time to say this!)

Nov. 10 Mercury moved forward and into Scorpio – focused and intense thinking returns!

Nov. 12 Jupiter was conjunct Pluto for the third and last time in Capricorn – yes the virus is peaking again (the peaks have coincided with these alignments.) but should back off later in November.

Nov. 13 Mars direct in Aries (15˚) – and Mars moves slowly in Aries all of November – aggressive actions

Nov. 19 Mercury leaves its shadow (still in Scorpio) and is opposing Uranus – time for brilliance.

Nov. 20 Pluto finishes retrograding and stations direct before starting to move forward again – we will all start to feel some relief and if you have been resilient and enduring it will pay off. If not, you may feel overwhelmed.

Dec. 10 Pluto square Eris – for the last time while Jupiter and Saturn are in Capricorn – supercharged hit.

Dec. 14 solar eclipse

Dec. 18 Saturn moves out of Capricorn (for good!) and into Aquarius – yes!

Dec. 20 Jupiter moves out of Capricorn (for good!) and into Aquarius – yes!

Dec. 21 Jupiter and Saturn conjunct in Aquarius (this is the day!) This is the end of the line-up of Pluto, Jupiter, and Saturn in Capricorn (which has not happened in over 400 years) – all squaring Eris.The most challenging and awakening alignments are finishing up their work. Hopefully, we stayed attuned, awakened, resilient and are ready to move ahead around year end and into 2021.

I am celebrating December 21, with this once in a lifetime Jupiter/Saturn alignment this year (along with Winter Solstice) with a feast, many lights, candles, music, and a lot of peace and quiet reflection. Think about how you might celebrate this new freedom/forward movement.

COMPREHENSIVE ASTROLOGY COURSEStarting February 2021, my Comprehensive Astrology Course for 2021 begins.

This is a course I developed with all original materials and is taught online. The class size is small, and all topics are personalized with your own charts! In this one-year, twelve class Course (1class per month), you will learn each concept in depth.Please contact me for course outline, fees, or questions at theinsighthcenter@gmail.com

ASTROLOGY FOR TEAMSI launched this new product in October with a corporate leadership team! I would love to do this transformative Workshop for your team or family. Please reach out to me for more information at theinsighthcenter@gmail.com.

ASTROLOGY 101 – is a one-hour online webinar which introduces Planets, Signs, Houses and how to understand a chart. I teach the foundational pieces of Astrology so you can better understand yourself, others, and what is going on in the world. The presentation is free and posted here: The Insight Center – Resources.

AWAKENING Insights “Enlightenment is initially subconscious awakening, which is spontaneously merged with conscious awakening at the moment of breakthrough.” Kazuaki Tanahashi, Tricycle

“When you let go you create emptiness. We aren’t used to emptiness, so we rush to fill the space. What if you let the emptiness be?” Margaret Gervais

“When you see me through your lens you don’t see me. “Margaret Gervais

TRUST YOURSELF ENOUGH TO:

Outgrow who and what is no longer aligned with your life walk and purpose.
Speak up and ask for help when you need (or want) it.
Forgive yourself when you get it wrong.
Love again – even after heartache of heartbreak.
Receive support when it is offered.
Rest emotionally. You don’t have to heal all at once.
Change and evolve even when people around you don’t “get it.:
Try something new if old patterns aren’t working or supporting your growth.
Protect your energy, time and space. Not everyone deserves access.
Start over and begin again. There is a lesson is in every failure and misstep. Alex Elle.

“We don’t need to wait until we are enlightened before we act in the world, and we don’t need to withdraw from the world to become enlightened. Conscious social action can be our own work on ourselves that becomes the vehicle for awakening.” Ram Dass

“Is it speaking to your truth?” Margaret Gervais

“The best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good.” iChing, hexagram 43.

“A soft, landed approach sounds good.” Margaret Gervais

“You establish the frequency, do the work and then the Universe may join you.“I’m not a fan of ‘Turn it over to the Universe’ without being engaged in your work. If you do your work, you discover your truth, you understand your karma and work to heal - - - and then - - - the Universe may get on board. ✨ Sound reasonable? My meditation teacher ended his meditation instructions with, “Perhaps, after many years of practice, some wisdom may accrue.” Love that.

MEDITATION insights MEDITATION COURSEI am teaching my one-on-one Vipassanā Meditation and Spiritual Practices Course online. Contact me if you are interested, theinsighthcenter@gmail.com or read more at https://theinsightcenter.net/meditation/

“What happens when we sit is none of our business. The practice is to accept whatever arises instead of trying to control our experience. What we can control is our wise effort to be present with what is.” Narayan Helen Liebenson, “The Refuge of Sitting”

“It’s the ‘I expect/want things to be normal’ thing that trips people up.” Margaret Gervais

“…individual[s] can be moved to achieve a fundamental paradigm shift in their vision of their lives….to becoming a magnificent awakening being soaring out of an infinite past experience in marvelous evolutionary flight toward an unimaginably beautiful destiny of wisdom, love, and bliss – Buddha hood, or simply the supreme evolutionary glory attainable by any conscious being.” 13 Robert Thurman, Forward to The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment.”, by Tsong-kha-pa, translated by The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee

“It is in this very vision propounded by Shakyamuni Buddha…that reveals humans to themselves as participant in this magnificent and meaningful evolutionary process.” ibid

“When all is said and done, mindfulness is really about wisdom, about discerning what is really, really, really true from what is mere appearance, or what you’re attached to because you want it to be true.” Jon Kabat-Zinn in conversation with Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson. Tricycle.

“There is always a message of ‘Yes you can.’ Do you hear it? Do you believe it?” Margaret Gervais

“Meditate longer. It is those longer arduous minutes that build the meditation muscle. “ This came to me in my Nov. 4th, morning meditation, which I thought would be hard. But I have been meditating 42 years and doing vipassanā practice for 30, and the meditation muscle truly builds, and the classic routine of this meditation works. Margaret Gervais

“Meditative awareness, equanimity, and emptiness will show up with a vipassanā meditation practice.” Margaret Gervais

“It is right understanding that is really wisdom. Thinking about truth is not enough. We must realize truth ourselves; we must see things as they really are, not just as they appear to be. Apparent truth is a reality, but one that we must penetrate in order to experience the ultimate reality for ourselves and eliminate suffering.” Entering the Stream, An Introduction to the Buddha and His Teachings, Compiled and edited by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn, Shambala, Boston, 1993. Pg. 112

HEALING insights

“If you carried energy for people when you were growing up (you probably are an empath), you are probably still doing it. You can let it go now.”

How to let go: Be brave. Raise your awareness. Learn to say no. Say no. Meditate. Fill your life with what you love. You may feel uncomfortably rude for a while. Stay the course anyway. Their responses are none or your business. Have some healings to help recover from trauma and/or help move things along. Know your astrology and your purpose. Choose that. Do not be a wimp with your karma. Make space. Own the space. Be brave. One step at a time. Choose you. Only you can set yourself free. Margaret Gervais

Embodiment exercise Breathe deeply throughout. Feel earth energy enter and be in your body. Bring the energy up from the earth if you need to. Do this until you really feel it. Now feel air energy enter and be in your body. Do it until you feel it. Now feel fire energy enter and be in your body. Do it until you feel it. Now feel water energy enter and be in your body. Do it until you feel it. Earth air fire water in your body to be embodied. Margaret Gervais“Allow your vibrations to recalibrate. “

“Allow your vibrations to recalibrate. “

“If you are at a growth place, have made a progressive change, have moved on, let go, done some healing, you need to allow your vibrations to recalibrate. Lay quietly. Tune into the Universe and your body. Allow them to connect and recalibrate. Open yourself to receive the higher vibrations.” Margaret Gervais

A recorded Grounding Exercise is available at The Insight Center – Resources. Use this exercise as often as needed to help you be grounded during these challenging times.

REIKI l WORKSHOPAll Reiki Workshops will resume when quarantine rules are eased up to allow gatherings without masks and social distancing.

RELATIONSHIP insights “Love is something else entirely; it is caring. It is arguing, but with curiosity – it is giving an inch when the other is certainly wrong – it is teasing, it is empathy, it is respect. It is admiration each morning.” Waylon Lewis.

7/27/20 7/27/20

Insights for August 2020

Insights for August 2020

“So much. Injustice. Poverty. Environmental destruction. Soul crushing. Pain. Sorrow. Fear. Change. Unknowns. Destroy and rebuild. Rethink. Redo. Radical honesty. Division. Uprising. Voices. Lives. Connection. Unity. Support. Union. Equal. Share. Evolve. Dissolve. Connect. Share. Be. Do. Reach out. Commit. Give. Open heart. Open mind. Active spirit. Demand. Commit. Engage. Act. Powerless? Powerful. Say yes.” Margaret Gervais

Awakening:

“Awareness grows wisdom. So, rely on wisdom; it will stand by you.” Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Buddhadharma, Spring 2020.

“At the heart of everything is awareness itself “ Ajahn Sujato, Tricycle, Summer 2020. Pg. 37.

"The truest solitude is not something outside you, not an absence of men or of sound around you; it is an abyss opening up in the center of your soul. And this abyss of interior solitude is created by a hunger that will never be sampled with any created things." Thomas Merton

“people are trapped in history

and history is trapped in them.

it is certain, in any case, that ignorance,

allied with power, is the most ferocious

enemy justice can have.

i imagine one of the reasons people cling

to their hates so stubbornly is because they

sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced

to deal with pain.” James Baldwin

“How to stay connected to your soul: When something happens in the world that is wrong, don’t try to move on with your life like it is right. The voice within you that says, ‘This is not ok’ is a direct call from the basic goodness of your spirit. Pick it up. Every time. Pick it up. And stay on the line until you figure out how to help.” Cleo Wade

“Remember to hold your power at the core of your being.” Margaret Gervais

“Put your roots down into the deepest grounding of your understanding.” Margaret Gervais

“People working on their healing, the ones with new love in their hearts, more self-awareness in their minds, a greater ability to manage their reactions and actively undoing their old patterns/biases are helping humanity shift into a better world. Your compassion creates real change.” Yung pueblo

“Growth for me is realizing some people actually aren’t interested in growing.” maryamhasnaa

“We didn’t understand as children that our parents still had work to do on themselves.” maryamhasnaa

“It doesn’t matter where I am, I am always here with myself.” Margaret Gervais

“Only when emotions are truly attended to can they be endured and transformed into useful energies that express our needs and help guide us through life.” Josh Korda, “A Safe Container for Fear.“

Buddhists have a role to play … in creating a different vision of America that is from the start about multiplicity and not singularity, from the start about interdependence.“ Interview with Duncan Ryuken Williams by Ashoka Mukpo, “Never Again”

“To guide our love and power [empowerment] we need wisdom.” Melvin McLeod, Lion’s Roar, September 2020.“...if we are really going to help people effectively, we need power to go with our love.” Melvin McLeod, Lion’s Roar, September 2020.

Astrology:This is a time of challenge, endurance, resilience and transformation.

Retrogrades August 1, 2020:

Ceres (fierce nurturer) all month

Jupiter (expand) all month

Saturn (restrict) all month

Neptune (dream), all month,

Uranus (REBEL) goes retrograde August 15 for the rest of the month, AND

Pluto (destroy and rebuild)

are ALL RETROGRADE 💥🎯💥(6 planets)!

Rethink, redo, revise, restructure, review, realign, revisit, realign etc.

Fierce placements in August:

Mars (warrior action) in Aries (feisty and aggressive) all month

Mars (warrior action) squares (challenges) Pluto (destroy and rebuild) all month

Mars (warrior action) squares (challenges) Saturn (restriction) all month

Jupiter (expand) and Saturn (restrict) conjunct (working to integrate) all month (who will reign?)

Mercury (mind) opposes (disagreeing and trying to find balance) Pluto (destroy and rebuild) July 31- Aug. 6.

Mercury (mind) opposes (disagreeing and trying to find balance) Saturn (restrict) August 1-8

Sun (solar power) squares (challenges) Uranus (rebel) August 5-15

Mars (warrior action) square (challenges) Jupiter (expansion) August 19-20

As you can see, there is a lot of cosmic energy storming through our collective consciousness. These placements are challenging for all of us. We can look at our chart and see where the transformative energies are activated for us.

Meditation:“A meditator’s job is to remember to be aware.” Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Buddhadharma, Spring 2020.

“If you are angry and you meditate to get rid of your anger, you will only frustrate yourself. Meditate because you are angry, not to eliminate it.” Mark Epstein

“Metta for those I do not know:

Let your body stay relaxed and easy. Smile.

Blessing is a relief to the mind.

Think about familiar strangers in your life, dentists, hairdressers, supermarket clerks whom you recognize but rarely think about out of context.

Imagine a group of familiar strangers and wish for them:

May you feel safe. May you feel content.

May you feel strong. May you live with ease.” Spirit Rock

“When new issues arise, view them with equanimity and let them go. Just like the old stuff, let the new stuff go too. No matter what arises, look at it with equanimity and let it go. #meditativeawareness” Margaret Gervais

“If you are feeling depressed, meditate using insight meditation, and the depression will show up, you will look at it and let it go, over and over (and over) until it is equalized; until you see it in meditation as another thing arising and that is all. The equanimity of this practice heals.” Margaret Gervais

Healing:“every step forward is a small rebirth.healing yourself, letting go, undoing past conditioning, reclaiming your power, this work causes big transformations in your perception and behavior. take the time to meet yourself and learn your new preferences. let the new you lead.” yung pueblo

“Even after healing significant trauma and old conditioning, you will not be happy all of the time. It is natural for your mood to go up and down. What does change is that you react less to old triggers and when the mind feels turbulent you do not fall easily into past patterns.” Yung pueblo

“Lie down. Breathe deeply filling and emptying your stomach, slowly, 3x. Bring your awareness to your spine.Visualize your spine being a row of pebbles. When you breathe out visualize this row of pebbles falling gently into a shallow stream. Keep doing this. Now visualize bringing all of your energies that support you into your body and into the pebbles. Imagine the pebbles being gentle magnets that draw all energies that support you into them. Keep doing this. Gather all of your energies into these stones. Breathe out and let the stones gently fall into a shallow stream. Repeat.” Margaret Gervais

“Sensitivity requires maintenance.” Steven Forrest. The Book of Air.

“Stop holding onto people. Just because you have history together.” femalecollective

Relationships:

“Find a partner that is equally committed to supporting you through the good times and through the tough moments of growth and healing. Coming together as imperfect people can be hard. Imperfections can sometimes cause unintentional conflict, especially when one is going through a moment of inner turbulence. It is patience, calm communications and selfless listening that gets couples through the storm. Conflict decreases when both turn inward and focus on building their self-awareness.” yung pueblo

“A healthy marriage has some grit in the system (things to learn from each other.) “Steven Forrest. The Book of Air.

“Real maturity in a relationship is letting your partner know when your mind feels heavy/turbulent before your thoughts find a way to make a story that blames your tension on them; naming it allows you to know if is there and your partner to know that is it time to support you/hold space.” Yung pueblo

Covid19:

“sleep.hydrate.meditate.move.nourish.communicate.followCDCrules.andthendocovidyourownway.” Margaret Gervais

5/7/20 5/7/20

Insights for May 2020

” I think our Saturn placement in our Astrology chart is being lit up right now. The Saturn placement in your chart shows where you have experienced loss in past lives - and in this life you are working hard to not experience the same loss. This past life loss trajectory is now lit up for you. Being aware of this helps you understand your fear and fearful reactions. You are here to learn to understand and process that fear. It will feel more intense for you based on where it was when you were born - we each have our mission. Awareness, acceptance and forgiveness work to heal.” Margaret Gervais

“The stars impel but do not compel. An understanding of planetary influences allows you to take your life into your own hands and intelligently utilize the planetary influences that will help you in your evolution if you but will.” Isabel M. Hickey

Healing:I

will be recording and sharing an exercise on how to Run Your Energy, which is a powerful and beautiful healing practice. Please check my Resources page, https://theinsightcenter.net/resources/ for this and my Grounding Exercise.

“Wellness comes from the alignment of mind, body and spirit. Every day I am making a plan to do something for my mind, something for my body and something for my spirit. Maybe many things under certain categories, but always making sure to do at least one thing in each category - not to leave one out.” Margaret Gervais

Awakening:

“Too often we mistakenly believe that doing less makes us lazy and results in a lack of productivity. Instead, doing less helps us savor what we do accomplish.” Marc Lesser, “Do Less, Accomplish More.”

“To be mindful means to remember to let go of compulsive reactivity and realize a nonreactive way of life.” Stephen Batchelor, “The Art of Solitude.”

“Breathe. Relax your body. Breathe. Walk in nature. Hug a tree. Breathe. Relax. Sit calmly. Meditate. Order healthy groceries. Wash your hands again. Share loving kindness with all beings. Hydrate. Breathe. Relax.” Margaret Gervais

“You can do it like it’s a great weight on you, or you can do it like it’s part of the dance.” Ram Daas“This is a time when love needs to run the show. Times of scarcity needs to be met with generosity, times of fear with comfort, times of uncertainty with presence. When we care for those around us, we create a field of love.” Thomas Huebl

“Lemon water hydrate. Coffee. Let cat out. Meditate. Pilates. Smoothie. Shower. Clothes (not like pajama Sunday.) Music. Candles. Emails. Notify clients about schedule. PowerPoint. Hydrate. Let cat in (how do cats stay so chill?). Work. How do I stop touching my face? Eat chips, salsa and sour cream while working. Work. Talk to daughter who is in London😬. Stare at garden. Send Newsletter. Get responses. Interact with clients about Newsletter. Is the cat in or out now? More chips and salsa. Instagram surfing. Husband home. Wine/candles/fire/check in. The cat is in. Healthy veg chili dinner. Netflix.” Margaret Gervais

“We’ve done this as human beings before. We’re survivors. We have generations of ancestors behind us cheering us on, and saying, ‘Yep, we’ve lived through some tough stuff too.” Jack Kornfield.

“Hydrate. Rest. Eat healthy foods. Meditate. Breath. Walk. Look at spring flowering trees. Check in with people. Wash hands. Buy from local and smaller/medium businesses. Offer help to small businesses. Be creative. Appreciate goodness. Watch good documentaries along with bad shows. Oh yeah, work. Try new recipes-making pita bread. Write. Read. Paint. Hike. Smile. Rest. Play music and dance. Wisely choose your news source. Get support. Give support. ❤️ Margaret Gervais

“If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing, perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness of never understanding ourselves.” Pablo Neruda, Brainpicker.

Get grounded (send roots from the bottom of your feet your root chakra - your bottom! - down to the core of the earth.)

Breathe in your own positive energy.

Breath out all negative energy.

Repeat.

For as long as needed.

As many times a day as needed.

©theinsightcenter

Lemon water. coffee. smoothie. Listen to astrology podcast. meditate. pilates via zoom. reading astrology. Ordering online presents for bday. lunch. reading studying astrology. chilling. Pouring rain outside. nap.” Margaret Gervais

“Your soul

remembers

the plan

you made for this

lifetime and is

always guiding and

supporting you.”

maryam hasnaa

Do you find yourself stalling out some days? Feeling flat? Cranky? down? This is the time to create and/or remember your basic practice. Deep breathing. Meditation. Grounding. Long walk. Tea. Nature. Reading. Writing. Music. Connect to authentic people. Make a list of your basics and feel good about doing those 3-5 things daily each day. It is enough. Really.✨ Margaret Gervais

“Spiritual growth is incremental.” Margaret Gervais

“The entire human collective is my community.

The entire human species in my family.

I belong here.” Tom Jacobs

“Ground yourself daily

Release fears daily

Empower yourself by knowing, learning, trusting truth

Disengage from old patterns of collective consciousness

Connect with your inner truth

Individuate Support yourself and others.”

3/16/20 3/16/20

Insights for March 2020

Insights for March 2020:

“You can do it like it’s a great burden on you, or you can do it like it’s part of the dance.” Ram Daas.

“Tools for dealing with intense times and big energetic shifts:

Meditation. Meditation. Meditation.

Exercise - aligned with your body.

Grounding. Send roots down.

Spend time in nature. Hug trees.

Deep breathing. A lot. And again.

Healthy eating/hydration.Music/sing/dance.

Sleep. Rest. Nap. Be cozy.

Journaling. Any writing and art.

Camaraderie. Good vibe people.” Margaret Gervais

These are strange times and I am always contemplating how we are all effected and how I can be helpful. For the week of March 15:

I am staying apprised of the latest information on the coronavirus and want to keep you, your families and contacts, me and mine, and our community safe.If you have appointments this week for Astrology Readings or Meditation Class, I am happy to have you come to my office if you are symptom free. We will wash our hands and keep a social distance.

I am curtailing Reiki Healing Sessions in person until further notice.I

f you want to make or switch your appointment to online, I am happy to do that. Reiki, Astrology, and Meditation Classes can all be done online. I do this all the time. For a Reiki or Intuitive Healing, you lie down in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed, and I do the healing session at a distance - as if you are there on the table. I call you and we both put our phones on speaker, and you participate and receive the healing in the same way as you would on the table. It works!My goal is to keep us all healthy!

Now for the insights – there are a lot because I have been busy with classes, workshops and clients and I have not sent a Newsletter for a few months – but you may have the time to read them as you work from home and/or are feeling lonely or anxious:

Awakening:

“You understand your own self so that you can self-generate and become your own path.” Mark Jones

"You are the wave, seemingly separate from the deep ocean, and you are the ocean - deep, sparkling, home to billions of beings, salty like tears and vast."

"...let the feeling of "don't know" open you to mystery. Relax and enjoy the mystery, rest in the vast mystery that holds and supports you and all life. You are the mystery seeing itself." Jack Kornfield

“When I am centered, I can walk into any vibrational field and take it and convert it. I am just feeling love, so whatever they are giving me – anger, paranoia, distrust – I am just taking it all in and converting it. I see that net they are stuck in, this mind net that is each person’s own model of the universe, so instead of climbing into it with them, putting both of us in it, my job is to say, “Yes, I see your net, but we are here.” Ram Daas

"Now and then it's good to pause in your pursuit of happiness, and just be happy." Guillaume Apollinaire

“Sometimes being on a different frequency from someone means no matter what you’re saying, that person just can’t hear you.”

“When you transform the energy of old relationships, those relationships can absolutely change to meet the new level, or they can vibrate out of your life. Trust both outcomes. Just keep aligning with your authentic self and everything else will arrange itself accordingly.” Maryam Hasnaa

“All people and all circumstances are my allies.” Lynn Jurich

As you continue to grow and change, remember to listen to yourself differently. Margaret Gervais

“…in order to be in touch with that core of instinctual and intuitive self-knowledge that tells you which mountain to climb, you need to cultivate inner silence. …out of inner silence, a very specific kind of wisdom can spring: a sense of where you need to go in life.” Steven Forrest

“There’s an important difference between an attachment and an aspiration. An aspiration is a goal we are putting effort into, something we can work toward without making our present happiness completely dependent on its attainment. Attachments are created by cravings; they are a refusal to accept reality as it naturally appears – only wanting particular outcomes and feeling misery and serious mental tension when things come out in unwanted ways. Attachments cloud the mind and lower the creativity and energy we need to obtain our goals. Learning to work in a detached manner not only makes us more effective but it supports our inner peace and happiness.” Yung Pueblo

“You’ll need love, joy, passion, good friends, a soft place to land, magic and the ability to recognize it. You’ll need a thick skin to weather the worst of the world and a tender heart to receive the best of it. You’ll need a sense of humor to survive your ego and your pride (and everyone else’s), curiosity to investigate your weird reactions, defenses, fears and self-sabotaging strategies. You’ll need rituals that center you, habits that hold you to your promises, dedication and determination so that challenging yourself to do what is difficult but defining day after day, week after week, month after month, year upon year becomes natural and even enjoyable.” Chani Nicholas

“Evolve so hard that they have to get to know you again.” Haus of Dimitri“It is possible to genuinely want to help all beings, to bring one’s insights and skillful means to every encounter, and to let this aspiration become a state of mind that infuses each moment, while simultaneously having limits and needed boundaries.” Pilar Jennings via Tricycle Magazine.

Meditation:

“Each meditation session is a journey of discovery to understand the basic truth of who we are." Sogyal Rinpoche

“The insights that arise in the course of meditating are often surprises. The awakening mind lets go of the old fictions we invent and opens to what is really here: simply this.” Sylvia Forges Ryan

Meditation is a method of gaining access to the inner wisdom and compassion – and resolving our inner problems in the process.” Rob Naim

[The Buddha’s] patience is not the patience of a water buffalo who simply endures the work and punishments imposed on it. Instead, it’s the patience of a warrior who, despite wounds and setbacks, never abandons the desire to come out victorious. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “The Karma of Now”

“As irrigators make water go where they want,As archers make their arrows straight,As carpenters carve wood,The wise shape their minds.” E. Easwaren, trans., Dhammapada (Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press, 1985), v. 80.

“Meditation is our daily reminder to keep it simple.” Margaret Gervais

“Once you achieve choice-less awareness through meditation practice, you see clearly how fleeting everything is.” Joseph Goldstein

“In the practice of meditation, we use our nonjudgmental awareness to get in touch with our feelings and what’s going on in our bodies without adding our narratives or dramas to it. We just see what comes up.

” Gary Shishin Wick“It is not about having perfect and kind thoughts all of the time, it is about not feeding the heavy and mean thoughts. Literally letting them pass without allowing them to take root and control your actions.” Yung Pueblo“We can’t simply ‘let go.’ It doesn’t work like that. It’s certainly not what the Buddha teaches. Letting go, the Buddha tells us, will come when we ‘develop’ wisdom [through meditation practice.]” Peter Doobinin

Meditation Course:I am teaching one-on-one and small group meditation courses available online via Zoom Meetings. Contact me if you are interested, or read more at https://theinsightcenter.net/meditation/

Healing:“Emotional processing days are just as important as productive days.” Moon Girl Psychology."Your body incarnation is born of spirit; it is a play of consciousness.""You are bigger than your wounds." Jack Kornfield

You don’t tell the energy what to do, you let the energy do the work. Margaret Gervais

“Healing costs. Time. Energy. Ego. When you are ready for a shift, put everything you’ve got on the table. Growth is the goal. Change isn’t cheap – but holding out on yourself costs more than your soul can spare.” Chani Nichols

“It is not easy, healing yourself, transforming your mind, building new habits, observing reality without projections or delusions. This is work that takes effort, but when you continue trying it creates significant results that have an immensely positive impact on your life.” Yung Pueblo

Reiki and Intuitive Healing Sessions are available online.

Reiki l Workshop:

I will be teaching a Reiki l Workshop later this spring at The Insight Center:The Workshop is over two days: Day 1, 1:00 - 4:00 and Day 2, 9:00 - 4:00. The fee for the Workshop is $475. Please let me know if you are interested so I can send you dates.This is a certified, Usui Reiki l Workshop. You can read more about this Workshop at https://theinsightcenter.net/reiki/ or feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Also please feel free to share this with others who you feel may be interested.If you have completed a Reiki l Workshop with me, I would love to have you assist for all or part of the Workshop (you get to hang out and give and receive Reiki). Please let me know if you are interested.

Grief:

“Keep in mind that grief doesn’t just dissolve. Instead it arises in waves and gradually, with growing compassion, there comes more space around it. The heart opens and in its own time, little by little, gaps of new life – breaks in the rain clouds – appear. The body relaxes and freer breaths appear. This is a natural cycle you can trust – how the heart renews itself.” Jack Kornfield.

"In this world where everyone dies, where every song ends, where every achievement is undone, where every treasure is lost, all of us are left behind. All of us leave. But everywhere and always there is the hum of continuing. Though always incomplete, always there is the sound of love, forever and at the core unfinished. We talk, write, make gestures and marks to slow, to hold back, to share, to join, if only momentarily, the torrent of things lost."

"The solitary body is a figure in a tapestry and cannot be isolated from other figures, landscapes, colors, lines, threads, stories. And so, when a single figure is removed, is excised, dies, there is unraveling, a feeling at both edge and center that our embodiment is coming apart. The uniqueness of the vanished one is the dark horizon of our fragile and temporary lives." Douglas Penick

Relationships:

“Real maturity in a relationship is letting your partner know when your mind feels heavy/turbulent before your thoughts find a way to make a story that blames your tension on them; naming it allows you to know it is there and your partner to know that is time to support you/hold space.” Yung Pueblo

“Love meets in the middle.” Margaret Gervais

12/1/19 12/1/19

Pluto and Saturn 2019-2020

Pluto/Saturn 2019-2020 Are you feeling tense/nervous/anxious? Are you feeling big shifts, but you don’t understand the shifts? Are you feeling confused and uncertain during these tense and uncertain times? It is a tense time of change. Look at the world, Hong Kong, gun violence, Chili, Haiti, U.K., U.S.A., Syria, climate change, and #metoo are some examples of intense global upheaval and change.

Here it the story from an astrological point of view: The planets Pluto and Saturn are currently very close to each other in the sky (4˚ apart at the end of November, 2019). These two planets create very powerful and difficult changes and they are currently operating together. Read this post and let me know if I can help you understand how this is impacting you.

Pluto is the planet of power, control and transformation, and is currently in the sky in the sign of Capricorn.

Capricorn represents responsibility, ambition, structure and rigidity. While Pluto travels through Capricorn, Pluto is powerful breaking down Capricorn structures and rebuilding them – completely. Pluto power is very strong and works to dig deep, destroy and rebuild – in order for empowerment and transformation to take place.

The Pluto changes are taking place in our own astrology chart, and therefore our lives. Based on where the current Pluto/Capricorn placement is in your chart, you will be experiencing this complete upheaval and restructuring. It is important to not resist these powerful transformations – if you do not work pay attention and work with Pluto, it will find a way to wake you up.

Saturn represents discipline, seriousness, hard work and fear of loss. Saturn in also currently in Capricorn, making us take these issues seriously. Saturn brings rewards for hard work and together with Pluto we must do our inner work to get the rewards. We are being asked to be mature and endure changes that are challenging. Don’t blame others. Pay attention to your goals and do not destroy others. Nobody said it would be easy! Pluto and Saturn are taskmasters. The rewards can be great at this time - don’ t miss this opportunity to grow.

This has been building for the all of 2019, and this building phase is tough – the power of the connection of the two planets is intensifying. It will continue to intensify until January 12, 2020, when Pluto and Saturn will be exactly aligned. After January 12, 2020, Saturn will move ahead of Pluto, but the impact continues – did you do the work or not (it is not over until it is over)? The transformation continues until your work is done. We have to do our work in this area of our life to navigate the transformation well.

And just to expand this intense transformative energy, Jupiter (the planet of expansion energy) joins Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn starting January 2020. Jupiter will enhance these energies for all of 2020 – and make us do our work - are we learning and growing in order be empowered.

There are two sides of Pluto – power and transformation. In what area of your life will you gain well-earned power will powerfully transform/make and accept big changes?

Look at your chart (natal chart plus transits – on www.astro.com*) to see where these planets in Capricorn land in your own chart. A transit chart shows current planetary placements in green on the outer wheel of the chart. This will show you where this intense transformative change is occurring for you. You want to look at which house (1-12) Pluto and Saturn are in your chart (see below for the definition of the houses.)
If these two planets are on top of any planets in your birth chart, the deep transformative changes will also involve these planets.
If you are age 28-30, or 58-60, you are also experiencing your Saturn return – where Saturn has returned in your chart to where it was when you were born – intensifying all of the deep changes.

Here is the definition of the houses:

HOUSES: Where does the energy manifest?

Myself.
My values, resources, and money.
My mind, thinking and communicating. My siblings. My interaction with everyday people.
My home, mother, family roots. My personal identity and security.
My creativity, love, children, and joy. Also my need to shine.
My work, health, and being of service.
My primary relationship.
Other peoples’ values, their resources and their money. Transformation.
Ideals, higher education, global, communities, and travel.
Career, public persona and being an authority.
Long-term goals and who are my long-term friends.
Spirit. Evolution of consciousness. Mysteries. What is hidden. Letting go.

For example, if Pluto moves through your 4th house you are likely to move, and feel disrupted by moving. I moved from Seattle to Hong Kong to Portland to Singapore to San Francisco and to Portland, with my husband and two children, selling and buying houses, when Pluto went through my 4th house. These were all good moves for us but also involved dramatic changes for my family and me – and it was really challenging at times. But we all learned a lot and grew a lot with these changes.

Tools to help navigate the current changes:

Take care of yourself. Good food, enough exercise and rest. Be careful with alcohol or other less healthy substances for coping.
If you are a meditator, meditate.
Do grounding exercises. Look up Tom Jacobs’s grounding meditation via my website https://theinsightcenter.net/resources/ - or contact me for healing sessions.
Choose a healthy path for your energy, such as running, riding horses, welding, cooking, painting, baths, massage, breathe, reading, writing, lifting weights, working, walking, hiking, singing, dancing, time with friends and family (if that is a positive experience for you).
Pay attention.
Read my prior blog posts for insights https://theinsightcenter.net/blog/
Read other inspiring books: poetry, history, philosophy, science fiction – whatever interests you
I am lighting a lot of candles.
Accept change. Accept that areas of your life will be changing. Let it go.
Be brave.
Be optimistic, encouraged and grateful – for the things that are about to come.

* If you want me to look this up for you, contact me at: theinsightcenter@gmail.com. I can do a short recorded reading of the Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn placement in your chart for a fee of $50.©Margaret Gervais, The Insight Center 2019. All rights reserved.

10/2/19 10/2/19

Insights for October 2019

Awakening:"It is a most beautiful and difficult thing to be human.""Spiritual practice helps us settle into the utter simplicity of being ourselves." Frank Ostaseski, The Five Initiations, pg. 149.

"You are consciousness incarnated in a human body, but not limited by it. Consciousness is the clear space of knowing, as vast as the open sky. Rest in consciousness, in loving awareness. Let vastness be your home."

"Over a lifetime, you are called upon to play many parts, but you don't have to identify with them."

"Your life is not separate from the earth, the sun, and the stars, but held by and part of all."

"Here is the paradox. You are one with the mystery of life, and you have your unique incarnation. You have one foot in the timeless realm and one in individual identify. Each of these realms offers the possibility of freedom."

"You are not the body that changes form so many times in your lifetime. Nor are you your thoughts or personality. You are the vast ocean, the awareness, the One Who Knows." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

“It helps to know, to let go.” Margaret Gervais

"Experiences have to be repeated many times before they are emotionally integrated."

"Speaking and living the Truth allows one to see and experience the Truth with more clarity." Maurice Fernandez, Astrology and the Evolution of Consciousness, 2009. Page 397.

"The momentum of the event and the resilient strength or power of adaptation of the individual are dynamically equal." Rudhyar, Dane 1976: An Astrological Study of Psychological Complexes. Berkeley: Shambhala, p.3.

"Fear is produced by the memory of defeat - whether this memory is strictly personal in nature, or is based on subconscious memory of previous collective defeats." Rudhyar, Dane 1976: An Astrological Study of Psychological Complexes. Berkeley: Shambhala, p.5.

"Are you seeing, sensing, feeling, being, less separate and more oneness?” Margaret Gervais

“When you come to your edge, surrender your angst into a larger reality and trust the unknown...” David Pond, Astrologer

"Being conscious means you really have to feel what you feel, which is frequently very vulnerable and raw." Chodrön, Pema, On Not Loving Heart, Tricycle, Fall 2019, page 28.

“One of the most important things about following the path of intuition and free thinking is it forces you to focus on being true to yourself over being liked by others. Once others can no longer control and manipulate you through fear of loss and abandonment you’re liberated.”

“Sometimes the boundary is simply not giving someone any of your energy.” Maryam Hasnaa

“Notice the evolution of consciousness in yourself. What books are you reading, how do you spend your time, who do you hang out with, how do you treat and respond to others, and are toxic relationships and situations drifting out of your life, versus a few years ago? Notice your willingness to be quiet. You are evolving.” Margaret Gervais

“The inner critic is always loudest right before the breakthrough.” Chani Nicholas

“Understanding reality is a characteristic of wisdom. The latter does not entail mastering masses of information but an understanding of the true nature of things. Out of habit, we perceive the outer world as a collection of distinct, autonomous entities to which we attribute characteristics that we believe belong inherently to them. Our day-to-day experience tells us that things are good or bad, desirable or undesirable. The ‘self’ that perceives them seems to be equally concrete and real. This error, which Buddhism calls ignorance, gives rise to powerful impulses of attraction and aversion that eventually lead to suffering. Fabricated concepts open up a gap between our perception and reality, and create a never-ending conflict with the world. ‟We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us,” wrote Rabindranath Tagore. We take for permanent that which is ephemeral and for happiness that which is but a source of suffering: the desire for wealth, for power, for fame, and for deceptive pleasures.” Matthieu Ricard

COMPREHENSIVE ASTROLOGY COURSE:

I will be teaching the one year Comprehensive Astrology Course in 2020, starting in February. This is a one-year, twelve class Course (I class per month). Please contact me with questions or to request registration materials.

Meditation:

“One of the finest results of meditation is the increased gap between stimulus and response. That gap before I react gives me time to notice my habitual patterns and sometimes even decide whether to stay a slave to them or break loose.” Brent Oliver, I take Refuge in the Humor.

MEDITATION COURSE:

I am teaching one-on-one and small group meditation courses. Contact me if you are interested, or read more at https://theinsightcenter.net/meditation/

Healing:

“Here's what I think: The soul is a perspective that pushes us to go deeper and see further and live wilder. It's what drives our imagination to flesh out our raw experience, transforming that chaotic stuff into rich storylines that animate our love of life.With the gently propulsive force of the soul, we probe beyond the surface level of things, working to find the hidden meaning and truer feeling.” Rob Brezsny Astrology Newsletter, July 17, 2019.

“Let the trauma and mistakes of our ancestors move through us.” Julianna McCarthy

“May I feel all I need to feel in order to heal; may I heal all I need to heal in order to feel.” Margurite Rigoglioso.

REIKI l WORKSHOP:

I want to share that I am teaching a Reiki l Workshop this fall at The Insight Center:

The Workshop is over two days: October 24, 1:00 - 4:00 and October 25, 10:00 - 5:00. The fee for the Workshop is $475.

This is a certified, Usui Reiki l Workshop. You can read more about this Workshop at https://theinsightcenter.net/reiki/ or feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Also please feel free to share this with others who you feel may be interested.

If you have completed a Reiki l Workshop with me, I would love to have you assist for all or part of the Workshop (you get to hang out and give and receive Reiki). Please let me know if you are interested.

Grief:

“Grief needs a channel.” Pico Iyer, “Autumn Light” via Tricycle podcast.

Please contact me for Reiki Healing, Intuitive Healing, Meditation Classes and/or Astrology Readings in Portland or via Skype, at theinsightcenter@gmail.com.Please see my website at www.theinsightcenter.net

7/9/19 7/9/19

Insights for July 2019

Awakening:“Every next level of your life will demand a different version of you.” @spiritualmovement, Instagram.

“Who we are is greatly impacted by the subconscious patterns that control our perception of reality.

How we feel is deeply affected by our past emotional history – heavy emotions that do their best to recreate themselves in the present.

What we see can only become objective and clear when we observe, accept and let go of what was silently waiting deep within us.

When we rise above the past and use our effort to respond to life instead of reacting to it. By having the perseverance to build wiser habits, we open the door to wiser living in a new way.” yung pueblo

“Peace of mind comes piece by piece.” Yogi Tea tag.“Life is so much shorter than we think. Make your art. Make a fool of yourself. Make healing your priority. Risk everything for joy.” Chani Nicholas.

These quotes are from Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present:

"Inner stillness helps you know how to respond."

"...the wisdom of uncertainty. To become wise, you must become comfortable with not knowing."

"Your presence is an expression of the wisdom you carry."

"You are never alone in your care. Generations of ancestors stand at your back."

“We give too many people the power to lower our vibration. Stand true to your own frequency.” @hausofdimitri, Instagram.

“When you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds – you know that the seeds will grow in time. Similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. Abandon impatience and instead be content creating the causes for goodness; the results will come when they are ready.” This was posted on Instagram, without a reference!

“My skin glows because I drink water and stay in my own lane.”

“Do you solemnly swear to stay in your lane, your whole lane, and nothing but your lane?” @hausofdimitri, Instagram.

“People who get upset when you set boundaries are the ones who are benefiting from you having none.” @femalecollective, Instagram.

“Transparency is the best filter; it lets in the most light.” Margaret Gervais

“A thousand years from today, everyone you know will be long dead and forgotten. There’ll be nothing left of the life you love, no evidence that you ever walked this planet. That, at least, is what the fundamentalist materialists would have you believe.But suppose the truth is very different? What if in fact every little thing you do subtly alters the course of history? What if your day-to-day decisions can actually help determine how the human species navigates its way through the epic turning point we’re living through?And finally, what if you will be alive in a thousand years, reincarnated into a fresh body and in possession of at least some of the memories of the person you were back in this era? Reincarnation is a taboo theory among fundamentalist materialists, but it won't always be so.These are my hypotheses. These are my prophecies. That’s why I say: Live as if your soul is eternal.Everyone influences the world in some way. No matter how powerless we may feel, each of us is a creator who continually churns out energy that bends and shapes our world and the people in it.What is the signature of your effect? How do you change the environments you pass through? What magic, for good or ill, do you perform in the daily rhythm of your life?I invite you to take inventory—and to fix any discrepancies between the mark you ideally want to make and your actual impact.” Bob Brezsny Astrology Newsletter May 29, 2019

"It is never too late to set off on a quest." Elizabeth Spring, Astrology for the Third Act of Life.

Fear:

“Fear is produced by the memory of defeat – whether this memory is strictly personal in nature, or is based on a subconscious memory of previous collective defeats.” Dane Rudhyar, “An Astrological Study of Psychological Complexes.

Relationships:

“4 things make your relationship easier:

space to be your own person

less control, more trust

calm communication

selfless listening.” yung pueblo

Meditation:“We do not have to be afraid of entering unfamiliar territory once we have learned how to hold experience within the gentleness of our own minds. Learning to transform obstacles into objects of meditation provides a much needed bridge between the stillness of the concentrated mind and the movement of real life.” Mark Epstein, Stopping the Mind.

Healing:

"Self-acceptance is key to unblocking energy to move through the body." Elizabeth Spring, Astrology for the Third Act of Life.

“4 things to remember during moments of inner turbulence and tough emotion:

do not hide from what you are feeling

this current discomfort is not permanent

rest is an important way to calm the mind

struggle can be a space of deep growth.” yung pueblo

“Time does not heal all wounds, it just gives them space to sink into the subconscious, where they will still impact your emotions and behavior. What heals is going inward, loving yourself, accepting yourself, listening to your needs, addressing your attachments and emotional history, learning how to let go and following your intuition.” yung pueblo.

“Sweetheart, you are in pain. Relax, take a breath. Let’s pay attention to what is happening then we’ll figure out what to do.” Sylvia Boorstein.

“Essentials for tough days:

do not punish yourself

give yourself ample kindness

remember that all things change

make sure that you get good rest

do things that will calm your mind

accomplish smaller goals that day

real acceptance can remove blocks

this is the time to practice patience

growth can come with tough moments

a bad moment does not equal a bad life.” yung pueblo

Astrology:

Aries, Leo and Sagittarius:“Fire is that factor in life which brings, whenever possible, change, self-renewal, birth and re-birth; thus transformations of all kinds and the release of new life-energies which in due time will bring new forms.” Dane Rudhyar, The Zodiac as The Universal Matrix.

“Astrology is a language. If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you.” Dane Rudhyar

Grief:

“Bit by bit… it comes over us that we shall never again hear the laughter of our friend, that this one garden is forever locked against us. And at that moment begins our true mourning, which, though it may not be rending, is yet a little bitter. For nothing, in truth, can replace that companion. Old friends cannot be created out of hand. Nothing can match the treasure of common memories, of trials endured together, of quarrels and reconciliations and generous emotions. It is idle, having planted an acorn in the morning, to expect that afternoon to sit in the shade of the oak.So life goes on. For years we plant the seed, we feel ourselves rich; and then come other years when time does its work and our plantation is made sparse and thin. One by one, our comrades slip away, deprive us of their shade.” Saint-Exupéry.

“I cannot say that I am not afraid. A friend of mine had cancer, and though he was not scared, he was sad because there were so many things he wanted to do. But I try not to look away. I am consciously aware that death is certain, the moment unforeseeable and every moment infinitely precious. At the beginning of our life, death frightens us like a trapped animal; in the middle of it, we try to do everything right to not miss anything, and in the end, we are calm and clear. So, death is like a friend.” Matthieu Ricard

"Here is a powerful yet simple way to understand. Look in the mirror. You will see that your body has aged. But oddly, you will also experience that you don't necessarily feel older. This is because your body exists in time. It starts small, grows up, ages and dies. But the consciousness that is looking at your body is outside of time. It is spirit that takes birth, experiences your life, and will witness your death. Maybe even say at the end, "Wow! That was an amazing ride!" Who you are is loving awareness witnessing the dance of birth and death." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

4/9/19 4/9/19

Insights for April 2019

Awakening:“Power is self-knowledge followed by full acceptance.” Ascended Master Djehuty, via Tom Jacobs.

“Getting started on a spiritual path takes guts. We usually don’t know it in the beginning, but if we keep going on it—if we really want to know the truth of what it means to be human or if we are deeply finished with our suffering—we will learn that walking the path of freedom takes a humble courage.” Teah Strozer, Rain, Tricycle.

“The shape of each soul is different. There is a secret destiny for each person. When you endeavor to repeat what others have done or force yourself into a preset mold, you betray your individuality. We need to return to the solitude within, to find again the dream that lies at the hearth of the soul. We need to feel the dream with the wonder of a child approaching a threshold of discovery. When we rediscover our childlike nature, we enter into a world of gentle possibility. Consequently, we will find ourselves more frequently at that place, that place of ease, delight, and celebration. The false burdens fall away. We come into rhythm with ourselves. Our clay shape gradually learns to walk beautifully on this magnificent earth.” John O'Donohue

“KnowFeelHealOwnBe” Margaret Gervais

“When you are a person who touches fire most people won’t understand you.” Margaret Gervais

These six quotes are from Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present :

'With the freedom of imperfection comes forgiveness and compassion for yourself and others."

"In the midst of your own life, your spirit is free."

"You are just here to toil. Dream big and dance."We're here to deliver our gifts."

"'Don’t be afraid to fail' Krishnamurti said to his reluctant disciple, Vimala Thakar. Mistakes are necessary. They are the natural scientific method ... every time you make an experiment you learn more: quite literally you cannot learn less."

"Acting freely springs from stillness; it is strengthened by inner listening. Even so, your course of action might not be clear." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

Astrology:

These four quotes are from Steven Forrest, The Book of Fire:

"The astrological symbols are quantum fields of possibility and probability. With consciousness, you can influence how these energies manifest - but there is one choice that is forbidden to you: you cannot choose to have the energy disappear and become irrelevant."

"There is an ancient technical term for how human consciousness might be potentially trained to influence the actual positions of the atoms and molecules in the world. The term is magic."

“Astrology always works, which means these symbols correlate reliably with the manifestation of archetypical fields of possibility.”

"Your Sun sign placement is your own antidepressant." Steven Forrest, The Book of Fire.

Meditation:

“When you meditate you elevate a problem from despair to a place of equanimity.” Margaret Gervais

“Seeing for yourself, from your own experience, what works and what doesn’t is what meditation is all about.” Jason Siff, “The Problem with Meditation Instructions” from Tricycle.“

Stories, of course, are made up of thoughts—those mental sound bites that intrude upon direct experience, and that we let go of in meditation. The more we learn to let go of thoughts, the more we gain the ability to drop our negative stories.” Sean Murphy, “Get Out Of Your Head” via Tricycle Community, Daily Dharma.

Healing:

“Trauma can be healed. The soul is resilient and wants healing.” Margaret Gervais

“Eventually your trauma information becomes old information, and you are more free.” Margaret Gervais

2/5/19 2/5/19

Insights for February 2019

Awakening:“Stillness in the midst of motion and commotion is free of will, direction, and time. It is a complete letting be of what is from moment to moment.” Toni Packer, “Unmasking the Self”

"A beautiful object has no intrinsic quality that is good for the mind, nor an ugly object any intrinsic power to harm it. Beautiful and ugly are just projections of the mind. The ability to cause happiness or suffering is not a property of the outer object itself. For example, the sight of a particular individual can cause happiness to one person and suffering to another. It is the mind that attributes such qualities to the perceived object." Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, The Heart of Compassion, Shambhala 2007

“If we study our own hearts, we’ll find that everything is written there. Everything.” Ayya Medhanandi Bhikkhuni, “The Dharma of Snow”, tricycle.com

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou

“The problem with denying any aspect of the self is that it persists as a shadow. Clearly it is not possible to eliminate desire by pretending it is not there.” Mark Epstein, Instagram.

“No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life. There may be countless trails and bridges and demigods who would gladly carry you across; but only at the price of pawning and forgoing yourself. There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask, walk!” Nietzsche

“You must unlearn the habit of being someone else or nothing at all, of imitating the voices of others and mistaking the faces of others for your own.” Herman Hesse

“By breathing the sensations of loneliness into the heart, and by allowing ourselves to feel them fully, the experience of loneliness can gradually transform into something very different. Over time, although we may still be alone, we are no longer lonely. In this solitude there is equanimity, and a clearer sense of our place in the world.” Ezra Bayda, “At Home with Yourself” from Tricycle.

“Hope is not exactly located in space and time. Every breath can bring us to our true home.” Thich Nhat Hahn, Instagram.

“Time is a box formed by thoughts of the past and future. Dwelling in the moment is dwelling in the soul, which is eternal presence. When we’re outside of time, there’s no subject or object, it’ all just here. The thinking mind deals only with subject and object. But from within here now, you watch time go by. You are not being in time. You be, and time goes by, as if you were standing in a bridge and watching it all go by.” Ram Dass, Instagram.

Grief:

HOW IT SEEMS TO ME by Ursula K. Le Guin In the vast abyss before time, self is not, and soul commingles with mist, and rock, and light. In time, soul brings the misty self to be.Then slow time hardens self to stone while ever lightening the soul, till soul can loose its hold of self and both are free and can return to vastness and dissolve in light, the long light after time.“You may no see it now, but this very difficulty will strengthen you. Your heart will grow wiser, your spirit stronger. You already know this. You can even begin to see the ways that this is true.” Jack Kornfield, Instagram

Relationships:

“…love invariably does change us, deconditioning our painful pathologies and elevating us toward our highest human potential. It allows us, as Barack Obama so eloquently wrote in his reflections on what his mother taught him about love, “to break across our solitude, and then, if we’re lucky, [be] finally transformed into something firmer.” brainpickings.org

“Why is love rich beyond all other possible human experiences and a sweet burden to those seized in its grasp? Because we become what we love and yet remain ourselves.” Martin Heidegger, via brainpickings.org

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together:For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow." Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, via brainpickings.org

“When we partner with others out of a scarcity mentality nothing lasting can come out of it. Not in love or business. Build with others only when doing so feels mutually abundant, satiating in its challenge, and on purpose for all involved.” Chani Nicholas, Instagram

1/1/19 1/1/19

Insights for January 2019

Awakening:“Every time a habitual pattern gets strong, every time we feel caught up or on automatic pilot, we could see it as an opportunity to burn up negative karma. Rather than a problem, we could see it as karma ripening. That gives us an opportunity to burn up karma, or at least weaken our propensities. But it’s hard to do so. Pg. 10

Not only do we have a precious human life, but that precious human life is made up of precious human days, and those precious human days are made up of precious human moments. How we spend them is really important.” Pg. 12

In any moment, you can put your full attention on the immediacy of your experience. You can look at your hand resting on your leg or feel your bottom sitting on the chair. You can just be here. Instead of not being here. Pg. 13

When you are completely wound up about something and you pause, your natural intelligence clicks in and you have a sense of the right thing to do. This is part of the magic: our natural intelligence is always there to inform us, as long as we allow a gap. Pg. 14. “The Most Important Thing in Life,” Pema Chödrön, Awaken Your Heart and Mind, page 10, Lion’s Roar Special Edition.

“The way you’re wired is not an accident.” Tom Jacobs, tdjacobs.com

“Intuition:If you’re not getting a strong ‘yes’, you’re really getting a ‘no.’If you’re getting a vague “no”, it’s really a ‘no.’” Margaret Gervais, December 2018

“Living life is a messy endeavor. A human one. An imperfect one. One that reveals our gifts through our struggles, our truth through our misunderstandings, and our purpose through our pain; one that is made so much more painful when we are in a constant state of self-critique.Mistakes are one of life’s great teaching tools. Through them we get to see where we have work to do, room to grow, and lessons to learn. Misjudgments humble us. Knock us off our high-horses. Grounded, we get in touch with something deeper. The feelings that our personalities want to reject. Disassociate from. Deny.

What lies below the surface of our personalities might be daunting to deal with. Unbearable sometimes to unpack, seemingly impossible to make peace with. But doing so is the only way to develop a sustainable kind of growth throughout our lives. Being aware of our inner lives is what connects us to others. It’s what makes deep and satisfying connections with others possible. It’s what taps us into the transformational power of compassion, for ourselves and everyone else.When we understand the inner workings of our more problematic personality traits, we can not only develop the strength to be accountable for them, but we are also better able to recognize the same struggle in others. When we work on being conscious of our own arrogance, impatience, and self-importance, we are more able to hold that part of ourselves, reducing the harm we might otherwise inflict upon the world.

The personality can only get us so far when disconnected from the depth that our soul craves.

Developing our consciousness requires a constant commitment, a deep and abiding sense of humor about our process, and acceptance of our flaws as well as an understanding of how imperative they are for our growth and development.” Chani Nicholas, www.chaninicholas.com, “Sunday’s New Moon in Virgo.” Newsletter, September, 2018.

“The truth has a higher vibration.” Margaret Gervais, December, 2018

“You wanting a sign is a sign.” Spiritualmovement instagram

"We have so many ideas about how we should be and how the world should be, yet none of these is the way things are. Human life is tainted glory - messy, paradoxical, filled with contradictions. The cloak of the world is woven with magnificence and limitation, triumph and disappointment, loss and eternal re-creation. To seek some ideal of perfection puts us in conflict with the world.

"There is a difference between an archetype or ideal and our humanity.To have compassion for your human vulnerability is a blessed, tender practice.

"Feel the joy and sorrow that make up your incarnation.'You know, sometimes it is your task in life to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.'” Itzhak Perlman, Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

Grief:

HOW IT SEEMS TO MEUrsula K. Le GuinIn the vast abyss before time, self is not, and soul commingles with mist, and rock, and light. In time, soul brings the misty self to be.Then slow time hardens self to stone while ever lightening the soul, till soul can loose its hold of self and both are free and can return to vastness and dissolve in light, the long light after time.“Our Universe is one of motion, everything is always changing even when we cannot perceive the subtlety of it – movement is always happening at the atomic level.

Change is one of the best things about our reality, it means tough times can’t last, better things are possible and new scenarios are always on the horizon.Change is also one of the most difficult things about our reality, because our minds are inclined toward attaching themselves to the things we enjoy, meaning we try to keep things the same even if it mean refusing the inherent flow of nature.Attachment, the carving for things to exist in a particular way, hurt because sooner or later the flow of change will reveal that what we want can only exist for a temporary amount of time. The craving that creates attachment opens the door to misery.To live in a way that change is no longer our enemy is the essence of inner peace. When we accept the fact that things are bound to change we can live with the clarity needed to enjoy the present moment. When we know that change is essential to life we can embrace the beauty of how things come together to create the moments we cherish.” yung pueblo

“To the moon,Who loves so selflessly,

That it wakes up to the darkness every night.

For the waves that rely on its pull

And the mad Dreamers who rely on its light.” Author unknown to me

Relationships:

“No one can fill the emptiness within – that is our job alone – but a healthy relationship can be incredibly good company along our healing journey. If and when it is built for such growth.” Chani Nicholas

“A strong self love helps you find a balance between giving selflessly and protecting yourself from harm.” Yung pueblo

“Stop letting people who are unaware of their toxicity play with your emotions. The right energies will make you feel loved in the purest way; you’ll never have to question their intentions. Nothing and no one is worth sabotaging your mental stability, especially those people who aren’t genuine. Make a clean break from people who leave lingering stains on your heart. You deserve much better than that.” Ester T., spiritualmovemement Instagram.

Healing:

“Sometimes the biggest storms happen after the healing has started. yung pueblo“

In order to emerge from our pain, we have to enter it . . . when we thus relate to our pain, cultivating intimacy with it, we start liberating ourselves from our pain and fro the painful consequences of avoiding our pain.” Robert Augustus Master, “A Painless Present”, Tricycle Magazine.

“The most reckless thing we can do is refuse the healing we are ready for. Our wounds left untreated threaten the existence of every good thing in our lives.” Chani Nicholas, Instagram

“Much healing work is the back and forth movement between moments of discomfort and moments of new happiness, going inward to release the dense patterns of hurt and old programming that do not serve your freedom and then feeling the joyful clarity that comes with letting go.” yung pueblo

“reveal to release.” sensate_me instagram

9/10/18 9/10/18

Insights for July/August 2018

“Don’t be surprised how quickly the Universe moves once you’ve decided.” Consciousnessnow, Instagram.

“If you think that the whole world is your enemy, imagine that you are a basket weaver, and you have a huge pile of reeds. To make baskets you have to weave them in the right way. Similarly, faced with the challenges you encounter, you have to weave an inner basket big enough to hold all the ups and downs of life without them overwhelming you. In short, you need to take care of your mind wisely. Oral advice transcribed by the author.JIGME KHYENTSE RINPOCHE (b. 1964)

"There is a line around the block to get incarnated on earth." Ascended Master Djehuty, via Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com."

Our soul's job is to figure out how to go from fear to love." Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com.

“It might feel like your goal is stretching away from you even as you move toward it, but don't be fooled. That's just your growing awareness of the steps it takes to get from point A to point B -- but you can still take each step as it comes, in its own time. That's all we can ever do; and it gets everyone where they need to go, from a baby learning to crawl to Albert Einstein figuring out relativity.” Planet Waves Astrology by Eric Francis. Planetwaves.net."

Author Maxine Hong Kingston has lead a war veteran's writing group for twenty years, and says the group's motto is: "Tell the truth, and so make peace." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

"The idea of former and future life is essential to the real practice of Buddhism. You have to be scared of where you are going in the next life to have the energy to overcome your deeper instincts. I call it the circuit breaker. Everything is interconnected. If you're endlessly interconnected, then every little thing counts. If you only get pissed of for one minute and fifty-eight seconds instead of two minutes, those two seconds are big. That's scary, but it brings you awake." Robert Thurman, 'Buddha's Champion,' Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Lion's Roar, September, 2018.

“There is nothing in nature that blooms all year long. So don’t expect yourself to do so either.” Tiaorg, Instagram.

“Pay attention to what makes you feel most at home, grounded, and centered, whether it’s a location, person, activity, or thing. Find ways to bring more of those things, places, and people into your life on a regular basis. Go to places that feel like home, Connect with those that bring you back to yourself, and curate items that root you in your truth.” Stephanie Zamora, spiritualmovement, Instagram.

Meditation:

“When you face the inner energies that most frighten, overwhelm, and bind you, it is important to not identify with them but to stay present with an observing mind that is not taking sides." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

“Meditation knows what to do. This ancient practice knows what to do. Let go and let it do its work.”

“Meditation enables “letting go”, which is a major step to self-awareness and wellness.” Margaret Gervais

“We practice ‘right concentration’ not to experience blissful states but to help us entertain uncertainty.”

“Ancient texts compare the process of concentration to the taming of a wild animal. It is a difficult endeavor, full of ups and downs, but one that yields reliable results if practiced diligently and with patience.”

“As concentration increases, the mind and body relax. Thoughts diminish, emotional pressures weaken, and a kind of calm takes over. The mind gradually comes under some degree of control and settles down.”

"The unconscious is the repository of mystery." Mark Epstein, ‘Meditation’s Secret Ingredient,” Tricycle, Spring, 2018.

"I have discovered that the more I practice [meditation], the more layers of my endlessly perfected, elaborate self-construction fall away. Peeling away the layers of identity is sometimes very painful. Sometimes it has felt like I was going to die. Of course, I didn't die, but something did."

"Ultimately, the invitation [of Insight Meditation] is to let whatever is rising be present without meddling with it. Just by turning loving attention to how life is appearing in this moment, insight can arise and we can find a way forward through our difficulties." Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi, 'Meeting Ourselves as we Are." Lion's Roar, September 2018.

"It is no coincidence that the words 'medication' and 'meditation' are only one letter different. They both come from the same Latin root word, medeor, meaning "to heal or to make whole."

"Empirical evidence shows that when we meditate, it triggers a self-repair mechanism in our own bodies. We stop producing cortisol and adrenalin, and instead enhance the production of immune-boosting endorphins and serotonin, arming our body against invasive bacteria, viruses and other imbalances. These changes also promote positive mental states. Indeed, many anti-depressants prescribed these days are Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI's), which we naturally produce when we meditate." David Michie, "How to Evoke the Medicine Buddha, Lion's Roar, September 2018.

“Meditation is an arduous practice of controlling the mind towards a transformation of character. “ Dr. K.K. Tan, www.kktanhp.com

“Let your steps follow your breath, not the other way around.”

“Everyone is breathing, but not everyone is aware that they’re breathing.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Anxiety:

Many people are contacting me recently about dealing with anxiety. I have a lot of good tools to share, but this also showed up in my email today: Jack Kornfield writing about "Making Friends With Fear." Link: https://jackkornfield.com/making-friends-with-fear/You can search my blog posts on my web site, www.theinsightcenter.net for “anxiety” and see some other insights and tools, and I will soon be writing a specific blog about tools for working with anxiety.

Grief: “We all sit on the edge of a mystery. We have only known this life, so dying scares us-and we are all dying. But what if dying were perfectly safe? What if you could approach dying with curiosity and love? What if dying were the ultimate spiritual practice?” Ram Dass

Seven books recommended by LION'S ROAR, September, 2018, for how to help dying people - and how to die yourself:

The Five Initiations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, by Frank Ostaseki,
Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End-of-Life Care, edited by Koshin Paley Ellison and Matt Weingast,
Making Friends With Death: A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality, by Judith L. Lief,
No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom For Life,by Thich Nhat Hahn,
Living in the Light of Death; On the Art of Being Truly Alive, by Larry Rosenberg,
Leaning into Sharp Points; Practical Guidance and Nurturing Support for Caregivers,by Stan Goldberg,
Being With Death and Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, by Joan Halifax.

“If I am going to die, the best way to prepare is to quiet my mind and open my heart. If I’m going to live, the best way to prepare is to quiet the mind and open my heart.” Ram Dass.

“Knowing how to use our suffering is essential to realizing true happiness.” Thich Nhat Hanh.

“So far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’re doing great.” Spiritualmovement, Instagram.

“You cannot live without dying.” Consciousnessnow, Instagram

Healing:

"Pain helps us inhabit our divine nature."

"Ask yourself, how does my pain serve my soul's journey to move from fear to love?"

"Acknowledge pain and look at the higher perspective of how can this possibly serve my journey? And bring love to those painful experiences."

"You are learning that you are stronger than pain and pain empowers you." Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com

“A body is a field of moving energy and a system of information, as life continues it’s fluctuations, we tend to gather attachments, burdens and sorrows. We hold them so tightly that they become embedded in the body, causing changes and disruptions in the flow of our system while also limiting the access to the best possible versions of ourselves - this sometimes manifests itself as illness or disease as well as lack of belief in our own power and a lack of understanding of the universe.”

“When someone enters a purification process such as meditation, the practice of yoga asanas, or clean healthy eating, among many other things, the body begins releasing these knots of attachment, freeing up the blockages in our system of information, allowing our field of energy to return to balance and move more freely and powerfully. This causes changes in our body, not just physical changes such as the healing of disease or ailments, but immaterial and internal ones as well, such as believing in oneself more, the growth of love, and the aspiration to grow into more wisdom.” Yung Pueblo.

Relationships/Friendships:

“Real love comes with a powerful recognition that we are fully alive and whole despite our wounds or our fears or our loneliness. It is a state where we allow ourselves to be seen clearly by ourselves and by others, and in turn, we offer clear seeing to the world around us. It is a love that heals.” Sharon Salzberg, “Real Love.”

“It’s okay to outgrown those who prevent you from growing.” @positivelypresent, spiritualmovement, Instagram.

7/10/18 7/10/18

Insights for June 2018

Awakening:“Transforming our way of being in the world involves taking ethics seriously so that all our conduct is shaped by our newly transformed outlook and commitment to compassion.” Thupten Jinpa, Lion’s Roar July 2018.

“But awakening is nothing like the unicorns and rainbows of our imagination, although it can sometimes be glorious. It can also be subtle and even quite mundane." Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi, June 2018.

“In the moment of realization, everything simply appears as what it is.” Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi, Lion’s Roar, June 2018.

“Push yourself to live your truth every day, and grow stronger.” Eric Francis Copplolino.

“To forgive and be free, you must honor your measure of grief, betrayal, the whole difficult story, and hold it with all the compassion you can. Remember that you are bigger than anything that happens to you. Then you can turn your heart toward forgiveness." Jack Kornfield, “No Time Like the Present.”

Meditation:

“Meditation turns you completely upside down, says Norman Fisher. That’s called enlightenment.” Lion’s Roar, July 2018.

“When you meditate you elevate a problem from despair to a place of equanimity. “ Margaret Gervais

“Meditation. Is the ultimate honesty, because we face whatever arises without looking away.” Koun Franz

“...the point of meditation is to wake up. To wake up from the dream of ignorance-the dream that we are separate, independent beings. To wake up to the knowledge that we are dependent beings connected with all other beings, and therefore, by extension, to the knowledge that we are responsible for and to all beings. Compassion arises naturally from this recognition, for it experiences the suffering of others as our own and this wishes, from the heart that the suffering will end.” Jan Willis, Lion’s Roar, July 2018.

Healing: "To be free of your past, you must recognize what happened and feel it’s hold on you.It is here, consciously or unconsciously, held in your body, feelings and mind. It is critical to honor the loss before you can take the next step of letting go. Then you can practice forgiveness and with it use meditation, therapy, trauma work, art and intimate support to help touch and heal the betrayal and trauma." Jack Kornfield, “No Time Like the Present.

Anxiety:“Anxiety is so tricky…the key is to find ways to work with anxiety. And this means – and I know it is difficult – practicing relaxation.

There are a variety of ways you can do this, from standard practices of relaxation (taking a walk, going to a movie, getting away from it all) to something more radical – allowing yourself to relax with the anxiety by allowing yourself to feel it. I know that doesn’t sound like fun. It isn’t. But when you try to bargain or beat your way out of such situations, they only become more deeply entrenched. It’s a trap.Instead, you could sit down and invite the anxiety into the room. That means the feeling of the anxiety, not the story behind it. This difference is critical. The feeling is usually located in your body. Maybe your shoulders feel hunched, your tummy hurts, or your forehead tightens. Whatever it is for you, allow your attention to rest on it.When your story tries to hijack the situation (I am so messed up, if only I hadn’t said this, done that. I’ll never be successful/happy/proud/funny/smart), it is very important to let that go. Return to the felt sense of the worry. Feel the texture. Get to know it. In this way, you establish some agency within the situation rather that falling victim to it. Spend a minute or two (or longer if you like) extending the hand of friendship to your inner worrier rather than always trying to fight them off. Good luck! You can do it!” Susan Piver, “Worried About Worrying” Lion’s Roar, July 2018.

Resources:For additional resources, guided meditation, and reading lists, please go to http://theinsightcenter.net/resources/.

6/12/18 6/12/18

Insights for May 2018

Awakening:“Look at the real nature of the harm that is done to you. It is as elusive as a drawing on water. Let your resentment subside by itself. When the stormy waves of thoughts have vanished, the mind becomes like the cloudless sky that has nothing to win or lose.” Shechen Gyaltsap, theg pa chen po'i blo sbyong gi man ngag zab don sbrang rtsi'i bum bzang, pp. 441-444.

“Until you choose, you are living your non choice.Until you choose your way, you are living the way of your non choice.When you are not choosing, you are living in non choice. “ Margaret Gervais

“One of the most exquisite of Japanese terms, ‘mono no aware’, expresses an aesthetic sensibility, that’s challenging to translate. It speaks to a gentle sadness - to being deeply moved by a transient, finite nature of things. It doesn’t deny loss or bypass grief but it reminds us that the beauty of things and our appreciation of those dear to us is heightened by our awareness of their ephemeral nature.” Frank Ostaseski, “A Friend Until the End,” Lion’s Roar, July, 2018.

“Most people will view you solely through their own paradigm.That’s pretty much all that most people can do; so that’s ok.With this awareness, we can decide how to view ourselves - through their lens or through our own lens?” Margaret Gervais 5.15.18 pdx

“The ego is not an innocent bystander. While it claims to have out own best interests at heart, in its relentless pursuit of attention and power it undermines the very goals it sets out to achieve. The ego needs our help if we want a more satisfying existence, we have to teach it to loosen its grip.” Mark Epstein, “Advise Not Given,” page 2.

“When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of distress and anxiety;

If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without any pain.

From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me.There is a great secret in this for anyone who can grasp it.” Rumi

“Do not let a cloudy mind trick you into doing things you are done with.” Yung pueblo

Healing:

“Breathe in and bring earth energy up through your root chakra and the bottom of your feet and into your whole body.

Breathe out and bring cosmic energy down through your crown chakra and into your whole body.Keep repeating.” Margaret Gervais, 5.2.18 pdx

Meditation:

You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” Timber Hawkeye

“Repeated thoughts and stories are almost always fueled by an unacknowledged emotion or feeling underneath. These unsensed feelings are part of what brings the thought back time and again. Future planning is usually fueled by anxiety. Remembering of the past is often fueled by regret, or guilt, or grief. Many fantasies arise as a response to pain or emptiness. The task in meditation is to drop below the level of the repeated recorded message, to sense and feel the emotional energy that brings it up. When we can do this, and truly allow and come to terms with the feeling, the thought will no longer need to arise, and the pattern will naturally fade away.” Jack Kornfield, “The Path With Heart.”

Grief:

“Actually, rebirth takes place every moment, every instant. Every instant is death; every instant is birth. It’s a changing process: there’s nothing you can grasp onto; everything is changing. But there is some continuity, of course - the change is the continuity.” ~ Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Lion’s Roar, May 2018.

“A Friend Until the End,” Frank Ostaseski is a beautiful article about offering care to someone who is dying. Check it out https://www.lionsroar.com/a-friend-until-the-end/amp/

3/21/18 3/21/18

Insights for February 2018

Awakening:

“Enlightenment is our true nature and our home, but the complexities of human life cause us to forget.There’s a sense of a path of awakening we’re walking from first breath to last, and probably before and after that too. It has stages and aspects, sudden leaps forward and devastating stumbles. While what we awaken to is the same for all of us, how we awaken and express that awakening in our lives is endlessly idiosyncratic and gives the world its texture and delight.

For Westerners especially, it's important to keep remembering that awakening is something different from the projects of self-improvement and self-actualization we're used to. It's not about being a better self but about discovering our true self, which is another thing entirely....the process of awakening is less a matter of actualization and more a matter of 'truing" - of becoming aware of the way things already are. Rather than developing an enhanced and therefore more solidified self, we dissolve into something that existed before we did. We become aware of our continuity with enlightenment, which is none other than the universe itself.We still have bodies that break down in all sorts of amazing ways. We still face injustice and conflict. Awakening isn't a waiver from the shared circumstances of human life. But it does radically transform how we experience them. We are no longer beleaguered exiles but instead are now people at home even in the most difficult times, searching for ways to respond that encourage the bursting forth of the enlightenment that is present always and everywhere." Joan Sutherland, Roshi, Lion's Roar, March 2018.

“Things are empty of the mistaken reality we project in them.”Pema Chödrön, Lion’s Roar, March 2018, pg. 66.

“This is the great invitation - to live with a trusting heart. This is our freedom. The greatest Zen masters say, "Enlightenment is fulfilled by the trusting heart." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present,"Zen Master Philip Kapleau assured his students that when their boundaries began to dissolve during retreats, "You can't fall out of the universe." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present,"Thich Nhat Hanh tells a story of awakening from a dream in which he was having a conversation with his beloved mother a year after she has passed away. He’d been close with her, and after her death he grieved the loss terribly. But on a moonlit night in his mountain hermitage in Vietnam, he awoke from a dream of his mother, fully feeling the reality of her presence. "I understood, he said, "that my mother never died." He could hear her voice inside himself. He went outside, and she became the moonlight tenderly caressing his skin. As he walked barefoot among the tea plants, he was able to feel her with him. The idea that she was gone simply wasn't true. He realized his feet were "our" feet, he said, and "together my mother and I were leaving footprints in the damp evening soil." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present

"Nothing in Life is a Straight Shot." Sharon Salzberg, Getting real with Sharon Salzberg, Mindrolling Podcast

"Become the loving witness of this human life.

Don't try to change the mountain, just sit on it." Jack Kornfield, The Essence of Buddhist Psychology, Heart Wisdom

“Your worst fears rarely come true, though sometimes it's difficult to get your mind off them. Imagine anxiety is a form of energy that can be converted into positive and creative expression. It helps to master this exchange process, given how much paranoia the world is dishing out these days.” Eric Francis, Planet Waves Astrology

"We don't know what the self is and we don't know what the self is not." Robert Thurman, shared by Mark Epstein, The Task is Being You, Tricycle Talks Podcast.

"Meet challenges with equanimity... Become your own refuge." Mark Epstein, The Task is Being You, Tricycle Talks Podcast.

"You are timeless. Whenever you forget this and identify with your mind's stories about who you are, look again." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

“Nothing is hidden. We can find it in books. We can find it in the sutras. We can find it by asking. And, most important, we can find it simply by looking into ourselves.” John Loori, Asking to Exhaustion, Tricycle.com.

Healing:

"Learn to trust your body. Begin by mindfully and lovingly feeling what is going on in your body. Sense the state of your body today, its signals and needs. Listen carefully to what your body has to say to you. What healing does it want? What care? What wisdom does it have to offer you? Your body has been waiting for your attention. Trust it. Even if you have been out of touch for a long time, you can regain confidence step-by-step by trusting your bodily experience." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present

“No matter how hard you try, you can’t please your inner critic. There is an alternative to the critic. It’s found in the movement from judgment to discernment. Discernment makes space, helps is to have perspective, and allows more of our humanity to show up.” Frank Ostaseski, The Five Initiations, pgs. 135,143.

Meditation:

“Insight meditation turns the mind away from delusion, our confused notions about ourselves, others, and our world. It turns the mind toward the reality of things as they truly are. Insight meditation helps us understand, in a series of progressive steps, the truths of egolessness, emptiness and great joy.” Gaylon Ferguson, Lion’s Roar, March 2018.

“Since you come to the cushion with the mind you have, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions will be present in your meditation. It is your relationship to them, and your awareness of their place in your meditation, that will shift as you deepen your practice.” Jules Shuzen Harris, lion’s Roar, March 2018.

[In Vipassana Meditation] “You can let go of the idea of engaging in battle with your thoughts. You don’t need to force anything. If you refrain from trying to stop your thinking process, you allow it to stop by itself. When a thought comes into your mind, whatever it might be, let it come into your mind. It is just a thought. Then release it. You don’t have to follow or pursue it. Your mind will begin to calm down.” Jules Shuzen Harris, Lion’s Roar, March 2018.

Grief:

“Every thought, every emotion, every action, every moment of time, has multiple causes and reverberations-tendrils of culture, history, hurt, and joy that stretch out mysteriously and endlessly. As with us, so with everything: all things influence one another. This is how the world appears, shimmers and shifts, moment by moment.” Norman Fisher, Lion’s Roar, March 2018, pg. 66.