Category Archives: Meditation

Pop Song

My POP Song Dilemma

Acceptance, Boundaries, Co-dependent, Ego, Life Coach, Love, Meditation, Mind, Perception, Self Perception, self-help, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I know I have my opinions about music, but there is one thing about pop music in the present moment that drives me batty- the lyrics.  And how fitting, to see this recent “Taylor Swift feminist doppledanger” created by Clara Beyer, a rising senior at Brown University, in the news creating more empowering lyrics for Swift’s music!  After living much of my life in a co-dependent fog I can’t help but notice how often lyrics are very reflective of a co-dependent state of mind, feeding a monster within our society that says “I need you” under the guise of love.  Between the neediness and the victim mentality I seem to find myself plugging in my mp3 player almost immediately upon entering my vehicle  or being that really annoying person that keeps changing stations with the hope that something listenable will magically start playing.

The ignorant mind thrives on lyrics like “This is the part of me, That you’re never gonna ever take away from me” from Katy Perry in her song Part of Me.  I mean, no one can ever take a part of you away without your general consent- hence the continuous victim droning that plays over and over again on the radio.  Most of the listeners of Katy Perry are young girls that are buying into this fake sort of empowerment, rather than learning that relationships are not about compromising your integrity to have someone in your life.

Self-Esteem_Cartoon_Streeter

In reflecting, it is difficult for me to know that other girls really believe this stuff and continue to act it out because I used to do the same thing, and it caused me a  lot of suffering.  Not everyone has the tools to walk out of the fog of these types of limiting perceptions, and they continue to teach them to their own children, hence the cycle continues.  My meditation teacher taught me that the greatest way to help the world was to meditate on my own inner peace.  I am so grateful every day for what he taught me, and will continue to work to help all by working on the healing of my very own heart.

There is this great scene in Sex in the City, the first film, where Carrie is reading Cinderella to her goddaughter and she pauses at the end to make sure the little one understands that life does not always turn out that way.  The little girl naively shouts for her to read it again.  Carrie ends the scene with “Another one bites the dust.”  It’s funny, because it is true.

Lessons learned out of my pop song dilemma:

  • Perceptions that thrive on “me versus you” are rooted in the ignorant mind.
  • I am accountable for me and how I perceive the world- no one else.
  • I always have a choice to either accept someone else’s feelings or indulge in being a victim of their feelings.
  • My self-perceptions will always reflect in the way a relationship is unfolding- the more I shift my self-perceptions into purposeful perceptions, the more my relationships will reflect these perceptions rooted in empowerment and joy.

“LET’S ROCK BIG LOVE!”™  Jessica

Creativity for Peace Program- Prepare to Be Amazed!

Compassion, Forgiveness, Life, Listening, Love, Meditation, Peace, Perception, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Image by: Creativity for Peace Israeli May Freed, Creativity for Peace Director Dottie Indyke, Palestinian Jwana Ghaleb
Image by: Creativity for Peace
Israeli May Freed, Creativity for Peace Director Dottie Indyke, Palestinian Jwana Ghaleb

I don’t know if you have this radio program available to you, but if you don’t- you should check it out online!  One of my favorite things to listen to, be inspired by, and just plain “cry” to is Peace Talks Radio.  Weeks ago as I was driving to work, they were featuring one of my most loved programs on this planet- Creativity for Peace.  “What is this savvy, amazing, peace instilling program that you speak of,” you may ask?

Well!

“Creativity for Peace includes a camp experience in the high desert of New Mexico for adolescent girls from all sides in the Middle East conflict.   At the annual camp, the girls speak their minds and hearts about their own suffering due to the hostilities.  Despite being taught to see the other as the enemy, they learn to get along and even be friends.  More importantly perhaps, they learn important lessons in conflict resolution.”

I am a huge proponent of teaching people to listen- deeply listen- to resolve conflict and create healing in their hearts from traumatic or abusive situations.  This program to me represents everything that can be accomplished in our world if we understand that words much of the time are just expressions of emotional release, and many times once they are expressed without  judgment or reacting, healing can take place for both parties.  Incorporating deep listening practices into your daily routine can be life changing- especially with those people that really know how to “yank your chain.”

This particular episode that I was listening to had two young girls, Palestinian Jwana Ghaleb and Israeli Jew May Freed, who have attended the camp and continue to work with it to help other girls resolve their inner conflicts due to the outer conflict of their cultural society, particularly between Palestinians and Israeli Jews.  Their stories will drive you to great heart opening experiences, and give you the opportunity to see where you may need some healing yourself.

To listen, CLICK HERE.

I Shall Not Hate- Dr. AbuelaishA long time ago, I heard an interview by a Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, MD, MPH, where he talked about the anguish he experienced in losing 3 of his daughters and a niece due to an Israeli shell that hit his home in Gaza.  Dr. Abuelaish served as a doctor in Israel, and had dedicated his life to serving those that many would call his enemies.  In response to his experience, he wrote a book called “I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey”.  What was amazing about his interview to me, besides how incredible his spirit is to have dedicated his life to peace after an experience that could have perpetuated hate and conflict, was learning that one of his daughters that died in the bombing had actually attended Creativity for Peace, here in New Mexico.

My inspiration today lives in all of those that see beyond their own inner conflict and anger, and reach out to the world to heal rather than perpetuate the ego’s delusion of separation.  Deep Listening is a practice that can be instilled in all of us- and if our children learned it at a young age, I feel we could change the world.  To me, it is a meditative exercise that connects us to the hearts of one another, rather than our mind which is full of belief systems and a desire to be argumentative.  I hope that you have time to listen to this radio show today, or check out Dr. Abuelaish’s book– or just think about someone that you might be angry with, and see them with compassion for their ignorance that may have caused you pain- or have compassion for yourself, which is so hard and difficult to do for many of us.

Give yourself a hug, by giving someone else a hug.  Happy Friday!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination

Buddhism, Compassion, Death, Film, Forgiveness, heart, Life, Love, Meditation, Nature, Reflection, , , , , , , , , ,

Tibetan SunshineLiving the light of my heart
On again, off again
My light switch, my ego’s fear
Dancing, illuminated-
Light’s alliteration playing a game of hop-scotch
With each syllable sounding out
A glimmer of hope bounces from my outer to my inner
A sanctuary of joy ready to open widely
If only for a moment
Let there be light, let there be love.

When I took this picture it was my second adventure in New Mexico, only this one was one of those experiences where your heart is hunting kismet.  Stopping in Madrid, a small artist community an hour from Santa Fe where they’ve filmed such regal cinema as “Wild Hogs” (just joking on the regal), me and my friend met this local shop owner that had a very open heart.  She invited us to go check out a ceremonial place where locals would meet and have drum circles, and walk a labyrinth.  When we got there it was like stumbling upon the love of their land in a balanced ritual of Goddess magic.  I took this picture as I pondered the imagination that had been infused into the land of New Mexico from its magical past.

The light illuminated these colorful twists of prayer next to some Tibetan prayer flags.  Believe it or not, Santa Fe, NM, has a large Tibetan population.  The Tibetan scholar and consultant for Scorsese’s film Kundun, Lobsang Lhalungpa, lived in Santa Fe until he passed away due to a drunk driver accident.  At his funeral, it was said that when he came to New Mexico and meditated, it was the closest thing to Tibet he had ever experienced in his life, which is why he moved there.

At the funeral ceremony someone said that before he died, he told his wife not to feel anger toward the drunk driver.  That we must feel compassion for him.  It was an illuminating experience, just as this light in my picture.  A room of 400 people were able to create so much compassion in that instant that would again be infused into our land for generations of healing.  Even on his death bed he forgave and created a wave of love.  I hope that when I pass, my life will end in such a peaceful state as well, cultivated by the compassion and kindness of so many others.

Breadcrumbs into Awakening

Compassion, Listening, Meditation

Breadcrumbs into Awakening
By: Jessica Burnham

When I first began working from a deeper spiritual viewpoint in my life, I decided to read Eckhart Tolle’s “Power of Now.” I was on vacation at the beach, and so I had all day, every day, to sit there and really focus on being in the present moment. What I realize I was doing now, looking back, was sitting in awareness. Then, I began to meditate consciously for the first time. I was sitting on the beach, going into my meditation, and all of a sudden I was flying over the ocean with wild abandon and these huge deep raspberry colored flowers were bursting open at me. It was so beautiful, vivid. Sure, it was just as much a part of the maya as is my every day world and perceptions- but it was still such a life changing experience.

Most of our life is like this. The majority of it is suffering. But every so often we have a glimpse of awakening deeply into our metaphorical selves, all that we can become and experience- and it changes everything. Sometimes we meet people, and what seems like a short, simple conversation may change our life forever. We are offered so many window opportunities where the world shines before us in the most creative way. And hopefully we are at a place where we can say- that is what I am! This is divinity. We can call it so many things- and continue to make it some ‘thing’. But no matter what, those experiences lead us like breadcrumbs into the hall of awakening.

Little by little the seams unravel into our awakening. When things begin to unravel, they can feel like quite a shake up. Life feels like it is falling apart- and literally it is. But it is being readjusted as well, and our life becomes something new all over again. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Without change, there is no growth.” Change can be a pretty shocking experience at times. It will bring up things that we didn’t know existed- new mountains, rivers of lava that have been buried deep within our hearts for lives. But eventually it settles, and our new specs are adjusted- our sight changes, along with every one around us.

There is a conscious feeling that stimulates our movement. Like a subtle breeze on a beautiful summer day- the grass rustles and makes music, the leaves dance within the trees and change the way sunlight is captured through our looking glass. And if we are silent enough, we can feel that subtle movement as well. Its subtle vibration will stimulate new movement within. It does not always have to be an earthquake. It does not always have to be some big dramatic thing. Our hearts beat quietly within every day that we exist in this body. Yet with a stethoscope, the heart sounds like a deep drum providing music for those that feel restless. Listening is an action that takes initiative. You must choose to listen.
Listening will lead the way into remembrance.

Remembering what truly is. This is our journey. How often do you remember those life changing experiences that turn up the volume of your light ten fold? Or, how often do you remember those life changing experiences that are devastating? Why are we taught to always reflect on the ‘good times’ rather than all of it? Isn’t ‘all of it’ what truly makes life a journey? How can there be a journey without the muck that held us in place until we were able to take the gift of awareness and illuminate the experience? That precious muck is what gives us the gift of compassion. When we look around us and practice feeling compassion whenever we are in action, the world blooms into a different place. What a gift- the muck of life and its connection to the little glimpses of our deepest inner beauty. Thank you for accepting the muck as it is, and seeing beyond it through the preciously staged night lights of your deep, inner wisdom.