giving up the need to know

Letting the universe just unfold and not needing to know why things happen as they do....that is what I am working on ......below is a picture of Mira....and below that a great quote from one of Edgar Cayce's readings. Namaste, Michele


Do not let those things
which may not in the present be understood weary thy soul,
but know that sometime, somewhere, you, too, will understand.
Keep the faith.

Edgar Cayce Reading 5369-2

The real hero

a view from our dining room table.


Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me,
but try waking up every morning and loving the world all over again.
That's what takes a real hero.
© Brian Andreas American Artist and Storyteller

enjoy the ride!!!

this picture is one I took on our back porch.

I absolutely loved this quote below!!!
Namaste,
Michele



“The world is like a ride at an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it, you think it's real because that’s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored , and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question - is this real, or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us. They say, 'Hey! Dont worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because, this is just a ride...'...It's just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings and money. A choice, right now, between fear and love.”

~Bill Hicks

loving energy

Dusty enjoying the sun.

Create loving energy around yourself. Love your body and love your mind. Love your whole mechanism, your whole organism. By love is meant: accept it as it is, don’t try to repress. We repress only when we hate something, we repress only when we are against something. Don’t repress, because if you repress how are you going to watch? We cannot look the enemy eye to eye; we can look only in the eyes of our beloved. If you are not a lover of yourself you will not be able to look into your own eyes, into your own face, into your own reality.

~Osho

making the shot

Mira took this at the Cav's game 2 weeks ago. Our whole family went to the last game of the regular season.... fan appreciation night. It was a lot of fun. hope you like the quote below!! namaste, Michele

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. --Wayne Gretzky ps: see if you can find Macy (2 pictures) in the below link: hollywood dance experience

truth

"a view from our living room."
I love the quote below.....learning to speak from my heart and being true to myself....that
has been an ongoing journey for me......I have come a very long way....and I am still learning.
Namaste,
Michele

The person on a quest for wisdom and spirituality always has a choice facing him: Is he to live in the way others live in order to please them or is he to live in the way his own standards call for? If he lets them pull him down he loses what has taken him many, many years to develop. Somewhere at some point he must take his stand, must plant his feet and refuse to budge any farther.

~Dr. Paul Brunton

our assignment

Our backyard....hope you enjoy the picture and the words below. They really resonate with me today. love, Michele



No one on the planet will ever have
exactly the mix of the people in their lives that you do.
No one else has the assignment to touch those particular people with love.
You have been given a divine purpose that no one else can fulfill.
We can do a hundred other things
but if we don't do this one thing, at the end,
it will be as if we have done nothing at all.
Mary Manin Morrissey

love

a view from our backyard



"God is our professor and love is our academy.
Let us love, and be loved."
- Yunus Emre

Balanced Living Magazine

The new issue is out!!
Check out the new website that was just launched.
You can click on the link below or go to the links section and click on it there.
Balanced Living Magazine
have a great day.
Namaste,
Michele

Peace, Peace, Peace

visualparadox.com


Isn't this beautiful??? both the art and the words!!
hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!!
Namaste,
Michele


May the heavens: the sun, moon, stars galaxies
and all zodiac signs be in peace and harmony.
May the space between the earth and the sun,
moon and stars be peaceful and without pollution.

May our mother earth be happy and peaceful
and free from all pollution. May all the waters be peaceful
and free from pollution---the oceans, rivers, drinking water and rain,
with no acid rain. May all the medicinal herbs
and plants be in their natural state and be free from pollution.


May the whole vegetable kingdom, especially all trees and forests,
be in a natural state, healthy and free from disease due to pollution.
May all the elements---earth, water, fire, air and ether
---and all the cosmic forces be in peace and harmony, without pollution.


May our body, mind and soul and all of existence
be in peace and harmony, free from pollution.
May everything, in and out, be peaceful and in natural harmony,
without pollution.

May peace itself be real peace,
not artificially maintained by military
and police forces or balance of nuclear power.
And last but not least, may that natural peace,
harmony and unity blossom and flourish through us.

Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi: peace--- physically, mentally and spiritually. -Sharon Gannon

what a long strange trip its been!!!

This picture is above my bed....says a quote from the song
Truckin.

" sometimes the lights all shining on me
.....other times I can barely see...
Lately it occurs to me..... what a long, strange trip its been."
hope you enjoy the words below. love, Michele


It is raining still...
Maybe it is not one of those showers that is here one minute
and gone the next, as I had so boldly assumed.
Maybe none of them are.
After all, life in itself is a chain of rainy days.
But there are times when not all of us have umbrellas to walk under.
Those are the times when we need people
who are willing to lend their umbrellas to a wet stranger on a rainy day.
I think I'll go for a walk with my umbrella.
--Sun-Young Park

Nature

My dad sent this picture to me today. This is a picture of the blossoming trees on their end of the street. (My parents live on the same street as us....just on the other end.) Don't the trees look gorgeous??? Mira had just suggested that I go take pictures of them yesterday. Guess my dad beat me to it. Hope you are enjoying the beautiful day!!! and hope you enjoy the quote below!! love, Michele

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world,
the master calls a butterfly."
- Chuang Tse

On Becoming

Those who became complete
 didn't live this life in hypocrisy, 
didn't learn the meaning of things 
by reading commentaries.

Reality is an ocean; the Law is a ship. 
Many have never left the ship, 
never jumped into the sea.

They might have come to Worship 
but they stopped at rituals. 
They never knew or entered the Inside.

Those who think the Four Books 
were meant to be talked about, 
who have only read explanations 
and never entered meaning, 
are really in sin.

Yunus means "true friend" 
for one whose journey has begun. 
Until we transform our Names, 
we haven't found the Way.

~Yunus Emre

Peace!!

Mira was drawing last night and made this picture.
I loved it.....so I asked her if I could share it.
I hope you enjoy it too...and the quote below.
have a great day!!!
love, Michele


“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors;
we borrow it from our children.”
~Native American Proverb

Eliminate needlessly speaking ill of others

I am really trying to focus on the below.
I thought this would be easy....but now that I am more mindful of it
....I see where my words are not always kind. I am trying though.

Namaste, Michele

ps...check out the results of the letter for the mysterious odot man.
(the comments)
click here: ODOT MAN
I hope he got word how grateful I am that he was there to help.


Even if you are “just joking,” speaking ill of other people
feeds a dynamic of hurt and nastiness which cannot nourish your spirit.
Laughing at the expense of others,
especially those who may be suffering or worse off than we are,
is truly a sad state of affairs.
When pressed, most of us would instantly retract such statements,
and sincerely regret any hurt that was caused.
Ideally, we will discipline ourselves to speak in such a way that if someone quotes us tomorrow, we will feel no shame or regret.
This includes eliminating gossip and nasty,
petty commentary regarding the appearance or actions of others.
-Sharon Gannon

Compassion

This is a picture of Macy from this weekend....the hip hop instructor is behind her.
I love how this one turned out...hope you do too.
hope you like the quote below also....I have this yoga dvd called Power to the Peaceful yoga (which I love) and Sharon Gannon says so many wise things during the yoga session that make me want to live my life in a more positive way.....like her quote below.
Namaste,
Michele


"When one can feel happiness for those who are happy,
compassion for those who are suffering,
joy for those who are virtuous,
and indifference toward those who are wicked,
then one will achieve steadiness of mind."
-Sharon Gannon

relationships

Humanity is under great pressure to evolve because it is our only chance of survival as a race.
This will affect every aspect of your life and close relationships in particular.
Never before have relationships been as problematic and conflict ridden as they are now.
As you may continue to pursue the goal of salvation through a relationship,
you will be disillusioned again and again.
But if you accept that the relationship is here to make you conscious
instead of happy, then the relationship will offer you salvation,
and you will be aligning yourself with the higher consciousness
that wants to be born into this world. For those who hold to the old patterns,
there will be increasing pain, violence, confusion, and madness.
-Eckart Tolle

alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic

We just spent the weekend at a dance
workshop/competition for the girls.
I love watching them dance.
I love watching all the creativity that goes into
the choreography.....a beautiful weekend.
hope you enjoy some of the pictures above from the weekend and
hope you enjoy the quote below.
love,
Michele

ps also please check out the kindred spirits links that I posted to the left.
thanks!!




You may be sorry that you spoke,
sorry you stayed or went,
sorry you won or lost,
sorry so much was spent.
But as you go through life, you'll find--
you're never sorry you were kind.--Herb Prochnow

My so called life!!

the blessing of the children ceremony at Omega Institute





Sometimes people fill their minds with the stupidest things
to keep themselves from thinking about things that are really important.
- My So Called Life

on withholding

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
-maya angelou

your adventure is waiting for you!!!

Joseph Campbell compared this journey with the Path of someone who rejects convention in an effort to live his or her bliss. He believed that there was a unique track, a life adventure, waiting for each of us, and that when we embrace our adventure, doors open that were not open before and that would not open for anyone else. All you have to do, he said, was take that first step towards the gods —a step over the edge of your boundaries. Once you did that, the gods would take ten steps towards you, and life would go clicking along. Those who turn their back on their adventure live in what Campbell dubbed the “Wasteland.” Their spirit dies.
----Diane Osbon

Ohhhhhhhh

Mira took this picture of the daffodils in our yard. They look so beautiful today. I am feeling really sad right now.....I took a walk this afternoon.... it is so beautiful and warm today....but when I got to my favorite park that I walk to, I noticed a huge chunk of trees were cut down. They must have done that yesterday because it was so nice out. The city is allowing another elementary school to be built in the park (trade out with the county park system for soccer fields in another part of town) .......but I feel really sad because a major part of the park was wiped out. Especially because there are already so many empty buildings in this town that could have possibly been used for a school. I just don't want to see all of the trees gone and the town become one slab of concrete. "I am the Lorax and I speak for the trees."
I hope you enjoy the quote below.
namaste,
Michele

Do not let the fact that things are not made for you,
that conditions are not as they should be, stop you.
Go on anyway. Everything depends on those who go on anyway.
-Robert Hénri, The Art Spirit, written in 1923

ahhhhhhhhhh

when you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. ---Buddha

TRUSTING THE UNIVERSE

that would be me camping. hope you are having a great day.
love,
Michele

You can't always get what you want, but if you try

… sometimes you can get what you need.

- Rolling Stones

wow!!!

wow.....today was an amazing, amazing day for me. the picture above is of the flat tire that I happened upon about 30 minutes into my commute to work today. There I was outside on the berm with my hair and skirt blowing everywhere....and this really wonderful guy from ODOT (Ohio transportation) pulled up with his lights shining and came to help. He was so kind.....it was really very uplifting for me....just how caring a total stranger can be when someone is in need. He did everything he could possibly do...he jacked my car up and tried to put the spare on...but there were no lug nuts in the car and his did not fit my tire. I tried to offer him my Starbucks gift card, a toys r us gift card and a CD to listen to....but he would not take anything. He would not tell me his name or let me give him anything. He is one of those angels in life I guess. I do know he is married and has kids and lives in Medina....but he wanted to remain anonymous......I got his license number though....I am going to write a letter to the Ohio department of transportation and tell them how kind he was. That made my whole day.....I smiled every time I think of a stranger trying to help me....just out of the kindness of his heart.....he had no desire to see what he could get from me....he was just there to help. ..he waited with me after trying everything possible until Mark and then the Strongsville police officer showed up.. then the AAA guy showed up with some lug nuts of every size......he put the tire on and then off I went. There is so much goodness in the world. and I feel so blessed to be a part of it. so Mr. Odot man.....whoever you are....this quote is for you!!! see below.
namaste,
Michele

A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions,
and the roots spring up and make new trees.
The greatest work that kindness does to others
is that it makes them kind themselves.
--Lawrence G. Lovasik

LIFE

MY HUBBY....HE IS VERY BRIGHT....EHHH?

In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back.
-Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown DVD

gone fishing???

here is another one of my bumper stickers.
I love bumper stickers.
Mark says we look like a nascar race car.......
oh well.
hope you like the quote below!!!
have a great day!!
love,
Michele




Many men go fishing all their
lives without knowing that
it is not fish they are after.
-Henry david Thoreau

"what I want to know is.....are you kind?"

do you know that song uncle john's band????
hope you are having a great day!!
love,
Michele


To fulfill, some message has to be delivered,
some work has to be completed.
You are not here accidentally
- you are here meaningfully.
There is a purpose behind you.
The Whole intends to do something through you.
-Osho

Namaste!!!!

do you like my bumper sticker??
My friend, Sue Rudo gave it to me.

It is my favorite one.
Hope you like what I post below!!!!
I think it is beautiful....and a great reminder for me.
I sometimes rush to get all of my "stuff" done so I can do yoga
and meditate.....but I forget that all the "stuff" I need to do can be
my meditation or my yoga...it is just as much my path as the meditation.
It is a meditation...a place for me to learn to be mindful.
Namaste,
Michele


All of us are apprenticed to the same teacher that the
religious institutions originally worked with : reality.
Reality-insight says...master the twenty-four hours.
Do it well, without self-pity. It is as hard to get the children
herded into the car pool and down the road to the bus as
it is to chant sutras in the Buddha-hall on a cold morning.
One move is not better than the other, each can be quite
boring, and they both have the virtuous quality of repetition.
Repetition and ritual and their good results come in
many forms. Changing the filter, wiping noses, going to
meetings, picking up around the house, washing dishes,
checking the dipstick--don't let yourself think these are
distracting you from your more serious pursuits.
Such a round of chores is not a set of difficulties we
hope to escape from so that we may do our "practice"
which will put us on a "path"--it is our path.

--Gary Snyder, The Practice of the Wild.

intuition

spray painted graffiti in Cleveland


"Once you learn what life is about,
there is no way to erase the knowledge.
If you try to do something else with your life
you will always sense that you are missing something."
-James Redfield

Let it go

one of my favorite camping trips!!!




Let It Go

And so it's a hard life, 'cause it doesn't always give
back the things you give into it
Was it you who changed in the days gone by, did you
happen to look at yourself
Or try to forget it?

But now it's all coming back on you, you can't keep it away
You don't know what to do
And you carry that weight to the end of your rope,
holding on so tight
It will only serve to bind you

Won't you let it go?
You might not save anybody else's soul
But you might just save your own
If you let it go

When you're mad do you face the anger, when you're
scared do you face the fear
Or do you pack it away?
Do you run 'cause you want to run, or are you
running and looking to find
Another escape?

Did you find the dreams that you held so close
Were nothing more than another place to hide
Find the thorn that's in your side
Find the source of all the lies that eat you up inside

Won't you let it go...
And what you're holding on to is a rope that might hang you
You can lossen up your grip once you know, what it is you hold

Won't you let it go...

lyrics by Jimmy Ryser

As I open

come as you are

above is a journal cover that I made with the kids at work today.
It was a lot of fun. I asked them to cut out words or pictures of things "you want in your life...or things that inspire you."
Then I brought in mod podge and we glazed over the pictures.
here is what the one quote says from my journal:

“Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be,

because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose,

and then where are you?”

-Fanny Brice

Creation

Creation:
A Sioux Story
The Creator gathered all of Creation and said,
"I want to hide something from the humans
until they are ready for it.
It is the realization that they create their own reality."
The eagle said, "Give it to me, I will take it to the moon."
The Creator said,
"No. One day they will go there and find it."
The salmon said,
"I will bury it on the bottom of the ocean."
"No. They will go there too."
The buffalo said, "I will bury it on the Great Plains."
The Creator said,
"They will cut into the skin of the Earth
and find it even there."
Grandmother Mole, who lives in the breast of Mother Earth,
and who has no physical eyes but sees with spiritual eyes,
said, "Put it inside of them."
And the Creator said, "It is done."

Love

the above pictures are from the Northeast Ohio dance festival today.
Mira and Macy were there all day taking workshops
then my mom, dad, Mark, Marko, and I drove up to watch them dance in the show...I love the show. Above is a picture of Macy doing her solo part in the dance at rehersal and a cosmic picture of Mira and some of the girls at rehersal..
I am feeling really grateful for my family tonight.
Dance always puts me in a good mood!!
hope you like the beautiful quote below.
have an awesome night.
love,
Michele





"I have learned how important it is to tell people
when you love them,
because tomorrow is just a concept in our minds."
-Ryan J. Robinson

give me strength

Hear me, four quarters of the world -- a relative I am! Give me the strength to walk the soft earth,
a relative to all that is! Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand,
that I may be like you. With your power only can I face the winds.
--Black Elk

Paradise

Mira and Macy's dance company being goofy.



Paradise is not a place where we are going.
It is a place where we are from. We can go there at any time.
It is our beliefs that lock us in our hell.
It is the sacredness of this moment that is the key to freedom.
John Squadra

A Fable

Once upon a time there dwelt an old King in a palace. In the center of a golden table in the main hall, there shone a large and magnificent jewel. Each day of the King's life the stone sparkled more resplendently.

One day a thief stole the jewel and ran from the palace, hiding in a forest. As he stared with deep joy at the stone, to his amazement the image of the King appeared in it.

"I have come to thank you," said the King. "You have released me from my attachment to Earth. I thought I was freed when I acquired the jewel, but then I learned that I would be released only when I passed it on, with a pure heart, to another.

"Each day of my life I polished that stone, until finally this day arrived, when the jewel became so beautiful that you stole it, and I have passed it on, and am released.

"The jewel you hold is Understanding. You cannot add to its beauty by hiding it and hinting that you have it, nor yet by wearing it with vanity. Its beauty comes of the consciousness that others have of it. Honor that which gives it beauty."

by Thaddeus Golas, 1972

tapping into the universal energy

a view from Leslie's house



Why do people want to so desperately control others?
I ran into a situation today where someone tried
to manipulate me. I ended up feeling bad for the person
.....just seeing the underlying control drama.
I think he came from a place of fear
and wanting to feel safe and to be loved......because he is so controlled in his life...so confined...and that is not living your life...that is living someone else's life.
I think back to times when I wanted to control a situation
....or situations where I have in the past unconsciously tried to gain someone's energy and realized what I was doing later...
and I know that I probably have more situations
that I haven't even realized
my unconscious desire to control.
It is an ego thing I know....and usually not conscious
when it is done.
I was able to not feel angry with the person
and let it go..... but I am still not going to give away my power......or allow myself to be
manipulated by the use of guilt in
order for someone to try to get what they want
....just so they can have the illusion of safety.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could all just be real with each other.
State our issues and fears openly and honestly instead of all the weird things we do to numb our fears and try to steal energy from others.
What if we all could come from the heart.....and trust?
What if we really tried to understand
and communicate with one another.
"You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
I really do hope that one day
we can live as one....and humans can learn to gain energy from the universal source and not from other humans
( to inflate our egos)....whenever I go within
whether it is doing yoga or meditating,or some kind of creating
...or being out walking in nature....
In this moment right now, I have no desire to grasp at any of the ilusional/ego stuff......but other times, I don't feel that connection.
All I know is that I could never sell my soul again...No one can manufacture my happiness...that is an inside job....I have to be true to me....no one will ever dictate my work schedule
or my finances or my friends...my connections... ....I have no desire for that....I am uplifted by my connection with others,and when I am serving others or when I am creating something.....that connects me to something larger than the self....something larger than life here on this physical plane.
I hope that I never have the desire to try to manipulate
another soul to the point that they feel caged in.

The words love all, serve all come to mind.

Hope you like the lyrics below....this one nurse that I work with always brings in cds to listen to.......this is the lyrics from the one he brought in today.... see if you recognize it.......kinda goes with the topic. Love, Michele

"and as we wind on down the road. Our shadow taller than our soul. There walks a Lady we all know Who shines white light and wants to show. How everything still turns to gold. And if you listen very hard The tune will come to you at last. When all are one and one is all. To be a rock and not a roll."

any guess as to where this is from???

The real reason we are here

There are things we do because they feel right and they make no sense
and they make no money & it may be the real reason we are here:
to love each other and to eat each other's cooking &
say it was good.
-Brian Andreas

On Life

do you see Macy on her Cello? She is on the right in the white capri pants
......2nd row...1st one.
hope you enjoy the quote below.
love, Michele


Life has been your art.
You have set yourself to music.
Your days are your sonnets.
--Oscar Wilde

on letting go

Above is a picture of our friend, Mr. Russell ....his real name is Russ Wilson, but

the kids have always called him Mr. Russell.

We adopted him into our family about 7 years ago

....he attends all family holiday and birthday parties.

He usually brings his gift of music or gift of magic.

His birthday is next month....He will be 62....

he gets to decide where we will go to dinner.....I am betting on Applebees.

He is such a kind soul.....our whole family loves him.

anyway, I needed to read this today (below)......I read it before going to yoga class tonight.

I feel so centered and like I can allow things to be after yoga and meditation.

Other times I think that I grasp too much.

anyway, read below.

and have a great day!!

love,

Michele

We cannot change our past.

We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way.

We can not change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have,

and that is our attitude.

- Charles Swindoll

we can work it out

Society evolves not by shouting each other down,
but by the unique capacity of unique,
individual human beings to comprehend each other.
Lewis Thomas