Tuesday's Tip: Take a Meditation Break

After about writing between 1,000 to 2,000 words I want to stare at the screen without writing anything. When this happens my fingers type sentences that don't make any sense or I begin to misspell easy words. When this happens I know it is time to take a break. I turn off the computer, sit down on the love seat, cover my head up with a multicolored crochet throw, and meditate. When I meditate I either chant or repeat short prayers that I know by heart. If I am tired then sometimes I will doze off sitting on the love seat. Normally I just sit there for about five minutes before I get up to go back to the computer or do some housework.

Housework, especially washing dishes, is a good way to meditate because as I the dishes my mind tends to wander. If I have a chant or prayer to recite then my mind has something to focus on besides the dishes. Washing dishes by hand is one of the most boring task a person can perform. Despite the boredom I have gotten some good ideas for poems or stories while doing dishes or immediately following. I know this is probably not the prescribed method for meditation, but it works for me.

Thursday Thoughts: Wandering Thoughts

This morning
my thought are wandering across the universe,
unfocused and distracted.

I am not sure what is going on this morning. I woke up and finally managed to roll out of bed; fortunately, I did not roll onto the floor because, with my osteoarthritis, I find it difficult to get off the floor once I get down there. All right that is enough of my weird humor  this morning I have to attempt to finish this entry this morning. A difficult job since my thoughts are unfocused and my mind wants to wander.

Sometimes writing helps
pull my wandering thoughts back
to today's activities.

What helps retrieve my wandering thoughts? Four things bring my thoughts back in focus. First, prayer because my mind focuses on the words I am saying. Second, chanting God's Most Great Name because I have to chant and while my finders are moving prayer beads along the string. Three, coffee because I can sit back and sip the coffee while my mind focuses on the exquisite and delicious aroma or taste. Fourth, writing because I have to focus on the words.

Waiting for coffee to brew
my eyes wander to the computer's clock:
Has it been an hour since I took my thyroid medication?

I have said my morning prayers. I have brewed a fresh carafe of coffee. I have composed this entry. I am ready to get my day going. When I take my next meditation or prayer break, I will intone God's Most Great Name. If I do not take several spiritual breaks through they day then my mind starts wandering again and I lose my focus of concentration.

One Word Wednesday: Prayer

Prayer is communion with God. It is supplication to the Divine Creator. Some people consider it s daily ritual, but I do not like to use the term ritual in relation to prayer. Ritual sounds like something that is practiced the same way each time, but prayer can be practiced in many different ways. Ritual sounds like something that is tiring and must be performed everyday at the same time, which is another reason I do not like using the term ritual in conjunction with prayer.

kneeling in prayer
a seeker beseeches God
for love's assistance

A person can kneel in prayer or can say a prayer standing up. An individual may whisper a prayer, say it aloud, or silently. Prayer is a daily practice, but it does not necessarily have to be performed at the same time each day. A dawn prayer can be said, read from a prayer book, or recited from memory between first light and one or two hours after sunrise. A morning prayer can be said anytime between dawn and noon. A noon prayer can be intoned aloud or said silently between noon close to sunset. An evening  prayer from sunset ot one or two hours after the sun goes down.

facing the east
the lover intones God's names
praise and gratitude

The type of prayer used is between the individual and God. The way a person prays is between the lover and the beloved. God is the beloved and the soul of the individual is the lover. Please note that this is my personal opinion on prayer; an opinion I have come to after both prayer and meditation.

At the beginning of a new week

At the beginning of a new week,
I say a prayer for teaching
and wonder who is out there searching
for the Eternal Beloved.

O Lord,
please bring into my life
someone who wants to know your new name,
someone who want to read the Versus of Glory,
someone who is longing to know of your Return.

At the beginning of a new week,
I listen for the voice of the nightengale
singing in the limbs of the tree of eternity.

Midweek Reflections on Prayer, Writing and Coffee

I intone a morning prayer before I put the coffee on to brew or sit down to write. As I listen to the coffee brew, I turn my computer on and wait for it to wake up. Once my computer is awake, I pour myself a cup of coffee, take a sip, and then sit down to write.

Morning is inspiring.
Prayer is inspiring.
Coffee is inspiring.

I do not always write about prayer, meditation, coffee, or computers. Sometimes I write a funny story or a sad poem, but my creative efforts always follow prayer and coffee (in that order). Is this a ritual? Is this a way to wake up my muse? Is this a habit? The answer to all three questions are yes because I cannot write without beginning my day with gratitude or a prayer asking forgiveness.

I have a favorite coffee that is the color of black silk and strong enough to carry my memories back to my grandfather who brewed "Cowboy Coffee". Sometimes I have a favorite prayer, which covers some difficulty I am facing. Sometimes I open my prayer book to a random  page and read the first prayer I lay eyes on. Life is to short to go without prayer, coffee, or writing.

Thankful Thursday: July 18, 2013

Today I give thanks for...

1. the taste of iced coffee on a warm summer morning
2. the scattered clouds floating across a beautiful blue sky
3. the sound of coffee brewing in the breakfast room
4. the slight breeze playing the a neighbor's olive tree
5. the peace of mind that comes after prayer
6. the deep shadows cast by the morning sun
7. the ice cube trays I use to freeze coffee ice cubes
8. the sound of a nightingale greeting the day
9. the way a poem feels when I read it aloud
10. the cool sensation a sip of iced coffee sends through my body

Five months into 2011

It is five months in to 2011 and I am not sure how things are going in my life. I still stress out over almost everything; however, I am not saying prayers when I stress and that helps dissipate the stress.

I did not get as much writing accomplished in April, as I wanted. I did not make a blog entry every day, which added to the stress. For me, the only actions that alleviate the stress are prayer and writing. When I pray or write I cannot worry when I focus my thoughts on positive actions. Therefore, the only way for me to keep from worrying is to write and pray.

I suspect there are other actions that will alleviate or refocus the stress and worry. I simply have to look for them. When I find a stress relieving action, I will make an entry in one of my blogs.

The last full month of winter

February is almost over. Today is the 28th, the last day of the month, which means winter is almost over. February is the last full month of winter. This February has been especially difficult for everyone across the county.

Parts of the country have experienced snowstorms, blizzards lasting days and weeks at a time. Other sections have experienced rain lasting for a week or more and mud slides. Canceled flights and stranded passengers stranded in one section of the country or another. In other countries, there have been earthquakes, snowstorms and other natural phenomenon.

January did not start out difficult, but it ended that way. February began difficult and remained difficult. The first two months of 2010, have been stressful for the entire planet. Tomorrow is the first day of March, the only thing we can be sure of in March is that the sun will cross the vernal equinox and spring begins.

We do not know what type of weather we will have in March because, all though we can predict the weather, we cannot control it. We cannot control any natural phenomenon whether it be weather, earthquake, or Tsunami. We can prepare for these phenomenon, but we cannot control them. The only thing that any human being can control is her or his reactions and emotions.

Humanity, even in this modern age, is at the mercy of the forces of nature and nature has no mercy. God is merciful. Human beings have the potential for mercy because we have a spirit, a soul, but nature simply follows natural laws put into play when the universe began. Therefore, let us say good-bye to February 2010 and pray for our fellow human beings.

Midweek reflections on writing

It's Wednesday, hump day, time to reflect on the past week and my writing efforts. I'm doing good when it comes to meeting my word count goal. Rain or shine, I'm writing every morning. This morning it's raining, a cold winter rain that sends chills up my spine.

Spring two months away
Cold fingers on the keyboard
Raining all morning

The rain is supposed to stop sometime today, I don't know when. I doubt that it stops before I have to leave the house. I'll drive in rain today because I have no choice, I have business I must transact today. Procrastination isn't an option this Wednesday, therefore, I will say a prayer of protection before I back out of my driveway.

Cold rain fall gently
My driveway full of puddles
Still the rain comes down

I would prefer to stay home and write. Since I have to get out in the rain, I'll take a journal with me and do more writing. I don't want to miss achieving my word count goal this close to the end of January.

Writing and prayer changes my mood

There are two things in my life that changes my mood when do them. One of them is writing and the other is prayer. Both of these activities changes my mood and brightens my outlook on life. Prayer and writing, in that order, gives me something to look forward to each day.

Lately, I've been extremely worried about my mother. She is 88 years old and needs a hearing aid. I'm not sure how I'm going to get a hearing aid for her, but I have to. Having a hearing aid would make her life easier and mine as well. Mom doesn't always hear what is being said. She gets frustrated when she can't hear properly.

I think we all get frustrated when we can't hear what is being said. Hearing is an important sense to a human being because it gives us information about our environment. When we can't hear what is going on around us, we get worried and upset; there are other emotions that come into play when we can't hear properly.

I have an appointment Friday, to have Mom fitted for a hearing aid and make a down payment. I think I'm going to have to cancel the appointment for the hearing aid. We need a new fridge as much as Mom needs a hearing aid. The refrigerator is still running, actually it's running all the time 24/7 and I think it's loosing cold air. It still freezes and it still keeps food cold, but I don't know for how long.

My gut feeling tells me I'm going to have to get a new fridge by the end of May. I hate making choices between necessities, but that's how things are in the world today. We have to make choices between necessities and somebody looses out. I'm on the verge of tears.

I'm not sure what to do at this point, except pray. I know prayer works miracles, I've seen it happen in my life and in the lives of others. Therefore, I will continue to pray and look for the answer to my prayers, sometimes we have to look for the answers because they aren't always obvious to us.

Happy Monday

All right, most people consider Monday a blue day rather then a happy day because it is usually the first day back to work after a weekend. However, for me today is a happy day and the only thing blue is the sky.

I have a good reason for being happy today. I decided this morning that I will continue to write poems. Last night I decided I would never write another poem again, I even wrote a poem about the decision. I called the poem (appropriately) My Last Poem, but that as last night.

In my 62 years on Earth, I have learned a few things and gained some wisdom. One of the things I have learned is Never Say Never because the minute you say it the universe focuses on you to change your mind. I have changed my mind, without too much prompting from anyone except my muse. I started the Sudoku poem this morning while I was praying and meditating. Obviously proclaiming to my muse through a poem that I would never write a poem again woke my muse up.

Waking my Muse up

Kamál (Perfection), 11 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – March 31, 2008 about 7:24 AM PDT

I wake my muse up with prayer
intoned in dawn's first light;
she must started the day with God
before she can help me write.

After my prayers are said
a hot cup of Columbia's dark brew
starts the verse flowing
and brings the next story into view.

Prayer and coffee in the morning
begins the day just right
as the rest of the day goes well
when I recite prayers in the day's first light.

Year of the Poem

Fidál (Grace), 5 Baha (Splendor), 165 B.E. – Tuesday, March 25, 2008 about 2:50 PM PDT

I am five days into a new year. I celebrated a New Year on March 21 and begin writing a poem every day. I have always wanted to write a poem every day for a year. I have written a lot of poem since I began writing poetry several years ago, but I have not actually written a poem every day for one year.

In the past I have gone several days and months without writing a poem. I have started this project twice before, but did not succeed in writing a poem every day. I analyzed where I failed and come to two conclusions. First, I did not pray every day for the success of the project. Second, I did not begin the Year of the Poem at the proper place.

Before this year I began writing either on January 1 or midpoint between January 1 and March 21. This year I begin writing on Naw-Ruz. In fact, I begin writing poems at the Naw-Ruz celebration on the evening of March 20. I am looking forward to completing a chapbook of poems containing 365 poems bay March 21, 2009.

The document I am putting my poetic efforts in is called the Year of the Poem 165 B.E. In that document I am putting an individual not about each poem. I pray for the success of that project and other projects I am working on.

Time to Recharge my Spiritual Batteries

Jamál (Beauty), 1 ‘Alá (Loftiness), 164 B.E. – Sunday, March 2, 2008 about 7:38 AM PST

It is time to recharge my spiritual batteries. Today, March 2, the first day of ‘Alá the nineteen-day Fast begins. It is a time of abstaining from food and drink between sunup and sundown. Fasting is an ancient custom practiced in many religions. The physical fast is symbolic of the spiritual fast, which is to abstain from anything that draws the individual away from God.

Fasting is a time of prayer, meditation and reflection. ‘Alá ends the year, on March 21 a New Year begins. During ‘Alá I will look at the past year and the things, which have drawn me away from God. 164 B.E. was very stressful, so I will look at the reason for this and find ways to make 165 B.E. less stressful. I will look at the things which have drawn me away from God and find ways to make the reconnection.

One thing I am going to do before March 21 is complete rewriting my personal mission statement. This will help me focus on what is necessary for the coming year. Included in my mission statement are spiritual, material and physical goals. The reason for this is that I am a dual natured creature; I have both a spirit and a body so my mission statement must cover every aspect of my life. If the mission statement does not cover these aspects, it is not complete.

A Rainy Morning

Jamal (Beauty), 9 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 27, 2008 about 3:20 PM PST

There is something spiritual about a rainy morning. You wake up, look out the window, and see water laying on the ground. Rain refreshes the world, in a similar way prayer refreshes the soul. Prayer waters the garden of the spirit just as rainwater nature's garden.

After a shower the city seems clean, the dust of the day before washed away. The sky looks bright even when there are clouds. After prayer, the human spirit is clean of previous worries and fears. The spirit is joyous, happy and can see beauty in the world around it. The city refreshed for the rest of the day after a morning rain just as the soul remains joyous after prayers.

It's Sunday Evening

Kamal (Perfection), 3 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 20, 2008 about 6:45 PM PST

It's Sunday evening in late winter and I'm remembering my childhood. Specifically my Grandfather Newland. Sunday was a special time for my grandparents, it meant a big Sunday dinner with two kinds of vegetables and pie baked by my Grandmother. All the grandchildren were there for lunch and Grandpa said grace.

My Grandfather never recited a specific memorized prayer, he just spoke from his heart. The prayer was short and to the point. That's what I always liked about his prayers. He would thank God for the food and having family there. He would ask a blessing from God for everyone and then he would say Amen.

It's Sunday evening
in late winter and I'm remembering
my childhood.

My Grandfather's prayers
were spiritual and comforting
blessing to the family
waiting to eat the meal
my Grandmother prepared.

An Experiment in Prayer

Kamal (Perfection), 8 Sharaf (Honor) 164 B.E. - Sunday, January 6, 2008 about 8:21 PM PST

This is the first in a series of Spiritual Sunday essays. I am writing these essays from personal experiences taken from the 61 years of my life. I turned 61 on December 24, 2007.

I read an article once about a man who tried an experiment with prayer. He would say prayers for a while and then he would stop praying. When he stopped praying his life situation got worse. At the time I read the article, I thought that it was an interesting experiment, but not one I intended to attempt.

I have always believed in prayer so trying an experiment like that did not appeal to me. My own experiment in prayer began inadvertently. My prayer life had gotten to the point where I just said the prayers. I did not focus on the prayers I said or the way they made me feel during and afterwards.

When my mother went into the hospital last year, I began focusing on the prayers. I focused on one prayer in particular. That was the Long Healing Prayer revealed by Baha'u'llah. When I read that prayer, for my mother, I focused on the words and on the spiritual feeling that accompanied them. The lesson I learned was to focus on the prayer, even if I know the prayer by heart I still need to focus on it.

The Arctic Express

16 Qawl 164 B.E. - Friday, December 7, 2007 about 7:28 PM PST

The arctic express went through my neighborhood today. The wind bent some of the trees almost double and kicked the electricity off for an hour or two. The wind is still blowing, but not as bad as earlier in the day.

I'm a bit chilly, but that could be because I'm drinking ice water. I drink ice water winter and summer. I like my water as cold as it can possibly get without freezing. I know there is a title to a poem or story in both of these items, I'm just not sure yet how to go about it.

The Arctic Express sounds like a good title for a short story or piece of flash fiction. I've written a lot of flash fiction lately. There is a Daily Flash Fiction Challenge on writing.com I've managed to enter several day in a row this month. I believe I've missed only one day entering it. Each day a different prompt is posted and you write a story in conjunction with the prompt. The day I missed posting to the challenge, I wrote the story. I just finished it too late to enter it.

Ice Water on a Cold Day would make a good title to a poem. Growing up, my grandmother always gave us water with ice in it winter or summer. I think she did this because all our drinking water came from the kitchen faucet and the ice cubes made it taste better.

Another good title for a poem is Saying Grace, this was how my grandparents referred to the blessing said at meal time. Most of the time my grandfather said grace, but sometimes my grandmother would say the prayer. Grandma usually said grace with grandpa was working and wouldn't be home for lunch.

Wednesday, Midweek Reflections

14 Qawl 164 B.E. - Wednesday, December 5, 2007 about 5:51 PM PST

Wednesday is midweek reflections day on the yahoo journal writing group I'm a member of. The exercise is to sit down and write in your journal about what happened so far this week. I like this exercise because it allows me to look back at the three proceeding days and find lessons learned. I begin each paragraph in the exercise with "So Far this week..."

So far this week I've learned never to question that God answers prayers. Sometimes those answers come in a miraculous way, but most of the time they occur through ordinary happenings. Never question that prayers receive answers because when you do you prevent yourself from seeing the answer.

So far this week I've realized that I can't do everything. When I have to do more then normal the idea is to do what can be done in a day and finish the rest the following day. Everything eventually gets, done and if it don't, what will the effect be in say 10,000 years.

So far this week I've learned to let go and let God. One of those irritating sayings that everyone gives you at sometime. Even if they don't use those words we know the paraphrase for those words and hear the phrase in our minds rather than the words said.

I Always Enjoyed Thanksgiving

17 Qudrat 164 B.E. - Monday, November 19 about 6:32 PM PST

I always enjoyed thanksgiving as a child. We eat the Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Newland's. Grandma loved to cook, she made the best pumpkin pie I've ever tasted. In fact the only pumpkin pie I've ever tasted that comes close to being as good is Marie Calendar's. It's a little late to order a pie from there for Thanksgiving, maybe for Christmas or New Years. Not that I celebrate either one, but a pumpkin pie would be nice.

I remember Grandma started baking several days before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day she put the turkey in the oven when she got up and dressed. After the turkey, then she made us breakfast which usually consisted in cereal and milk. The rest of the day she spent making the rest of the meal. Thanksgiving was always a big event for Grandma.

The Menu

1. Turkey
2. Mashed potatoes and gravy
3. Sweet potatoes with marshmallows
4. Creamed corn
5. Green beans
6. Rolls and butter
7. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream
8. Apple pie with ice cream
9. Iced tea for the kids
10. Coffee for the adults

There is a reason I'm reliving Thanksgiving memories, there is a Thanksgiving contest on writing.com. I can enter either a story or a poem, but it has to do with giving thanks. I'm going to write something about the dinners my Grandmother used to make. Grandpa always said a prayer before the meal started. Grandpa Newland was good at composing prayers before mealtime. Grandpa's prayers were never too long or too short. Maybe I'll write a prayer in tribute to my Grandfather or Grandmother.