Author: Ann-Marie

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I Did It! I Met the Deadline!

Or did “I”?

Mac brainstormed another way to hold and apply the brush.
Lydia advised which type of canvas was best and why.
Brittany gave me protected space.
T-Bird showed me the Aisle of Iridescence.
David reminded me to unplug. Totally.
Dr. Sam aka Simmone coached me to get to the other side.
Catherine rephotographed at the last minute to meet the 7″ x 7″, 300 dpi requirements.
Zana was my listening ear when the gremlins needed to be put onto the back parking lot.

“I” didn’t do it. It was the Strong Mountain Mandala that did it.

“I” was just fortunate to be at the center of the mandala this time around.

Ann-Marie McKelvey, The Simplicity of Zen, acrylic on canvas, 2019.
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Yes, Meditating and Mindfulness Practices Are Simple!

The hard part is doing it. 

What will it take for you to sit on your cushion? Or take a moment in your parked car? Or rest deeply on a log or walk mindfully? 

What will it take for you to steep yourself in awareness?
~Less stress?
~Healthier immune system?
~Lower blood pressure?
~Peace of mind?
~Increased attention span?
~Improved sleep and memory?

What will it take for you to be your oldest and dearest friend?

Helen Frankenthaler, Robinson’s Wrap, 1974, acrylic on canvas. Image in the public domain.
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Presenting Your Whole Self to the Now of 2019

  • Closing your eyes, breathe out all that is not needed. 
  • Inhale all that is needed.
  • Breathe out all that is no longer required
  • Inhale all that is needed.
  • Breathe out all that is outdated
  • Inhale all that is needed.
  • Breathe out all that no longer serves
  • Inhale all that is needed.
  • Repeat.

Reveal yourself to yourself. The self that is you…not the programming of your culture, your parents, your brother or sister.  Reveal yourself to yourself.  Look in the mirror of your mind.

Sink in.

What does your true face reveal?

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New ideas are priceless

New ideas are priceless and fragile at the same time.  They must be handled with care or they will implode, never to be seen again.  Who we share new ideas with is important during the initial stages. 

Hold your idea close to your chest.  Let it take form and then reconfigure itself.  Give it permission to arise out of the ashes, the swamps, the fresh waters, the blue skies of your imagination.

Frank J. Mace (American), Wool Flowers Under Glass, c. 1935, watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Image in the public domain.

Ideas are alive.  The lifespan of an idea has to do with your willingness to explore, create and manifest it. 

As ideas accumulate, some are crossed off the list while others build momentum. Every idea is important as they are stepping stones to the ones that will live on to flourish.

Just like inner thoughts, ideas are impermanent. They come and go!

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Weathering the storms

Our daily practice helps us to weather the storms of life.  While sitting on our cushion, wisdom arises both somatically and psychologically. It is a continual surprise what our inner and outer life magnetizes to us.

Utagawa Hiroshige II (Japanese), Hirokoji Boulevard, Shitaya. Dated 1862, 3rd month. Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper. Image in the public domain.

What are you magnetizing this holiday season?

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Yes

Solstice arrives December 21st. It is the shortest day of the year. Until then, each night the darkness lasts longer. There is more time for potent dreams. More time for pacing yourself. More time on the cushion. It is a time of candles reminding us of the Light.

It is a time to give yourself a permission slip to say no. No to more parties, celebrations, food, drink. By saying no, you give yourself the gift to say “Yes!”

Yes to life. Yes to your evolvement. Yes to what is. Prayers of yes.

Prayer consists of only one single word. That is the meaning of amen: it means yes. 

If you have said yes with your total heart, you have said all that can be said. If you can say yes with your total heart, you are in celebration. If you can say yes to existence, you have arrived.

Get deeper and deeper into yes. Say yes to each and every thing. Say yes to good and bad, to day and night, to summer and winter. Say yes to success and to failure. Say yes to life and death. Forget everything else; just remember one word: yes, and it can transform your whole being, it can become a radical change, a revolution.

Yes is all that is meant by prayer. People pray with so many words—meaningless; just one word in enough. Yes.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho)

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So Don’t Eat the Mushrooms…!

“Don’t like the mushrooms?” the Mom asked her son.  “Try taking them off the pizza before eating.”

Yes, it can be that easy.  Extract the ego differences to see, to love, to feel deeply, and to trust.  Extract the identities and breathe into the innate nature of the person in front of you. 

Breathe into the spark of life that is not two.