Be the Light
The truth is always deep beneath the surface level of the words. It is the silent, peaceful knowing that is infectious. This feeling of peace is beyond measure, beyond reason and certainly beyond words. Many years ago the communication scholar, Marshall McLuhan, famously coined the phrase “the medium is the message.” In other words, McLuhan understood “medium” in the broadest sense. He used the example of the light bulb to describe his theory. A light bulb does not have content in the way that a newspaper has articles or a television has programs, yet it is a medium that has a profound effect on the environment. A light bulb creates an environment by its mere presence. Similar to the light bulb, the life of every individual in their every thought,…
The Glass Castle
February 2017 Book of the Month Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn’t stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an “excitement addict.” Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever. Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life…
Guided Meditation
Rather than offer a book club pick this month, we thought we’d suggest students check out a new website: www.bigwavesstrongboat.com. Social worker and TTSM friend, Mary Waldon, has put together an outstanding resource for individuals looking for a “taste” of meditation. One of the quandaries of integrating meditation into daily routine is finding the time to sit. This collection of guided meditation allows for an active mindful practice. And, seriously, why not use your shower time to develop mindful awareness? Besides it’s FREE, it’s ONLINE, it’s FRIENDLY and EASY to use. Honestly, Mary may have eradicated all valid excuses for putting off the exploration of self. Enjoy!
Greatest Strength is Love, Strongest Power is Magic
It’s interesting how the world works, isn’t it? When I was younger, I remember being mesmerized by magicians. Trying to figure out how I was being fooled right before my eyes was a game to me. I wanted to master this art of “tricking” people. Magic felt make-believe. Now that I am older, I realize magic does not only lay in the hands of a magician but also in the perspective you chose to identify with. The soft breeze in the air outside that makes the branches dance, the old man laughing at the comics in the newspaper alone in the diner, the happiness that fills the air with the sound of children’s laughter are all emotions that we as humans resonate with. Magic is real. Magic is simply your fears…
Our Movie is LIVE
We’re thrilled to announce that the Tuning the Student Mind movie is now available for free online. Click here to view the 27 minute movie as well as our 13 minute deleted scenes. Enjoy!
Meditation Puppy
Molly brought her new puppy to group meditation with the 7th graders at The Boggs School. Gotta admit, he was a bit of a distraction from meditating but Louie sure knows how to spread the love!
Sacred Contracts
January 2017 Book of the Month New York Times bestselling author and medical intuitive Caroline Myss has found that when people don’t understand their purpose in life the result can be depression, anxiety, fatigue, and eventually physical illness—in short, a spiritual malaise of epidemic proportions. Myss’s experience of working with people led her to develop an insightful and ingenious process for deciphering your own Sacred Contract—or higher purpose—using a new theory of archetypes that builds on the works of Jung, Plato, and many other contemporary thinkers. Read More
On Love
I have a beautiful garden in my backyard. The woman who helped me plan it made it clear that we needed to have a diversity of flowers in the bed. We laughed a lot during the planning – you see, I happen to really love lilies and other July blooming flowers. Debra reminded me that I wanted a garden that flowered throughout the year. And, she was right. In the spring, I have tulips and daffodils, in the summer I enjoy my lilies, in the fall I have mums and in the winter berries. Love is born out of allurement – a gravitational pull toward something. This allurement or attraction is related good smells, a soft touch, a pleasing image, a shared laugh. Love is born out of this…
Does Constant Interaction Add to Stress?
A meditation on interaction that needs to be watched over and over again to capture its rich, resonant beauty. Produced by Aj Jackson & Narrated by Molly Beauregard
Sit, Meditate, Vote
I have been seeing quite a few posts about meditating for peace lately. Several of them encourage meditating this weekend with the hopes of influencing a positive outcome for our national elections. Frankly, I think it is a good idea. Neurology has confirmed that the individual human brain is actually hard wired to influence other people within our social circle. In fact, there is a body of scientific evidence that personal thoughts have an infectious nature. Karl Mannheim, the father of the sociology of knowledge, wrote about his sense of this phenomenon in his famous book, Ideology and Utopia. It was his belief that the social emergence of collective thoughts are a reproduction of feelings, understandings and perceptions of individuals living together in society. The ultimate chicken and egg…