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Today's Walk 2-20-2020
Photos are from today’s walk - February 20, 2020
Soul Without Shame
I’m reading a book called "Soul Without Shame"
by Byron Brown. The chapter that I read this morning before I went on my walk had to do with joy. The author makes the point that our internal judge shuts down joy. Brown uses the example of children and how they are so lighthearted and full of joy especially when they play and are being creative.
He makes the point that the judge didn’t talk to us in the same way when we were younger as it does as we get older. Joy is spontaneous when we are lighthearted and unencumbered by the voice of our judge. What can I say, but good point.
Don't engage
As I’ve been reading the book I have become more aware of the voice of my judge and I have been practicing the tools that the author provides and it has been very helpful. One of the main things that has been helpful has been to just not ENGAGE with the judge when I become aware of it.
Three mindful steps to silence the judge
Encouraged by Brown I have have been practicing a mindfulness process which I think opens the door for more peace and lightheartedness. Here it is:
1_ Pause and be still. This helps to silence the judge/critic
2_ Bring awareness to my heart to get out of my head
3_ Be open to love and even intentionally become aware of love. This helps to silence the voice that says “I’m not worthy.“
This
While I was reading this morning it got me in the mindset of thinking about
“this,” the practice of presence and awareness that leads to joy and delight. As I’ve mentioned before I had what felt like a major breakthrough with
Marie Howe's poem “The Gate“ a couple years ago. I heard Marie Howe read her poem on the
OnBeing podcast and I decided to turn the awareness of “this“ into a practice too and I immediately found that it brought me a sense of delight and gratitude.
As I walked this morning and moved in and out of awareness I used the word “this“ almost as a sacred word like you would in the practice of
centering prayer.
I'm glad to say I experienced joy and gratitude and it only seemed to build and be more spontaneous the longer I walked this morning.
Free to feel your feelings of joy and gratitude
Another intention that I’ve had lately has been to allow myself to feel my feelings and it crossed my mind that it would be helpful to allow and permit myself to simply be with and feel joy and gratitude without any expectation of a result.
Funny, not funny
Funny enough, I was also aware that the judge and it’s various voices wanted to have their say. They said things like "this is silly," "sharing this won’t help others," and "others aren’t going to get it, or be interested." And so to the judge I just say “shut up!” (I say this with compassion of course :) You’re keeping me and others from experiencing our true selves and the lightheartedness, joy, and gratitude that goes with it.
Take good care,
~Rod
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The meditation I created is called Experiencing Oneness in a Divided World. In it, we explore a deep and comforting truth: that everything is connected.
As I venture out this morning, I'm thinking about the Mary Oliver poem, wild Geese, where she says, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
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