Spring Flowers, Peepers & Walking Meditation

Greetings ~ new signs of Spring this week... daffodils lived through our first "winter snow" and those little spring peepers began to sing!

Many thoughts this week on purpose and its form, on relationships and health, on mortality and the Divine. In the last ten days, three (!)  friends lost their moms, another gained a grandson, new war headlines raged from Syria, and our bookclub explored the ravages of fracking on water supplies, health, and farmland in Pennsylvania.... Life can be such a delicate balance between working, coping, and dropping $4/gallon for gas vs. having compassion for friends and countries in greater debt or crisis..... Often, mere walking centers and calms these whirling thoughts for me ~~~~~~~

There's this sweet little book called The Long Road Turns To Joy - A Guide To Walking Meditation, by Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Today I offer you some of his words, to consider, even if it's only in walking inside from a parking lot....then a mandala website to offer some visually centering Spring for your soul ~

"When you begin to practice walking meditation, you might feel unbalanced, like a baby learning to walk. Follow your breathing, dwell mindfully on your steps, and soon you will find your balance. Visualize a tiger walking slowly, and you will find that your steps become as majestic as his.......
... You don't need to join your palms together or wear a solemn face to practice walking meditation. If possible, choose a quiet path in a park, near a lake, or along a riverbank. The best practice is formless. Don't walk so slowly that people think you are strange. (Good advice for us Westerners!) Walk in a way that others do not even notice that you are practicing. If you meet someone along the way, just smile and continue your walking."


And, exquisite flower mandalas for sitting meditation: 
http://ngartsite.com/galleries/mandala/index.htm#img/1.png


NAMASTE', Karen

Re-Centering on a cold winter day

"There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." Edith Wharton

Love that quote! Have been spending some extra time reflecting lately on life purpose, how the work we do in JuVe often brightens those kids' lives, and how to respond to some of the pain and challenges in the world at this time, especially in the lives of some close friends.... the quick snow gave me an extra day off to ponder some special sites to share here. May they reflect some sources of new light into your world ~