Friends,

Greetings of the season to all of you, no matter what (or maybe not) you celebrate this time of year.

After speaking with a gorgeous blond female professor of philosophy last night at a Christmas open-house, today i’m reflecting upon the interesting juxtaposition of our thoughts, we two merry women who love the world. She, a professor of the study of thoughtful reflection handed down throughout the ages; and me, a non-thought-aligned meditator, lover of yoga, devotee of instinctual rapport with Nature. Both our interests, so varied, yet both certainly including the fate and fated actions taken by our fellow man. My friend’s area of interest lies in how philosophical academics influence global, environmental safeguards, or the lack of such needed action. My interest, as a lifelong artist-writer-yogini, is to inspire compassion through the expressive arts to help my fellow man awaken to higher consciousness. Both of us amicably allowed each other’s beliefs to be expressed and recognized without prejudice or restraint. Yet you couldn’t ask for two more different ways of perceiving a world-view than ours.

Life/Art/Ideas -- it's magic!

My friend easily skated from one philosopher’s name and his (mostly male) ideology to the next, neatly tying them to the evolutionary forces at work in human society. She quickly breezed from Ancient Times throughout the Age of Enlightenment, right on through Existentialism and Nihilism, laughing and swigging on her Bud-Lite as we spoke, eager to be off on a long auto excursion with her boyfriend right after the holiday festivities. When it came my turn to share my interests, this is a paraphrase of what i said to her.

“Long ago I used to be fascinated with philosophy. Indeed I, too, delighted in studying how humankind came to view the world through various methods of thought. Concepts and modes of figuring things out, everything from household issues to matters of state-run governments, that our forebears worked out and set down for us to study. The road that led from our cave man’s animal roots to modern society’s sophisticated worldliness today–used to fascinate me. But … not anymore.”

“Oh,” she said. “So what does fascinate you?” And since she asked I obliged.

“I strive to live more from my heart than from my head,” I said. “And to me that means not getting into all the many varieties of discourse that people have set forth through all the ages, all this head-stuff — philosophy. I’m a meditator,” I told her unguardedly, “and have found that I’m happier when I live without thinking too much about the whys and wherefores about it all.”

“Ahh,” she said, “but aren’t all the methods of getting to the place the meditation teachers talk about varied also? And each of them offer all sorts of ways to achieve the same result … non-thought.”

I laughed at her analogy. “You have a point,” I concurred. “However, I do believe that the really great teachers, the ones I’ve studied at least, do not bother too much with explanations about how to live from the heart instead of just the head. They simply urge us, their students, to practice meditation and start living from our heart-felt experiences. We learn to shut off the mind because it loves to play tricks with us and ruin our birthright of true bliss. Which, by the way, is within every single one of us and we can find it without thinking, if we wish.”

She asked a few more questions and then her eyes glazed over, obviously not interested in the idea that a person such as myself could find, and nurture, real happiness from just turning off the thinking process. At least about such a thing as how to be happy. And it’s true, dear friends, i have found absolute contentment after practicing meditation all these years — not from outside sources such as career achievements, important status or even how many friends I have on Facebook, or followers on Twitter. I count the peacefulness in my mind from doing all the work with my heart. Learning to let go, that is. Letting go of “trying to figure it all out.”

we are ONE

When I go within and ever so slowly unwind from the busy-ness of life, I enter that space, that realm … wherein everything is connected, and we are One with All. There is nothing to figure out. There is no problem that can not be remedied by quieting the mind. Inevitably, if there is a challenge in life an inspired solution POPS up in my mind, like a billboard along a highway suddenly, unexpectedly appears out in the countryside, where you least expect it.

and when there is no challenge going on in life, meditation is like the most delicious tasting fruit, the most sublime sensation felt in every cell of my being.

Try it!

If you don’t know how to meditate, please visit this site and order the Meditation Instructions. This is the best guided meditation information available. Naturally, it is offered by my beloved teacher and this is my holiday present to YOU! Trust me, meditation is the best thing you can give yourself, give your family, and give the entire world. Lordflea loves you and wouldn’t give you a bum steer.

More to share on this topic but now my body temple is calling, and i’m ready to sprint on my bike and enter our HOT yoga place where my consort Carter and I will celebrate Christmas Eve by doing a full blown hatha yoga routine.

All love, kindness, comfort and compassion to each and everyone of you!

your pal Lordflea

big strong Christmas Angel--just for you!