Thoughts

This week I was delighted to hear the Vedic Worldview on
the differences between Envy and Jealousy
from my ultimate Guru,Thom Knoles.
With a broader discussion with my teachers
Melanie and Neil Kirkbride last night
that brings me to this post today.  
(I would be remiss if I didn’t share this weaving
commissioned awhile back by Ken Cohen…
on his birthday week! HB Ken and Thanks.) 

We have all felt the heightened state of watching
someone having an experience that inspires us.  
An enviable position that was self created.
I felt it this week at “Lunch at a Landmark” as I watched
with pure joy Shigeru Ban being honored and speak of his work. 

I pondered as I started my trek homeward
how wonderful his mission in helping aid so many people in crisis
by creating housing for them around the world In times of disaster.
It felt wonderful to be in his presence in this enviable state.
Not to mention, seeing his numerous masterpieces.
I believe that Nature organizes for those that help others.
He is a case in point. 

We can’t speak about envy without discussing
the anti evolutionary, consuming state of low
self worth called Jealousy.
Jealousy arises when one wants to have unity
with someone or thing and cause the other not to have it.
To have something that others have.
If you have waves of this….stop before it takes over.
As it is self fulfilling and causes others not to be around you.
Jealousy is considered a comfort tactic not a strategy for growth.
Melanie and Neil stated that as
we get older our most important mission is 
to continue on a spiritual path of learning,
growing and helping others.
And Thom stated that these moments are all opportunities
to share our practice.  
In becoming more and more conscious of our deeper
states of awareness.  

Step aside states of Jealousy.
Weave / Build / Create– Be sustainable! Be Green.

Reach out if you care to discuss this
and how Vedic Meditation aids
in all that we do to evolve and grow.  

9.29.2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com

A year and a half ago during a Luum design charrette, we were
pondering what the need of the time would be for September 2024.  
I discussed with the team that these are the months leading up
to election day and the collective will be kinetic.

You could see it back then. Election time, democracy divided,
war in Russia. Strong divisions.  The best way I thought to handle
this kinetic energy is to match it with energetic patterns,
bright use of color and optimism.
AI was being discussed in a big way,
so that had to be adopted to the collection by us of
pixelation and collage. 

Where attention goes energy flows was our theme for 2024.

Our discussions revolve around the collective
consciousness of the universe. 
We as individuals are filled with energy, mostly in constant movement.
Our minds are the same.  Flickering from one thought
to the next, cascading on the currents of life.
Tapping into what to do, why is this happening?
what to eat? why would they vote that way? who is that person?
do I have enough time? why do I feel this way?
what to say at this meeting?  On and on is our questioning.  
Our questions are not who we are.

Meditation allows us to see that these thoughts
as they bubble up and to “let them go”.
The thought is meaningless in our Mantra based practice.
What happens after that, is that we start 
recognizing in our active state outside of meditation,
what we truly want to do for every moment.  
Each meditation cleans the slate of the unnecessary
60,000-80,000 thoughts we have everyday.
And opens up the door to our true Dharma.  

We recognize we aren’t a single individual wave,
in the ocean, we are the ocean.  
We are not these individual thoughts we are a being.  
Searching and then therefore recognizing
what is the best use of our time.  
In service to the collective.

Welcome, Kinetic Energy Collection.
It’s upbeat, happy, sustainable, energetic,
supple, performance driven and colorful.
Definitely the need of the time.  
Special Collage discussion.

9.22.2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com

In recent weeks, Its becoming quite evident that I was expected
to create something with my free time.  
This is called social indoctrination.
In early age we are given ideas and attitudes about what we
should be doing and the mold is set.  

These first two weeks of September I am noticing
art projects that I made as a child. 
This string art piece was from the late sixties.
 My father would go to Chicago each Tuesday to see his therapist.
 It was a two hour train ride from the town I grew up.
As he would stop at a Chicago Deli and
bring home all kinds of delightful foods, then go to Old town
to his favorite bookstore for books on Asian philosophy,
and then the art store to find the latest kits for me 🙂
I loved it. Little did I know that that was the start
of the habit that formed me.  

Pantanjali wrote about the Sutras, a word in Sanskrit
that means sutures or stitches.  
From string to twine to cord to rope it’s the habits,
the addictions that binds us. 
Like the string art, each strand, each layer
each time we do a repetitive behavior
it binds us to this behavior.  
Some habits are better than others. There are eating,
drinking, working, sexting, now phone addictions.  
 Addiction switching is inevitable unless we are aware of it.
This is where we resolve a problematic behavior
and re-route the same behavior towards
other areas of our lives. Same pattern, different fixation.
 This does not address the feelings driving the
addictive behavior.  
This requires a lot of awareness, self-honesty
and accountability. 
If we want to create habits pick good ones.
 Meditation twice a day helps us to realize
the strings that bind us. 
Pantajali says with each practice we clip a strand
until we are free from the binding effects of addiction. 

Take a tip from my pops. Read a book, Do art.
See a therapist if you are struggling,
Meditate and join our group. 
Thanks Meg Reynolds for your insights

9. 15. 2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com

In grade school we were given an assignment
to sculpt a person or object out of clay.
At the time, I was struggling with
navigating my mom.  A strong force of nature,
a stay home mother that was so filled with creativity
and energy she felt stuck.
And as a daughter, I could feel something uneasy
but did not know what.
She designed sets for the local community theater at night.
Cooked for the food fair and
was active in the art community we lived …
but that did not fulfill her.  

There are so many people in our communities
that are not fulfilled in the lives that they are living.
That are afraid to make the move to something new
and something different.
They stay in their lane frustrated. 
It takes strength and stability to make a move.
First one needs to tap into their inner silence
to understand all possibilities are out there
to live a dynamic life.  
The best way to find it is stilling our inner state.
Once we are still we can then take action
in the direction of progressive change.  
An action towards grace. That’s the beauty
of our daily meditation practice.  It allows us the stillness
to sense the directions of our desire. And evolution.

Back to grade school..
I picked Lucy from the comic strip Peanuts. 
I connected with her.
She was bossy and opinionated.
She bullied Linus and Charlie Brown.  
My hidden secret was that Lucy and my mother
seemed to be the same character.
Most of my friends’ moms were kind and
not as openly verbose.
I have lived with this sculpture of my mom
since grade school and as each year passes
I am thankful for that screaming
tenacity. An exemplar of a woman that wanted more.
.
 Her “being” made it clear that I needed to follow
the charm presented to me and not stay in my lane.
To move in the direction of creation for work,
for myself and service for others.  
My mom, like all of us evolve with three evolutionary forces
Creation, Maintenance and Destruction
and they are there as our teachers to
provide guidance. 
Let’s tap into yours.

9.08.2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com

Don’t Yuck my Yum. A few months ago, a dear friend and architect
Michael P Johnson sent me a gift.  
He was clearing out things from his home in AZ and sent a
handwoven vest from the 60’s with huge bundles of wool and hair.
A tactile connection. I was touched and immediately put it on.
I sat with it, pondering what to do and
discounting all the fun loving comments by friends,
“not sure you should wear that in public.”
 I thought. Ok they have a point.

This week a new phrase came into my life..
 a phrase that has been around for quite awhile but new to me. 
Don’t Yuck my Yum. 
In reading the The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali,
the eight limbs of yoga lead me to the concept of Yama.
Yama (in paraphrasing) is the abstention of harming others.
 We are to live so that no harm or pain is caused
by our thoughts, words or deeds to any other being.
 In a positive sense, this means
that we must cultivate love for all
and try to see that love within everybody.
Our words and thoughts must
be truthful and not causing harm to ourselves and to others.  
In teaching the 4 day course this week,
there is a common concept in beginners thinking:
 ‘all my thoughts get in the way
and I can’t get a restful deep meditation,
especially in the morning’.
In all actuality, this is untrue.
 A thought filled meditation is
a good thing happening,
as we are essentially ridding ourselves of stress.
 As we deepen into the least excited state,
thoughts arrive and we simply let them go.
Releasing stress with each thought.

In a way, the critical thinking
we do to ourselves each and everyday
IS Yucking our own Yums.
 Turning a positive yummy practice
into something negative. 

This leads me to the vest.
I released all notions of what it was
 I contacted my favorite cut and sew company
and turned this textile into pillows.  
When Michael saw them he muttered
 “I knew you would come up with something” . 
Loving Life.  Letting go.

9.01.2024 Deck Talk available upon request info@fifthfloormeditation.com