Fabulous & Free: The Magic of Completion [with Video]

“One of the most useful things I can say to you for living in this world is if you want to have greater health and more energy, move things toward completion.”

— John-Roger, PAL&G Founder

Yes, I’m fabulous! And I feel freeeeee! How often do you catch yourself saying that? Even if affirmations are your strength, I mean, really, who doesn’t want more fabulousness and freedom in their lives? One of the magic keys, according to author and consultant, Martha Ringer is completion. In fact, she’s written a whole book about completing: Complete.Done.Finished. The joy of doing, the freedom when done.

Here at Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens (PAL&G) Tuesday, Oct 17, Martha Ringer and Heartfelt Foundation Director, Skyler Patton explored Reclaiming Your Energy – The Magic of Completion. Just in case you missed the event, here are a few gems from the dynamic duo:

Freedom and Completion are a Tight Couple:

• Unburden yourself of tasks that are not in your wheelhouse.
• Cross off crocheting that doily for your elderly aunt. Buy one and call it complete!

Listen Deeply:

• Remember to breathe – consciously. And listen deeply.
• Where do I go next? Seems like a simple question. In reality, many of us go to overwhelm instead of action.

Break Down Your To-Dos into Mini Tasks:

• Instead of doing a dance of dizzy confusion, break down your to-dos into mini tasks.
• Promise yourself (and/or a pal) to do the small action by a certain date and time.
• Focus on the task until done. Just do it!

Keep the agreement. This is soooooo key to freedom, trusting yourself and owning your fabulousness.

Tip - An Easy But Oh, So Revealing Exercise:

1. Write down all the incompletes in your life. Including childhood dreams, bucket list items and doing the laundry.
2. Once you’ve got your mountain of musts and maybes on your mobile or notepad; circle the most important one. Which one calls to you?
3. Well, done! Now identify a mini-step that you can complete right now.
4. Take your mini-step!
5. Next, acknowledge yourself. Celebrate!!!

Key - Acknowledgment and Appreciation:

Major keys to continue charging ahead with your to-dos are acknowledgment and appreciation. Martha revealed her sophisticated method at the event. Jumping up and down, she shouted, “Yes, I’m fabulous!” She added, “The executives I work with always look at me funny but it works.”

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Learn more Practical Tools for Everyday Spirituality at our upcoming events at Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens.

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Labyrinth Featured in L.A. Times Article, Oct. 25, 2017

PAL&G does it's part to help the South L.A. Community

The labyrinth at Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens (PAL&G) was pictured on front page of the Los Angeles Times, October 25, as part of an article about the impact of changing jet patterns in South Los Angeles. PAL&G attended community meetings on the matter and was interviewed by the Times. 

The Journey of Dey Young’s Madame Butterfly Sculpture [with Video]

If you’ve walked the labyrinth here at Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens in the last few months, you’ve been in the presence of "Madame Butterfly," a figurative sculpture that was recently donated by sculptor, Dey Young. This piece feels right at home in the gardens of the Guasti Villa (the former name of this mansion) whose architecture was inspired by Renaissance Italy and that once had a sculpture garden of its own.

Just as the marble in this mansion was imported from Italy, so was the stone for Madame Butterfly, which comes from Pietrasanta, which translates to sacred stone. It is Carrara Marble, the same marble that Michelangelo used when carving his most famous sculptures: the David & the Pietá.

Dey Young works within the line of sculptors who has sought the angel in the marble and carved to set it free.

The discovery of Madame Butterfly began in California when Dey created a maquette of the sculpture to practice her theme. She captured the female form in movement, resting between figuration and abstraction. A crescent moon, full hips and breasts, flowing draperies.

Next Dey traveled to Italy in search of the perfect block of statuary marble, the one from which Madame Butterfly would emerge. She worked with artisans for three months before returning to her studio in California where she carved and polished for another nine to complete the sculpture.

As we stand before Madame Butterfly, I picture what the initial block of marble might have looked like, 2500 pounds of solid stone, holding the angel within. It is no mistake that this process of carving marble has been used as a metaphor for spiritual awakening.

As we talk to Dey about her work, I am transported. I picture the confident touch of Dey’s hands and tools, working to free this butterfly from its chrysalis of stone.

I remember visiting Dey in her studio. Remember the rough blocks of different colored stone waiting for their turn to be carved. Some of them marked with crayon, hinting at the figure within. Heavy and peaceful, filled with potential.

I remember the peace that was present in the studio as Dey carved a figure in alabaster. With her loving attention on the stone, everything else faded into the background.

I think of Madame Butterfly’s journey. I think of her traveling from Italy to Dey’s studio in California, then to a gallery in New Mexico, and finally resting in the Gardens of Prana.

Dey shares about her journey as an artist, about the way that sculpture has been a teacher in her life. She tells us about her other teachers, John-Roger and John Morton and tears of gratitude come to her eyes.

As the sculpture has found its home, so has she.

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We invite you to visit to see the sculpture for yourself. Click the button below to sign up for a tour today. In the meantime, keep seeking the angel in the stone. God bless you.

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David Whitaker with Video by Lucia Doynel.

Spring Into Action - Tips for Freeing Up Energy

Getting Your Energy Loose and Free

Excerpted from the book, The Rest of Your Life, Finding Repose in the Beloved, by John-Roger with Paul Kaye 

““I cannot emphasize enough that completing what you start is one of the most worthwhile things you can do for your health and well-being. It’s a joyful process because, as you complete, the unconscious starts clearing, your energy is returned to you, and you begin to live in the present making conscious decisions and completing them on the spot.””

— John-Roger, D.S.S. with Paul Kaye

We humans don't like to think about our incompletions. So what we have not completed gets pushed down into the unconscious realm inside of us. Although that realm doesn't see, doesn't hear, and doesn't think or feel because it is asleep, it does have information and it does pull on our energy. You can feel it when it's time to do something about an area you have been avoiding or procrastinating about. As you approach that area, you will start to get tired, achy, and sometimes you will even start nodding off. That is because you are in the area that is sleeping.

This is the time for you to stay present and awake, for this is where you have been avoiding living. You have found the area inside of you that is unconscious, that's not aware, that's sleeping, and that has a large amount of your energy locked into it. Imagine getting that energy loose and free.

You can free that energy in this moment, by moving your body into action and starting the process of completing. As you start to do this, you will feel the energy coming loose and free inside of you, and you may find that all sorts of aches and pains will release.

This is a healing action, not necessarily healing in terms of disease, but certainly healing in terms of completing your life patterns and your goals. It's so extremely important because as an area inside of you that was asleep awakens, your energy stops leaking away into it and becomes immediately available to you as a conscious, awake person.

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Reclaiming Your Energy--the Magic of Completion workshop was held October 17, facilitated by Martha Ringer, DSS, Productivity Expert, and author of Complete.Done.Finished. The Joy of Doing, The Magic of Completion. She may offer this workshop at a future time. 

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What does completion mean to you?

Coffee Break? Or Meditation?

Coffee Break

Slow down…

Everything you are chasing will come around

And catch you.

~John De Paola1

That second cup of coffee calls. I take an extra gulp of fresh air instead. Amazing how breathing can bring balance. We’ve all heard the statistics about meditation, right?

Meditation:

• Reduces stress
• Increases acceptance
• Slows the aging process (Yes, please!)

Hitting the snooze button on our goals seems so counter-intuitive. Yet, the sacred moments taken to listen to our hearts pays off. The mind clears. Inspiration increases. The monkey mind stops chattering. All right, not completely sometimes. But meditation – concentrating on the breath – allows in an intention for peace. And miracles! Countless are the times, a divine idea warrior has vanquished the worrywart in my mind when I surrendered to meditation.

Practice, practice, practice may get you into Carnegie Hall. Repeating mantras like Ani-Hu2 may, however, get you into Heaven! As a beginner, sitting for 15 minutes was excruciating. (Bravo if you are a longtime meditation student and this was not your experience. Maybe you’re a saint.) Meditation is a lifeline to sanity.

Nature is another soother of frayed nerves. Studies at University of Michigan found a stroll with Mother Nature improves short-term memory. Japanese scientists discovered that forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) brings stress levels down and boosts the immune system.

Angelenos may not always have the luxury to run away to Walden Pond (like Henry David Thoreau.) A mini escape is possible. In the heart of the City of Angels, we have Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens. Fountains sing serenity, butterflies kiss flowers in towering bamboo groves. On Tuesday evenings, the Italian Renaissance Villa on the property plays host to events such as an Introduction to Sound & Meditation and  Sacred Mysteries of the Labyrinth.

Put the coffee down. Give yourself a real break.
 

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References

1.      John-Roger, D.S.S., Kaye, Paul, D.S.S. (2010) Living the Spiritual Principles of Health and Well-Being, Los Angeles, CA, Mandeville Press

2.      Ani is a tone of empathy. Hu is the ancient Sanskrit name for God.

Sources:

Huffington Post

8 Ways Meditation Can Improve Your Life

Quartz Media LLC

The Japanese Practice of “Forest Bathing” is Scientifically Proven to Improve Your Health

Business Insider

11 Scientific Reasons You Should Be Spending More Time Outdoors

Celebrating the U.N. International Day of Peace

What Does Peace Mean To You?

#PeaceDay #JoinTogether #PeaceLabyrinth

September 21 is the U.N. International Day of Peace. Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens, together with the Institute for Individual and World Peace took part in celebrating and honoring this day with several events.

We started with a Peace Concert, listening to the exquisite, healing music of Merrill Collins, global peace song finalist. Her music swept us away with her beautiful, healing sounds. What a perfect way to help put our bodies, minds, emotions, and our spirit into peace.

We followed with an Acceptance and Peace Seminar. Many say the way to world peace is through individual peace. Using this principle, we came together to explore how to come to greater inner peace by simply accepting what is.

Lastly, we moved forward into celebration and action with a Peace Day Open House. 

We celebrated by sharing refreshments, music, taking fun "selfies," and with getting to know new people. We shared our love, togetherness, oneness, and our common purpose of wanting to create a better world internally and externally for ourselves, others, our planet.

We moved into action by placing our peace intentions and "blessings" at the Labyrinth, the Peace Pole, the Peace Tree. Many shared their photos on their social sites - spreading peace intentions into the world. 

At 12 noon we participated in the U.N. Global Minute of Peace/Moment of Silence. Paul Kaye, President of MSIA and Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens, led these moments as we all circled around the labyrinth. He spoke a bit about what is peace and what we can do to create peace. 

Lastly, we took it inward again, to what many call our "Source" by attending Peace Sound Meditations led by Paul Kaye. Paul sounded chimes, singing bowls and meditative instruments, and played guided meditations by John-Roger. These meditations assist us to attune more deeply to where many believe it all begins, within. As someone said, "Peace begins with you."

Some ways to create peace

Paul Kaye mentioned some points for how to create peace. 

• Peace is present. 
• Peace is an inner process. 
• Peace is the cessation of againstness.
• Peace is a choice regardless of circumstances.

Listen to Paul's Global Minute of Peace Address

What does peace mean to you? 

#KeepPeaceAlive #PeaceEveryday #SpreadPeace

What Is Simply Spiritual Living?

 Tell me about Simply Spiritual Living.

Simply Spiritual Living

Letter from "A Grateful Participant"

"A Grateful Participant"

"Simply Spiritual Living," what a concept!
 
I attended the Simply Spiritual Living gathering. It was genuinely simple and deliciously deep all at the same time. I learned to lift my awareness above the cares of the world and bring the Light of God into my consciousness. I learned that focusing on loving myself and others opens my heart. I chanted a name for God as an all encompassing balancer of my emotions and I focused on my breathing, which mercifully relaxed my mind. I found that the light, the loving, the sound of God as I chanted and recognizing my breath as sacred meant that I was experiencing my own interior movement of spiritual inner awareness.
 
I would highly recommend anyone take the time to experience this sweet and gentle introduction to meditation. I am changed because I attended.
 
A Grateful Participant,
C.J.

How To Walk The Labyrinth

How Do I Walk A Labyrinth? What Is A Labyrinth? 

Welcome To The Labyrinth - A Guide To Walking A Labyrinth

Excerpted from PAL&G's Labyrinth Guide

Q: What is a Labyrinth?
A:  Labyrinths are circular geometrical patterns used for walking or tracing, as a tool to assist the consciousness. They have been in existence for thousands of years. No one knows for certain when or where they first originated. They are used by different cultures and mystical and religious traditions worldwide. Some patterns are simple and some are more complex. 
 
A labyrinth differs from a maze in that there is only one way in and one way out. They have one continuous path that twists and turns, eventually leading to the center. There are no dead ends. There is nothing to figure out as you walk or trace a labyrinth. You simply follow the path to the center and then retrace the same path back out.
 
Labyrinths are made from a variety of materials. Some are stone, some have the paths marked with grass, or gravel. There are large carpets made with labyrinth designs that get rolled out in gyms or parks. There are also small wooden, metal, cloth and paper labyrinths made to trace with your finger or a tracing tool.  (Click here to print and trace a Paper Labyrinth.)
 
Ours is an outdoor labyrinth using the same pattern design as the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France that was built around 1214. It is made of travertine marble that was hand-cut and hand-laid. It is a almost 40 feet across and the path you follow in and out stretches about one third of a mile.
 
Q: Why walk a Labyrinth?
A:  Many use the labyrinth as a tool to aid the self or consciousness.
 
It can be used as a tool to “unwind the mind,” and to let go stress or worries and concerns.
 
There are hospitals, universities and churches who have installed labyrinths to assist people to come to peace or relaxation. 
 
Walking the labyrinth can release patterned behavior, thoughts, and feelings of various sorts. It can "untorque” or unwind you. As you release old patterned energy, the alignment of your body may shift or straighten into a greater spiritual alignment.
 
Some walk a labyrinth as a kind of moving meditation.
 
The labyrinth can be used as a metaphor for how you live your life. What can you learn about yourself as you walk it?
 
It can be looked on as a symbolic "hero's journey," or a journey to a place of peace inside. The center can represent to your consciousness perhaps your heart, your Self, or your true beingness.
 
(Originally the labyrinth at Chartres was referred to as "The Road to Jerusalem," and the name Jerusalem actually means "city of peace." In some traditions, the labyrinth was used to represent finding the Holy Grail, or finding Mecca.)
 
Q: How do I Walk the Labyrinth?
A:  You enter the labyrinth and follow the path as it winds its way toward the center. You pause in the center as you like, then turn and exit the labyrinth on the same path you came in, just going the opposite direction.
 
Q: How Long Does It Take?
A:  Some people can be in and out in about fifteen minutes and some will take over an hour, stopping to pray, observe, etc.
 
Q: Do I Have To Walk It Alone Or Can Several Walk At Once?
A:  It is fine to walk it alone and fine to walk with others. People walk at different paces. If you encounter someone going the opposite direction, one will simply step off the path momentarily to allow the other to pass.
 
Q: What Do I Focus On As I Walk The Labyrinth?  
A:  There are infinite focuses you may choose. There is no “right or wrong” way to walk a labyrinth.
 
What you focus on at the time may be determined by where you are in your life and what your questions, concerns or goals may be in the moment.
 
It is best to walk the labyrinth with an open heart and an open mind, asking for that which is for your highest good.
 
Here are some suggestions.
 
You might walk it as a kind of prayer.
 
You might walk it as a symbolic journey, as mentioned above.
 
You might set the intention to receive inspiration, or to receive an answer to a question, or solution to a “problem.” 
 
You might walk the labyrinth with the intention to unwind, to let go of a worry or burden of some sort –letting it go when you reach the center.
 
You might use the labyrinth for learning more about yourself and life, by simply being aware of how you walk it and what you observe as you walk it.
 
Do you walk it fast? Or slow? Do you lose your focus or your way? Does your mind race or can you hold your mind steady and stay present? Do you wonder when you will reach center? Do you wonder if you're doing it right? If you encounter another person on your path, are you impatient? Are you the one who steps off the path to accommodate the other person? Or do you hold your direction and find that other people step off to let you go your way?
 
We invite you to visit and give it a try if you haven’t already.
 
Allow your own creativity to be present and walk the labyrinth in the way you think will work best for you.  

How To Meditate

It's important to take time for ourselves each day to focus on our spiritual nature. 

How To Meditate: Spiritual Exercises - An Active Meditation

Excerpted from Practice Meditation, on MSIA.org website, edited by Kevin McMillan

With so much busyness and distraction available in the modern world, it’s important to take time for ourselves each day to focus on our spiritual nature. To drop the physical concerns of the day, and once again become aware that we are spiritual. That we are, through our Soul and our precious life breath, an extension of the Divine.

There are many meditation techniques available for tuning into your Spirit, or higher nature. Here at Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens, one of the primary ways that we learn to attune to and focus on God is through what we call Spiritual Exercises. Spiritual Exercises are an active technique of bypassing the mind and emotions by using a spiritual tone or vibration to connect to the energy that flows from God through all existence.

In Spiritual Exercises (S.E.’s) there is a focus on actively directing the attention inside, rather than attempting to passively quiet the mind. In our experience S.E.’s can assist a person to transcend illusions and limitations and move into the awareness of themselves as Soul: the pure, sacred, loving nature of who we truly are.

A recommended chant for spiritual exercises is the ‘HU,’ which is pronounced like the name Hugh or which can be said by pronouncing the sounds of the individual letters ‘H’ and ‘U.’ The HU tone is an ancient name of God and is a wonderful way of attuning to the higher vibrations of Spirit.
The ANI-HU is a variation of the HU chant. Pronounced (AHN-EYE-HUE), the ANI-HU is also an invocation to God with an added dimension that brings in the quality of empathy and oneness with others. As you chant this tone, you may find the quality of empathy and connection with others increased.

We invite you to follow the instructions below and try doing Spiritual Exercises, and observe the results for yourself.

People who do Spiritual Exercises regularly often report experiencing a deeper peace and relaxation and a greater connection to the Spirit inside. You might try doing Spiritual Exercises daily for 10 or 15 minutes and see if this practice works for you.

Instructions for Spiritual Exercises

1. Call yourself forward into the Light of the Holy Spirit for the highest good, and ask for protection and guidance during your S.E.’s.
    
2. Chant the HU (pronounced H-U or HUE) or the Ani-HU (pronounced AHN-EYE-HUE), which are sacred names of God. It’s preferable to do this inwardly (silently).
    
3. While chanting, focus your attention in the “third eye” area, which is near the center of the head directly back from your forehead. It is in this place that the Soul has its seat and the Soul energy gathers.
    
4. After you have chanted for about five minutes, stop and listen within. You are listening for the Sound Current, or audible life stream, which can be very subtle. You may hear it the first time you do this, or it may take years of practice. This is a very individual matter.
    
5. If you find your mind wandering and you lose the focus of listening, you can focus the mind again by chanting.
    
6. After about five minutes of listening, you can return to chanting again. The times are approximate, and the idea is to spend time in S.E.’s both chanting and listening.

For longer periods of S.E.’s, you can expand the time for chanting and listening to fifteen minutes each. For example, in an hour session you can chant for fifteen minutes, listen for fifteen minutes, and then repeat the chanting-and-listening cycle one more time.

All of the above are guidelines, so you can experiment with how you do S.E.’s, using what works for you at a particular time and not getting attached to a certain form. The focus is on doing your Spiritual Exercises with as much loving and devotion to the Spirit within as you can.

Again, we invite you to visit this peaceful place, and while you’re here to go inside in whatever way works for you, and tap into the riches within.