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There’s so much here…Enjoy.

As parents, we are inculcated to believe we are in charge and in control of our kids. We teach, they listen. We are right, and they had better do what we say just because. Because why? Because we’re bigger and can get away with raising our voices and banishing them to their rooms? (Which, let’s face it, is really just a way of getting them out of our hair, because we can’t manage them.)

Conscious parents, however, understand the parent-child dynamic as one that is fluid, flexible, and based on openness and understanding and respect, not cheap authority and scare tactics.

As my journey as a parent expands and grows, I understand my children have come here through me to experience their own path—to become fully themselves, not offshoots of me.

Yesterday, when Caroline led four groups of students as senior blue belt at her test, performed skillfully, and then won an award, my heart was full and proud and joyful. This was not because I was living vicariously through her or boasting, “Did you see my kid??!!” No. My heart was full and inspired, because I had the pleasure of witnessing a child, my child whom I love and adore, excel and have fun and express herself.

Her authenticity and excellence influenced my field, as I suspect it did others.

The pleasure is not in witnessing MY child excel; it is being present to another human, in this case a small and young girl, excel and express her warrior spirit.

Christianity and Buddhism are complementary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZS9bvxVp6Y&feature=share

I make Irish soda bread throughout the year, but I certainly can’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without it. I have experimented with many recipes, and just about all of them are easy and quite good.

My family have been gluten free for several years now, and so I thought it was time to find a soda bread that suited our needs. This recipe is just right; it comes together quickly, is firm but moist, and is delicious.

Most soda breads call for milk and butter, but I have fashioned this recipe to be nearly dairy free. I chose to use plant-based milk (I like plain or unsweetened vanilla almond milk or original or unsweetened vanilla Ripple brand), because we don’t drink cow’s milk. I did use organic butter, but you could also try chilled ghee if you want to omit the milk solids.

As for the flour, there are many brands of good gluten-free flour on the market, but I really like King Arthur. I find it behaves very much like all-purpose flour and doesn’t leave any funky aftertaste like some gluten-free flours do.

This bread stores well for several days and warms or toasts nicely. I like to serve it spread with ghee and a little raw honey.

Makes one 9-inch round loaf

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups of gluten-free flour, 1 to 2 tablespoons of granulated monk fruit sweetener, if desired (or your natural sugar or sugar substitute of choice), 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt.

Using a pastry cutter or two knives, add 4 tablespoons of chilled cubed unsalted organic butter and incorporate into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. (You still want to see small pebbles of butter.)

In an separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of plant-based milk, 4 teaspoons of white or cider vinegar, and 1 large free-range egg.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Set aside for several minutes.

Scrape the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into a round between 8 and 9 inches in diameter.

Fold a large sheet of aluminum foil into a 3- to 4-inch wide rectangle, brush with butter, and wrap it around the bread to make a collar. Secure with a toothpick.

Using a sharp paring knife, slice an “X” into the top of the bread. Sprinkle with green coarse sugar, if desired.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the foil collar and set aside to cool almost completely before slicing.

Store in a resealable bag or plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

To me, one of the most exhilarating benefits of casting my educational net wide, is discovering the intersections among various spiritual, cultural, philosophical, and religious traditions.

If you are a person of faith or if you are interested in spiritual things or if you are simply seeking or hungry for wisdom, I urge you to watch, listen to, and read Father Richard Rohr. A Franciscan priest, he is an inspiring scholar and religious, who explains Catholic teachings in a truly enlightened way.

When did you last hear a Catholic priest discuss nonduality? The third eye? Oneness consciousness? Original sin as inherited wounding?

This talk is one of many you can easily find on You Tube and elsewhere. Treat yourself to a few minutes of clarity and thoughtfulness that encourage us to think about God and religion in a deeper more impactful way.

Here’s a snippet of Rich Roll’s recent interview with Tom Bilyeu, creator of Impact Theory. I really like him and love Tom’s interviews, but this discussion made me appreciate him even more.

Creative, passionate, and real, Tom is super inspiring and speaks authentically and truthfully about his work and how to be in the world.

If you enjoy these few minutes, I encourage you to find the full interview on You Tube or wherever you watch.

https://drjoedispenza.net/blog/change/processing-a-biological-upgrade/

I have been thinking a lot lately about how to manage my desire, and feeling like I need, to act in the face of adversity versus just being. Sometimes I call this surrendering. Sometimes I call it just accepting the “as is.” Regardless, though, of what I name it, the ability to be still in the midst of chaos comes from embodying the essence of the “I am.”

To be able to rest in the “I am” is to identify with Divine oneness, God, Source, light that lives in all of us. From here, we can choose to take action, which is sometimes warranted, or we can remain still and silent.

The latter choice is the one I’m pondering now. The desire to react and even respond in the face of an attack or criticism or unkind deed by another is so strong. We want to retaliate, to speak up, to be right. But here’s the thing; just because we’re right, or feel we are, doesn’t necessarily mean we should take any action at all. And this is the tough part, because we live in a world in which we are defined by our doing, not by are being.

In light of this desire to further understand stillness in the presence of chaos, this passage shown here from the Tao resonates deeply with me.

“Because [the Master] doesn’t display himself, people can see his light.” The one who remains still is enlightened. Even in the midst of others’ loud or aggressive egos, the Master rises above the din, not because he is louder, but because he is quiet.

“Because he has nothing to prove, people can trust his words.” Again, when he acts or speaks out of his essence rather than ego, he is trustworthy, because he accepts the “as is;” others’ approval of is inconsequential.

“Because he doesn’t know who he is, people recognize themselves in him.” In other words, because he is not fixed to any dogma, belief, or institution, others can easily identify with him and thus feel an intimate connection, a oneness with him.

These passages are elegant and deeply inspiring. As I continue to evolve into my own wholeness, as my triggers lessen, as my desire to be right and to react diminishes, the Tao comforts and inspires me. This is the way.

 

I am participating in Mel Robbins’ 35-day Mindset-Reset group (http://melrobbins.com/mindsetreset), where for a little more than a month, she and her team are sharing specific methods and techniques to help launch us into a more mindful and purposeful 2019.

Last week, Mel discussed the importance of using visualization as a tool to help us refocus and ultimately manifest. One of the participants responded to this presentation, saying she was having trouble visualizing and asked for some feedback and guidance. As a fellow traveler along this road, I posted a response on the group Facebook page, the core of which appears below. Perhaps, if you have similar issues around visualization or want to know more about how it works, this will be useful to you, as well.

First, I believe that the more we learn to get quiet and relax the mind (through meditation or yoga), the easier visualizing will become. Our mind cannot relax sufficiently to visualize if it’s always “on” and multitasking.

Second, my education with folks like Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Kim d’Eramo, Deepak Chopra, Shefali Tsabary, HeartMath, etc. has led me to this: Visualizing is an essential part of changing our focus, our state of mind, and our ability to manifest, but another essential component is learning to shift how we feel. If instead of or in addition to visualizing, we can direct our intention to how we want to FEEL, we will be doing the work of moving forward.

Putting our attention on something we desire or something that brings us joy will do the trick. This can be a big feeling, like a special event or celebration or thinking about the love of our life. Or it could be small, like the happiness we feel when we observe our smiling child, or when we smell a beautiful rose, or hear a piece of music that deeply moves us. We can even further augment this action by centering our attention on our heart space (chakra) as we breathe and feel the feeling. This is part of the Quick Coherence Technique taught in the HeartMath method (http://www.heartmath.com). The heart is many times more electromagnetic than the brain; this is the source of powerful vibrational frequencies, which can actually change the energy we emit and around us.

The feeling is crucial, because not only does it refocus any “negative” thoughts, but it also reminds us of who we truly are—our true selves. Our authentic self is the one who feels that joy and bliss. And when we are in this state and then further attach an intention to it, the real manifesting can begin. This is the high vibration we are sending into the universe. Even science now proves that the universal energy can’t help but match it. This is science. This is quantum law: So within, so without. As Einstein declared, the particle determines the environment, not the other way around.

This is the power of the energy we carry with us as we visualize and FEEL.