The small wooden church atChautauqua Institute.
Listening to: Two of my favorite pieces arranged to breath-holding perfection.
Bliss: The sun is shining; the seeds for our vegetable beds are on their way; anticipation is in the air.
This is going to seem obvious, but the other day, I turned to Marcy and said, "Wow, after 40 days -- which is really so short -- we'll be admiring some of the tulips in our yard and hyacinth!"
I know this. I know that at the end of Lent there is Easter, blooming, literally.
But this year, something has been happening to my awareness. It has deepened, and that is in large part due to my attention. I am paying much closer attention to the days preceding the "big holidays," the days building up, the days meant for preparation.
I tried this past Christmas to get more meaning from Advent and then after that, from the 12 Days of Christmas.
This Easter, I am determined to get more from Lent. I have always loved Holy Week, with the foot washing and Good Friday, but I have not been consistent in my approach to Lent.
Lent, a word that comes from an Anglo-Saxon word that means Spring.
Think about that. It can change your whole attitude toward Lent. It is not 40 days of denial and mourning. No, it is 40 days of anticipation, change, germination.
This Wednesday, it's time to plant some seeds.
The main seeds I am planting this Lenten season are in the category of commitment. I am not giving anything up but rather committing to new ways of being.
First, I commit to more positive thinking, especially in terms of how I talk to myself. So much of our self-talk is degrading, is it not? We are never good enough; we are always striving for some unattainable perfections, whether that be about our weight, our prayer life, our jobs, our families. All of it. We want perfection, and when we don't exhibit it, we tell ourselves over and over.
We poison our own minds.
For forty days, I am going to administer the antidote of self-love and forgiveness. This will not be easy, but every time I talk in a mean spirited way to myself, I am determined to notice and adjust, gently.
To help this along, I will be doing a 40 day chakra/emotional cleanse as recommended by Ravi Singh and Ana Brett. It's the So Darshan Chakra Kriya. (Besides those written instructions, this kriya is found on BlissHips.)
See, the 40 day thing is considered efficacious not just in Catholicism but also in Kundalini Yoga. According to that system, in 40 days you can create new habits.
I will also be reading this daily and being more conscious about my prayer and meditation life in general.
As I have said a hundred times in this blog, bliss is a path and each day we must choose to walk it. I am seeing Lent this year as an opportunity to strengthen my hiking muscles.
10 comments:
I think this is wonderful BlissChick! I was raised as a Catholic, so each year it was something I didn't stick to. There are a few things I can think of working on, but I need to mull it over a bit more to decide what.
Great Idea!
I love this post Christine! Love it!
When I was a kiddo, I went to Catholic grade school...and I remember actually NOT liking Lent because there was so much talk of giving something up. And my Mom, still to this day acts like a huge martyr for the things she "gives up" to "honor" Lent. I remember her telling us as kids what we "needed" to give up--usually on her list was "back talk" and "keeping a messy room". Yeah, I'm going on a bit of a tangent...see Lent brings that part out in me.
But not now...I never knew that Lent means Spring. How fabulous!! That, in my heart changes everything!!!
I like that you are giving up something Christine...but something that actually makes a huge difference in the Universe (not that stopping "teenage back talk" and being orderly doesn't have its place)--but you are right--the things we "sacrifice" or give up, should be those things that are keeping us from the resurrection of our truest self come Easter. We are the only ones that can dig deep enough to find that seed inside us that needs watering and nurturing. I like the idea that for 40 days we garden this seed...instead of walk around moping and struggling for the things we give up. In that fashion, come Easter we're running for the chocolate cake and back to watching too much tv.
Through you Christine, I am always reminded of that part of me that feels dear and still connected to Catholicism. That part of me, as a kid, which loved the wonder and magic behind it all...even the traditions. But, I wish you were my religion teacher back then, instead of some of the bozos that just gave us no means to really learn or discover how the religion can actually guide us on a great journey. They just told us what and what we shouldn't do--and pressure us into giving up material things...because maybe they didn't understand things themselves either.
I pray that they have learned a little more by now.
Thank you for guiding me always.
Peace & Love.
Another beautiful post! (Oh, how we love Perlman & Ma at this household, too). I have been thinking a lot about transformation and the 40 days of Lent seem like the perfect time to start working on the internal over-haul I so desperately need. Thanks for the sweet inspiration!
So I just looked at the So Darshan Chakra Kriya (I love that woman's site and her bold and liberal use of exclamation points!). Those instructions totally stressed me out. And then I realized I had done tons of kriyas in my former yoga addicted life and it just would take a little practice. And then I remembered this great post over on Brandi's blog about making stuff hard (http://brandireynolds.blogspot.com/2009/02/creative-sunday-making-stuff-hard.html) and I realized that I didn't have to get tripped up by the details and quit trying to make similarly momentous Lenten changes before I even begin.
You are such a deliciously wonderful inspiration, Miss C!
xo
Marisa
I so like the antidote of selflove;-) What a lovely post!!
My current mantra that helps me to stop beating myself up and getting anxious is, "it just is."
I don't know why it helps. It works better for me than just trying to be all gung ho positive and saying how wonderful I am. Maybe I'm not buying the "I rock" when really I'm feeling "I suck." But I can accept "I am what I am... and that's good enough."
It's like backdoor positive thinking.
Oh, EpiphanyGirl, I am glad you got through that momentary perfectionism! :) The So Darshan Chakra kriya is so way powerful that it doesn't even have to be done exactly "right!" At least, that is my belief. AND I always am amazed at how I can kinda suck at it one day and the next it just clicks and back and forth and back and forth!
Rowena, Thanks for the "backdoor positive thinking." That really appeals to me! :)
I have done that kriya! But not for 40 days. Now I'm thinking about starting 40 days of it!
Hi Christine,
I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming season of Lent. I have been known to refer to myself as a "recovering catholic" as I am still undergoing a healing process over damage I suffered in my upbringing through catholicism.
I always enjoyed Lent though and is one of the few thigs I have held onto. I too have been looking toward committing to new ways of being. I have been having battles with myself the past week over choosing one thing to commit to for Lent. Should it be practicing self-love? practicing gratitude? overcoming my habits of procrastination? adopting a routine of random acts of kindness?
Then it occured to me (after reading your post.... hmmmm. funny how often that is happening these days ;-)) that if I start with taking proper care of my Self, then all the other things I desire to do will naturally become the fruits that grow from those very essential seeds I plant. The seeds of Self Love. Thank you, again!
I'm not sure if this entry or meeting up with you yesterday was the catalyst for my 40 days of a "new" habit, but I'm recommitting myself to my bodhisattva vows. There has a been a lot going on in my life and compassion and breathing seems to be the only suitable answer to the perceived problems. Thanks for your daily inspiration. It's always good to see you around.
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