“We must be willing to constantly sit at the edge of mystery and unlearn what has helped guide us in the past but is no longer as useful now.”- Robert Wicks, pastoral psychotherapist; words from his book Crossing the Desert (which I’ve not read; his words are passed along by Lyn G. Brakeman in an article in Presence article “Pray As You Are”)
On a summer morning
I sat down on a hillside
To think about God --
A worthy pastime,
Near me, I saw a single cricket:
It was moving the grains of the hillside
this way and that way,
How great was its energy,
how humble its effort.
Let us hope
It will always be like this,
each of us going on in our inexplicable ways
building the universe.
- Mary Oliver, Why I Wake Early
Settle in deeper…
Listen to the sounds of the night…
Every one of us has one true authentic swing…that’s a good thing… Can you see it?”
~
– Bagger Vance, in the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance"
A few observations cited Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating book:
Old chocolate cake was rated as better-tasting when it was called Belgian Black Forest Double Chocolate Cake.
Kids ate more veggies when broccoli was referred to as "Dinosaur Trees," a V-8-type veggie drink was named "Rainforest Smoothie," and peas were labeled “Power Peas.”
We can fool ourselves for good!
* Hang artwork of fruit or vegetable still life. Posters of healthy food in a dining room resulted in diners eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat, according to research from the Behavioral Sciences Division of the US Army.
"We can make our minds so like still water– Tilden Edwards,
Living in the Presence: Spiritual Exercises to Open Our Lives to the Awareness of God
One of the prized pieces in grandma’s display case is a cobalt blue bottle of oil of lavender. I’m a big advocate of lavender essential oil, asResearch indicates that lavender essential oil increases cerebral blood circulation which can increase alertness and wake up the metabolism.
As it is regulatory, if needed, it can have a seemingly opposite effect than alertness: studies show that lavender increases alpha brain wave activity (associated with a restful mental state), 
and the vapor is as effective for night sedation as many prescription drugs. The components of linalol and terpinol have central nervous system depressant effects that contribute to better sleep. [Research cited in Nature’s Cures by Michael Castleman (1996)]
If I had to choose just one essential oil, it would be lavender oil.
May your sleep be sweet this night
and every night.
Over the summer we reacquired a display case that Gregg built for my grandmother. I decided to fill it with old irons, old apothecary trinkets, old formulary books, an old prized cobalt blue bottle of oil of lavender, and all sorts of once-tried remedies gathered from the basements of my pharmacist father’s small-town Filling that case has brought gentle pleasure, reminding me of historical ways of addressing difficulties (clothing wrinkles, digestive runs or stops, coughs, catarrh, and on and on), and familial ties. I am fascinated by our ways of remedying and relating, by our fixes for maladies and meandering path of family, by our failing to learn and our ability to learn from the past.
This is what the Lord says, ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ – Jeremiah 6:16
You are the first and the last,
At http://www.jphilipnewell.com, J. Philip Newell refers to a passage from his book Christ of the Celts: the Healing of Creation. It was during a conversation with a native leader, as Casa del Sol retreat centre in the high desert of New Mexico was being conceived, that he asked,“'What is it I am to bring to the table of humanity? What am I to bring to our relationship in this place?' He answered very simply, and very challengingly:
J. Philip Newell is a poet, a scholar, a teacher, and is internationally acclaimed for his work in the field of Celtic spirituality. In his intro to the CD Sounds of the Eternal: Meditative Chants and Prayers he writes, “One of the great yearnings in the hearts of many of us today is to reconnect our spirituality with the undomesticated energies of the earth.” Yes.
We just returned from some time in the wilderness, in the waters of life flow, in the new day’s freshness!
With you is the source of life O God,
you are the beginning of all that is.
From your life the fire of the rising sun steams forth.
You are the life flow of creations rivers,
the sap of blood in our veins,
earth's fecundity,
the fruiting of trees,
creatures birthing,
the conception of new thought,
desires origin.
All these are of you O God
and I am of you.
You are the new day’s freshness.
- J. Philip Newell, Sounds of the Eternal
Learning about personality type has helped reduce that frustration, moving me toward acceptance of limitations in self, awareness of natural tendencies, and appreciating differences in others.
I recently read an article on spirituality and extroversion in the Sept 2008 issue of Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction. Nancy C. Reeves (who has also written a book called Spirituality for Extroverts: And Tips for Those Who Love Them) questioned both extroverts and introverts about spiritual practices. Contemplative prayer (such as: Christian centering prayer or meditation, or Eastern meditation) is often explained as the use of a word, mantra, phrase, or breathing to focus attention. If the mind wanders, it is gently brought back to the word(s) or breath focus. Most typically, it seems to be practiced among introverts.
Though many of the descriptions for contemplative practices seem to be more introverted, there are ways extroverts are contemplative. The extroverts Reeves researched described a practice of contemplative prayer that, though equally valid and beautiful, differed.
“The focus is on a wordless longing for connection with God. Thoughts and feelings that originate in the person are disregarded. When a ‘divine touch’ occurs, however, the person responds…the response is an outpouring of love, gratitude, awe, or a relinquishing of worry or pain. If at any time the person realizes he or she is thinking about the experience rather than being with it, the focus is returned to the longing for connection.”
I have a friend who has described “sitting in the presence of God until I feel His hug.” Though I can and do wish for that, it rarely happens; that wordless connection thing just is not my ‘default’ way.
It is good for me to experiment with various spiritual practices, and I will continue to do so. But it’s also good for me to cherish just the way God made me and understand that being and doing things the way I’m wired is good. Different is good!
Maybe someday I’ll even accept that not-being-able-to-do-it-all is good!
and issuing forth in every creature.[Thanks to friend Carl for the reminder, through his GQ emails, to re-listen to the “Sounds of the Eternal” CD]
Every so often we need to rest from labor. Summers are good for that. But, we are now at back-to-school days and there will be much less rest for many. School – well mostly college – was much work, little rest, and a huge stressor for me. For you students, or anyone else, who might need some restful de-stressing – maybe not at this moment but soon – try some deep breathing. Here’s some suggestions: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, warm your hands by rubbing them together, and then place them on your abdomen. Breathe in through your nose and quietly out through pursed lips (which helps make the exhalation longer than the inhalation). Feel your abdomen expanding with each inhalation and retracting with each exhalation. 
Concentrating on deep abdominal breaths help quiet the mind, and that along with slowing the breathing helps reduce cortisol levels. Once you learn this abdominal breathing lying down, do the same kind of slow breathing sitting or standing whenever you need to de-stress. Start with a few minutes and increase your time as you get the hang of it.
