Tag: quiet

Australia · Mount Warning · spiritual

Can I Quote You on That?

JoanneLeave a comment

The English language is quite amazing. Words, that being the use of words for different purposes, have always fascinated me.

My favourite subject at school, not surprisingly, was English. Where my exam results at high school were close to failure for mathematics, (who, I ask you, really needs to know Pythagoras, algebra, trigonometry or pi formulas?) my results for English were always at the top of the class.

Crosswords have always been a favourite also. Who knows what new words may be lurking around in crossword-land, waiting to be discovered?

And then, there are quotes. A  few cleverly strung together words can bring sunshine streaming into a dull day.  Better still; quotes themselves possess an amazingly accurate little knack of just popping up on the right day, at the right time.

A while ago my sister sent me a gift, a box of “Healing the Mind and Spirit” cards, by Brian Weiss. Our other sister had sent her the cards and she found them so accurate that she found some for me. The cards sit on my coffee table in my quiet room and I often refer to them.

This morning, the affirmation on my randomly chosen card from the deck was “I awaken each day to the beauty around me”. On the reverse side of the card, the message is “There is so much more to life than meets the eye. Love and beauty exist everywhere, at all levels. Open your spiritual eyes”.

By “coincidence”, this morning I drove my son to one of his friend’s houses so they could spend the day fishing in the river, just up the road from where he lives. Master twelve’s friend lives in a small village called Tumbulgum, situated on the Tweed River.

The aboriginal meaning of the word Tumbulgum is “meeting of the waters”, as it is the site where the Tweed River joins into the Rous River.

It is impossible for me to ever feel anything other than calm and happy when I take the ten minute drive to Tumbulgum. The Magic Mountain looks out over the river, as if guarding the waters.

It is a beautiful village…and yes, spiritual…

Today, I have added a few words to my site, in the form of a quote from Abraham-Hicks. Have a look at the top of the column to the left; do you see it there, just above my subscription box? The quote will be updated daily.

It is my wish that the daily quotes from Abraham-Hicks will bring even more peace, happiness, love and beauty into your life, and open your spiritual eyes. 🙂

Changes · inspiration · knowledge · Trappist monks

The Calm and Clarity of Silence

Joanne5 Comments

Last night I accidently, half-watched an episode of “The Simpsons” on television.

It was while I was in the kitchen, having a tidy-up. Master twelve had himself cosily snuggled up under a rug, in front of the television. At first, my mind was on autopilot, whilst going about my chores.

Without warning though, I realised I was listening to those goofy, cartoon voices.

No offence to anyone who enjoys “The Simpsons”, but I don’t watch the show, as I don’t enjoy it, simple as that, which is why I say I accidently listened to some of the show.

I’m also not a believer in any kind of “accident”, so it isn’t completely accurate to claim that I listened to the show “accidently”.

In the storyline, the father had his mouth clamped up (for whatever reason the writers of the show gave, I didn’t hear that part), so rather than hearing only his own voice, he began to listen to what the members of his family were saying, for a change. Needless to say, he learned a lot about them.

My kitchen chores kept me in the vicinity of the television long enough to find out that this gave him a whole new respect for his family.

The show was a reminder to me of a time, many years ago now, when I had a severe throat infection, so severe in fact that I was advised not to speak at all for about three days (not that I could speak, even if I had wanted to!)

My children were young at the time and I only had three of them, aged eight, five and ten months old. It was difficult at first, not having a voice, and I wrote notes to my husband constantly. I couldn’t read to my children and had lost the use of words to comfort them if they were sad, although hugs still worked wonders!

After the first day of speechlessness, however, calm set in. I could see that my family could actually function quite successfully without my voice; it was not, as I had previously believed, an essential commodity in holding my family together!

I remember these three days as the worst of times (I wasn’t feeling well) and also the best of times. The lessons I learned astounded me!

For me, my lesson hadn’t been to listen to my family, I already did that. Children are fascinating little people to listen to, and as they grow their own individual personalities begin to shine through. That is magic in itself!

By the time I was able to speak, I didn’t want to! I had developed a whole new respect for the Trappist Monks who had taken a vow of silence. I now understood the wordless, peaceful presence of their souls.

Trappist monks are an order of Cistercian monks, established in 1664, at La Trappe, in Normandy, France.

Actually, I believe it is not a “vow of silence” as such; however these monks are expected to only speak when necessary and are not allowed any idle chatter.

Silence is said to “empty oneself in order to allow the word of God to flower within”.

The purpose of the silence in the monks lives is to bring about quietude and receptivity. This I can believe, as it happened to me.

The feeling of calm, which overtook my whole being, although it amazed me at the time, has since become a necessity in my life. I can only describe it as being like a drug (not that I’ve taken any kind of drugs, ever!); a completely harmless drug, which enhances your life, giving a clarity of mind that previously, you would not have imagined possible!

The on-going after effects of the silence are calm and clarity, further enhancing not only your own life, but also the lives of those about you.

We are given the gifts of speech and hearing. We also have the gift of wisdom, which we must learn to put to use in overriding our innately human desire for constant chatter.

Just like the three monkeys; “hear all”, “see all” and “say naught”. These three monkeys must have no doubt spent time with the Trappist monks!

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this subject. Have you yourself ever experienced the changes, overtaking your entire being, brought about by silence?

inspiration

Priceless Treasures

Joanne4 Comments

It’s surprising how the mundane tasks, performed regularly in everyday life, can give you inspiration for writing. It happened to me today, whilst dusting and vacuuming….

I have a favourite room in my house. It didn’t start out by being my favourite, it evolved into the status. Over the years, with four children growing up in this house, what with toys scattered, crumbs dropped, drinks spilled, television and CD’s blaring, homework books covering tables, shoes left willy-nilly in the entry hallway, I found it necessary, no, make that essential, to have one room in the house for me.

The idea of being banished to my bedroom, like a naughty child, did not appeal to me one bit. Not that I have ever been the “go to your room!” kind of mum, but I hear that some mum’s do that, hence my impression.

At the front of the house we have a large room, the lounge/dining room, where all of our “good” furniture lives. It also just happens to be the room with a wall devoted to floor to ceiling book shelves. When my piano and I found each other, the perfect home for it was, you guessed it, in the lounge room.

My room is not in the thoroughfare of the house either, just one door in and out. There’s no television, no music (other than the piano), no food allowed. My favourite and most well-loved couch lives in the room, recovered in burgundy fabric about five years ago when the old fabric wore thin. The colour scheme is all deep pinks and burgundy tones, again my favourites.

When I refer to this room, it is “My Quiet Room”. When my eldest daughter calls in for a quick visit and a herbal tea, we sit in my quiet room. It is a special room; everyone knows the rules and no one dares to break them!

So, back to today. As I lovingly dusted each precious ornament, I also thought of the significance of the items in my room. We all know about “comfort food”; my special room contains my “comfort items”. These are my priceless objects of affection, although value-less to anyone else.

For example, the little wooden bookshelf, made by my father when he was still at primary school, therefore he was less than twelve years of age. I treasure that little shelf and it holds part of a series of my all-time favourite novels, by Diana Gabaldon.

On top of a cabinet near the built-in book shelves is a collection of old family photos, along with a flat brass dish, which had once belonged to my maternal grandmother.

Next to the photos and dish sits another collection; pots made by my husband for his final school exams. He used to enjoy pottery. He has a kiln and two pottery wheels, waiting for him to set up, “one day when he has the time”.

There’s the cute little cat ornament, given to me when I was a child, by an American neighbour who lived just down the road from us. She was an old lady and I enjoyed visiting her. We shared a common love for cats and she named one of her cats “Jo”, after me. When my family moved away from the area, she and I wrote letters to each other for years after.

Inside a glass-fronted bookcase I have a collection of extremely old books, some once belonging to my parents and others my grandfather owned. In amongst the books is a dictionary, the one I used as a child when doing my homework. The spine has fallen off the book and is presently sticky-taped on…Reminder To Self ~ I really must find a book doctor and have that dictionary repaired!

These items are all so very precious to me. They are reminders of friends and family whom I have loved in my life, and have loved me. And yes, I have other treasures in other rooms around the house. They just seem to monopolise my quiet room.

Enjoying my treasures, whilst dusting and vacuuming, actually made the chore more pleasurable! 🙂

Look around your own home. What priceless treasures do you have, which bring a warm glow to your heart when you see them?