Mediation everyday

“When one devotes oneself to meditation, mental burdens, unnecessary worries, and wandering thoughts drop off one by one; life seems to run smoothly and pleasantly.”
-Nyogen Senzaki

Through the process of meditation, of going into the silence, to that “higher place”- we get a different perspective of the world. We see the “big picture” and our place in it. We understand our connection to God, and to each other. Life runs more smoothly because we allow it to, that’s the way it is meant to be!
-Lissa Coffey

“You are used to listening to the buzz of the world, but now is the time to develop the inner ear that listens to the inner world. It is time to have a foot in each world, and it can be done.”
-Saint Bartholomew

It’s all about balance. Rather than getting inundated by the buzz of the world, we can tune in to the silence, turn on that higher frequency and experience what really matters. And then the beauty of meditation is that we bring that experience of stillness back into our activity, and find that life is just so much easier and more fulfilling. We are better able to feel the joy that is always there.
-Lissa Coffey

“The very best and utmost attainment in this life is to remain still and let God act and speak in thee.”
-Meister Eckhart

All the wisdom of the universe can be found in silence, can be experienced through meditation. When we are quiet, we allow spirit in, we are in-spired! This is how we get the answers we seek, this is how God communicates with us.
-Lissa Coffey

Meditation is, quite simply, one of the best things we can do for ourselves and our spiritual growth. Our souls need silence the way our bodies need the air we breathe. Because we are so bombarded with activity and “noise” in our busy lives, we much actively pursue this silence. We must seek it out, and take it in, and then we will understand the good that is does for us.
-Lissa Coffey

There are so many different ways of meditating. The key is to find one that works for you and then practice it regularly. It is through the regular practice of meditation that we experience its benefits. We learn more about ourselves, and our world, and can see things so much more clearly and calmly.
Lissa Coffey

“Each moment we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and never will be again.”
-Pablo Casals

I was given this quote when I was sixteen, and I have it displayed in my office today. Being “in the moment” is one of those things that is so easy to say, yet sometimes so hard to do. The moments seem to pass by us so quickly. We find ourselves saying: “Where did the time go?” So it’s important to stay present, and to recognize the value of those moments. In spirit, there is no time or place… but we’re here, in this physical body, on this earth, for a reason. Here there is time, here there are moments – moments we can hold and treasure, moments where we can learn and grow.
-Lissa Coffey

“Let me tell thee, time is a very precious gift of God, so precious that it’s only given to us moment by moment.”
-Amelia Barr

Have you ever watched a television game show? In most of the games, there is an element of time involved. You’re up against the clock. You have 2 minutes to race through a grocery story, or 30 seconds to come up with the right answer. If you happen to be the person playing that game, you realize just how precious each one of those moments are! You focus your attention, and use the time wisely to win the game. Well, we’re lucky that life is not a game show! We have all the time we need to learn and grow and accomplish what we need to in this life. And we can start anytime, so why not start now? The prizes are all around us, just waiting to be won.
-Lissa Coffey

“I always say to myself, what is the most important thing we can think about at this extraordinary moment.”
-Francois de La Rochefoucauld

There are no ordinary moments – each moment is new and unique, so each moment is extraordinary. We can fill that moment with extraordinary thoughts, extraordinary deeds, extraordinary attention. We can choose to think of peace, to recognize beauty, to experience joy. This moment is ours, and we can choose what to do with it.
-Lissa Coffey

John Brodie is the famous former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. How do I know this? My brother and my father were BIG fans when we were living in the Bay Area. Athletes know how important it is to be fully present in the moment when competing. There are too many factors that have to fall into place to succeed – and the only way to get them to do that is to be there: mentally, physically and spiritually.
-Lissa Coffey

“Love the moment and the energy of the moment will spread beyond all boundaries.”
-Corita Kent

Love the moment. Isn’t that great? As you’re reading this, take one moment right now and love it, just simply love it. That energy is just extending beyond your circle of influence out into the world – whether you realize it or not! ‘Spontaneous moment-loving’: now there’s a concept! Imagine how the energy of the whole planet would shift if we all did that at the same time…
-Lissa Coffey

“You might not have thought it possible to give birth to others before one has given birth to oneself, but I assure you it is quite possible, it has been done; I offer myself in evidence as Exhibit A.”
-Shiela Ballantyne, Norma Jean the Termite Queen (1975)

Since this is Mother’s Day week, I thought we’d look at motherhood, and quotes from women about the subject. The whole concept of “giving birth” is fascinating. And I’m not talking about the biology of it, but rather the process of renewal. We can give birth to an idea. And when raising children we are helping them to give birth to themselves. As mothers, we help these young people to discover who they are. And if they could only see themselves through our eyes, they’d know. If we could see ourselves through our mother’s eyes, we’d know.
-Lissa Coffey

There’s always been this sort of pressure on mothers, from society and from ourselves. No matter what we do, how “good” we are, it never seems to measure up to how good we think we “should” be. Mothers take the heat, and are the subject of many sessions at the therapist’s office! But we’ve got to remember that we’re all just doing the best that we can. We are each on our own path, mother, son, daughter – and where our lives come together we live and grow and help each other the best that we can.
-Lissa Coffey

“Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality – especially while you struggle to keep your own.”
-Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons, The Mother’s Almanac (1975)

I can honestly say that I have learned more from the experience of parenthood than I have from any other experience in my life. There is nothing as challenging, or as rewarding, as raising a child – living with this growing and expanding young soul as it finds its place and recognizes its divinity. All of the trials and episodes and celebrations that we have been through have strengthened my spirit and given me daily evidence of God’s presence.
-Lissa Coffey

“Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality – especially while you struggle to keep your own.”
-Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons, The Mother’s Almanac (1975)

I can honestly say that I have learned more from the experience of parenthood than I have from any other experience in my life. There is nothing as challenging, or as rewarding, as raising a child – living with this growing and expanding young soul as it finds its place and recognizes its divinity. All of the trials and episodes and celebrations that we have been through have strengthened my spirit and given me daily evidence of God’s presence.
-Lissa Coffey

“Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends – but only one mother in the whole world.”
-Kate Douglas Wiggen, in Charles L. Wallis, ed., The Treasure Chest (1965)

We have the mother that we have for a reason. We have the children that we have for a reason. There are no accidents and no coincidences. Cherish your mother. Cherish her presence in your life for reasons known and unknown and beyond understanding.
-Lissa Coffey

“No matter how old a mother is she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement.”
-Florida Scott-Maxwell, The Measure of My Days (1968)

Does a mother ever stop being a mother? No. It’s as simple as that. There is always a connection between us, there is always a feeling of “unfinished business” because a mother considers her child a “work in progress!” And with the most loving intention, she wants what is best for us. To all moms out there: “Mom, I have what is best for me, I have you for a mother. You taught me to make good decisions, and I want you to know that you can trust me to make the best decisions for myself. I love you. Happy Mother’s Day! And yes, I will clean my room!”
-Lissa Coffey

“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”
-William Congreve (1670-1729)

No, that’s not a typo. We’ve all heard it as “savage beast” but it really was said “savage breast.” And I think it is more effective that way. A savage breast says to me, “an angry heart,” and I can see that as being hard and cold. There is a lot of power there, but Congreve uses the word “charms” instead. Interesting… the power of music comes not from sheer strength but from its charms, from its subtle, gentle effect on our soul.”
-Lissa Coffey

“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter.”
-John Keats (1795-1821)

When we listen very carefully to the silence we can hear the songs of the universe. These songs are playing all the time, yet we are unaware of them because so many other things are going on at the same time. When we take the time to slow down, and “tune in” to these beautiful sounds, we are enraptured. God is a musician.”
-Lissa Coffey

“Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.”
-Charlie Parker (1920-1955)

Whatever we create comes through us. It is our own expression of music, or any kind of art, that makes it unique and original. Music is a part of the universe, and when we take the time to listen, we can channel it through to our everyday lives. There are infinite possibilities before us, and music is one way that we can experience that.
-Lissa Coffey

“Nothing recalls the past like music.”
-Madame de Stael, Corinne (1807)

We’ve all had that experience of driving around in the car, flipping around the radio stations, when a certain song comes on that takes us back to our junior year in high school, the dance, the gym, our “crush” at the time. Music has a way of doing that. It creeps into our memory and imprints itself onto our psyche. When we hear a familiar song again, we can repeat the lyrics, even if has been years since we last heard it play. That’s one reason why couples have “their song” – to remember the romance and take themselves back to the time when they were falling in love.
-Lissa Coffey

“Music comes first from my heart, and then goes upstairs to my head where I check it out.”
-Roberta Flack (1993)

Writing music is a spiritual experience. It comes from within and bubbles forth. I know people who are musical geniuses, expressing music is their dharma. It’s an amazing experience when you’re in your dharma, and doing what you’re really supposed to be doing. It comes easily, effortlessly, with timeless awareness. And when you’re done you look at what you’ve produced with amazement, like someone else must have done it. Where did this come from? The same place everything else comes from – God.
Lissa Coffey