Walking in Winter December . 20 . 2008

Winter Walk in the Snow . Christmas in NJ 2008

Winter Walk in the Snow . Christmas in NJ 2008

I am eternally grateful to be surrounded by such natural beauty. This is a photo I took on my walk today. Because of the heavy snow I abbreviated my five mile walk to a two mile walk. In this crunchy snow, that was still quite a feat.

 

I found an incredible storehouse of knowledge today on a website called TruthBeKnown.com that explores comparative religions and religious myths. I warn you, if you have any interest in this field, you might get lost for hours like I did.

 

The other day, I also found an incredible site called Bibliodyssey. It is an incredible collection of book illustrations from across the ages. Once again, be prepared to get lost. It is a wonderful resource for artists and illustrators.

Gratitude . Walking . Affirmations . Healing

Rocks . Road . Fall

Rocks . Road . Fall

As I look back on this past year I know that one of these three things have saved my life: Gratitude, Walking and Affirmations. They have helped me heal and led me to new ways of thinking and living. I am very grateful for the change in my life.

The gratitude keeps me in a spirit of acceptance of what I have and who I am.

The walking just keeps my mind clearer and my body stronger. The visual stimulation that I get everyday from the scenery has helped me get back to my love of nature and it has inspired me to draw again.

The affirmations help me to reach out to the future and to possibilities and to others. I not only affirm good things for myself, but I affirm good things for my family and my friends. My affirmations for my loved ones at this point are manifesting themselves in amazing ways. I am growing in my ability to make affirmations for myself and to make them come true.

My healing has been helped along by all these things and by the help of my family and friends. My healing has been helped by Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra, Ernest Holmes and others. I am grateful for the journey that I began about a year ago. I am grateful that I have been transformed.

Celebration of Manifestation

November Sunset In New Jersey on the Delaware River

November Sunset In New Jersey on the Delaware River

Today I celebrate the manifestation of my affirmations of the past several months in the life of someone very dear to me. I am grateful that the universe has heard my plea. I am grateful for the new opportunities and new relationships that are coming into being at this very moment in time.

The photograph above was taken on my abbreviated walk today. I got started a bit late and the sun goes down very early right now, but the good thing about it is that I was at this spot, at this beautiful moment in time, with my camera.

Life is good!

Movements

Fall Weave

Fall Weave

As the season progresses into late fall, it is amazing to watch the colors, textures and forms of nature change everyday. It reminds me that nothing is ever static or frozen and that I must shift and move with nature and never get stuck or frozen.

I have also been thinking allot about mind control. I seem to be moving beyond being careful to remain positive to just telling myself that I do not have the time to be depressed or to entertain morbid or self defeating thoughts.

My walk today was very difficult physically. I got a mile down the path and wanted to turn back just from the pain I felt in my legs, but I knew that it was important for my spirit, my emotions, my mind and my body that I just keep going and complete my 5 mile walk.

Celebrating 50 Years of Life

 

50: A number not to be feared

50: A number not to be feared

Today is my 50th birthday and I choose to celebrate my own survival and prosperity this day. I claim every good thing for myself. I look forward to a whole new decade of discovery and growth. I thank the universe for helping me to get over my self [self and negative perceptions of my personality and place in the world] and my obsession with failure and poverty. I embrace my new world. I embrace my own personal “new age”.

I thank Louise Hay for helping me to get here. I thank my mother and my father and my entire family for their love and wisdom. I thank my life partner for being here for me and holding my hand for the past year while I walked through the dark valley of my own making in my own despair and self hatred. I am a wonderfully lucky and blessed man. I am grateful for my father’s visit this past summer and his acceptance and love for me. I am grateful for a roof over my head, food in my refrigerator and cupboards, opportunities surrounding me in every direction, for political freedom, the chance to run my own business, the health to be able to walk 5 miles a day, for stopping smoking this year, for wonderful new destinations that I have discovered, and the blessings of technology that make the Internet and this blog possible.

Turning fifty years old is not scary at all. It is the fear of turning fifty that is really scary. It is a fear that can destroy you; It is a fear that can drive you crazy, but only if you let it. Embrace the possibility of this moment and your future. Embrace The Concept and The Reality of Now.

Walking in Gratitude

Fall 2008 October in New Jersey

Fall 2008 October in New Jersey

Every day my walks help me to keep my head screwed on straight. I am grateful that I finally decided to get off my ass and start taking care of my mind, my body and my soul. With every step on my walk, I try to remain in an attitude of gratitude. I am a very happy man that my life has changed so much for the better. I encourage all of you to get out and walk as much as you can every day. Do it for yourself. Do it for the universe. Do it for your own peace of mind. Just Do It.

Stop Drawing Negative Energy To Yourself

Hiking Path

Hiking Path

I went for a walk the other day with a very good friend. Everything was going well until we stepped out the front door. All of a sudden everything went sour. Whatever was going on in the street that was bad, he drew right into us. A person whistling to get someone else’s attention really seemed to bother him and right after that, another person was in a crosswalk trying to cross the street, stepped out into traffic and put their hand up to make sure that everyone was stopping, (sort of like a crossing guard). My friend thought they were being stupid and called them a few choice names. This all happened within a matter of two minutes at the beginning of the walk and I was totally rattled before we started. These walks for me are my meditation and my therapy and this experience was not good for my mind or my emotions or even my friendship. I was really angry that he had pulled up so much negative energy off the street.

A few days later I told my friend how this upset me and how it ruined the walk that day and they were not even aware of how they were pulling all this negative energy. It has made me very aware of how I interpret the events around me and how I must strive to see things in new ways and not to let things get under my skin.

Since then, my friend and I have talked and when we go out for walks together, we try to prepare ourselves spiritually and mentally before we step out of the house. It just goes to show you that you never know what is facing you when you step out the door in the morning, so you have to be prepared. You have to be expecting good things before you take that first step. We all have to be careful not to make ourselves magnets of negativity.

My “Bowl of Abundance”

Bowl of Abundance

There is a section on my daily walk that I call my “Bowl of Abundance”. Before I get to this particular spot there is a beautiful path that is covered on both sides with tall trees that make for something of a dark tunnel. As I approach this spot, the light from this open space floods the tunnel and welcomes you to come in. When you walk into the space, you get the feeling that this marvelous place of green grass, specimen trees and endless blue sky was created just for you. In reality it was; this beautiful spot was transformed into a public park some years ago from a toxic Superfund site. It is the best part of my daily walk and sometimes after my five mile journey, I will take a few moments and take in the beauty of this place.

The principle of abundance that I am learning about is one of that I have gleaned out of Louis Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life“. As I was coming out of my depression, this part of my daily walk became my own personal bowl of abundance. The sky is so open here that it feels like a gigantic bowl that has been turned upside down. I guess in that sense it is my dome of abundance. This place symbolizes my own reworking of my mind and my spirit to concentrate more on good things, to be grateful for what I have and to believe that I deserve a bountiful abundance of every good thing in the universe as we all do.

I am grateful for the healing power of good physical, mental and spiritual habits.

Fall Mandala

Fall Mandala: Infinite Orange

Fall Mandala: Infinite Orange

This mandala was made by using a kaleidoscope effect on a fall leaf that I picked up on my walk yesterday. This was done with Paint Shop Pro. At the bottom of this post, you can see the original leaf that the image was made from.

I am grateful for the beauty of the colors of fall and the ever changing quality of nature. There are surprises out there every day for me if I am willing to pay attention and to be grateful. I am grateful for the scanner which allowed me to photograph the leaf and capture these incredible colors and textures. I am grateful for the art program which allows me to transform these images into another reality. I am grateful for the technology that makes it all possible. I am grateful for the inventors that came up with these incredible tools.

I love this fall mandala and the infinity of space that it symbolizes for me.

Fall Leaf: From a walk along the Delaware River in NJ

Fall Leaf: From a walk along the Delaware River in NJ

Affirmations That Work (in their own time)

Rock Window

Rock Window

From Answers.com the definition of affirm: 

  1. To declare positively or firmly; maintain to be true.
  2. To support or uphold the validity of; confirm.

From my own experience an affirmation is a positive declaration of something I want to see come true. It is much more than a wish. It is making a statement that this deeply desired outcome has already materialized while at the same time thanking the universe for making it so.

Sometimes it can be discouraging when you make the affirmation over and over again every day and nothing seems to budge. The situation seems hopeless and stagnant.

Last night I found out that one of my affirmations that I make every day on my walk is beginning to materialize. It is happening in a different manner than I had affirmed and in a much larger and much more positive way than I could have ever imagined or asked for. I think that the big movements that need to occur in our lives sometimes take more time than we might think necessary. We have to wait for the conditions to be right. Big changes don’t always occur on our schedule.

I am grateful for the confirmation of my affirmations. I am grateful for a changed reality in my life and the lives of those around me. I am grateful for the increase in hope and confidence that this change brings.