Shirley Lynn Martin

11/09/2025

Happy Sunday! Your weekly poem..... another way to live your self confidence and self esteem.

"Your power is in your loving.
Not in your brute strength.
Nor in your bank balance
or your ever-changing reputation.
Nor in your incredible tales
of conquest and gain.
Nor even in your intellect, your brilliant mind.
But in your willingness to let your heart break today.
In your courage to let another in, let them matter.
To feel what they feel.
To feel joy, or sorrow, or the most delicious doubting.
To stand with them, but not try to fix them.
To be the room for all this… emergence.
That is your power -
your ability to provide sanctuary,
to let life nestle in your giant heart.
To hold the powerless and the helpless.
To breathe into your belly, your chest,
your head, your tense shoulders.
To stand victorious there -
holding all of yourself
in a light yet powerful embrace.
Saying to yourself:
Sweetheart, I am here.
I am here at last."
--Jeff Foster

picture by Scott Morton-Ninomiya of child's wet footprint on a rock during water ceremony. "sweetheart, I am here."

11/07/2025

Happy Friday!

The Myth of a Quiet Mind

We might believe we can’t meditate because our thoughts are too busy. But meditation isn’t another way to fix ourselves. It isn’t a ‘5-step formula to bliss’.

It is about discovering who we are beneath the movement of thought, even when those thoughts seem true.

When we first begin to meditate, it can feel like nothing is happening, as if we are failing. But to see the chaos is already peace beginning to see itself.

Stillness doesn’t depend on what the mind is doing. The amount or quality of our thoughts has nothing to do with the quiet that holds them.

In the end, meditation is not about changing our state (as if we need another reason to feel inadequate as we are). It is about being here for life, exactly as it is - without resistance.

In that profound simplicity, we grow wide enough to hold it all.

Sez Kristiansen

11/06/2025

Happy Thursday! This is wonderful….

“Me: The world is completely out of control!

God: I know. It's such an adventure, right?

Me: No! It's like being on a runaway train! I need to feel like I am in control of my life.

God: You want to be in control?

Me: Yes!

God: You are living on a spinning wet rock of a planet that resides next to a constantly exploding fireball in the middle of an ever-expanding universe that is filled with mysteries beyond your wildest imagination.

Me: Um, okay....

God: And on this planet that you are hurtling through the great expanse in - you are coexisting with billions of other people who have free-will and their own experiences that shape their perspectives and beliefs.

Me: Yeah...?

God: And while all this is going on your soul is residing in a physical body that is such a miracle of delicate engineering that at any given moment could produce its last heartbeat.

Me: Right...

God: What is it about your existence that you think you have any control of?

Me: Um…

God: Come on - you know the answer to this. What can you control?

Me: How kind I am to people?

God: Yep and one other thing.

Me: What's that?

God: How kind you are to yourself. Aside from that - most of everything else is a bit outside of your design.

Me: This is a bit terrifying...

God: All great adventures are!”

****

~ john roedel

11/05/2025

Happy Wednesday!

It’s a gorgeous fall day here today. It’s one of those days where gratitude for life is natural and effortless . So what will we do with all this inner grateful state which increases our energy ?

Perhaps we can offer intentional kindness and extend deeper compassion to our friends and local community as well as to the greater world’s everyday civilians, children and animals from wars they didn’t want and violates their personal and collective will.

Perhaps we can pray for peace by allowing our gratefulness to return us (our hearts and spirits) to an inner stillness and quiet calm where only the understanding of peace echoes in our bodies and environment .

Perhaps we can get outdoors and bless this day, bless all of creation expressed in our environment so we help hold the memory of our beautiful world where people are smiling and trees are upright and water is flowing free of blood. We will need this memory in our collective agency to restore our world, to restore balance and harmony after all the destruction and children killed in these many wars around the world .

It’s a beautiful day . Make the most of it through the power and energy of your gratitude . Let your gratitude be a balm that grows your compassion and kindness . May we be a blessing to the human family we are and to our relatives in the 4 leggeds and winged ones and tree nations, etc, that we are. True peace Everywhere .

11/04/2025

Happy Tuesday! Happy November!

Today, I am honoured and grateful to be meeting again in Reiki community with my students and friends to practice a 100 year old practice of self healing and meditation. The goal of practicing Reiki with each other is health and happiness (Anshin Ritsumei--or the joy of enlightenment), not only for self, but to share with others, with creation and to let it flow for the whole human race. In the end, I have never heard anyone who doesn't want to be happy and live a meaningful life. Gathering together to uplift each other in community meditation and Reiki healing amplifies our vibrations, our experience of love and deepens our wisdom in living the human experience, here and now, mindfully.

I wish for each of you a day of light, of love and wisdom that opens your heart and spirit to moments of joy and gratitude for the blessing that you are alive and have been given a gift to share with the rest of creation. Your gift benefits us all. Share it. Peace.

11/03/2025

Happy Monday!
This wisdom is so pragmatic and beneficial if we were to apply it daily.

"Deep in the remote mountains lives a renowned wise old man, whose insights into the meaning of life draw visitors from far and wide. Among them is a young man eager to transform his life. After traversing rugged terrain for days, he finally arrives at the modest dwelling of the wise old man.

“I’m tired of what I’m doing,” the young man confides, his eagerness palpable. “Is there a better path for me to follow, sir?” he asks the wise old man.

The old man doesn’t respond directly. Instead, he poses a cryptic question: “Can you tell me the shape of water?”

Puzzled, the young man furrows his brow. “The shape of water? But water doesn’t have a shape,” he replies.

The old man pulls out a cup and fills it with water. The young man watches with interest, curious about what the wise old man is trying to teach him. “Ah, I see now!” the young man exclaims. “Water takes the shape of a cup!”

The old man nods and pours the water into a vase. The young man’s certainty falters. “… so water is in the shape of the vase?” he asks, feeling uncertain.

The old man remains silent as he pours the water onto the sandy ground. The water quickly disappears into the sand, leaving no trace behind. The young man contemplates what he has just witnessed and realizes, “Water has no shape of its own, but it can take on any shape.”

The wise old man then leads the young man to a corner outside the house. Pointing to a hole in the ground, he asks, “What do you see on the ground?”

The young man observes carefully and replies, “It’s a hole that was formed by drips from the roof.”

“Exactly,” the old man affirms. “To navigate the ever-changing world, you must be as pliable and adaptable as water. It allows you to stay close to any situation you find yourself in, and that’s the only way to truly understand what it has in store for you. Only then can you change your destiny.”

It leads the young man to ponder further.

“If you can cultivate the persistence of water, nothing can stop you,” the wise old man remarks. “Water may be soft, but it can pe*****te even the hardest of rocks. This is the Tao.”

The young man reflects on these words and realizes why he has been feeling stuck in his life. He has been unwilling to accept reality and participate fully in life. How can he change his life if he refuses to engage with it?

Thanks to the wise old man’s insights, the young man begins to see life in a new light. He learns to be like water, soft and yielding, able to take on any shape and stay close to reality. With focus and consistency, he becomes persistent like water, able to overcome obstacles and meet life’s challenges with courage."

https://tao-in-you.com/be-like-water-tao-te-ching/

11/01/2025

Honouring saints, ancestors and loved ones….

Today, we pause to honor the saints, ancestors, and loved ones whose spirits continue to guide us. Their wisdom, courage, and compassion light the path forward — reminding us that we are never alone on our journey.

As Dr. Maya Angelou wrote in her poem “Prayer”:

“Dear Creator, You, the borderless
sea of substance, we ask you to give to all the
world that which we need most — Peace.”

May we carry this peace in our hearts as we remember those who came before us, and may their legacy continue to inspire acts of love, unity, and grace. 🕊️

10/31/2025

Happy Friday!

Some are celebrating Sanhaim today. Christianity incorporated the honouring of the dead into the Christian calendar with All Saints (All Hallows) on November 1st, followed by All Souls on November 2nd. Today is a day where historically there was a recognition that the veils between our 'ordinary' world and the 'spirit world' thins this time of year as sunlight disappears and the dark lengthens. At this time, we begin to encounter the spirits of the saints, the ancestors, the guardians of our souls, as well as the ghosts and goblins that walk in the shadows of our in inner psyche and our life path. It is a time to celebrate and ring in the dark part of the year! A time to start going within and letting go....

Growing up, I understood that my ancestors had walked before me and that my life existed because of their sacrifices and their love and hope for the generations that came after them. I travelled to their home places in Germany and France to understand something of their lives, their narratives and their faith in something larger. What I didn't truly appreciate is how their spirits continue to support me, encourage me and protect me in my daily life.

For many, this day is now largely a day of fun and candy. However, it can also be an invitation to shed the masks and costumes that no longer serve us--some of them from our ancestors that they are calling us to release. It is also a time for us to listen more deeply to the spirit helpers, including ancestors, present around us to help us on our walk. We do not walk alone. We never are alone. So today, offer prayers for those who are around you, guide you, protect you, encourage you to be your best. Offer your gratitude. Acknowledge them with your love and forgiving for what they weren't able to provide as resources for you. Know they care. Know they believe that you can walk forward where and how they were not able to do so. Wishing you a day of remembering them and connecting with their love for you and all the joy and wellbeing they seek for you. Peace.

10/31/2025

As I teach Gendai Reiki these next 3 days, this way of story is a beautiful reminder of how we become healing presence (reiki healing presence) to the story of the body, of the spirit and heart-mind— for ourselves and others in flowing Reiki. In remembering our true nature and its essence and the story coming alive within, we discover our health and deep joy.

There is a quiet power in stories.
They live in the spaces between words — in the breath before the telling, in the silence that follows.
They do not belong to one nation or one people, but to the pulse of creation itself.

When I sit beside the fire and speak the old tales, I feel them moving — like roots reaching beneath the soil, connecting to something older than any law written by human hands.
These stories are not history in the way the world defines it.
They are memory — the living kind.
Memory carried by wind, by nîpiy (water), by the steady heartbeat of the drum.

Every people has their sacred stories.
The Celts told of the thin places where worlds meet.
The Greeks spoke of the light stolen from the gods.
The Yoruba sang of Orisha and the dance of creation.
The Cree and Anishinaabe told of Wesakechak and Nanaboozhoo, the shapeshifters who walked with the animals and learned the laws of balance — miyo-wîcêhtowin, good relations with all that lives.

Across the world, the same breath moves through them all — a reminder that we are not separate from the sacred, but expressions of it.
The stories keep us tethered to that knowing.

They remind us that wisdom is not born from dominance, but from relationship.
That creation is not a possession, but a kinship.
That healing does not come from power, but from compassion — kîsêwâtisiwin.

I have come to believe that stories are our first and greatest teachers.
They hold the medicine for the sickness of forgetting.
They are how we remember who we are when the world around us has forgotten how to listen.

The old ones spoke of a time when the fires of understanding would dim — when humanity would lose its way in the darkness of greed and separation.
That time, they said, would be followed by another: the lighting of the Eighth Fire — nêwo pimâtisiwin, the rebirth of balance.
A time when the people would remember again.

But the Eighth Fire will not be lit by warriors in armor or leaders with flags.
It will be lit by storytellers, healers, children, and dreamers.
By those who choose compassion over conquest, who build bridges instead of walls.
By those who understand that changing the world begins by changing how we see it — and that begins with a story.

One story at a time, we are reweaving the fabric of the world.
Each word a thread of light.
Each telling a small fire offered back to the Great Mystery — Kihci-Manitow.

That is how the Eighth Fire will rise — not through domination, but through remembrance.
Through the courage to speak softly in a world that has forgotten how to listen.
Through the knowing that every story, when told with love, is a prayer for the world to begin again.

— from The Journey of Standing Bear — A Life Between Fires
by Kanipawit Maskwa

10/29/2025

Happy Wednesday! As leaves fall and the colours become muted and bare, I find the natural journey of forgiving accompanying the journey of letting go with clients this fall.,

A lot of the work of forgiving is about letting go of the resentments about the past we cannot change. This letting go is not about letting go of the memory, nor the acknowledgment of moral harm done, but rather a decision or an emotional release of the resentment framed around the memories and the acknowledging.

The Choice to Forgive.....a path to peace. There are various forms of forgiveness. Start with one you can do.

“Resentment isn't something others do to us. Resentment is what we do to ourselves in the darkness of what others have done to us.

In a culture that glorifies revenge and getting even, often in the name of a primitive understanding of justice, letting go of resentment and forgiving others contradicts our self image of what it means to be strong.

Creating an alternative idea of personal strength through compassion may be a precursor to forgiving others.” Rob Voyle

10/27/2025

Happy Monday!

The last two mornings, significant frost has been on the ground. I watched the leaves drop from trees like rain. No resistance. No fear. A return to the Earth in and around the tree. These leaves feed the soil around the tree and so it remains a part of the tree in new ways. And cycle of growth, generation and death.

I could feel this cycle of letting go in my body and am joining in with this rhythm, finding resonance with it. I’m finding moments of resistance, but less so than 3 years ago. The gift of practice aligning with Earth’s natural rhythm. I’m also learning more about what goes into this letting go. The preparation for it. What is needed for the tree to survive is also medicine for our health and surviving and thriving into our future!

“As the crisp air of Autumn sets in, deciduous trees across the landscape undergo a spectacular transformation. Their lush green leaves, which thrived during the warmer months, slowly turn into vivid hues of red, orange, and yellow before eventually falling to the ground. While this process marks the end of one growing season, this process of shedding leaves, known scientifically as "abscission”, also holds valuable lessons for us about the art of letting go, embracing change, and preparing for renewal. Trees, through this act, teach us lessons about impermanence, resilience, and the wisdom of releasing what no longer serves us. In this article we explore the deeper symbolism behind this process and what we can learn from it.

The Necessity of Release

Trees shedding their leaves is not a passive act, rather it is an essential survival strategy. As the daylight wanes and the temperatures drop, trees undergo physiological changes in preparation for Winter. During this time, the production of chlorophyll slows down, causing the green pigment in leaves to fade and reveal the vivid colours that have been hidden beneath. But there is more to this transformation than just that. The tree sheds its leaves to conserve energy and water during the colder months when the ground is frozen, and moisture is scarce. In this way, letting go becomes a strategy for endurance, making room for new growth in the Spring.

Lesson One: Letting Go as a Means of Survival

One of the most profound lessons from the shedding of leaves therefore, is that letting go is a natural part of life. Just as trees instinctively release their leaves in preparation for Winter, we too, must release burdens, attachments, and even aspects of ourselves that are no longer aligned with our growth. The tree doesn't mourn the loss of its leaves; rather, it understands the necessity of this process to conserve energy and survive the colder months. In the same way, letting go of certain relationships, habits, thoughts, grudges or material possessions can allow us to preserve our emotional and mental wellbeing. Like trees, we need to conserve our resources for what truly matters. By letting go, we create the space for renewal and growth when the time is right. The shedding process also illustrates that we need to trust the natural ebb and flow of life. Trying to cling to what has passed its season — whether it’s a job, a toxic relationship, or old ways of thinking — can only hinder our growth. Just as the trees cannot sustain their leaves through Winter, we cannot carry everything indefinitely. There is wisdom in recognising when something is no longer serving us and allowing ourselves the freedom to release it. Letting go is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is an essential process for personal growth and wellbeing.”

Hugh Asher

https://silvotherapy.co.uk/articles/what-can-we-learn-from-trees-about-letting-go

10/26/2025

Happy Sunday! Your weekly poem…,

In the deep fall
don’t you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to
touch the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy, warm caves, begin to think

of the birds that will come—six, a dozen—to sleep inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.

~ Mary Oliver, Song for Autumn

🍁🍁🍁