Returning from Retreat

Yesterday evening I returned from an almost full weeks retreat.  It was so good and necessary to get away and create some space and distance from myself and my day to day routine.  Rest, relaxation, creativity, realignment with vision and peace are a few of the words I would use to describe my time away.

I made it home for a late lunch and then had to go into to work for almost 6 hours and then when I came home had some dinner and started catching up on my personal emails...I started to notice a feeling of anxiousness thinking about starting this week and Oh its Thanksgiving, so much to prepare for, the word "how" kept looping through my mind..."How am I going to get that done this week?....How will I...?...How am I supposed to...?"  My great post retreat feeling was quickly fleeting.

Thank goodness for taking the time to meditate this morning.  The pearl of wisdom that came to me and quickly brought me back to my retreat mindset was...

You must consciously choose the experience of your life moment to moment, second to second or you will always be in reaction to what is happening around you.

I was beginning to react to my life!  Nothing has changed in my day to day upon returning from my retreat, however, something in my body and mind had changed...AND as quickly as I had changed, I found myself slipping back into a space of reaction to the conditions of my life.

I must go on retreat every morning, multiple times a day if necessary to reconnect to my heart, my love, my peace, freedom and creativity.  I can't wait for the conditions of my life to "make" me feel this way.

This is one of THE basic spiritual principles I consciously first learned, Life really moves from the inside out, however it is so easy to forget.

I am grateful for the reminder this morning in meditation...and once again, I consciously choose the experience of my life moment to moment.

And so it is...and so I shall.

Possibility, Determination & Focus, Inspiration from Science

Today, a satellite launched 10 years ago landed on a comet 300 million miles away!  Full story below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/11/12/the-rosetta-comet-landing-is-mere-minutes-away-from-making-history/

Can you imagine launching something 10 years ago that you really wouldn't see results from for a whole decade.  It just makes me think of the power of mind and intention, focus and determination.  I am sure there was a lot of doubt and uncertainty that could have stopped the work, but there was firm determination to see this day to light.

How many things in your life have you stopped because of doubt or uncertainty?  I can name a few personally, where would those projects be in my life if I had the same focus and determination as these scientists...who knows.  I have let them go, but now today I can cultivate my focus and determination and bring forth the latest desires and hopes on the horizon of my life.

A foundational practice that helps me reconnect on a daily basis is meditation.

Check out this meditation I led earlier today inspired by this story of the Rosetta comet and the lander Philane.  Click here to download an listen.

Feast of St. Francis/Kol Nidre...This is a day to pause!

October 4th, 2014
In the Jewish faith today is Yom Kippur, at sun down this evening there is a service named Kol Nidre,  where there is a conscious practice of severing and ending those vows we have (personally with God, Life, Source, the Universe) not held up in the past year and a committing to new vows (in the Hebrew calendar this is the new year 5775).

Also today in the Catholic faith it is the feast or celebration of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment.  There is a very popular prayer known as the prayer of Assisi.

On this day, I keep fresh before me these words and my intentions.  Let us all walk forward from this point being an instrument of the highest good, serving the deepest vows of our hearts to love and be loved...Amen

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is discord, harmony;

Where there is error, truth;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

The Power of Hello

Thanks to the guy in the park this morning who said hello as I jogged by.  He was walking his dog, I was trying to get blood moving.  He said hello, but really made eye contact with me.  I immediately felt lighter, happier, excited even.  My jog which began as a dreaded necessity for health and longevity as a 40 something male, all of a sudden fell away (even though I was still jogging).  I felt excited for my day and optimistic even!  I found myself asking the question "Was I not optimistic before he said hello to me?"  I realized it wasn't so much about being optimistic or not, my mind prior to that was just caught in a loop of the things I have to do today.  I was using this precious time by myself to process lists in my mind, but all of those things were "to dos".

In the last couple days the turn of the phrase "human doing vs. human being" has come up a few times.  This morning I realized I "do" a lot, and that is partly just who I am, but in my doingness, who do I wish to be?  I don't think I can actually be anyone else other than who I am, Darrell, light, joyful, creative, lover of loving et cetera...however, in my constant cataloguing of all my doing, I forget to focus on who I am.

Thanks guy in the park for reminding me that regardless of what I am doing (jogging, typing a blog post, sitting in a meeting or ordering coffee), I am a connector.  I love to connect with people.  Thanks for making eye contact with me and reminding me how good it feels to be seen!

My intention today is to see...really see as many people as I can today, and be seen by the wonderful world that surrounds me.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you see something you needed in my sharing.

Love, Light & Laughter! - Darrell

Soul Power!  What is your soul sharing with you?

“The science for transformation of life is called meditation. Through analysis, physical science reaches the atom and atomic power, but meditation reaches the soul and soul power.” ~Osho

The quote above gave way to a great mediation conference call tonight.  
Feel free to download it here http://t.co/mrIsubSsFp.

A scientific look at prayer!

This is one of the reasons why I pray and meditate....pretty cool eh?



Join me tonight for a free prayer conference call.  All you have to do is dial in and listen.

Here is the call in information.
Call Number: 530-881-1200
Access Code: 431735#

Thursday, June 26 8:30 - 9:00 p.m

Of course you can request prayer for something in particular at darrelljonesspirit@gmail.com.

Love, Light & Laughter,

Darrell

The latest and greatest for the community prayer call format for this Thursday, June 19th, 2014!

I am asking if you have a specific prayer request for the call to send it to me ahead of time up to 10 minutes before the call. 

Let me know:
1) Who the prayer is for, you, another person, organization et cetera.
2) What the specific prayer request is
3) What quality of God/Spirit/Source you desire to know in this prayer request.

Send me an email (darrelljonesspirit@gmail.com), Facebook message or post it on the event. If you want the request to be private let me know and I will simply pray forth the quality.

I will record the call so even if you can't make the call you can listen to it later, so you can still send in a request even if you can't make the call!


Here is the call in information.
Call Number: 530-881-1200
Access Code: 431735#

Thursdays, June 19 & 26 8:30 - 9:00 p.m

I hope you can join in, invite friends and family members, this is open to any and all!