Pilgrimage Studio

Tag: Body

  • Body, Mind and Spirit

    Body, Mind and Spirit

    by Thela 🦊 Foxgood

    I visited with a friend recently who lives on 12 acres of wooded paradise. We went out to explore the woods, and stepping through this portal was like being transported into another realm.

    For the Mind

    The city behind me, the woods before me. Just for now, I leave it all behind. My busy mind is stilled.

    Mindful.

    What had been, becomes what is right now; in this moment, this beauty to behold. Scattered thoughts stop their scurry and rush, within the sacred hush of this grove.

    For the Body

    A breath of wind makes leaves dance

    The creek chuckles as twilight approaches

    The woods yawn, and the trees stretch their arms up higher

    An owl signals through the dim forest light, “Who?”

    Always seeing

    Always knowing

    My body soaks up this green elixir of refreshment

    For the Spirit

    Nature’s sacred temple

    Communion

    Presence

    Listening

    Sanctuary

    I used to bring my children out under the trees and say, “Listen!” There would be no sound, and they would look around puzzled. Then, a gentle breeze would move by and they’d hear it:

    “The trees are clapping their hands!”

    All that is,

    worships and honors,

    all that is.

    And here is one more of the mushrooms as I had an inquiry as to what they were in the above picture 🍄 I think this one is easier to see what they are 😊

    These photos I took in the woods with my phone. I wish I could size them on the post better… but one determines the rest of them it seems. They’re either too small or too large. On a phone though I think they look ok.

    Have you taken some time in nature lately? 😊

  • Reiki

    Reiki

    by Beth Haley

    Dedicated to my teacher Ray

    At the time my yoga teacher, Ray, mentioned she was teaching a Reiki level I class, I had never heard of Reiki. Having an interest in healing practices, I wanted to check it out.

    On our first day of class, Ray stood, and looking at each one of us she said,

    “We all come from different backgrounds. We may all have a different name for God or Deity:

    God, Higher Power, The Universe, Jesus, Mother, Father, Lord, Lady, Goddess, Jehovah, Cernunnos, Brahman, Great Spirit…

    And, there’s so many more expressions for Deity.

    Or perhaps, she continued, you have no name at all.”

    We went around the room, and those of us who wanted to share, spoke our name for Deity. Some were the same, and some were different. Some were unspoken, and some had no name at all.

    Then Ray looked at us and said, “You are all welcome here.”

    By this point in my journey, I’d spent almost 40 years in church, and this was the first time in my life that I’d ever heard a message of acceptance for others who were different.

    This message wasn’t delivered under the fake title of “tolerance”. We didn’t have to merely “tolerate” each other. It was seeing each other exactly as we were and accepting that each of us was different. And that it was ok. That we were each OK, just as we were.

    To this day, Ray is the only Reiki teacher I have ever had. So, I don’t know if this teaching is unique to all Reiki classes, or just unique to Ray. However, I do know that great teachers are irreplaceable.

    During the 1920s, Mikao Usui, who was a Japanese Buddhist priest, rediscovered an ancient practice of working with healing energy, known to us today as Reiki.

    Reiki is a holistic approach to relaxation, healing and the balancing of mind, body, emotions and spirit. It also encourages personal growth and spiritual development.

    Pixabay