Pilgrimage Studio

Tag: Intention

  • Today’s Shot 75

    Today’s Shot 75

    Ray of Light

    Sumter National Forest

    At times, as I’ve aimed the camera, I think I know what I’ve captured… then looking later, I know I didn’t truly see at all. Not then.

    Mantra Practice

    Tidal force is what causes high and low tides. It is the side closest to the moon that pushes the inflows and draws the outflows with the moon’s gravitational pull. Just as, with each planet, there is an energetic effect. I have always been interested in how this affects us as people. More, I wondered if there were mantras for the planets 🪐 which help us navigate the energetic currents that tug at our own lives.

    Mercury has been the talk of late, being in retrograde (appearing to move backwards). I find that working in Mercury’s energy (which has been associated with communications of all kinds) with my voice and words, has been interesting to me. It is intentional thought, throat chakra in action, words and sound – all combined – focused towards those very things: Mercury and communications. The idea is, that these types of mantras help to sooth or smooth-out the natural energies that are at play in our lives. It is helpful to know your birth chart if you’d like to pin-point a specific issue along with its planetary associations.

    You can chant with mala beads 108 times. Or perhaps, set aside a certain amount of time and make it a part of your meditation practice.

    Mercury Mantra / Budh

    Note: as I heard it explained, the sound “Bood – Ha” is not the same as Buddha.

    Om Budhaya Namaha

    Om Bood-hah-yah Nahm-ah-ha

    In his book, “Mantra, Sacred Words of Power”, Thomas Ashley-Farrand says, “Attention is energy. Intention qualifies attention.”

    Whether you pray, dance, sing, drum, or chant mantras… what kind of attention is your intention qualifying?

  • The Cat’s Advice 🐈

    The Cat’s Advice 🐈

    by Thela 🦊 Foxgood

    The first step in setting intentions and manifesting our desires is to know, and to be clear, on what they are. If you don’t know, try closing your eyes, slowing your breath, and simply ask. When your ideas become clear, write them down.

    A simple question to ask yourself is, “What am I passionate about? What brings me joy?”

    “Serenely watching the fireworks set off in her honor, the Fire Queen revels in their beauty and magic. She is an adventuress who is fond of entertainments and sparkly toys. She revels in the hunt, more for the chase than the kill, for her heart is kind and honorable. As a mate, she is passionate, and she enjoys her kittens for their playfulness and unpredictability. This queen’s sense of humor keeps her heart light. She is a source of inspiration and creative vision.”

    The Cat’s Advice

    “What brings the sparkle to your eyes? What kindles the flame of passion within you? When you are filled with warm enthusiasm for life, your radiant spirit inspires others to glow as well. Find your own muse so that you may continue to be a muse for others.”

    On the flip side: If your passion for living is dampened at the present, or “If you have lost interest in the things that used to inflame your ardor, you can either find ways to rekindle the spark, or move on to new passions. One way or another, you must reclaim your inner glow.”

    Cat’s Advice is brought to you by:

    Tales of the Mystical Cats

    Lunaea Weatherstone

    Mystical Cats Art by : Mickie Mueller

    Kaz@Pixabay

  • Ritual Acts

    Ritual Acts

    by Thela Foxgood

    There’s something about starting and ending the day with a simple ritual that can bring us a peace and sense of well-being. Many of us create and attend to our own rituals every day.

    Rituals can be speaking specific words (mantras, prayers), going through the routine of certain actions, singing a song, journaling, working through some yoga poses, walking in the woods, meditating, or even dancing. These can transform states of mind, emotion, and our physical condition as well.

    Choosing a specific state of mind enables a shift from one state-of-being to another.

    For example, focusing my mind on an attitude of gratitude in the morning, instantly shifts my mind and emotions to a specific outlook for the day ahead. It is an intentional act and the more I do this, the more habitual it becomes.

    For me, ending the day with certain rituals determines how the sun sets on my internal world which then affects my external environment.

    Regardless of what has happened during the day, when I get home and hit the yoga mat for a reiki treatment, some quiet time, meditation, prayer and writing, it changes everything.

    Because it changes me.

    These rituals bring certain aspects of myself that have gotten frayed, bent out of shape, or out of balance throughout the day, back into alignment.

    When simple acts are repeated, especially when they are repeated with intention, they increase in meaning.

    A simple ritual I grew up with is bedtime prayers. Normally this involves speaking a blessing over family and friends, our sleep, our dreams, and our welfare for the next day.

    We got into the habit of taking turns, and on one particular night we didn’t realize that the person chosen for this evening ritual was completely exhausted. We joined hands and huddled up, waiting expectantly for our evening blessing. And, instead of our usual ritual, she stated simply:

    “Dear Lord, please pray for us.”

    In the space of time it took to blink after this unusual (for us) request, she would have passed out into the arms of deep slumber…

    If it had not been for the fact that the rest of us were rolling on the floor in laughter.