Monday, June 15, 2015
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Beauty of Perception
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Beauty of Perception: When I was a boy my grandfather told me a wonderful story about a man who bought his son a white horse and all the neighbors marveled a...
The Beauty of Perception
When I was a boy my grandfather told me a wonderful
story about a man who bought his son a white horse and all the neighbors
marveled at its beauty. They told the boy how lucky he was to own such a regal
animal. One day when the boy was riding, he fell off and broke his leg. It was
a very serious break and the boy was bedridden for many months. The neighbors
told the boy’s father it was a tragedy that his son broke his leg. If he hadn't
owned the horse, they said, the accident would never have happened. Then, a war
broke out and all the able-bodied young men were summoned to fight. Now the
neighbors told the injured boy's father what good fortune it was that his son
broke his leg, since he would be spared going to war and potentially being
killed. Following the boy's recovery, his horse ran away and the boy became
very sad. The neighbors told the father it was a tragedy that the horse the
young man loved so dearly ran away. But one day the white horse returned but
not alone. A dozen majestic horses had joined her and now the family had more
amazing horses than they ever dreamed of before. And the neighbors rejoiced again.
In the field of Psychology, perception refers to your
interpretation of what you take in through the senses. Perception is your
sensory experience of the world around you. What two people see in the same situation
can be startlingly different, and this is the beauty and excitement, the challenge
and annoyance of perception.
When you see a film, you perceive its meaning in
different ways. When I read the commentary of movie reviewers, oftentimes I am
shaking my head in disbelief that they saw the same movie that I saw! The fact
is, some people are more observant of the imagery; some are more attentive to
the dialogue, some are more conscious of the feelings the characters are
experiencing, and some people are more focused on the overall storyline. We are
all watching the same film but perceiving it differently.
Different perceptions lead to different paths in
life. Mother Teresa had a calling and spent her entire life working on behalf
of the poorest of the poor. Composer Johann Sebastian Bach said he stumbled
over notes everywhere he walked and therefore became a prolific musician and
composer. Picasso saw distortions of the human anatomy and his art mirrored his
perception. Gandhi perceived life as an opportunity for greater service to
humanity and therefore, spent his life dedicated to this principle. Walt
Whitman saw beauty all around him and his poetry reflected his excitement about
life and the delightful people he met on his travels.
Historian and philosopher, David Hume wrote, “Beauty
is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which
contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.”
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Leading a Spiritual Life
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Leading a Spiritual Life: In 1995 I went on a spiritual journey to Ubud, Bali Indonesia. I spent my days visiting holy shamans in caves and ancient dwellings and...
Leading a Spiritual Life
In 1995 I went on a spiritual journey to Ubud, Bali
Indonesia. I spent my days visiting holy shamans in caves and ancient dwellings
and going to dozens of ornate temples. In the morning, I watched devoted Balinese
women making offerings to the gods and then sat in amazement as these same
women carried huge stone boulders on their heads as they gracefully walked to
take them to construction sites.
There are many definitions, perceptions, and misperceptions
of what spirituality is and what leading a spiritual life consists of. When I
ask others who come to mind when thinking of a person leading a spiritual life,
Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, and the Pope typically come up again and again.
When I went to Ubud, I was transfixed by peaceful and smiling
faces of local Balinese people dressed in their native clothing living a very
simple life in an amazingly beautiful and picturesque place. In Bali, there
isn’t a word in their language for an artist because everyone is naturally
considered to be an artist.
Looking up the word spiritual at thesaurus.com, synonyms
include: devotional, pure, blessed, blissful, sacred, creative, and
refined….all the qualities I found in the Balinese people. Spirituality then is
a path dedicated to making our little world a heaven on earth. Mother Theresa
said, “It is not necessary to make a pilgrimage to India and to join me in
feeding and caring for the poorest of the poor. But do this work within the
community you live in!”
Writer Deepak Chopra says, “Spirituality is not some kind of
religious dogma or ideology but the domain of awareness where we experience
values like truth, goodness, beauty, love, compassion, creativity, and insight.”
Author David Mixner writes, “Nature for me has always been a
healing place. Going back all the way to my childhood on the farm, the fields
and forests were places of adventure and self-discovery. Animals were
companions and friends, and the world moved at a slower, more rational pace
than the bustling cities where I'd resided my adult life.”
One of the qualities that stand out for people who are on a
path to bring more spirit into their day to day life is inner peace. Using this
as a guideline, inner peace comes about because we have made peace with our
past, let go of everything that causes us distress, and have learned to live
more in the moment. In the Buddhist philosophy one of the keys to achieving
inner peace is to let go of our attachment to things and outcomes that have no
real value or significance.
Author and lecturer Marianne Williamson writes, “The
spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance
of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on
earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and
others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in
us.”
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Brain Fitness
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Brain Fitness: The human brain is composed of over 100 billion cells, creating a network of 100 trillion connections, and over 400 miles of blood vess...
Brain Fitness
The human brain is composed of over 100 billion cells,
creating a network of 100 trillion connections, and over 400 miles of blood
vessels. This remarkable and elaborate communication system controls,
coordinates, and regulates all the physical and mental activities you perform
each day. Every action you engage in, every step you take, every gesture, every
breath, every thought, every word you speak and write, the decisions you make,
and the memories you store and retrieve require the direction, orchestration,
and responsiveness of your miraculous brain.
Brain cells communicate by releasing chemicals allowing an
impulse to pass from one cell to another. What you think about and the imagery you
entertain directly affect the chemistry of the brain. The food you eat, like
the thoughts you engage in, either support the healthy functioning of the brain
or deprive it and starve it of the nutrients it needs. When you see and
appreciate things of beauty your brain releases chemicals that support the good
feelings associated with what you see. The memories and the
future imagery you entertain immediately impact the neurotransmitters the brain
releases.
Every day new research is coming forth from major medical
universities and research centers revealing that lifestyle is the key to protecting your brain and caring for it as
you age. By leading a healthy lifestyle, you can significantly increase your
chances of slowing down the physiological changes that occur as you age.
The health of your brain depends on many lifestyle factors
such as regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, incorporating mentally
stimulating activities into your day, sleeping soundly, leading a satisfying
social life, learning to effectively deal with stress, limiting TV time, maintaining
a healthy weight, and drinking plenty of water. Another interesting component
of brain health is to alter your daily routine by doing things differently. Try
using your non dominant hand more often and taking a class on a totally
different subject.
More than ever we need to be cognizant of the toxins in the
food we eat, the toxins in the cigarettes we smoke, and the devastating effect
of too much alcohol. We need to make a concerted effort to cut way back on the amount of refined sugar we ingest every day.
The average American consumes over 150 pounds of sugar a year in a variety of
forms, including high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, processed food, fast
food, and starchy carbohydrates that lead to inflammation.
Begin thinking in terms of brain fitness and ask yourself, “What
are the things I can do each day to assist this precious brain of mine to
function at an optimal level? Am I exercising and moving enough? Am I
maintaining a healthy diet? Am I managing my weight? Am I sleeping soundly? Am
I spending time with people socially who I enjoy being with? Am I laughing and
playing often and doing fun things? Am I effectively handling stress? Am I
participating in mentally stimulating activities? Am I taking time each day to
relax?”
Take the time to make the health of your brain a priority.
What do you have to lose?
Friday, April 24, 2015
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life
Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life: I heard a story about a couple who wanted to do something extraordinary with their lives and so they decided to take a kayaking journey...
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