METTA CENTER

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious." ~ Albert Einstein Several nights ago, I was out looking at the stars during my "blue time," the time in the early evening when the sun has just set and the world seems to be under water with blue hues everywhere. I love that time of the day, it feels magical and wondrous to me. During that time, as I ran my fingers along the blueness as if I could touch its essence of gentleness, I felt and heard the blessings: "All this peace, beauty and love is for you, for your family and for the world, Christine." In that moment, I felt deeply connected to a such delicious source of contentedness and I found my body tingling in ease. I said "I accept, I accept, I accept." It felt really good to allow and accept blessings. At that moment I remembered again that there is nothing but love, even if I sometimes forget. I love opening up, tapping into and allowing myself to connect to the Divin...

 (This article was first published in May 2007 Metta Center email newsletter. While the birds were long gone now, the message of the article still holds true in my heart today. I invite you to consider the miracle that YOU are!) My family and I have been watching a bird making a nest on top of a beam under our eaves. We think it is the future mama bird that is making the nest. There is a red one (we think this is the papa bird) who is always nearby singing to her as she works. It has been four days now since the birds started their nest, and we've seen how the nest is built piece by piece from blades of dried grass, small twigs, dried forget-me-nots. The colors are really lovely, a little baby blue from the flowers, green from the grass and soft greys from the twigs. (I wonder if the mama bird thought of color swatches as she builts her nest!) When I see how much care she is putting into preparing and creating a home for the new lives that are coming, I feel very touched and ...

"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself" ~ Zen Proverb "Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke As I started my day this morning, I was spell-bound by the brilliant display of flowers all around my home. In the Bay Area, spring has definitely sprung! Everywhere I looked, blossoms have burst in a profusion of colors: white, magenta, blue, purple, yellow, orange, red, and pink. Young grasses of verdant green dance in the soft breeze. Delicate new leaves are poking out of bare branches where they have slept through winter. I am witnessing life in its full splendor and spring regalia. So glorious, indeed! I invite you to allow yourself to get away from your desk, from the unfinished busy-ness in your day, and go out and greet spingtime with open arms and delighted eyes. Abandon your worries and obligations, and replace them with a sense of joy and ease, even for just a short...

"Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix." ~ Christina Baldwin Here autumn comes -- the changing colors of leaves, the pale sunlight, the chills in the air, the leaf-dropping breeze, and rainfall that nourishes the earth. Mother earth is again changing her cloak. She looks so beautiful! Changes take place in life all the time. Life is growth, therefore its nature is to change. Since we are part of life, we are part of the flow of change itself. To me, change is to leave the old behind and welcome the new into our lives. I think suffering comes from resisting the natural rythms and changes inherent in our own unique flow, our own unique imprint of divine life-force. When change comes knocking in your life, open your door and welcome it! Let go of the old thoughts and patterns, welcome the new seeds of hope and follow your own heart's bidding for more growth. Give yourself the chance to see who you are becoming! Wishing y...

"A Child of Crossing Places." I simply love this phrase! It touches me in such a beautiful and moving way. I first heard this phrase when reading "The Seeing Stone," by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It's a young-adult book, and it's about a young boy named Arthur who is given a magical seeing stone. In the book, “crossing places” refers to places where one aspect of life meets another, such as the shorelines, sunsets or sunrises, butterfly cocoons, seasons, and others. Crossing places are mysterious, full of potential, unpredictable and transformative. Our inner conflicts are like these crossing places: two seemingly different and conflicting forces of interests. Unlike nature, however, we often feel uncomfortable with our “crossing places,” wishing that they were not there. We can learn from nature’s ample examples to help us resolve our inner conflicts gracefully. Instead of having to choose sides or somehow force both sides of our inner battles to work...

(This article was first published in March 2007 Metta Center email newsletter.) Nature has always inspired the feelings of peace and joy in me. However, I haven't always understood the value of spending time in it and accessing the magic it offers. There were times where beautiful days, rain or shine, were presented to me and I didn't even notice because my focus was elsewhere (to past, present and future problems). That was my old habit. One day, it dawned on me that I have this programming to fix all of my problems before I allow myself to be at peace. I realized that this programming had been in place because it was useful at some level. It had kept me from being too lackadaisical and complacent, and from running away from my issues and not dealing with them. So, it served me a great and holy purpose. Since this programming no longer served me, I decided to clear it by first thanking it for its loyal service and send it to the Light for release. Next, I claim my new pro...

What a beautiful day it is today! The sky is blue, the blades of grass dancing in the gentle wind, the sun light bouncing off the leaves creating such an ethereal scene in front of me. The birds are singing happily. The rain had nourished the Earth with its liquid joy and blessings of growth. I think flowers are Heaven's messengers on earth reminding us of the delights in life. Just looking at them, I feel all tickled inside, happy and light. Spring is so filled with life renewed and remembered. It is a celebration of Life itself. Ah, life is so beautifully, intensely, gloriously, and magnificently alive! What a delicious feeling that is! Wishing you blessed and light-filled days in your world!

I was walking in the meadow up the hills from my house, communing with Nature, when I found myself singing a ditty I made up at the spot. "It's getting greener every day," was what I sang to the grass. Then, as I was basking in the feeling of pure joy, celebrating the grass, the song morphed into, "There is more love every day..." When I first noticed that the words had changed by themselves, I stopped singing. But, in the next breath, I found myself smiling even bigger and so I decided to sing it all the way home, "There is more love every day..." It was so much fun! I felt brilliantly alive and grand like a majestic oak tree. I was deliriously happy! I don't think it's because the song I was singing was going to be a hit song by any means. Interestingly, later on the same day, I read Tapas Fleming's wise words in her newsletter: "When we're actually luxuriating in who we really are, we're not having problems and there a...

"Each moment is actually a stepping stone--another chance at bliss." ~ N.M. Last Friday, I had the opportunity to see "Man of La Mancha". In one of the scenes, Don Quixote was observing that as he held dying comrades in his arms, their eyes seemed to ask him why. He said: "I do not think they were asking why they were dying... but why they had ever lived." That line struck a chord inside me. Why do we live at all? I have been contemplating that question. Why do we bother to live at all? Why do we come here? Many of us might think that we didn't choose to be here and were just plunked down by happenstance. We could have been dropped on a different planet, but here we are on Earth right now, reading this newsletter. But, what if we did choose our presence here? Why did we come to live in this body, in this particular time-space? A few days later, as I was walking in nature, enjoying the spring-like weather, I found my answer. I was walking o...

(This article was first published in the March 2006 edition of Metta Center Newsletter.) "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anaïs Nin When I first read this quote, years ago, I was struck by the enormity of the truth resonating from these words. I felt it with my entire being. It has since been one of my favorite quotes that I go back to when I need an inspiration to renew my hope and grow my courage. This quote is so poignant to me now as we move into Spring where renewal and growth are obvious to the senses. Spring is practically bursting with new life: the flower buds are swollen and some even have blossomed, new branches are extending, soft green shoots are poking out from the cold ground, fresh flower fragrance is in the air. Mother nature is renewing herself after a winter of quietly gathering her potential for growth. It is as if She is telling us, “Trust that spring comes after winter. E...

As we are thinking of love this month, or any other month, here's a song that might stir the beautiful Love deep in your core. This song was originally sang by Nat King Cole (album: "The Greatest of Nat King Cole" LP Capitol). Words and music by Eden Ahbez. This song was #1 Billboard for 8 weeks in 1948. Click here to listen to Nat : Click here to hear this song ala Pomplamoose (a really cool two-person Bay Area indie-band that I just recently discovered!) Lyrics: There was a boy A very strange enchanted boy They say he wandered very far, very far Over land and sea A little shy And sad of eye But very wise Was he And then one day A magic day he passed my way And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings This he said to me "The greatest thing You'll ever learn Is just to love And be loved In return"

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir I haven't been feeling well lately. Yet, I was inspired to go to nature for some sunshine and to celebrate life anyway. As I walked in the meadow up the hill from my home, admiring the gentle ripple of the grasses, I felt a gentle and peaceful energy enveloping me. It was as if Mother Earth had embraced me in her arms. As I walked down the path, I felt all tension and resistance just melt away from my body. I felt like there was a cocoon of softness around my physical body. It was a new and strange sensation, and I loved it! I allowed myself the experience and appreciated every sweet moment of it. The tranquility available in nature is so inspiring, healing and comforting. I invite you to treat yourself and go out there to commune with nature. May you feel yourself touched by Grace, and held in gentleness and love.

I love going to the meadow up the hill from my house. It's on a hilltop with clusters of monterey pine trees. It slopes down to a small lush forest in the valley and looks out to the green hills yonder. I was sitting on a fallen tree branch and looking out at the vista when the trees spoke to me and told me that they love me. I told them I love them, too. I told the wind that blew gently on my hair and face, "I love you!" I said the same to the sun that warmed and soothed me. I could feel love in the air. The grass shone brilliantly and I let them know how I enjoyed their fresh scent. The sky was blue with little puffy clouds, so serene. The birds sang happily as if joining in my delight. I saw a red-tailed hawk, nary 50 feet from me. First, it flew to rest on a 20-foot tall tree stump. (I wonder if it can still be called a stump being that tall?) Then, it flew down to the grassy area to eat something on the ground. This majestic bird stayed there and looked my way for a ...

Nature is very healing. I have found that observing the wonders of nature can bring us into contact with our own spiritual qualities of love, peace, joy, creativity, abundance, wisdom and beauty. Wherever you go in nature, be mindful and acknowledge the spirits of the land. Sit or walk quietly and tune into the quality of the place. Breathe deeply, be fully present and notice the colors, smells, shapes, sounds, air temperature, wind directions, and sun warmth or lack of it. Allow yourself to become one with the land, the sky, the grass, the trees, the birds. Communicate gently, reverently, appreciatively and joyously with nature. Notice and feel your Spirit stir as it recognizes its own beauty and wonder. Allow yourself to feel the warmth of gentle love and the true joy of appreciation in your heart. You will feel renewed and replenished. Before you leave, take some time to express your gratitude. Bless nature with your joy and love. "I frequently tramped eight or ten miles throug...