Boulder and the Beautiful

News22 Dec 2011 09:55 pm

Straight from the interview: The importance of silence and solitude, part 3

From my interview with Samir Heffley, who is on the board of directors for the nonprofit Osho Meditation Center in Boulder.

“If you are able to give yourself enough time some time to just be alone with yourself, even for seven days, you will be astonished at how difficult it is. And then you will understand a very important thing: a lot of times we make our lives so busy because we’re quite afraid to be alone.”

“It’s a beautiful thing to really meet the truth of who you are, and it’s so liberating. And then you start being less and less afraid, which is huge. There’s so much fear in the world. Not just surface things, like what if I lose my job or what’s happening to the planet, but when you face the fundamental fear inside yourself of your aloneness, your whole relationship to fear changes in the world.”

News22 Dec 2011 09:43 pm

Straight from the interview: the importance of being alone part 2

Interested in learning more about silence and solitude than just my article (scheduled to run Jan. 8)?

Here’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse at my notes.

Mary Aitoshi Casey II, of Boulder, owner of the Boulder Quest Center
www.BoulderQuest.com

“All of this stimulation is coming in, and if we don’t find time to quiet everything down, we don’t hear our own voice, that inner wisdom.”

“We’ve gotten so used to not hearing our inner voice because we’ve been trained not to, that we have to really consciously go there now.”

“I think we’ve actually lost the skill of being bored. Where, if we’re not hyper-stimulated, we feel like our life must be too plain. Where we bought into this story that hyper-communication is where you want to be all of the time. But that hyper state is only sustainable for about 45 minutes, maybe an hour and half. If you watch how they do it, the Secret Service, or lifeguards at the pool, you have to take breaks, because you can’t stay at the red alert stage. Without breaks, you become less effective and the creative part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex, shuts down.”

“Turn your chair away from your computer, and if you’re some place where you’re worried about being seen like you’re not doing anything, put a notebook in your hand and a pencil in the other and close your eyes like you’re thinking about something, but don’t think about anything. Anyone who sees you will assume you’re doing something productive — and they’re right! Rest is one of the best things you can do to improve your productivity.”

“We just forget how much we’re checking it. Like check these boxes: I check my e-mail while going to the bathroom. Um, I probably don’t need to do that. It takes me twice as long to walk home because I am texting while I am walking home. Yup. We just don’t realize that we’re spending all this time with our electronics — and then we wonder why we have no time.”

“Solitude. It’s your chance for yourself to talk to you. And you’re so worth that time. Think of all the people that we give time for their voices to talk to us, and what percentage of that time we give to ourselves. … If you took 100 percent of your listening time, maybe 1 percent — if you’re lucky — we devote to ourselves.”

“We’re like, yeah, I can take care of you and this and I can hold a job and have a baby and cook the meals and clean the house and do all these things. And for a day or a week, giving that much of yourself, you can probably do it, and you probably feel really jazzed. But it will start to weigh on you and deplete you if you don’t take that solitude and get back in touch with why you share and give so much, and why you love the people that you love and that you’re giving for. We can forget that we love our children and husband and wives because we’re not listening to ourselves. All I do is do the laundry; I don’t love anything! What do you mean love? I don’t have time for that!”

“That’s that solitude piece. It’s where our new ideas come from and where our hopes and dreams take root and take form.”

“You have to know your own brain to know what it is that stimulates that sense of your inner voice being open and present and talking. It kind of makes your brain feel full. Like it’s, well, all lit up and glowy like a light bulb. Otherwise, the light is coming from the computer screen and not from inside you.”

“That solitude taps you into your wisdom, and that’s what you put out into world instead of putting out reactions. And then my reactions control my experience, rather than me creating my experience on purpose.”

“This is a time of year when people get really crazed, but then it’s also a time when they can see I did lose control of my experience here. It’s a great time for this message to come in. It gets old to do everything off of willpower.”

News22 Dec 2011 04:43 pm

What you won’t find in the article… Straight from the interview: the importance of being alone

I have a cool job. I get to talk to some of the most interesting people with interesting perspectives. Sometimes I wish I could just transcribe my interviews, so people can read all of the quotes in context. One single article sometimes doesn’t feel like enough.

So I have decided to put some more excerpts from my interviews on here, in case you want a little *more* than the paper has space for.

I am currently working on a story about the importance of solitude and silence.Here are some of my notes on the importance of being alone.

Johann Robbins, of Boulder, who offers guided silent meditation retreats.
The groups are usually 15 to 20 people who spend time together, yet silent, in the mountains for 10 days or so. Robbins leads about four to five retreats per year.
He has also offered wilderness canoe retreats.
More info: http://www.impermanentsangha.com

“The silence is what creates the solitude. If you go into the wilderness alone, that creates solitude because there’s no one to talk to. If you go in with a group and everyone’s chatting, you won’t have that impact. But if you’re with a group and everyone’s quiet, you get the same solitude, but the power of the group. The intention on being silent makes it easier to quiet your mind than even being alone.”

“The idea of practicing in nature for me isn’t sitting with your eyes closed watching your own mind. It’s sitting with your eyes, ears and whole body open and watching nature — but without trying to think, compare, analyze or judge it. Rather than allowing the associative mind to go onto whatever train it does, you bring it back to the present: What am I actually seeing, not what am I looking for or thinking of.”

“Nature reflects back to us our inner nature, our pure inner nature.”

“My view is that we’re essentially good, and we get overlaid with behaviors and conditioning that makes us maybe not so good: greed, hatred, delusion. … You don’t see those things in nature. You see violence in nature — it’s not like it’s some fairy tale — but there’s no malice behind it. When the snake eats the rodent, there’s no anger. It’s just life. … Nature is only reflecting what’s good in us back to us, and not reflecting anything else. Just what IS. It’s a powerful place to feel safe, at home, their own goodness, to feel our right place in life, without all of the striving and the stress, anxiety and fear and competition.”

“The way the mind gets habituated to a certain level of intensity and activity, there’s a lot of fear that propels that. So to confront that head on by stopping everything is scary.”"We all try to escape our own minds in different ways. Some do it destructively with drugs and alcohol. But when you go on a vacation, change jobs or partners, essentially what you’re trying to do is change your mind. Your mind is saying, ‘This doesn’t feel good. If I change the external circumstances, my thoughts will be more pleasant and thing will be easier.’ But a lot of times we find we’re back to the same situation and things haven’t really changed. … We’re all trying to change the externals to make the internals feel better.”

“At a certain point, what if we look inside our own minds? The causes for happiness and unhappiness are in our minds. If you can be happy with what is, then you’re happy.”

“Just by paying attention to something, we change it, we purify it. We don’t have to try to change anything. We just see it, we watch it, and in watching it, it self-purifies.”

News05 Apr 2011 09:15 am

This weekend in Boulder: Mother’s Day portrait fundraiser

Saturday, April 9 at Boulder Creek in Boulder

WHAT: Michelle Maloy Dillon, a Colorado photographer who has been documenting the moments and events of people’s lives through photography for over 20 years, presents Mother’s Day Portrait Days. 100 percent of the session fees will be donated to local non-profits, Mothers Acting Up (a local organization dedicated to engaging mothers to act on behalf of the world’s children) and Educate! (a local organization working to educate and empower Africa’s youth to become socially responsible future leaders.)

WHEN: Sat., April 9 (time scheduled by appointment)

WHERE: Boulder Creek, in Boulder

MORE INFORMATION: Session fees are $70 and include a 20-minute outdoor photo session and a private website of photos for individuals to choose an exclusive Mother’s Day Black and White Photo Collection. Exclusive Mother’s Day Black and White Photo Collections are available starting at $275.

Contact Michelle for more information. Email: michelle@mmdphotography.com or call: 303.499.0787.

For more information and a portfolio visit: www.mmdphotography.com

News15 Nov 2010 05:09 pm

The science of art

If you didn’t read my article on Sunday about the science of art, click here:

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_16577636?IADID=Search-www.dailycamera.com-www.dailycamera.com

Here are some more thoughts on the topic that came to me after deadline. I am intrigued by this topic so much that I thought I’d share these here.

The words of Sally Eckert 11/10/10 @ Marisol Imports on The Science of Art:

“Going back thousands of years, even to the original cave paintings in France, people painted to create an image that would affect the psyche of the person entering that area – be it a temple, a cave, a church. Even if the viewer had no knowledge of the actual religion or didn’t know how to read or to write, the image created a learning experience. As art developed through the centuries, church paintings were created to allow you to feel the presence of the Christ, to feel the divinity of the Madonna. If you’re going to influence people in a mass way, you usually have to have a repetitive image which keeps people thinking about the same concepts over and over and over again. So every time you see a picture of the Virgin Mary, you think the same thoughts, even if painted by a different artists, the colors are the same, the gestures are the same, the way the baby is held is the same, so that the image keeps creating the same sort of emotional effect.

So art, through the ages, was definitely used for healing, mostly by indigenous people including the Native American and Tibetan cultures. The original purpose of art was to create healing, whether through healing mandalas, sand-paintings or on murals. Because your intent was to heal through an image, the patient, or the viewer, actually has a physical and emotional experience of this image transferring through the brain, and REPATTERNING the psyche.

This is something that is currently being done through all sorts of modern brain therapies, including EMDR. If you have a blocked image in the nervous system, it can cause repetitive neurological patterns, as in post traumatic stress disorder, and you have to unblock that pattern. You can do this through imaging.

And this really is the point of art. It’s not just decorate and match you couch, it really is to have an affect on your life. Art that is considered master work has a real emotional impact on you. You don’t just walk by it and go “oh that’s nice.” The image actually resonates in the brain and creates an emotional impact.

It is important that people really understand this concept because images have a profound effect on us. For instance, when the Twin Towers went down, seeing that over and over and over again caused emotional damage to the American psyche; real fear, stress, pain and agony replayed again and again. In contrast, if we create art focused on a healing process around that experience, a real global healing having to do with breaking down the barriers of religion and politics and we repeated THAT imagery over and over and over again to the population, you wouldn’t have such things as constant war. The actual brain would absorb the image that we are supposed to be one, and one world.”

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

News10 Sep 2010 12:05 pm

How clothes can help the victims of the fire

Here are some ways local fashion and clothing shops are offering help to victims of the fire in Boulder. I will add listings as I hear them.

* 4Mile Community Store (next to Boulder Ski Deals on Arapaho) is now open to accept donations for victims of the fire.
Here’s what the store needs:
Gently used or new warm clothing and shoes, all sizes
Kids clothing in larger (teen) sizes
Toys, books and games for older children (10 and up)
New packages of socks and underwear, all sizes, including adult
Women’s size L and XL clothing
Bags: Duffle bags, suitcases, etc.
Hangers
* They also need volunteers to help sort the items and guide the victims through the store. To sign up for a volunteer shift, go to www.volsched.com/event/ 304. Check back often, new shifts will be added and the situation unfolds.
* They are also taking donations if you want to contribute money. They will make a run to CostCO or Walmart to fill in the gaps.

Fresh Produce
* Calvary Bible Church received a large donation from Fresh Produce clothing in Boulder (about 1,000 articles of clothing) that they are distributing to victims. www.calvarybible.com
* Here is info on the church’s clothing drive.
What: Clothing Drive for Fire Victims
When: Sept. 11
Times of events: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Two locations:
Boulder: Calvary Bible Church, 3245 Kalmia Ave., Boulder
Denver: Lola’s Restaurant, 1575 Boulder St., Denver
What to donate: new/newer clothes, shoes, new socks, new underwear/newer jackets
Organized by three Boulder organizations (Evolve Technologies, Fairview Friends Foundation, Calvary Bible Church).

News24 Aug 2010 11:17 am

When it’s cool to tear, cut and ravage a book

I’m writing a story about altered books today. Here are some cool ones I found online. Don’t miss the story on Sunday.

http://paintedfishstudio.com/?p=147

http://www.celebratetheseasons.co.uk/16.html

http://www.wnybookarts.org/altered.php

http://karenswhimsy.com/altered-books/dreams/altered-book-techniques.htm

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/a_magical_recyc.php

http://lookintomyowl.com/brian-dettmer-adaptations.html

http://www.monoscope.com/2008/01/will_ashford.html

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

News30 Jul 2010 10:48 am

“If you are constantly sharing what you are doing in every moment, then how can you possibly be in the moment of experiencing what you are experiencing?”

This is from Dawn Beck’s Tantric Sacred Journeys eNewsletter. I thought it was worth sharing.

As we move through this time in history, I can’t help but notice how many people are ‘plugged in’ to technology. I’m sure you all notice as well. Computers, Blackberries, I-pods, I-phones, GPS, Texting, Twitter, My Face, etc, etc. The list is endless! We are so ‘connected’, aren’t we? And, are we? Where is the human connection? How did we EVER live without our ‘connection devices’?

My son and I had a conversation the other day about all of this. He’s 19 and is certainly used to having his cell phone, i-pod, and lap top and while he notices his dependency on, and appreciation of them, he also sees the dangers of becoming too dependent. And he hates Twitter! He doesn’t use it and sees it as a way to not be in the present. His comment was that the only thing people should be sharing on Twitter is that they are Twittering. The point being, if you are constantly sharing what you are doing in every moment, then how can you possibly be in the moment of experiencing what you are experiencing? He sees the benefits of ‘staying connected’ and realizes the dangers of needing to stay in constant contact! Funny, that’s the name of this EmailI Marketing Company that I’m using to write this email! Constant Contact. Ha, kind of funny! And, I appreciate being able to keep ‘in touch’ with all of you!

Beneficial, and often so out of balance with other forms of connection!
I tried to remember when I didn’t have a cell phone. How did I stay ‘in touch’? I stopped at a phone booth. I arranged a time to meet someone and didn’t change it last minute. None of us did. For those of us old enough to remember life without cell phones and all the other technological ‘addictions’ we remember getting along just fine!

Now, I am not advocating NOT using the technological advances that help us in business and in our personal lives. I certainly do use them. Obviously! But, I am advocating finding balance and remembering that connection, real connection is what happens between living, breathing, reacting, responding life forms.

Maybe there are some ways in your life to bring balance to all of the technology. Appreciate it. Use it when it serves the appropriate need and purpose. And, find ways to make sure that you are not abusing this part of ‘connection’ and compromising the human connections that involve eye contact, touch, facial expression, communicating with words and inflection, sharing of feelings, etc. Enjoy Human Contact! One human to another or in a group of humans…interacting and ‘being’! Notice if this feels balanced in your own life and perhaps make a commitment to balancing it, if it doesn’t.

Come share a bit of Human Contact at our upcoming Puja on Thurs, August 5. Look into someones eyes, share with words, notice and appreciate facial expressions, and touch real skin to feel Plugged In with breath, sound, words, touch, and connection!

Blessings for a continued joyous summer,
Dawn and Gerard