Mark Golding

LIVING AWAKE 14

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:55:00 +0000

And to open up, to open our hearts and minds... Such bliss and freedom awaits, the release from turmoil, anxiety and fear...

But I am afraid, afraid in case someones sees me vulnerable, exposed and small... Tell me, do you sense this within yourself as well? The fear of being exposed as loving, caring , compassionate and gentle?

For surely, if I am exposed and open someone will take advantage of me, manipulate me and harm me, or will my open loving heart protect me?

An you sense that a free mind has the capacity to see further than an imprisoned mind, for its horizons are extended and thereby capabilities increase.

So, by opening my heart, and manifesting my care, and my love, I will be safe, and this understanding creates the potential to explore the possibility within my imagination... I can imagine what it would be like to open my heart and mind, and see if the potential exists for my love to protect me...

Yes, I can imagine that, and yes, it does work. Maybe you could try it too, just imagine...

And as the fear recedes, and the turmoil settles, anxiety will lessen, and lessen... Just imagine the sense of peace that would arise in that safe space within the mind, so beautiful, so powerful and with a grace and elegance that naturally accompanies the opening of your mind...

And to replace our usual everyday defensive barriers with a powerful light that arise from within you, transforming your mind, your world and your life. I wish to imagine this, and now I am imagining this...

And to forever place this ideal within my mind, to feel the ease, and the eternal peace of blissful love...

I wish for your happiness to embrace your inner love, to radiate and glow to suffuse this world... Thank you...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 13

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:37:00 +0000

Within me, and within you resides a seed, and this seed is the potential for your perfected growth, your expansion and your development... Your potential for creating the world within, that world you wish to carry within your heart, and also the potential for expanding this inner world into the world you inhabit.

For, a beautiful inner world reaches into our our space, into the garden of life we experience... For, as we develop our own potential we begin to see the world around us, and create a more beautiful space to inhabit, by planting seeds in our own garden, and by beautifying our environment.

Within you, and within me, lies the capacity to create a beautiful environment, starting with the space closest to us... My area of the planet I inhabit is my responsibility, not anyone else's, it is for me to clean the space around me...

To experience beauty, we first experience beauty within, and this resonance and harmonic is a reflection of your inner world, for if I feel a sense of beauty, I experience a sense of beauty, and then my surroundings begin to change... I may have to do a little work, but for me, I am happy to take care of the space I live in, both internal and external.

We can start with our external world, beautifying and clearing, or start on our internal world, or maybe even work on both simultaneously.

But, one step at a time, and should you wish to start with your inner seed of perfection, I might suggest a short breathing meditation to clear and settle your mind, to reveal the potential within.

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 12

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:18:00 +0000

I have to admit my errors, my mistakes, my weaknesses and my failings, for if I deny these, I simply create barriers to my understanding, my self-healing, and my pride in my capacity to understand others will increase.

For whilst we are all different, I believe we share a common set of barriers to growth, healing and understanding, so, whilst my set of challenges are for me alone, in their combination and intensity, so we each have a shared path from inadequacy and denial, a path that does lead to inner peace and happiness, and this, manifested and mixed with love, has the power to take us to our destination.

So, I try to see my errors, misunderstandings and weak empathatic communication, and witness them, from a perspective of other, to facilitate the changes I need to make in order to increase my better qualities.

I need to listen to you, be happy to be accused, and refuse the sense of victimisation and insecurity that arises when I am criticised. To take on board the generosity that actually exists within criticism and observation.

And listen, not to react and fight back with a clever, intellectual or witty defence that I use to divert the potential for change that lies within other's observations.

To grow I need nourishment, I need humility and I need to learn that if I create suffering, ill-ease or discontent within others, I am not performing to my best. The healing words of love, compassion and understanding are so beautiful, so fulfilling, but the alternatives of accusation and disagreement are beautiful too... They create new opportunities for my understanding, my empathy and my growth.

I can also self-witness and analyse, with a cool look at my life's patterns and thought processes, by clearing my mind of the usual clutter and activity of trivialities and gain insight into what I know to be true within my own life... I need to silence my mind, and see what lies beneath the clouds, deep within the mind, allowing the distractions to settle... Just as when the waters still, the turbulence ceases, and clarity is found within the soul... This is one of the essential practices of meditation...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 11

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:39:00 +0000

And just now and then it happens... The doorway to the experience you desire occurs and the struggle ceases, and the harmony and balance that we crave manifests.

That exquisite sense of joyous release, of emotional freedom and physical easing, that brings tears of expression to be freed, and the battle is over. That moment of safety, protection and freedom that we grant ourselves, when we gain experience to forgive our pasts, and then simply embrace our destiny of our momentary existence.

For, to bathe, to dwell, and to reside in the present moment is freedom, and is peace. There is complete safety and protection within this moment, and for me, I am helped knowing that all my beautiful friends share this moment, and serve to protect me with their love.

And that is you.

For everyone here who I know, and for all those I do not know, your contribution to my healing and happiness is immeasurable, as I picture your love supporting me, forgiving me and understanding me.

As, we can witness one another's precious moments of release, and know that we each depend on one another, within the privacy and safety of our own experience... In this way we cannot come to harm, and we cannot harm one another, as we seek and share a individual vision of the outpouring of creative light, healing and energy that rises from our inner source, and radiates throughout our every sense, transforming our experience to that of a unique and special bliss...

Oh, that bliss which pervades and permeates, that rises and flows, within us, and extends to the space around us.. The bliss of freedom, and of safety, and of protection.

Thank you for helping me to find what I seek.

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 10

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:23:00 +0000

I am wondering where the line of responsibility is drawn, or rather... Can I blame anyone for anything?

Starting with a simple premise - If I am angry, resentful or irritated, from where does that anger arise? Is the fault (or does blame) lie with someone else? Or do we both share a combined responsibility?

Well, I am going to go 100% on this one... It is my responsibility alone. If I am angry it is completely my responsibility. For, anger exists within my mind and not externally, for, if I am not angry, there is no anger in my mind... I think this is perfect logic.

Imagine this. You are asleep, in bed, and within your room, or house, and another person does something, that if you had seen or been aware of it, would have 'made' you angry, but, as you did not witness it, no anger arose in your mind.

The connection within your mind to the habit if anger was not activated, so no anger arose.

And anger is a habit, a terrible, destructive habit that destroys our peace of mind, and damages relationships with those around you. It can be our worst enemy, the enemy that exists within our mind, and one that we cultivate as we can consider it as a defence mechanism that protects us... Ouch, that is wrong.

Try and learn to see anger as an enemy in itself, one that colours or decisions our actions... It can be good to become aware of anger and how it arises, so, try this... Think of something that really angers you... And them let it go... And then repeat this, 4 or 5 times... That, colouring or flaming within the mind is anger, just that, and should be able to grow aware of anger as it happens, an opportunity arises to nip it in the bud, and be able to remain calm, peaceful, and even happy... Even when your 'enemy' is right in front of you...

A good time to practice this is after a meditation, when the mind is still and calm, so you will really, and I mean really, notice anger arising, like a whirlwind within your mind.. Watch and see...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 9

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:05:00 +0000

Realising the nature of your own mind precipitates the most profound of understanding and realisations, that, everything depends upon the mind.

It may seem like a simple and obvious statement, 'Everything Depends upon the Mind', but the ramifications of this have the most profound effects upon our lives, our world and our universe...

For, it may seem quite obvious that our lives relate directly to our minds, inasmuch as if we have a gloomy outlook on a specific day our lives will seem less bright, but to take it a stage further, if we have a gloomy outlook for one day our world will also seem less bright... It does.

And therein lies the potential for exploration of the dynamic relationship between our minds and everything that exists, everything... For no object can exist without a mind contributing to its existence.

If you feel this is not the case please email and we can debate and discuss this, I am very happy to clear up any doubts you might have to this statement...

But, in the meantime, turning this thought over in your mind will enable a clearer understanding, and deeper intuitive relationship with this idea. And should you be able to penetrate the deeper meaning contained within, the capacity to change and heal your life, and develop meaningful relationships with all you meet and see... It will change your life, forever.

One way of making this change is to become integrated on a deeper and more subtle aspect of your mind, and to meditate upon this thought, by clearing the mind of other thoughts and gaining familiarity with a single idea... Meditation is quite simple...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 8

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:15:00 +0000

And maybe your mind has gathered somewhat, and your awareness has drawn inwards, journeying towards the inner stillness that dwells within...

That oasis that lies within the mind, beneath the turbulence, aligned with the inner light that always exists behind the clouds... It is always there... Always. A joyful experience of momentary peace that can be extended, moment by moment, into a beautiful inner vacation for minutes... or more... Why let go? Is there something better outside of your mind?

And when the mind has gathered, inwards and inwards, it becomes possible to 'see' thoughts arising through the mind, just like bubbles arising through a glass of fizzy water, and all we have to do, is allow them to pass, without labelling them, identifying them, or following them, and to do this, we focus on the clarity between the thoughts, or the water between the bubbles, just allowing the bubbles to drift by, and drift by...

For, when the bubbles reach the surface of the water, they will dissolve back into the water itself, and so too, the thoughts will dissolve back into the mind, as they are of the same nature as mind... Thoughts are the same nature as mind... They are clarity...

This meditation is called 'the nature of the mind meditation', and you can try it after the breathing meditation below... Allow the thoughts to pass by, and then dissolve back into the nature of mind itself...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 7

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:59:00 +0000

What is meditation? It is looking into the inner world... Closing your eyes and using a sense of inner vision to gain an insight into what is happening in your mind.

I always start by finding a place of stillness, a place to focus, and I have found the most powerful position to locate the focus is the heart chakra, or the heart centre. This is located at the base of the sternum, and situated within the body, slightly closer to the back of the body than the front.

It is taught in some spiritual traditions that this is the seat or home of the 'root mind', the place where consciousness resides.

When I started my meditation practice I found it difficult to locate and hold my awareness in this position until I realised a small method, a trick really, to be able to focus within the body... What I do is to imagine that a tiny pure gem of clear light has been implanted within my body, at the heart centre, imagining that I can 'feel' this physically within me.

With your eyes closed try this, 'see' and 'feel' what this would feel like, and when you have gained a sense of this, then consider this to be the basis of all experience, all consciousness, and the gathering place of all sense awarenesses... This is where it all meets... And where it all emerges.

And here, at this beautiful location, during meditation, all thoughts gather, and as the senses draw inwards, peace, tranquility and stillness are to be found.

And, this has had a very profound benefit on my life, for so often, as I find myself in a position where I might be close to becoming angry or irritated, or perhaps jealous or impatient, I draw my awareness into my heart chakra and find a place of focus and clarity, which can prevent my mind loosing it's cool... I would far rather stay happy and peaceful... Oh, just a word here, I do have fun and enjoy my life, it's not all serious, but from an inner point of happiness the world becomes a slightly better place, and I am able to add a positive contribution.

As a nun friend said to me once 'be part of the solution, not part of the problem'.

Gain an insight into your mind, take some time to learn what is happening within your mind... Your mind...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 6

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:13:00 +0000

By taking aim for the heart centre, it is possible, by closing your eyes and following the inner trajectory to reach a silent and beautiful garden that lies within.

A blissful paradise of your own creation, that will fulfil your wish for stillness and peace, and also permit a manifestation of your desires for creativity and love.

Feel no contradiction, for there is only harmony in this experience, the experience of alignment of desire with the bliss of stillness.

This is a method to awaken the creative healer that resides within you, the natural healing energy that has the power to both heal yourself, and to heal others with your understanding and love.

For your wishes and imagination can combine in a resonance that enable your life to become of your choice, as, you are the creator of your experience. You, your mind, your imagination and your bliss...

At the very centre of your perfect inner glade of beauty flourishes the glorious energy of your creative source, that which brings your thoughts into the world.

For this practice will enable you, as a healed creative, to create an inner environment of focus and direction, leading to the destination of your choice...

One step at a time... Gently...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 5

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:14:00 +0000

What is your reaction to the word 'Abundance'?

I'll tell you my initial reaction - guilt and fear! Yes, there is an aspect of me that feels guilty at even the thought of abundance, it chimes with the thoughts - 'What will I feel if abundance runs out', and 'What if someone sees me enjoying abundance?'...

From your point of view I going to guess that this sounds pretty dumb, and now I write it down myself it seems very dumb to me.

For when I look at what I do have, and what is around me, there is far more that I do have, than what I lack, as, my life is full of abundance. And I feel my life is not so different from yours in this respect.

A physical anxiety based upon the worries of what I do not have may be considered the opposite attitude to that of abundance, so if I can shift my thoughts from what I lack to what I have, I shall reverse that energetic tension, and be able to relax and enjoy what I have, right here, right now.

With my eyes I can see colours, shapes, light, beauty and some mystery... I can hear harmonic and quiet sounds, and passing transient sounds.... I can smell coffee and bread, and I have the taste of demarara sugar and coffee... I am warm, dry and reasonably comfortable... Now then, might I consider that to be a state of abundance?

Hmm, yes, it does seem that way to me... Now, maybe you might ask yourself the same questions of your senses, what do you have, right now, rather than what do you lack right now... And try to sense, try to feel that energetic reversal, a state of accepting the abundance that exists within your life, right now...

And what is more, you can add to that dynamic, that energy flow, by engaging with your mind, and increasing that sense of well-being, by focusing on love... the love you have your family and friends, and those who you care for, this will add to your abundance...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 4

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Living awake is living with awareness, with all senses alive and vibrant, and the mind alert and aware...

Stop for a minute and check each sense in turn, starting with your sense of touch... Check your feet, your legs, your torso, arm, hands, face and head, and then once each of these is visited, sense your skin all over your body, that which physically connects with the world. There is a lot going on, right now...

Then take the sense of hearing, what can you hear, both quiet and loud, can you identify each sound?

What taste do you have in your mouth, what can you smell, and what can you see... What shapes, which colours, what movement, also light and shade?

Can you do this with each sense simultaneously? Can you still the mind to be aware of the multitude of stimuli and events as each occurs? There is a lot to do.

And then inwards, what are you thinking, with regard to what or whom, and what is the process of thought that is manifesting? This is the most important of these exercises, to try and be aware of what we are thinking as it happens, and this is called watching the mind.

For if we are awake surely we should be able to clearly identify our thoughts, we have grown up with them, but do we know each thought as it arises... For instance are you able to identify when your mind is wandering from one thought to another? Do you notice what is actually going on within the mind or does it appear to be an impossible task... It probably does unless you have tried to notice, or you have 'watched' your mind.

And if you can notice, you may see some habits that infuriate and frustrate you arising, maybe a tendency for impatience, irritation or anxiety, and each of these examples are thoughts that bring discomfort with them, so, it would be sooo nice if they could be avoided, or at the very least reduced, and this can be done, easy peasy...

Sit still for 5 seconds, and then think of a person or situation you really do not like, and sense the change within your mind, and then do it again. This is the mind of anger manifesting, and once noticed awareness of when it arises spontaneously becomes a little easier... Each time, until over time, it seems so loud, the discomfort of anger, that you can choose not to allow to to grow.

Maybe try this after a little meditation, so the mind is still and calm, and the change will be more noticeable... Fancy trying?

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 3

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:13:00 +0000

And then... Things have changed... How? Why? It all seems so different today.

It could have been that instead of feeling disenfranchised and disempowered by circumstances, I was able to gain a little objective insight into my situation... And, how did that happen? How could I separate myself sufficiently to do that?

So many questions... One simple answer...

I looked the other way. Instead of looking outwards for solutions to my problems, trying to juggle and manipulate the world to suit me and what I wanted, I turned my focus inwards... And then... The problems became smaller and smaller as I could see that the real issues, the real difficulties, lay within me, not in the world around me.

And the closer I looked, the more subtle and slippery they became, trying to wriggle out of my view... They screamed 'It's not you Mark, it's the rest of the world'... 'Its everyone else's fault that you are not feeling great, and nothing to do with you'. But as my inner focus continued the resistance began to fade, and the realisation revealed a frightened and vulnerable Mark that chose not to see the responsibility was mine, and mine alone..

I guess this might sound a bit of a painful process, and it is, but for me it is a necessary process, to keep re-visiting the root of all my issues, the root of all my problems and mental unease, the aspect of my own mind that tries to deflect the cause my issues onto others.

But like diving into a turbulent sea, as one dives deeper and deeper, the water grows still and calm, and a peace and tranquility is found, and from the new position, below the choppy and disturbed surface, a perspective is gained, from a still and silent aspect, with a clarity born from the separation from surface disturbance, and here, from this point, I am free from those aspects of my mind that trouble and torment me... Well, sometimes, it ain't always that bad...

So, an inner journey, to a point of peace... Looking inwards... Have a dive, deep into the mind by practicing meditation.

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 2

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:10:00 +0000

I wonder how long I have been asleep this time? Lethargy and inertia can creep up, in fact that is the nature of their approach... They do creep up.

Like a drowsy head on a pillow, the light begins to fade, the senses gather inwards and as we fall asleep our waking world ceases for us.

But, this can happen in our everyday waking life too, as circumstances shift around us, and all appears to be slipping from our grasp and control, it can so easily happen that our sense of direction, focus and, dare I say it, control begins to slip.

The goals, wishes and dreams we held begin to lose their magic and possibility, and as the light of hope begins to fade, we contribute to this process by sinking towards lethargy.... Do you know this?

A gathering inwards, a cyclic implosion of energy and desire, slowly reducing vision, hope and energy... Do you know this?

So, for me, what was the key, what was the step that that both served to wake me up and re-ignite my spark? It was a reversal of my polarity, yes, a reversal of polarity, and a reversal of my dynamic energy flow.

This may seem like an abstract and difficult proposition to undertake, but there is a very simple method to shift the directional flow of life, and the basic tool is the breath, the breath with which we are both completely familiar with but also virtually unaware of...

The breath has unique qualities and relationships with the mind, with our health and our sense of happiness and with our well-being. The three components of the breath comprise inhalation, retention and exhalation, and for each of these components, when smoothly and harmoniously synchronised, attributes can be considered and utilised to transform the breathing process into a powerful and transformative healing process.

One method of using the breath to transform our state of mind is here, below within the meditation...

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LIVING AWAKE 1

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:56:00 +0000

I have been pondering... How do things happen? And what influence can we have on our life, our experience and our future?

There are, I think, a combination of elements that comprise our experience, that can be examined individually, and through close examination it may be possible to create positive outcomes to our intentions... This I feel, must be understood as being part of an ongoing sequence or pattern of events, that generally occur unnoticed in the melee of life.

To be able to focus on the componentry of experience, I find it necessary to still my mind and gain focus from an inner still point, and this I do by practicing a simple meditation.

You may wish to try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

I am particularly interested in the creative process... How inspiration arises and its source, and then the process by which what is internally manifest within the mind translates into the externally manifest... When our thoughts can be seen by others.

This process does occur all the time, but it does tend to pass unnoticed, and is often overlooked as the product of some external force.... 'It just happened'... But this is not the case. We play a pivotal role in what occurs in our life.

It is an aspect of living awake, or conscious living, realising that we inhabit the driving seat of our life and have the capacity and ability to alter our experience of life.

I have developed a series of 31 progressive steps in this process which I will publish over the next couple of months... A pathway to creative expression and understanding

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 72

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:04:00 +0000

After the storm, all appears peaceful...

When turbulence hits, orientation and centering become difficult, and perhaps impossible. It is so confusing to lose the familiar placing of our lives, where we have familiarity and a perspective upon our vista.

When the turbulence arrives it can begin to rock the world, shifting our regular view of the world, and creating fear, unfamiliarity and a lack of perspective... But this can have a value, as it does offer the opportunity to gain insights into the broader aspect of our lives that may have hitherto remained obscurred.

The process can be exhausting and fearful, as the expectations of the past are shifted and changed, forcefully, into new expectations and realisations... And it is the new realisations that are the most potent and creative aspects of growth.

So, it can be good to refind a new centre after this experience, to gravitate once again. The inner destination is the same, but the pathway to locate it is altered somewhat, but all paths, meditation paths, lead to the same inner peace... It is there, in the same place but the route to locate the peace has altered somewhat.

Time to look inwards for peace and contentment, a 20 minute journey, leaving the storm behind, a memory, but a chance to learn... Inner peace, lies within...

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 71

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:40:00 +0000

I hit a low this morning, and cried like I have not cried in years... I wanted to run away, hide and escape from the world... It had all gotten too much for me.

It felt like failure, and I felt humiliated, crushed by the burden of my own expectations of myself... This was exacerbated by the sense of withering pressure as a result of my failing to heed my own advice... I mean, I knew what to do, had all the methods available, and systems ready, but they were, at that time, of no use, and I can say that knowing that I could, and should find my way out of my situation actually made the situation feel more acute and desperate.

Like a double failure. Ouch. Ouch... And hours later I feel exhausted and weary, as if I have had a major battle... And no wonder, for I have - have had a major battle with my pride.

Boy, because now, as time has passed, I can see that pride was the element of mind that was being exposed, poked, tormented and niggled. Such a subtle aspect, pride.. that which falsely imagines an elevated sense of self-importance, and that which over time works in its quiet and unobtrusive manner to isolate the sense of connectivity and empathy that others have for me, in the foolish misunderstanding that it is all one way traffic, and no-one cares for me, and that all the caring and responsibility lies with me.

And this is pride, a rather mutated aspect of pride, thinking that I alone represent the loving and caring of this world... It has been a tough and bitter pill to swallow, but it is a release now, a freedom from the prison of pride...

And I'll tell you, this was not easy to write... But, I'm smiling now I have.

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 70

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:47:00 +0000

Where do you feel safe? Is it at home, is it when you are with others, when you are alone or when you are in bed? And what is the feeling of safety?

Safety is when I perceive no threat, when my imagined or actual security are not threatened... It is quite easy to recognise when my actual safety is threatened, by hostility or pressure, but the internal sense of safety is far more subtle and possible more elusive.

As, an inner sense of safety depends upon an imagination that perceives no threat, and a lack of inner safety is that which is reliant upon a (very often) non-existent threat.

We call these inner fears anxiety or worry and these are potentially the most damaging experiences we can have. The mechanics of anxiety are when the mind isolates and magnifies an event that has not yet occurred, and this distortion tends to create an inner feedback loop that it is often impossible to break.

As the mind spirals inwards, the physical functions of the body also have a tendency to reverse in flow, so our internal systems of digestion and breathing will distort, and the muscles will tense and slowly lock....

Safety lies beneath the physical, and dwells within the mind, closely allied to inner peace, and this can be manifest, at any time by taking action... By changing the way we are thinking... A matter of abandoning the present thought pattern and shifting to a calming thought process... This can take 15 or 20 minutes, to reverse the direction and flow, rather like turning round a large ship that has a momentum to be slowed down to be turned.

But, it is merely a process, and a process that does work. Anxiety, worry and fear can cease within 20 minutes, and safety and peace will be found.

I can guarantee this will work, and you will have found peace, a sense of safety and a respite from fear.

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 69

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:47:00 +0000

There does come a time when we want to be heard... We need to be listened to, to get our point across, and it is frustrating when we are not listened to...

Why don't you listen to me?

You are not paying attention, so I WILL SHOUT... THEN YOU WILL HEAR ME...

The option to shout does seem the logical way to be heard, but it does not work... When we shout people can hear, but they do not listen, and really communication is about being listened to...

And I am going to suggest an experiment... The next time you are engaged in a chat, a discussion or a row, you lower your voice... You begin to speak quietly, and I mean speak really softly and really quietly.

The effect will be remarkable... Really! The person you are 'talking' with will firstly ask you to repeat yourself, and will also disassociate from their thread of thought and interrupt their flow, allowing you to convey your point.

The more quietly you speak, the more others will listen, and when they listen, they hear your message, clearly, and this process of listening enables and facilitates your listener to dis-engage from the anger...

Now, please don't think that this is a provocative act, or a method of wrong-footing your friend, partner or rival, consider it to be an action of consideration, to relieve the tension of the moment.

The quieter you speak, the more others have to listen... Be softly spoken, patient, and do no rush to find an answer, as sometimes a momentary pause can also facilitate a relaxation of the tension of the moment.

This really does work, it is a very powerful method of communication... Start with a day of no shouting!

And always remember that peace, serenity and joy are only a thought away...

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 68

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:23:00 +0000

What level of provocation creates a harsh response? How loudly must someone shout at you, or vehemently criticise you for you to snap back in anger... What or where is your cut off point? Or does it vary from person to person... Do some people know how to 'push your buttons'?

Yes, I know a couple of people who seem to know exactly how to find their way to my vulnerable entry points, and then proceed to boot the door down.. Ouch.

Funny really, as they have used the same methods and tactics for years, maybe inadvertently, but effective nonetheless... I wonder why the methods are still so effective.. Is it because they are so experienced at understanding me and my vulnerabilities, and that they are really cute, shrewd and clever... Or is it that I am a little dumb?

Not going into self humiliation mode, but honestly.. If I have not gained a basic understanding of what angers me, at my age, 53... Well if that is the case I'd better start to understand.. Hadn't I...

If I react in a manner that has caused me irritation and anger on many occasions, it might be time for me to change my reaction, by becoming aware of the point of reaction coming (I should recognise the signs by now), and affecting a different response this time... If the enemy's attack has proved so effective so many times is it not time to see clearly his methodology?

A tad long winded here, but if someone in your life has irritated you for days, weeks, months, years or even decades, and you have tried a billion times to change them, perhaps, just perhaps, it is time not to change them, but to change something else... Your mind.

See the approach, the provocation, the needling as an opportunity to watch the barometer of your mind, to see it slowly (or quickly) reach boiling point... In this way they can be viewed as a friend, not an enemy.... And I am going to guess here, that the enemy we are talking about here may well have been the closest person to you in this world... Our nearest... Your nearest...

Enter meditation and then visualise the conditions that usually provoke your strongest angry response, and in these 'controlled conditions' you will be able to dip in and out of anger with a degree of objectivity to your observation... It can become a light exercise to train to respond in a new, and more effective manner.

Try love as a the means to communicate, instead of anger...

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 67

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:39:00 +0000

I'm going to try to open out this moment, this moment in which we exist... The now, or 'The Eternal Now'...

For, we do not live in the future, and we do not live in the past... We live solely in the present.

When we do reach the future is has then become the present...

We stretch and strain into the future, often trying to pass our anxieties through our bodies, attempting to breach the barrier of physicality, and this effort, this force, can confine and increase the density of our body, through restricting flow...

It can seem that the more we strain the more likely we will achieve our future aims, by sheer effort.

But so often it happens that things do occur, when they are ready, seemingly without our current input, just like a gardener who after sowing his seeds, can turn away allowing the plants to appear without any further effort.

This ebb and flow, applying gentle effort and then relaxing, is so close to our breathing process, and this dynamic, when considered, as now, releases tension and allows the present to be enjoyed in the manner in which it exists...

For within the present exists a vast, infinite panorama of awareness, within which we can choose, in this present moment, either to be content or discontent, happy or unhappy, angry or patient... The list is long...

The more familiar we become with the present moment the more it will seem a friend, and less of an enemy from whom we are trying to wriggle and writhe away from, and the discomfort we so often feel within our bodes will subside, as we will not be at war within our bodies, our environment, and our world.

We will know peace within the present moment....

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 66

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:59:00 +0000

Can you recall the happiest moment of your life? The time at which you were not necessarily elated, but you experienced a profound contentment, peace and satisfaction.

When happiness was all you experienced, and sadness, confusion, anger and fear were nowhere to be seen... Maybe this lasted a week or so, or maybe just for a few minutes, but I'm expecting you to be able to recall that time... A time with no troubles at all.

And at that time it would have been impossible to feel any negative experience as my mind had no space, no room for anything other than peace, joy and contentment... I personally recall a two week period, spent in the Lake District, camping when it seemed absolutely impossible that my new found happiness would ever recede.

It was like stepping into a new world that had hitherto been hidden from my view. So, anyway... You too have had this experience, I know you have.... And how can we recapture it, re-find it, and live it?

It is a matter of eliminating the obstacles that hinder our peace, obscure our happiness and conceal our joy, rather like allowing the sun to penetrate the clouds allowing the warmth and light into the world.

And just as the wind can part the clouds, so the use of the breath, the inhalation and the exhalation of our lives, when aligned with the mind, can open the mind to the peace and contentment that lies within.

Aligning the breath with the mind, and the mind with the breath, using breathing meditations is a simple and certain way to find your inner peace, and once found again, can become a new basis upon which daily life can be based.

Regular and gentle practice will bring your mind, once again, to where you wish it to be... If you can remember it, it still exist within your mind!

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/spiritualorganic.php ...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 65

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Sun, 31 May 2009 09:59:00 +0000

On a warm and sunny Sunday, those who have some space and time to appreciate and access some peace of mind have a beautiful opportunity.

This once a week situation that allows the normal busyness and often frantic pace of life is a window, a window that shows how life might be if we had the appropriate circumstances... Maybe less to do, maybe more time for ourselves, maybe the opportunity to do as we wish.

This window also offers an opportunity to see how the world, and our lives might be, if we had the peace of mind to be able to appreciate our circumstances. It is a little like a meditation upon how life should be, if only...

If only we could take this Sunday feeling, and transpose it into our Monday, replacing the Monday syndrome with a Sunday feeling.

There is a way, that will perhaps enable this... Take an internal photograph of your current peace of mind, or 'bookmark' the page of internal circumstances, and thereby be able to re-create them tomorrow morning.

You cannot take Sunday into Monday, but you can, by simply recalling the Sunday feeling remember, and therefore re-visit that which you experience now.

It really is that simple, it is just a matter of remembering, and then enjoying and maintaining this peace.

You can highlight, and more clearly define your peace of mind, by looking deep inside for 20 minutes... It will help bring Sundays into Mondays... And maybe even Tuesday..

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... By clicking this link... http://www.achome.co.uk/theorganichome/assets/meditation.mp3 ...This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

For further daily meditations, click this link... DAILY MEDITATIONS...

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 64

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:39:00 +0000

As the generations pass, what legacy, what gifts do we offer to the children?

We aim to create a world that is better than the world we grew up in, making choices that we hope will benefit our children, enabling creativity, diversity, communication and growth, as we all wish for, without exception, is for our children to lead happy and fulfilled lives, as this gives us a sense of understanding and meaning to our lives.

What might be the greatest gift we can offer? There will be many answers to that question, but I may suggest that if we can share an understanding of inner peace and contentment with our children, this will be one of the greatest assets to carry them through life... As life does bring so many events, both welcome and unwelcome, expected and unexpected and a self of inner balance will reduce anguish and fear...

The way we are with our children indicates the desires and wishes we have for ourselves, as we wish the best for them, and though we may have forgotten this, or ceased to believe it, we too used to live in a world where the perfect was achievable... And, it still is.

Whatever the external circumstances, we always have an option as to how we respond, and what we allow to grow within our minds driving our emotions will be in direct relationship the extent we either maintain or abandon our inner peace.

So with our children, and the profound sense of peace and contentment they help us to re-find, we can grow together, sharing the responsibility of jointly creating a better world, for them, for you and for me.

Maybe consider becoming more familiar with your inner peace, by allowing it to become one of your closest friends, by sitting and becoming friends, allowing a beautiful meeting to occur, of peace, mind and body...

Try this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... CLICK HERE. This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 63

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:18:00 +0000

Following my path through life it can become so easy for me to forget my focus and begin to coast a little... Though keeping my eye on the goal, I tend to begin to drift away from the pure ideas and slip into a more lax and slack mode.

I was so lucky to today to be contacted by a friend who asked me, in no uncertain terms, as to what my goals actually are, my goals in terms of writing this blog.

It made me sit up and re-visit my original intention, and then again, re-clarify and update what it is I mean to achieve...

For those of you who may read these words, I can tell you that I studied and practiced meditation, as a virtually full time occupation for around 12 years, leading a life of reasonable quiet contemplation, looking into my own mind, learning an understanding of the relationship between my mind, my body, and the world I inhabit.

This time taught me that the circumstances I could create within my mind had a knock-on effect in the world, and that the more peaceful, calm and happy I became, the easier the world seemed to react to me, and this also had an additional effect of easing the minds of those with whom I met.

At first my training was difficult for me, as I was self-centred, selfish, greedy, irritable and not such a pleasant man to be around, but over time my mind-set changed and the attitudes I used to foster began to slip away, and a more positive, joyful and compassionate began to manifest...

I used to teach regularly, in the North of England and also in Sussex, maybe sharing with groups of 10 - 30 people. And it occurred to me that the methods I had learned were of so much value to me in my life that I should try to communicate to a larger audience, and to that end I created this website, as a vehicle to communicate... To an increasing audience, from all over this world, sharing with people I would never have otherwise have met.

Having to earn a living, I based The Organic Home, a green, organic and ecological site around this basis, thinking that the more open hearted people were often associated with the green, organic and ethical movements. I do still teach meditation however, once a week in the local hospital where I am also a volunteer chaplain, and I intend to establish a meditation group, here, close to my new home.

As a result I have net so many amazing and powerful people from all over this world, and have learned so much about ecology, recycling, organic and sustainability... So I have been taught, as I teach, and Samantha says to me 'We are all teachers, and we are all students'.

This journey that opens up new doors for me, every single day, is rewarding and often extremely challenging , but it is progressive and developmental, so, I learn and I grow.

This attitude has carried me through so much of my life, understanding that things do not have to remain the way they are now, and that I can offer something to alter the world, and most importantly that change does occur, but often so quietly and imperceptibly I do not see it happening... But change, growth and development are there, for me and for you, and all we have to do is take the first step, and then just keep allowing our forward movement to continue...

Just take the first step and then gently continue along the path, one step in front of another, and you will, yes you will, reach your destination... It is said, 'that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step'.

For me this has been an inward journey initially, to see what lies beneath the turbulence of everyday life and the emotional rollercoaster of experience, and this journey began, not with a single step, but but sitting still, closing my eyes, and seeking inner peace..

You may wish to venture inwards too.

By, trying this short meditation here, relaxing, settling down and sitting still for 20 minutes... CLICK HERE. This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x

LETTER FROM ASCRIBE 62

markyparky2@hotmail.com (Mark Golding - The Organic Home) — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:03:00 +0000

The journey we take through life, the complex and often strange events that comprise our experience, the ever unfolding passage of time, with both its unexpected and challenging, and its beautiful and amazing events that we witness, of birth and death, abundance and scarcity, joy and sadness, health and sickness... Each of us experiences these events, common experiences to all of us, without exception.

Whether these events create inordinate joy or suffering to us when they arise depends upon how we either accept or deny them. In other words, how we react to circumstances.

Is it possible to smile in adversity, and, actually mean it? Can it be that when someone really irritates me, comes right up to my face and provokes me, that I can remain unmoved towards anger against them?

Well, yes it is possible, but it will take a little practice and experience to maintain this in the face of adversity... Just like learning to balance and ride a bike, not easy at first, but soon we gain confidence, balance and proficiency.

It is best to learn this practice in gentle surroundings, gaining familiarity with what it is we are seeking to maintain... In this case our inner peace.

Take 20 mintues to familiarise yourself with what it is you really like within your mind, get to know it as a friend!

Try this short meditation here, settle down and sit still for 20 minutes... CLICK HERE. This may take a couple of minutes to download... but it is worth the wait.... x