Dear Ones,

 .

You are invited to attend the next 2 Meditation Calls. Depending on your geographic location, the calls will either be free or $1. (Please see Times & How, below.)

.

Self-compassion. The reminder to be self-compassionate has arisen for me (again!) as a wildly crucial practice. It was my only stated intention for the month of October, and I choose to keep it front and center.

 .

I am growing a list of actions for promoting self-compassion. You probably have some favorites that work for you.

Blissings, Dena

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.

You are invited to be part of this telephone call  from wherever you are located – –  Almost anywhere, worldwide.

Occurring soon after celebrations of Dia de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead, All Saints and All Souls Days, we are joining together for an hour to hold our departed beloveds in our tender hearts.

“Our departed beloveds” can include family members, friends, companion animals, co-workers, public figures – – All or any beings whose lives you hold dear.

Please see the When, How, & What sections, below, for details.

• When is the telephone call?

Date: Saturday, November 4th, 2017

Time: GMT/UTC/London 11:00 a.m. – 12 noon

NYC/Eastern U.S. 7:00 – 8:00 a.m.

Paris 12 noon – 1:00 p.m

Sydney, Australia 9:00 – 10:00 p.m.

For other areas, please check The World Clock.

(Note – This is the day before Daylight Savings Time ends in the U.S.)

• How do I register for the call?

There are 2 ways. With each, there could be long distance costs. Many people have plans on their mobile or landline phones that have unlimited long distance.

1. Free ~ If before 10:00 a.m., NYC time on Friday, 11/3: please email me at denaclayton1111@gmail.com, with “Registering for 11/1 call” in the subject line. Include your name and the country and nearest large city where you will be when calling. And your time zone, if you know it. I will email you a call-in phone number for your area and the access code for the call.
2. Donation ~ You can use this automatic system at any time, from my Meditation website. Scroll to the bottom of the Fees Page and click on Buy Now. Disregard the meditation fees – you can donate $1 U.S. currency, via credit card or PayPal. After the donation, you will receive an automatic email that includes the passcode/PIN and call-in numbers for 50-some countries.

• What happens during a group telephone Remembrance Gathering?

During our time together, we may have a guided meditation, an honoring ceremony, and a brief sharing from those who wish to say something of their beloveds.

If you like, you might have photographs or other mementos near you during the call.

I always light a few candles and set up some photos in a quiet place in my home, where I will be on the call. Even over the telephone, we are able to create sacred space together.

In a previous home, I sat in my upper hallway during one of the calls. One wall I called my ancestor wall. It was filled with pictures of precious family members and friends, many now in spirit. I brought candles, funeral cards, and a few more photos. My cat companion, Poppy, sat with me during that Remembrance Gathering call.

For other details about previous community Remembrance Gatherings, please visit Remembering & Honoring Lost Loved Ones. Another related post is about the service my family held four months after my mama’s death, Remembrance Gathering: A Memorial Service for My Mother.

• What do I do when I “arrive” on the call?

Dial in a few minutes before the call, if you can. If you arrive several minutes or more late, please enter silently, as we might be in a quiet discussion or a few moments of silence.

• Questions?

You are welcome to contact me with questions. Please use the same email address as I listed for registering, denaclayton1111@gmail.com.

I am including several photos, to honor the memories of these family members and friends as well as to share a flavor of the photos I have near me while we are gathered together on our call.

Blissings, Dena

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November 3rd is Aunt Kiddy’s birthday. She was born 108 years ago, and she has been in heaven almost twenty years now. At the tender age of sixteen, she left her family and her home in a small coal mining town to enter nursing school in the big city of Baltimore. She was the second of five children in her family. Her older sibling was twenty-one, married, and in her own home. Her youngest sister, my mother, was four. Can you fathom the enthusiasm, courage, and determination Kiddy must have had to make such a leap? In 1924?

Her given name was Arrietta Kidwell (pronounced ah-Ret’-tah). In nursing school, she said all the students called each other by just their last names – with no “Miss” or “Mrs.” in front of it. One of her classmates nicknamed her “Kiddy” – and it stuck! Soon, she met her future husband, and he always called her Kiddy, and that became her name in the world. 

While my sister and I were growing up in Virginia, it was a precious treat to visit Aunt Kiddy and Uncle Mace in their suburban Baltimore home. Their warmth, compassion, strength, and generosity were infinite – as well as contagious. Their legacies of love live on. Even though she has been gone twenty and he forty-two years, they are ever in my heart and in all the hearts of those who knew them.

Endless hugs of gratitude and love to both of you, Aunt Kiddy & Uncle Mace.

[Photos: Her 85th birthday, 1993; July 4, 1972, in their backyard; July, 1938, somewhere in Canada]

Blissings, Dena

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To my delight, we are Celebrating 10 Years of Meditation by Telephone!!!

There are 2 ways I’d LOVE to celebrate this anniversary with YOU:

1) The first 15 people to buy any 3 Meditation calls will each win a 30-minute private consultation with me.

and

2) There is a new Monday weekly call time ~  7:30 a.m. NYC/Eastern US and 9:30 p.m. Sydney, Australia.

This is 45-minute, for $11/session.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                .

Convenient. Affordable. Relaxing.

These affordable Meditations range from $11 for a 45-minute call to $15 for a 60-minute or a 75-minute call.  ~  Best value? That’s $65/month for as many as you wish to attend of all possible telephone sessions.

Click here to visit the Meditation by Telephone site.

                                                                                                          .

                                                                    .

My Meditation Background

In 1988, I was trained in several meditation and centering practices. Later, I assisted my instructor as he developed a teachers’ track for the course .

I began training as a Samyama practitioner with Sheila Foster in 1996. I shared the how-to’s of this mindfulness meditation in many in-person sessions, workshops, and classes. October, 2006, marked the beginning of the evening tele-circles. By summer of 2011, both morning and afternoon calls were added to the weekly schedule.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     .

Links to the Meditation by Telephone site

DenaClayton.com is the Meditation by Telephone site.

The “What, Why, When, How” article there gives straightforward scoop and it links to the Fees Page for easy registration.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 .

Available from 58 Countries

I use an international line for all calls, via freeconferencecall.com. At present, 58 countries have phone numbers that can link to our line. In the States, where I am, we have a U.S. phone number to call.

Blissings, Dena

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A few days back from a week in front of the sea – – aaahhhh!

Like many people, being near the ocean is healing to my soul. Seeing and listening to the waves as I walk and walk along the shore serve to recharge my batteries.

In case it relaxes you as much as does me to view snapshots of ocean life, here are some I captured using my handy phone-camera.

You will find snippets of the Atlantic Ocean in some of my photos, from visiting Virginia Beach, Virginia (U.S.)

The King Neptune sculpture is quite something to behold. Depicting the mythological Roman god of the sea, this bronze statue, created by Virginia based sculptor, Paul DiPasquale, stands 34 feet tall. It is on the boardwalk at 31st Street, at the gateway to Neptune Park. For a bit more information, click here.

Shortly before sunset one evening, I saw a tidal pool I wanted to photograph. When I realized I had to work at the angle in order to avoid my shadow, I chose a bold alternative: leave the shadow in the frame – front and center! That was the day that Susannah Conway’s #AprilLove2016 challenge prompt was Dear Legs. I posted this photo on Instagram, with the following text. “Dear legs, you seem ever so long today! Thank you for 6 1/2+ decades of stalwart service. And for beach walks this week. ‘Mwah’ to you two sweeties!”

Being at a beach with free time provided a lovely “zesting” environment for me. In addition to daily walks on the sand and photographing whatever caught my fancy, there were plenty of opportunities for laughing, napping, writing, and reading. And meditating. I even hosted my three weekly Meditating by Telephone sessions from the hotel room.

Being away for a bit usually nudges me to remember to make more time at home for being vs. doing. Zesting happens when I am in the moment in joyous connection with my heart. Feeling so alive and excited about life.

I invite you to enjoy 11 seconds of subtle surf sounds during a particularly colorful sunrise.

What helps you feel wonderful, relaxed, and/or filled with excitement? Is there one thing you can let yourself experience today for five minutes or more?

Blissings, Dena

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In early autumn, I asked into my heart, “What word might best support me in the next year?”

The question was a seed I cast forth with self-compassion, with the knowledge it would germinate in its own timing.

A few weeks later, I pondered other questions related to the first one.

How might I live life more fully? How did I wish to feel most of the time? I was aware of a strong desire to feel more alive. To reconnect to the passion of life. To serve a cause bigger than myself. There had been too much blah-low-grade-depression-ness. What could support me in making lasting changes?

At some later date, the word “zest” arose. Yes, I desired heaping helpings of Zest! Even so, it didn’t quite fit. An active word was what I needed. So, I played around with tacking an “ing” onto it. Zesting?

“Ooohh, I like it,” a delighted part of me exclaimed.

The sock puppets were quick to naysay, “It isn’t a proper word.” Hmmm. I chose to distract those sock puppets by inviting them to go off and do something they enjoy, such as napping or finger painting.

I told friends that I was sitting with the notion of Zesting until a strong inner Yes or No became clear.

By early December, Zesting was the definite choice. Actually, I feel now as if Zesting chose me!

Some of you may have joined in the recent #DecemberReflections challenge Susannah Conway hosted again on Instagram. I posted the following when the prompt “My Word for 2016” was offered on the last day of the month:

“Zesting. This self-styled word supports me as an energy and inspiration for moment-by-moment connecting with life’s passion. I felt an affinity with ‘zest’ – yet an active form is what I am embracing. Therefore . . . Zesting!”

How Do I Jump-Start the Zesting When I’m Low on Oomph?

Here are a few strategies I’ve been engaging recently.

• Photographing nature with my cell phone.

• On Instagram, connecting with kindred hearts via posting our photography, written reflections, and discussions.

• Exercising – a) regularly; and, b) even for a few minutes when I realize my motivation is dragging. (Over two months ago, I began a commitment to myself to take a minimum 10,000 steps daily. More than half the steps are on a rebounder. Now, often 12K+. Expect a post on this.)

• Writing. (I am willing to remember to do 10-minute writing exercises. See posts on this here and here.)

• Do . . . something!

• Year of Creative Habits. Thanks to the host of this, Crystal Moody, we can choose to express creativity in so many ways. This year, I made the intention to be involved at least a bare minimum of 15 minutes daily in tasks toward painting all indoor walls, ceilings, and woodwork of my father’s house. I plan to write a post about this, with photos, as the project evolves.

• Dance. Even by myself. Perhaps, especially by myself.

Do you have a guiding word for this year? You can choose one any time you wish.

Blissings, Dena

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You might also like to read:

Inviting Your Expressions for a Thanksgiving Post ~ (This includes tender remembrances of so many Thanksgivings with beloved  Aunt Kiddy & Uncle Mace)

What to Do When You Aren’t Happy with Your Thanksgiving Traditions

Giving Thanks ~ Readers Share Gratitude from the Heart 

Gratitude & Creativity to Get Back on Track

11 Tweetable Quotes on Gratitude & Kindness

Several days ago, I extended an invitation on Instagram and FaceBook. As some of you saw, this is what I said. “I invite you to add any word, phrase, list, or reflection of your own thankful feelings. However many show up between now and Tuesday evening, I will nestle them into a post on my blog, LoveRevealedStories. Please tell how you want your writing to be attributed (full name,1st name, anonymous, pseudonym . . . ) If you have a blog site, I’ll include it.  ~ One of my big appreciations is for my amazing community of kindred souls and how we support one another.”

A very big THANK YOU to those sharing their precious Gratitude messages with us, below.

• Lawrice Dolan, “Gratitude for all who serve our country and those that support them.”

• Jeny, “I’m thankful for the community I’ve built on Instagram that encourages me to share my art and my heart. The motivation I get to just keep going is such a blessing. You don’t need to make a grand gesture to make a grand impact.”

• Irene Packer-Halsey, “Thankful for all the hearts that have connected with mine . . . “

• Rita Herrmann, of the blog, RitaHerrmann.com, “I have abiding gratitude for my tribe. I only recently found this group of wonderful souls, and feel their kindness and support all around. I never knew what I had been missing all my life.”

• Marcia Burke Parsons, “Thankful for my family.” 

• peggyjobbins, of the blog, peggyjobbinsthriftmistress.com, “I am grateful for the fact that the rain has stopped and the sun has come out. We have light and it feels as if winter has begun. Winter is such a lovely time to be welcoming my new baby into the world.”

• Corinna Jager, of the blog, Joyful Living, “I am grateful for having the resources and time for painting and for the great, encouraging community especially here on Instagram.”

• Debra, of the blog, stumbler, is hosting a beautiful challenge on Instagram throughout November, called 30 Days of Gratitude. The personal gratitudes and stories she is sharing are phenomenal. Click the link to her blog to see the 20-some that have already been published – you will be so thankful you did!

You are welcome to share even more reflections of your thankfulness – here, or on my Instagram feed, or on the Love Revealed Stories page on FaceBook.

I am deeply thankful for fresh starts – particularly at the beginning of a new day, a new week, a new month, a new personal year at the time of my birthday, and a new calendar year. I am grateful for the reminders I receive from beloved ones around the globe that each moment is an opportunity to express love – through deeds, spoken and written words, and even thoughts.

Thank you to my family, those embodied and those in spirit; to friends from years past, from the present, and those I will discover in the future; and to supportive communities, both in person and online: temple of the sacred feminine, #thekindredsoulvillage, and #yearofcreativehabits. And, I am grateful for You.

Blissings, Dena

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I am hosting another Remembrance Gathering by telephone. Would you like to honor one or more loved ones who are in spirit? You are welcome to join me this Sunday, November 1st, 2015, for one hour. (Please see time, below. In some places, it will be early Monday morning.)

In 1996 through 2008, I referred to these events as community Remembrance Gatherings. Now, I might embrace the expanded possibility of our times by saying these are now for our global community.

A global community Remembrance Gathering is an opportunity for people to come together in  honor of those who have died, whether their passing occurred recently or long ago. People and companion creatures can be grieved and acknowledged. Whether your losses may have occurred in your lifetime or you might be bowing to ancestors of generations ago, you are welcome to join me on this telephone call.

What happens during a group telephone Remembrance Gathering?

During our time together, we may have a guided meditation, an honoring ceremony, and a brief sharing from those who wish to say something of their beloveds.

If you like, you might have photographs or other mementos near you during the call.

I always light a few candles and set up some photos in a quiet place in my home, where I will be on the call. Even over the telephone, we are able to create sacred space together.

In a previous home, I sat in my upper hallway during one of the calls. One wall I called my ancestor wall. It was filled with pictures of precious family members and friends, many now in spirit. I brought candles, funeral cards, and a few more photos. My cat companion, Poppy, sat with me during that Remembrance Gathering call.

For other details about previous community Remembrance Gatherings, please visit Remembering & Honoring Lost Loved Ones. Another related post is about the service my family held four months after my mama’s death, Remembrance Gathering: A Memorial Service for My Mother.

How to register for the call

To register, please email me at denaclayton1111@gmail.com, with “Registering for 11/1 call” in the subject line. Include your name and the country and nearest city where you will be when calling. And your time zone, if you know it. I will email you a call-in phone number for your area and the access code for the call.

The only fee would be long distance costs. Many people have plans on their mobile or landline phones that have unlimited long distance.

When is the Remembrance Gathering call?

The call will be on Sunday, November 1st, 2015. The following is a partial list of locations and time zones. If your area is not listed, check The World Clock.

• 2:00 – 3:00pm, Eastern, U.S.;          11:00am – 12:00noon, Pacific, U.S.;
• 6:00 – 7:00pm UTC/GMT;
• 7:00 – 8:00pm United Kingdom/Lisbon, Portugal;
• 8:00 – 9:00pm France/Netherlands/Poland/Hungary/Italy/Germany/South Africa;
• 9:00 – 10:00pm Finland/Ukraine/Turkey/Greece/Belarus/Romania/Lithuania;
• 10:00-11:00pm Moscow
• Monday, 11/2,  3:00 – 4:00 am, Hong Kong
• 4:00 – 5:00 am, Brisbane, Australia

What do I do when I “arrive” on the call?

Dial in a few minutes before the call, if you can. If you arrive several minutes or more late, please enter silently, as we might be in a quiet discussion or a few moments of silence.

Questions?

You are welcome to contact me with questions related to this week’s Remembrance Gathering. Please use the same email address as I listed for registering, denaclayton1111@gmail.com.

I am including several photos, to honor the memories of these family members and friends as well as to share a flavor of the photos I have near me while I host the telephone call.  

Blissings, Dena

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“KINDNESSES” ~ Day 4 of 8 in #GoodNewsSharing Challenge

You are invited to participate in 1 day or more in this Challenge. It is happening on Instagram, FaceBook, and Twitter. As well, I’m excited by the idea that all of us might consider adding the #GoodNewsSharing hashtag whenever we are posting something upbeat, whether it’s personal, planetary, or anything in between. We can get in the habit of sharing Wonderfulness, our world can use as much of it as we can contribute.

Browsing this hashtag on these three modes of social media is an uplifting experience, with an ever growing cache of goodness and inspiration.

KINDNESSES ~ I am thinking of 3 categories of Kindness – observed; received; given by you. You are welcome to share an example of any 1 of these, or what I call a “combo platter” of 2 or all 3. What you share can be a story and/or image from your own life, or it can be kindness you have witnessed elsewhere. How many incredibly moving acts of kindness have you seen online? Let’s share even more of them!

Dena’s sharing:

This is my participation for today’s prompt. My offering of #GoodNewsSharing.

With an abundance of videos showing examples of Kindness, selection can be overwhelming – in the best possible way!

Here is a link to a video within an article. As stated in the article in Huffington Post, from January, 2014, this video was made by Krizovatka, a nonprofit agency in the Czech Republic. The sound track is the song “Give a Little Love” by Noah and the Whale. The article’s title: Touching Video Shows the Ripple Effect of Acts of Kindness.

While it is staged, as many of the kindness videos are, it illustrates beautifully the domino effect that can happen when someone observes an act of kindness. It can be obvious that both the recipients and givers of kind actions are affected. This reveals the possibilities when we happen to notice such acts being shared.

Another aspect of this very well created video is that it shows potential effects of even tiny, simple, momentary actions. Win-Win.

Effects on You?

How do you feel after watching it? What kind acts have you done or witnessed or might be inspired to begin doing?

Blissings, Dena

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Remember the first blog post on #GoodNewsSharing, a few weeks ago? I am still so excited about this sharing of good news via hashtag on Instagram, FaceBook, and Twitter, that my muse whispered an idea in my inner ear for a daily challenge of 8 days.

You are absolutely welcome to jump in for any and all days of this challenge – and for months after it, as well. (After all, there really can’t be too much sharing of uplifting life events, right?)

When is it?

Saturday to Saturday, October 17th – 24th, 2015.

Daily, I will post a suggestion via #GoodNewsSharing on Instagram, FaceBook, and Twitter. (Also, see all the challenge details, below.)

What is it?

I feel it can be important to create opportunities for ourselves to practice looking for or recognizing “good news” in several different forms. Chances are, the more we look for it, the more we will notice it.

Practicing through engaging in this challenge can help us support more widespread and habitual use of the #GoodNewsSharing hashtag. Whenever we click on the hashtag, we will see so many reminders of what is going well in life.

This kind of sharing adds to the joy in our lives, which adds to the joy in the lives of those around us, which adds more joy into the world. Raise your hand if you imagine our world could use more joy. (Yes, I agree with you, wholeheartedly!)

What kinds of good news are we sharing?

First of all, please feel free to share ANY kind of good news/upbeat occurrences on any or all of the days. Or, you might want to mix it up, such as exploring the 5th topic on the 1st day. Perhaps you have new ideas. I see this process as being informal, friendly, free of rules. The prompts are merely suggestions.

You can share via photos, your own words, quotes, links to blogs, videos, or other sources. Any combinations of these can be included, within the boundaries of whichever form of social media you are using.

(If you use other forms than IG, FB, and Twitter, I’d love to hear about it. Cool, add your #GoodNewsSharing wherever possible!)

We are leaving what we share in places where I hope so many others will find them and add to them for years and years.

• Sat., 10/17 ~ GRATITUDES: People, experiences, places for which you feel grateful, and/or examples of gratitude you are witnessing in others.

• Sun., 10/18 ~ CHARITIES: Charitable organizations that make a difference.

• Mon., 10/19 ~ IN MEMORIUM:   Do you want to highlight a legacy of compassionate actions that lives on beyond the death of a loved one? Is there a certain memory you want to share of how your life was enhanced through a particular experience with this person?

• Tue., 10/20 ~ KINDNESSES:  I am thinking of 3 categories of Kindness – observed; received; given by you. Share 1 or a combo platter.

• Wed., 10/21 ~ IN HONOR OF SOMEONE LIVING:  Who do you know or know of whose life is making a positive difference?

• Thu., 10/22 ~ ARTICLES & VIDEOS:  Incorporate a link to any source showing real life examples of good news. Is there a blog or a site that inspires, delights, transforms you? (For instance, on Instagram, check out @thedailyst – a most amazing gallery of wonderfulness. And The Daily Saint online – you’re going to LOVE the kind actions posted there !!!)

• Fri., 10/23 ~ INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES: These quotations can be from anyone with something uplifting to say, past or present, even by you.

• Sat., 10/24 ~ ANYTHING GOES:  Did you have a favorite topic from 1 of the other days? OR – maybe you’d like to say something about your experience of taking part in the #GoodNewsSharing challenge. So, bring it on – any form of good news!

Bloggers, an idea for your upbeat posts of the past (& future)

Bloggers, if you link your blog posts to a FaceBook business page, you might consider adding #GoodNewsSharing to past posts that have an uplifting vibe. Your future posts, too, of course. New eyes might see your wonderful  material. How cool would it be for the sharing of good news to become a habit around the planet?

Remember, Everybody, add the hashtag when you’re posting, so we can all have a chance to see it!

What hashtag, you might ask? Hmmm . . . #GoodNewsSharing ! ! !

Blissings, Dena

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