Finding Joy and Purpose Exercises from "A Call To Women" [and also Men]

Quoted directly from pages 277 and 278 of A Call To Women.

Finding Lasting Joy and Purpose Exercise

1. The first step in finding joy and purpose is to acknowledge that you have a spiritual self. People have called this the soul, inner guide, inner voice, Holy Spirit, higher self, etc......It is the God within linked to the God everywhere.....Even though you may not experience this aspect of yourself often, it is important to acknowledge its presence as a starting point. Close your eyes and take a minute now to link with your spiritual self.

2. The second step is to create a relationship with your spiritual self. [Just as] you create relationships with others through communcation and time spent together, you can create a relationship between the mind and the soul......The mind must relate to the soul, be receptive to it. There are many forms that this can take, but essentially it is a daily spiritual practice. It is a regular setting aside of time to acknowledge and be with your spiritual self, a time of inner listening.....As you acknowledge the soul's presence through a spiritual practice, you more easily recognize its voice and what it (or God) wants from you in the world.

3.The third stepp is to pay attention and actively listen to the soul's calling. This is often synonymous with listening to God's will. It is the voice of intuition that gently urges you to see situations clearly and to act in certain ways. It opens you up to a state of 'being' in the fullness of the moment, experiencing love within the transitory nature of life, and feeling the interconnectedness of everything. It asks you to act in the world, to do what you are most suited for, and to contribute to the improvement of the planet and the human condition......You can answer the soul's calling by asking yourself the following questions:
(All of the questions, and some others, are from the Meaning Mandala exercise, which [for me] is on-going)

Who am I?
What did I come here to do?
What is my passion?
What is the potential in me that yearns for fruition?
What did I come here to learn?
What did I come here to heal?
Who did I come here to love?
What did I come here to express?
What did I come here to teach?
What causes did I come here to serve?
Who did I come here to be?
What brings me the greatest joy?
What can I do that reflects my beliefs and values?

4. The fourth step is to agree to what is being asked of you. This is often painful as the ego allows the soul to be in the driver's seat.....Like a snake shedding its skin, you are asked to release old belief systems that limit your growth and expanding identity.....Faith must also be your companion through this process -- faith in yourself, faith in a higher power or God.

[This one. This one is the one that is the defense against doubt and terror. For me now, faith must be and is a constant and conscious companion. When even a little teeny crack of doubt is opened, the force of emotion and confusion is projective, impairing, tremendous and forlorn. This is like the strain Atlas must feel holding up the Earth.]

5. The fifth step is to obey the guidance given to you from within, to act on the stirrings of the soul moment by moment, leap by leap.....It may be terrifying to obey the inner voice.....You need consistency, commitment, and courage to carry it out.

6. The sixth step is to realize what must die or be transformed in your life for the soul to be affirmed. What do you need to say 'No' to in order to live a purposeful life that is in harmony with who you really are? If you are going to embrace a new way of living, then you must let go of parts of your old life that drain your energy, that reinforce negativity, or that no longer serve you.....You can also change your life through attitudinal shifts. You can say 'no' to that part of you that reacts as a victim or is submissive, overly dependent, or concerned with what others think. You can transform your anger into love and forgiveness.

7. The last step is to be fully present in your activity, acknowledging the unseen hands that help you and the opportunities and soul responsibilities that come your way at appropriate times. You can walk with an attitude of gratitude through life and welcome the joys and hardships of each day. You can actively accept what comes your way and meet it head on. As you are fully present, you become more aware of your relationship and interconnectedness to others.....You can develop the ability to express gratitude for all that has been given to you, no matter how difficult.

[The above is definitely not the full text in the steps.]

There are many exercises that follow these steps, but I'm not there yet. There is a lot to think about for the above 7 steps, and to really do.

Trampoline!!!!

The trampoline is excellent! I returned a folding one to Canadian Tire because I found it to be not so good, and found a great 38 inch surface one at Wal-Mart (on sale now!!!). Tough assembly but when it's done --voila! Doing "moves" on the trampoline is great for the lymph system and the thymus gland which makes all the killer t-cells and other blood cells. I'm calling it Body Drumming because coordinating breathing and arm and leg movements is a bit like trying to get into and keep up a drum beat. If you've ever seen me dance you would know that I have a bit of difficulty in this area. Plus, if you have neuropathy like I have there is less impact on the feet and calves, knees, and anywhere else. You could just flail your arms about or follow the exercises from the book A Call To Women. If you are a crazy jogger you could jog on the trampoline in the winter or when your ankles and knees get ruined from the crazy jogging impact. All for $33.00!!!

More from A Call To Women by Sat Dharan Kaur, ND

I'm still working on the Mandala exercise (the making of the Mandala), because I've decided to embroider it, which is slow going because it's not really a forte of mine, but it's probably good exercise for my hands. Or else it's crippling them, I do not know.
While flipping through the book mentioned above I back tracked through chapter 10 (p.273-290) and I've started the exercises or am preparing to do them (exercise trampoline - shopping trip).

"Living With Joy and Purpose

You did not cause your disease, nor are you responsible for curing it. If you have breast cancer [or anything else], do not blame yourself. There are many causative factors that place all women [and men] at risk. However, if you orient your living to finding meaning, purpose, and joy, your immune system will respond positively to these cues and will help to protect you from breast cancer [and other illnesses] or to recover from it more quickly.' (p.274-5)

"Your Unique Way of Being in the World

".....When we recover our hope for living a satisfying and meaningful life, we strengthen our defenses against cancer [and illness] as our body and mind respond to our spiritual commitment to live. By finding our own unique and joyous way of being in the world, breast cancer [and other illnesses] will be less likely to find us."(p.275)

"Searching for meaning and purpose

"In his book Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl writes about the ways in which we we derive meaning from life. For our well-being what we expect from life is not as important as how we respond to life's expectations of us, he suggests.....Frankl called his method of responding to the world 'logotherapy' and wrote that we could all discover the meaning in
life in three different ways."(p.275)

Meaning Through Doing

The first way to find meaning is through creating a work or doing a deed. This includes meaningful work or a career, any artistic expression or something we make with our hands, as well as the day-to day daily actions of our lives...

Meaning Through Experience

The second way to gather meaning from life is from experiencing something or encountering someone. We may experience goodness, truth, beauty, nature, or culture. We can consciously deepen our experience of these by seeking out people or places with deep connections to us, by particiating in events or occasions that are moving for us.

• Goodness-spend time with good people, retreats, volunteer organizations healing centres, inspirational books (biographies) etc..
• Truth- studying the works of spiritual giants, meditation, contemplation, emotional honesty in our interactions.
• Beauty-when we surround ourselves with beauty, we feed ourselves meaning. See beauty where you didn't see it before.
• Nature-Nature is there for us to experience meaning. Take a trip, walk, plant, go to the beach. How can you bring more of those experiences into your life?
• Culture-music, art, dance, theatre -- each of these has the potential to deepen our connection to our spirital natures.

Love-Of all interactions, it is loving encounters that bring us the most meaning. When we love another, we help them to actualize their potential, and when we are loved, we more easily realize more of our own potential.

Meaning Through Our Attitude Towards Suffering

The third way we can experience meaning, according to Frankl, is by 'the attitude we take towards unavoidable suffering. When we suffer, we are challenged to change ourselves, and if the suffering is unavoidable, we can triumph in the way we bear it provided that we find meaning in it.' Suffering can be the hero's path, although it challenges us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If suffering is avoidable, then we should remove its cause, whether it be physical, psychological, or political. If the suffering is unavoidable, then, through our journey into the dark reaches of the soul, we can sometimes pass to the other side having gained in compassion, acceptance, tolerance, and wisdom.....Once we have felt pain, we sense others' pain. We are then more able to extend our hearts and minds in compassionate service."(p.276-7)

Serene has taken my spot on the computer chair, so I will continue this later with the Finding Joy and Purpose Exercise.

One year

One year later.... I didn't know if I would be alive. I hadn't realized how much love drives things. There are so many small things to notice: acorn tops, animal calls, etc.. Feeling good is feeling great. Family is wonderful.
CT scan today. Hopefully there is good news -- it feels like it -- and it is one whole year later!!!!!

16 pieces

New psychological work

I went to the bookstore looking for something non-cancer related to read, and of course found a cancer related book, My God I Thought You'd Died: One Man's Personal Triumph Over Cancer, by Claude Dosdall and Joanne Broatch.

I started to read that, when I received via mail A Call to Women: The Healthy Breast Program and Workbook, by Sat Dharan Kaur, ND.. While I don't have breast cancer, this was recommended by my hypnotherapist for the excellent info, diet tips, and workbook exercises, not to mention kundalini and other exercises.

So last night I began with one exercise the author calls a Meaning Mandala.:

"It will help you to define where you derive meaning from your life and propel you to manifest that meaning. It will remind you of your soul's purpose here and how to live that purpose. It will help to integrate the divergent directions in your life and bring you stability when you lose your compass or your anchor. As you relate to your meaning mandala, you will mobilize your body's ability to heal."(p.283)

I will try to find and post a picture of a basic mandala...well, one's not so basic, but essentially the format, to be drawn on a nice big big piece of paper, is small circle in the middle, large square framing next large sized circle, all framed by a larger circle. 3 circles, one square

(above line drawing- picture a circle in the middle, a circle just inside the large"ish" square, and lose the giant outer square, but keep the giant framing circle).

(above coloured drawing - blue outer circle, brown square, brown circle, blue innermost circle)

Intersect these with lines like cutting a pie into 16 pieces. Way easier than it sounds. This is a thoroughly enjoyable process to create once you have all the fixin's.

Great verbatim description from annieappleseedproject.org/meaningmandala.html

Meaning Mandala - finding your bliss, path, passion

On a large 24"x36" or bigger poster-sized paper, draw a circle and divide into 16 segments; a square within the circle, points touching the circle; a smaller circle inside the square touching the lines of the square at the central points; and a small circle in the center. This is your basic mandala.

Around the outer circle, write one word for each of the 16 segments: see, hear, feel, passion, forgive, create, do, be, joy, experience, learn, love, heal, express, talents, cause.

Write the 16 questions in a square or circle around that:

What did I come here to heal?

What did I come here to express?

What talents have I come to develop?

What causes have I come to serve?

What did I come here to see?

What did I come here to do?

Who did I come here to be?

What brings me joy?

What did I come here to experience?

What did I come here to learn?

Who did I come here to love?

Who did I come here to forgive?

What did I come here to create?

What did I come here to hear?

What did I come here to feel?

Where is my passion?

In the center of the little circle, write "I am Here".

At the end of the spaces between two radiating lines at the outer edge of the largest circle, write words or phrases that answer the questions around the diagram. [express, cause, see, hear, feel, forgive, create, etc.]

Between the spokes list the progression of actions or experiences that would enhance or develop the meaning at the outer edge of the circle.These might include qualities to develop within yourself, tasks to do, other people to involve, service, devotion, meditation, letting go, bodywork, dancing, growing a garden, goals short and long term etc., or words and phrases that evoke the meaning for you.

Place the mandala where you can focus on it, perhaps during your rebounding exercises. Think about it. Be aware. Don't be afraid to change it as you change.

Gradually fill in the parts, starting from the center, with contrasting colours or collages or whatever you choose, as you begin to actualize the meaning and purpose of your life.For every step you take towards fullfillment of experience, meaning, purpose, joy, forgiveness, healing... Draw or put pictures around the outside that represent those fulfillments for yourself."

Your body needs to know that you are serious about living for it to co-operate whole-heartedly with you in healing."Found in the book, A Call to Women, Sat Dharam Kaur ND, pages 283-5. Thanks to Aliss T.

For someone who is a visual learner this is a great way to look at different psychological aspects of healing. I have taken this slow as there is real thought that goes into filling out each area. I'm using art supplies and the dining room table, a candleabra and incense, background music, etc.. I'm really letting it get into my mind and my way of thinking, sort of like a work of art in progress. I can feel something shifting or moving inside.

Went to the Dr. and the Dr. said....

"I can barely find this.. I think this tumor had disappeared. I think this is just scar tissue from the operation." YAY! "And this area that was hard to push on has really softened." Breathing out!!!
That was a great Dr.'s appointment. Cat scan on the 23rd, the 3 more rounds of chemo, etc..
(Daily) meditation with hypnotherapist CD, Hospice meditation and Reiki (which I love) and touch therapy. Prayer and Pat's prayer inspirarion, receiced prayers. Practice (at times) of A Course in Miracles and Tolle. This is what I believe has helped.
Many would say it's just the chemo, and this chemo does rock.
In the end though, I agree with me! And my healthier body agrees with all of it.
xoxox

Update on Edmund and Serene

Edmund is under a bit of catnip.

From a Sunday outing

Leopard frog

Baby Heron

Crazy Monarch Caterpillar (?)

Strange sea monster from Marden Pond

Perspective

I have read a book that I borrowed from the hospice: Making Miracles Happen by Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh. Gregory Smith has brain cancer and has been fighting it for ten years. But the point I want to make is this: that reading books written by cancer "people" is a far different experience for me than reading ACIM or Eckhart Tolle. They write things that seem like nothing but hit so hard, like being fascinated by babies or putting things in plain perspective.

"'The hardest pill to swallow...is the realization that from the moment of the accident or illness or operation occurs, your life will never be the same. Everybody assumes that they're going back to the way they were. They're going to be in the same job, they're going to have the same physical capabilities. Their work, their spouse, their family, their friends, everything is always going to be the same. When, in fact, it never will be the same after.'"(MMH, p.224)

This weekend I knew was going to be beautiful, and making the decision to stay home rather than going to the cottage caused me much anguish because will I be there next year? Which books should I take the time to read? etc., etc..
Making decisions is becoming difficult for that "reasoning". Not only life situations change, but I can't help but to think in extremes. While remaining positive. And trying to function normally, greet the neighbours, and make a miracle happen.
The hopice is also starting a group in October, where you take a lunch and talk, but I'm undecided if that is for me. I have heard that it is really a good thing to do and will extend your life, and if anyone has attended such a group for illness, please let me know your opinions on it and if you feel it helped you. I suppose I'm committing to the hospice program of a positive meditation/visualization then touch therapy which connects me with others who may have any illness and who want to be well. They all seem very kind and I can almost feel their wings cover me protectively.
Unfortunately I haven't been using the Tibetan bowl very much, but Mike is fascinated by it and loves to make a deep vibration come from the bowl and try it on different surfaces, even though I've told him he holds the pestle wrong and his quests are impossible; he continues and proves me wrong, thank God, places the bowl on my abdomen, and makes it sing a low vibration which I really do feel work its way through me and heal along the way.
I absolutely love the CD that my hypnotherapist made me because it puts me into a deep deep state of "altered" relaxation and it seems to do it to me every time I listen. I would say that this is one of the best therapies I've pursued, with the right therapist, and I absolutely recommend it.
Serene has stepped on some button which has altered the screen completely so I will post this now.