Today's DailyOM Offerings...
July 7, 2011
Tibetan Dream Journey
Nawang Khechog
2011
Looking into the realm beyond opposites, where the full wholeness of the soul floats in its place as the heart of the world-this is the Buddhist way, and Tibetan Dream Journey is one way to get there. Your guide, Nawang Khechog, studied for 30 years with the Dalai Lama, and has played with artists ranging from David Bowie to Laurie Anderson. Through the grace of his music, Khechog speaks volumes, and he writes humbly and beautifully of his occasional moments of self-doubt and a car crash that left him hospitalized in the 20-page booklet accompanying Tibetan Dream Journey. It's hard to believe anyone with a shred of self-doubt or injury could produce the serene sounds of the album, but it makes the music all the more resonant.
An advanced form of lucid dreaming and yoga, the Tibetan Dream Journey involves cultivating a greater connection to the divine to become part of the healing energy of the universe, but Khechog's album is still perfect for an array of healing and meditation practices for those not quite at that level. For the opener, "Prophecy," (named in honor of the great lamas of the seventh and 13th centuries who prophesized China's invasion of Tibet), Khechog's flute notes overlap and intertwine, creating a flowing feeling like the morning mist over the stark but tranquil hills of the Tibetan landscape. Khechog plays alone on several tracks, but he's also joined by other inspired artists, including tabla master Ty Burhoe, Deborah Schmit-Lobis on piano, and James Hoskins on cello. "Zen Sem Blues" adds a sense of playful improvisation, with Khechog's flute exploring some western jazzlike runs with Burhoe's tablas.
"Chant of Universal Compassion" features the Dalai Lama and over a thousand monks chanting for peace and universal love and kindness throughout the world, particularly in Tibet’s relations with China. As Khechog notes: "Tibetan Freedom should not be considered a 'cause' where victory goes to one side and loss goes to the other," but rather Tibet should help fill China's "huge vacuum of spiritual values." As the chant rises and mournful cello and beautiful refrains from Khechog's flute surround and infuse the chanting with light and grace, you can feel the call for that kind of forgiveness and transcendence overwhelm and lift your spirit, and free you with a single, eternal breath.
July 7, 2011
Hand Over Your Concerns
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You might feel anxiety that is related to your expectations, and this could leave you feeling worried today. Perhaps you fear that the outcome of your hopes could easily be dashed by unforeseen circumstances and that all of your hard work might be pointless. Turning over your fear about the future to the universe today could help alleviate some of the concern you may have. You might consider taking a few minutes to visualize your perfect future-one without any glitches or negative outcomes. As you see this version of the future unfold before you, you can imagine that this picture is something you can hold in your hand. Making a wish that your future will turn out well, you might next imagine yourself handing over your future to the universe. Putting your trust in the universe in this way could take some of the burden of worry from you.
Envisioning the future as we wish it and then turning our hopes over to the universe is a powerful way to develop faith in what the future will bring. Not knowing what will happen can often send us into a downward spiral of worry, fear, and inaction. Understanding that the universe will not allow things to happen to us that do not propel us forward, however, is an important part of relinquishing our fears about the future. By trusting in the universe and letting it know what you hope for today, the universe will answer your wishes in the way that is best for you.
July 7, 2011
A Self-Created State
Worry
Worry is an extension of fear and can also set you up for attracting that which you don’t want in your life.
We have all had the experience of worrying about something at some point in our lives. Some of us have a habitual tendency to worry, and all of us have known someone who is a chronic worrier. Worry is an extension of fear and can be a very draining experience. In order for worry to exist, we have to imagine that something bad might happen. What we are worrying about has not happened yet, however, so this bad thing is by definition a fantasy. Understood this way, worry is a self-created state of needless fear. Still, most of us worry.
One reason we worry is because we feel like we’re not in control. For example, you might worry about your loved ones driving home in bad weather. There is nothing you can do to guarantee their safe passage, but you worry until you find out they have reached their destination unharmed. In this instance, worry is an attempt to feel useful and in control. However, worrying does nothing to ensure a positive outcome and it has an unpleasant effect on your body, mind, and spirit. The good news is that there are ways to transform this kind of worry so that it has a healing effect. Just as worry uses the imagination, so does the antidote to worry. Next time you find that you are worrying, imagine the best result instead of anticipating the worst outcome. Visualize your loved ones’ path bathed in white light and clearly see in your mind’s eye their safe arrival. Imagine angels or guides watching over them as they make their way home. Generate peace and well-being instead of nervousn! ess and unease within yourself.
Another reason we worry is that something that we know is pending but are avoiding is nagging us-an unpaid parking ticket, an upcoming test, an issue with a friend. In these cases, acknowledging that we are worried and taking action is the best solution. If you can confront the situation and own your power to change it, you’ll have no reason to worry.
Tibetan Dream Journey
Nawang Khechog
2011
Looking into the realm beyond opposites, where the full wholeness of the soul floats in its place as the heart of the world-this is the Buddhist way, and Tibetan Dream Journey is one way to get there. Your guide, Nawang Khechog, studied for 30 years with the Dalai Lama, and has played with artists ranging from David Bowie to Laurie Anderson. Through the grace of his music, Khechog speaks volumes, and he writes humbly and beautifully of his occasional moments of self-doubt and a car crash that left him hospitalized in the 20-page booklet accompanying Tibetan Dream Journey. It's hard to believe anyone with a shred of self-doubt or injury could produce the serene sounds of the album, but it makes the music all the more resonant.
An advanced form of lucid dreaming and yoga, the Tibetan Dream Journey involves cultivating a greater connection to the divine to become part of the healing energy of the universe, but Khechog's album is still perfect for an array of healing and meditation practices for those not quite at that level. For the opener, "Prophecy," (named in honor of the great lamas of the seventh and 13th centuries who prophesized China's invasion of Tibet), Khechog's flute notes overlap and intertwine, creating a flowing feeling like the morning mist over the stark but tranquil hills of the Tibetan landscape. Khechog plays alone on several tracks, but he's also joined by other inspired artists, including tabla master Ty Burhoe, Deborah Schmit-Lobis on piano, and James Hoskins on cello. "Zen Sem Blues" adds a sense of playful improvisation, with Khechog's flute exploring some western jazzlike runs with Burhoe's tablas.
"Chant of Universal Compassion" features the Dalai Lama and over a thousand monks chanting for peace and universal love and kindness throughout the world, particularly in Tibet’s relations with China. As Khechog notes: "Tibetan Freedom should not be considered a 'cause' where victory goes to one side and loss goes to the other," but rather Tibet should help fill China's "huge vacuum of spiritual values." As the chant rises and mournful cello and beautiful refrains from Khechog's flute surround and infuse the chanting with light and grace, you can feel the call for that kind of forgiveness and transcendence overwhelm and lift your spirit, and free you with a single, eternal breath.
July 7, 2011
Hand Over Your Concerns
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You might feel anxiety that is related to your expectations, and this could leave you feeling worried today. Perhaps you fear that the outcome of your hopes could easily be dashed by unforeseen circumstances and that all of your hard work might be pointless. Turning over your fear about the future to the universe today could help alleviate some of the concern you may have. You might consider taking a few minutes to visualize your perfect future-one without any glitches or negative outcomes. As you see this version of the future unfold before you, you can imagine that this picture is something you can hold in your hand. Making a wish that your future will turn out well, you might next imagine yourself handing over your future to the universe. Putting your trust in the universe in this way could take some of the burden of worry from you.
Envisioning the future as we wish it and then turning our hopes over to the universe is a powerful way to develop faith in what the future will bring. Not knowing what will happen can often send us into a downward spiral of worry, fear, and inaction. Understanding that the universe will not allow things to happen to us that do not propel us forward, however, is an important part of relinquishing our fears about the future. By trusting in the universe and letting it know what you hope for today, the universe will answer your wishes in the way that is best for you.
July 7, 2011
A Self-Created State
Worry
Worry is an extension of fear and can also set you up for attracting that which you don’t want in your life.
We have all had the experience of worrying about something at some point in our lives. Some of us have a habitual tendency to worry, and all of us have known someone who is a chronic worrier. Worry is an extension of fear and can be a very draining experience. In order for worry to exist, we have to imagine that something bad might happen. What we are worrying about has not happened yet, however, so this bad thing is by definition a fantasy. Understood this way, worry is a self-created state of needless fear. Still, most of us worry.
One reason we worry is because we feel like we’re not in control. For example, you might worry about your loved ones driving home in bad weather. There is nothing you can do to guarantee their safe passage, but you worry until you find out they have reached their destination unharmed. In this instance, worry is an attempt to feel useful and in control. However, worrying does nothing to ensure a positive outcome and it has an unpleasant effect on your body, mind, and spirit. The good news is that there are ways to transform this kind of worry so that it has a healing effect. Just as worry uses the imagination, so does the antidote to worry. Next time you find that you are worrying, imagine the best result instead of anticipating the worst outcome. Visualize your loved ones’ path bathed in white light and clearly see in your mind’s eye their safe arrival. Imagine angels or guides watching over them as they make their way home. Generate peace and well-being instead of nervousn! ess and unease within yourself.
Another reason we worry is that something that we know is pending but are avoiding is nagging us-an unpaid parking ticket, an upcoming test, an issue with a friend. In these cases, acknowledging that we are worried and taking action is the best solution. If you can confront the situation and own your power to change it, you’ll have no reason to worry.