Daily OM- Averting Conflict

http://www.dailyom.com/

Averting Conflict
Dealing With Difficult People

We encounter a wide variety of people throughout our lives. Many of them touch us in some positive way. Occasionally, however, we encounter those individuals who, for whatever reason, can be difficult to deal with. Perhaps this person is a colleague or close friend that you feel is deliberately being obtuse, inviting in trouble, or doing foolish things that you find annoying. Sometimes, it may be possible to appease or avoid those people short term. Dealing with them in the long term, however, can be exhausting. The behavior of difficult people can even make you feel like losing your temper, but keep your cool. Staying calm is the first step, especially when you are ready to confront them.

Avoiding a difficult person can prove impossible and not in your best interest, especially if you live or work together. Likewise, attempts to steer clear of them can become a source of stress and anxiety when they are a part of your social circle. When this is the case, it is best to kindly address the problem. Try not to let their actions or mood affect you. You also may want to try expressing your feelings directly. Tell the person how their actions make you feel, and encourage them toward a more positive course of action. Speak assertively, but respectfully, and don't portray yourself as a victim. Another approach for dealing with a difficult individual is to gain a deeper understanding of who that person is. Ask them why they do or say certain things. If you disagree with their motives, question them further so you can try and discover the root of their behavior. In doing so, you may be able to gently shift their perceptions, or at least help them understand your point of view.

You may want to think about what you want to say to a difficult person before you actually talk to them. If you can, avoid being judgmental or defensive, and try to approach the conversation objectively. If the person is open to the idea, try coming to an agreement. If approaching them fails, let it go and move on. There is no reason to let a difficult person or situation have power over your state of being. Remember that a lot can be accomplished when you take the time to listen and offer up alternative perspectives.

http://www.dailyom.com/

Daily OM- Harmony With Nature

http://www.dailyom.com/

Harmony With Nature
Organic Earth

The earth is our nurturer, giving us life, land, and sustenance. Because of population growth, the demand for her gifts is ever increasing and simply living from day to day can now have a negative impact on the balance of nature. The byproduct of many needs is the release of toxic substances into the water, air, and soil. One way to minimize your impact on the earth is to try and use organic products as much as possible and to garden organically yourself if you have space. Though organic fruits and vegetables have become popular, the term "organic" can apply to any product produced from natural substances, including cloth and beauty items. Organic farming promotes a healthy earth, clean water, and healthy people.

Organic products are created using natural ingredients that were grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers; haven't been treated with preservatives, hormones, or medicines; and don't contain artificial additives. Using organic products whenever possible not only helps lessen your exposure to harmful chemicals but also helps the health of mother earth as well. Organic farming uses helpful insects to combat pests and natural fertilizers like compost and manure, or crop rotation, to keep vital nutrients in the soil. Healthy soil contains microbes beneficial to plants and thick earthy hummus that retains water, reducing the need for artificial irrigation and the rate of top soil erosion. The benefits of using organic products go far beyond health concerns. Organic farming promotes necessary biodiversity through seed collecting and by encouraging wildlife to thrive alongside humans.

We have only just recently begun to understand the effects of chemical-intensive growing on the environment. Organic farming of vegetables, cotton, or any other crop, is a gentle way to reap the earth's bounty and is conducive to a healthy ecosystem. Sometimes the results are slightly more expensive, but the environmental and health costs can be much higher and increased demand for such products can help to lower prices. Your use of organic products encourages a world where birds and insects help control pests, wildlife is an essential part of farming, and nutrition takes precedence over mass production.

http://www.dailyom.com/

Daily OM- Giving To Receive

http://www.dailyom.com/

Giving To Receive
Generosity

The most difficult time to be generous is when we ourselves are feeling poor. While some of us have experienced actually being in the red financially, there are those of us who would feel broke even if we had a million dollars in the bank. Either way, as the old adage goes, it is always in giving that we receive. Meaning that when we are living in a state of lack, the very gesture we may least want to give is the very act that could help us create the abundance that we seek. One way to practice generosity is to give energy where it is needed. Giving money to a cause or person in need is one way to give energy. Giving attention, love, or a smile to another person are other acts of giving that we can offer. After all, there are people all over the world that are hungry for love.

Sometimes when we practice generosity, we practice it conditionally. We might be expecting to "receive back" from the person to whom we gave. We might even become angry or resentful if that person doesn't reciprocate. However, trust in the natural flow of energy, and you will find yourself practicing generosity with no strings attached. This is the purest form of giving. Remember that what you send out will always come back you. Selflessly help a friend in need without expecting them to return the same favor in the same way, and know that you, too, will receive that support from the universe when you need it. Besides, while giving conditionally creates stress (because we are waiting with an invisible balance sheet to receive our due), giving unconditionally creates and generates abundance. We give freely, because we trust that there is always an unlimited supply.

Being aware of how much we are always supported by the universe is one of the keys to abundance and generosity. Consciously remember the times you've received support from expected and unexpected sources. Remember anyone who has helped you when you've needed it most, and bless all situations that come into your life for the lessons and gifts they bring you. Remember that all things given and received emanate from generosity. Giving is an act of gratitude. Plant the seeds of generosity through your acts of giving, and you will grow the fruits of abundance for yourself and those around you.

http://www.dailyom.com/

Daily OM- Walking Your Path

http://www.dailyom.com/

Walking Your Path
Living A Spiritual Life

Throughout the journey from birth to death, many people choose to question life, strive for improvement, seek out knowledge, and search for the divine. Simply put, this is the essence of spirituality. One's spiritual practice can take on many forms, because embracing the spiritual is a very personal pursuit. While many people do relate their spirituality to a God or Goddess, this quest for the divine, or oneness with the universe, always springs from within. It doesn't matter where you find your spiritual path. We are all fundamentally spiritual beings and the essence of that lies in knowing one's true self and finding a peace that comes from within rather than the outside world. It is in remembering this that we awaken to our personal path.

The spiritual path springs forth from a daily routine that reaffirms our personal connection with a purpose or a way of life. Practicing compassion, gratitude, appreciation, forgiveness, generosity, meditation, and taking care of one's wellbeing can all be a part of one's spiritual life. If you are new to exploring your personal spirituality, remember that this is a process. You may want to spend a few moments each day giving yourself a spiritual gift. Try a new form of meditation, visit a sanctuary, or explore a specific deity.

Accepting the importance of spirituality can be a healthy decision, because a spiritual practice tends to include habits that promote healthy living. Take the time to carefully determine the action, thought, and ritual that most speaks to your soul. Remember that your most profound spiritual experiences may also come from the simple intricacies that make up your life. See the interconnectedness of all things. As you explore your "inner work," you will be walking your spiritual path and feeling your oneness with the universe.



http://www.dailyom.com/

Conscious Vibrations

While working at the Kindred Spirit Fair on Saturday, they had a Crystal Bowl Healing concert. It was beautiful!! Each bowl works with a different Chakra and helps to balance them. The woman doing the show was Roberta (Rahbi) Crawford. This was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and felt. It was a healing meditation using her voice, quartz crystal bowls, wooden flutes, gong, singing bowl, rainsticks, drums..... there were all kinds of cool instruments she was playing, sorry, I don't know all of their names.

She had short sticks with a rubber tip on it that she used around the outside of the bowls to make the music with them. There was one bowl that made everyone feel an extreme pressure in the Third Eye Chakra.

In the picture on the right you can see some of the flutes she used, rainsticks, and also the sticks used on the crystal bowls. The small metal bowl between the bottom crystal bowls is the singing bowl. That was really neat, she used a metal stick to go around the outside edge of it to make it sing. I wish I would have taken a picture of the Ocean Harp. That thing was very cool. It made a really creepy sound like something you would hear in a horror movie. I really liked that one.

On Saturday we forgot to turn the lights off while she performed. I enjoyed the concert so much that on Sunday I took my son up there to watch it. We remembered to turn off the lights on Sunday and wow! it was even better than Saturdays concert!! She had candles in the crystal bowls surrounding her with a flickering glow. My son really enjoyed it. He said it made him feel very relaxed and yet energized at the same time. He was very glad he went to see it.

If you ever get the chance to see this concert, go see it. Even if you aren't the meditating/ chakra centering type, this is a beautiful thing to see.

You can check out Rahbi's website here. She also sells CD's of her concerts. She has a studio version and a live version. I bought the studio version at the concert and it's great!! I've listened to it many times already.