|
|
Consulting Your Soul
Recently I approached a traffic light where a man stood in shabby clothes with a three-legged dog by his side. As I waited for the light to change I looked at this scene with compassion and felt an urge to contribute something. The sign he was...
Is Meditation for You?
What Is Meditation?
There are various types of meditation - such as TM (Transcendental Meditation), mindfulness meditation, and from the Eastern tradition, Zen meditation and Buddhist meditation.
Meditation uses such diverse methods as:...
Top Ten Tips for Transitions without Trauma
Life is a series of transitions – some huge, some small; some chosen by us, and others forced upon us. We experience transitions in all areas of our lives including career, family, beliefs, relationships, physical and emotional states, etc. The...
Tripping On Mindfulness
One of the ironies of mindfulness is that it's still possible to be forgetful, klutzy, or even distracted while doing our best to pay attention.
Why? We are choosing where to focus and so there are, by necessity, bits of information that...
What Footsie Taught Us!
We have just inherited a rag, tag and bobtail of a dog called ’Footsie’. She was found three weeks ago wandering around outside a local restaurant for a couple of days looking for food. Paula, a woman who takes responsibility for stray animals...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weaving the Brokenness - Healing the Wound of Mother Abandonment
My daughter puts her arms around me, her brown eyes soft and
beckoning. Her rounded belly and motherly curves rest against
me, and for a moment I choke up. She is pregnant with a girl
baby whose middle name will be Joy like mine. She will be my
first grand-daughter, and my second grandchild.
I was named Joy by my great-grandmother, Blanche, the mother of
my grandmother Lulu, who spent much of her childhood living with
Blanche's mother. When Lulu was a young woman, she abandoned her
daughter Josephine. Josephine abandoned me when I was four years
old, leaving me with her mother. What a heritage!
When I look at my daughter, I see the images of my foremothers
in my mind--my beautiful but insensitive mother, my intelligent,
breaking-the-rules grandmother. I remember their terrible fights
and broken dishes that went flying when my mother came to visit,
and I think of my grandmother's deathbed, where there was no
forgiveness between them. I think of how my mother didn't want
anyone to know she had a child, and how I tried to win her love
until she died.
I was able to break the chains of abandonment, but I still carry
within me the memories of these passionate but disturbed women
whose genes I carry. I am the last remaining witness to know and
remember this heritage. We are the first mother-daughter
generation to hug, kiss, talk over our disagreements, apologize,
forgive, and have a loving relationship. For this I give thanks
every day.
My grandmother and mother didn't want grandchildren either. My
children were not welcomed, and my mother made it clear the few
times she saw my children, they were to keep their identity a
secret too. Her passing on the poison to my children woke me up
to how cruel and heartless she was. Over the years, I had
adjusted to her rejection of me, but when I saw her teach my
children not to call her grandmother, and to lie to the people
at her apartment about their identity, I snapped. I never tried
to get her to accept us again after that. I had to accept that
she never would.
This was another pattern. When my grandmother received the
telegram announcing my birth, she threw it aside saying, "So the
brat is born." Later, she took me in and raised me, but the
feeling that I was living on the edge of societal and familial
acceptance settled deep into my bones.
My story is only one such story about this
topic--mother-child
abandonment. There are many thousands of such stories in the
world, people who were abandoned as children. On my book tour
for Don't Call Me Mother--Breaking the Chain of Mother-Daughter
Abandonment, people listen with tears in their eyes as I read
about the loss and loneliness that I felt as a child, and they
cheer me on as I read how I fought to find myself and create a
better life. When they come to me afterward to tell me how I
have told a part of their story, I understand the tears are for
their own childhood losses that are being healed by hearing
another's story. It is gratifying to see that I can use the
painful parts of my life to give others hope about creating
lives of meaning and joy despite deep early wounds.
If you recognize your story in mine, here are a few healing
suggestions
Healing Abandonment
1. Remind yourself of these things:
a. It was not your fault
b. You were not a bad child
c. Your mother may not have realized how deeply this affected you
d. You deserve love
2. Create joy and beauty in your life now.
a. Gather supportive friends and loved ones around you
b. Feed yourself good food, and treat your body well
c. Give yourself birthday parties and moments of celebration
d. Create your own family, whether it is your own children or
friends whom you adopt as your new family
e. Appreciate each day as it unfolds
3. Find the help you need to heal your wounds
a. Find a therapist who believes that the past affects the
present and can help you work through it
b. Write your story--from your point of view all the way through
c. Illustrate your story with family photos
d. After you write your story, write the story of your mother's
life. Research her life as best you can. Illustrate it with
photos.
4. Use visualization, meditation, and prayer to get in touch
with the life you want to live, and the blessings of your life
a. Meditate in quiet surroundings each day for at least 10
minutes
b. Read books that inspire you to love and accept yourself
c. Share with others your healing story
About the author:
Linda Joy Myers' work has been praised by reviewers, healers,
and radio and television interviewers. You can visit her web
site at: http://www.lindajoymyers.com
|
|
|
|
|
Learning Meditation Home Page |
Introduction to the basics of meditation and the reduction of stress. |
www.learningmeditation.com |
  |
Meditation Room |
Choose freely and feel free to perform more than one meditation. ... Allow some time for your meditation. These meditations last from 3 - 10 minutes. ... |
www.learningmeditation.com |
  |
Meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
An introduction to different traditions, forms, techniques, and benefits. Includes links to other resources. |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
World Wide Online Meditation Center |
Contains colorful, clear, concise meditation instruction on a variety of meditation methods from various spiritual teachings, plus tranquil meditation tapes ... |
www.meditationcenter.com |
  |
The Transcendental Meditation (TM) Program - Official website. How ... |
Meditation validated by over 600 scientific studies. The best meditation against stress. Online video! Personal instruction and lifetime follow-up. |
www.tm.org |
  |
Vipassana Meditation Website |
Homepage of the organization which offers Vipassana Meditation courses as taught by SN Goenka. |
www.dhamma.org |
  |
Welcome to Meditation Mount |
Meditation training programs and group meditation as a service to humanity. Worldwide organization based in Ojai, California. |
www.meditation.com |
  |
Guided meditations on mindfulness, peace, the 23rd Psalm, the way ... |
Come into the present moment with this 10-minute mindfulness meditation narrated by ... Experience a flow of positive energy with this meditation on peace ... |
www.beliefnet.com |
  |
Meditation Station Presented By The Meditation Society Of America |
Meditation Society of America's web site. Dedicated to sharing meditation techniques and concepts from all traditions. |
www.meditationsociety.com |
  |
Wildmind | Learn Meditation Online |
Wildmind provides a complete guide to simple meditation techniques. |
www.wildmind.org |
  |
Meditation |
An article By Dr Tom J. Chalko explaining the process and stressing the need for a spiritual teacher. |
www.thiaoouba.com |
  |
Free Learn to Meditate, online meditation - Meditation Australia. |
Details of activities, events, and classes in Wollongong University, Australia. Also offer a free online Meditation course. |
meditation.org.au |
  |
Meditation, Home, what is meditation, types of meditation ... |
Meditation Meditation is an alternative therapy. It can be broadly classified under the mind-body medicine. More and more doctors are prescribing meditation ... |
1stholistic.com |
  |
Sivananda Yoga - Meditation |
Introduction to the Official Web site of the Internationa Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. Lots of information on Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, ... |
www.sivananda.org |
  |
Stress Reducers: Articles index |
yellow arrow button, Choose a Virtual Meditation Slide Show for Your ... yellow arrow button, Meditation and Relaxation: 20 Minutes A Day Can Make A ... |
www.selfhelpmagazine.com |
  |
Zen Mountain Monastery: Zen Meditation Instructions |
Detailed instructions from Zen Mountain Monastery on how to practice Zen meditation. |
www.mro.org |
  |
Meditation and concentration |
meditation concentration ability. ... Online fire meditation use it and develop concentration ability; Online flash meditation look at the screen and ajust ... |
www.ababasoft.com |
  |
Siddha Yoga path - Gurumayi - Swami Muktananda founder |
Under the guidance and teachings of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Siddha Yoga meditation students embrace the spiritual practices of yoga. |
www.siddhayoga.org |
  |
Meditation Handbook |
Survey of seven meditation techniques for beginners. |
home.att.net |
  |
Healing Music|Meditation Music|Self Help products |
Healing Products offers healing music for your Mind, Body & Soul at low prices. Use sound and music to heal and relax. |
www.healingproducts.com |
  |
|