Forgiveness in the Time of Shelter-Free 8 Week Zoom Class

Did you ever feel like a past hurt was forgotten until something happens and you find yourself reliving it all over again? This Great Shelter has united our world. Everywhere we are experiencing the need to limit our social interactions. Staying home, missing work or school...for a great many has produced a profound sense of isolation and loneliness.

Many report feeling depression,  grief, frustration or even anger and resentment. Some people have had sleep disturbances or insomnia. Others say they have lost their sense of well being the longer this Shelter in Place goes on.

Have you had the experience where you thought you had worked through something? All the sudden something happens or something doesn't work out and the issues you thought you had resolved pop into your life again? 

Anger, resentment, sadness a sense of longing for things to be different can take over when we least expect it and we can loose our normal peace and ease. 

Hawaiian Forgiveness or Ho'o pono pono is a simple, easy to learn practice that can permanently resolve old hurts and the burdens these hurts place in our hearts.

Long ago in a paradise we now call Hawaii, there was no formal code of law and no written language. To protect the safety of the family and tribe the Hawaiian’s used a forgiveness technique Ho’o pono pono. 

Today, around the world this practice of Hawaiian Forgiveness is used as a direct means to experience deep peace and inner freedom and to unburden the weight of our past. 

Ernest Holmes, the founder of Religious Science described Forgiveness as the way to know the Divine within as Love.  The more inner freedom we can create for ourselves the greater ability we have to know love, peace and a greater connection with the Divine. 

Everyone has their own understanding of the Divine. The world's great religious traditions share the idea of the Divine as love. However, we can experience the Divine in different ways. For some,the peace and power that comes from being in tune with Nature and Mother Earth is their greatest sense of the Divine. Others may know it as Oneness with all Beings or a sense of Unity with the entire family of humanity. 

June 15th my free 8 week Zoom class "Forgiveness, Peace and Happiness" begins.

What could greater personal freedom or relief from your past mean to you right now?

I believe what you will discover in this class will be alive in your heart and make a real difference for you, long after our time together is complete. 

 

This weekly 90 minute class runs for 8  weeks.  There is no book to purchase, I’ll provide the handouts for class. I hope you can join me. 

The Class:  "Forgiveness,Peace and Happiness"

via Zoom with Dr. Siota Belle, PhD

                        

Wed June 15-Aug 12 2020

1:30-3pm Pacific Daylight Time

Cost: No Tuition Frees

Link to enroll:

https://santarosajuniorcollege.formstack.com/forms/non_credit_enrollment_form

Course number: OA 505 Section 8853 Forgiveness, Peace & Happiness

For more information:email:drsiotabelle@gmail.com

or call 707-566-6895

The class will not be recorded.

You may also enjoy my articles:

"Hawaiian Forgiveness, Ho'o pono pono and Healing" 

https://tinyurl.com/Hawaiian-Forgiveness

or "Freedom and Forgiveness"

https://tinyurl.com/FreedomandForgiveness

 

I'd love to hear about your experiences with Ho'o pono pono and forgiveness. I can be reached at drsiotabelle@gmail.com

World Peace & Your Divine Intention with "Dances of Universal Peace"

"The only way we can make peace is for each of
us to be the peace we want to see."

Susan Collin Marks:http://www.sfcg.org/

 

 

 

 

With the internet and social media the world has become a smaller more open place. Instantly we can have an idea of what is going on anywhere. Are you thinking about what is happening around the world right now? I know I am. But what is going on inside you?

One way to find peace within yourself and to become the peace you'd like to see everywhere.....is by moving your body to the rhythms of peace, unity and love with the Dances of Universal Peace.

From ancient times sacred movement, music and song have been used in celebration and to bring people together.  The Dances of Universal Peace were introduced in 1960 by Samuel L. Lewis- a Sufi teacher and Zen master. You may know of the ecstatic form of Sufi dancing known as Sufi Whirling practiced in many Islamic cultures.

The Dances of Universal Peace have their roots in Sufi traditions; but they are spiritual folk dances-easy to do. You don't have to be particularly fit to participate and anyone can learn them.

Sufi Dancing or the Dances of Universal Peace blend chant, live music and movement into a living experience of unity, peace and self integration. The mystery of these beautiful chants and music in Arabic, Aramaic, English, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Persian and Sanskrit. awakens your Divine Intention, sense of Oneness and community.

"Out beyond the ideas of wrong-doing and right-

doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there."

Rumi, Sufi Master and poet

Join hands to form a circle and celebrate the underlying Unity of all spiritual traditions. Enjoy a remarkable sense of well being and a greater revelation of your own Truth with this healing tradition. No musical ability or dancing talent is needed.

Sufi Dances of Universal Peace

Led by Tui-well known International Peace Dance Leader

Friday, September 27, 2013 7pm

Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa, Ca

2075 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, Ca 95401-707-546-4543

$10 in advance and $15 @ the door

Register online: http://steppingstones-books-and-gifts.myshopify.com/
To locate a program in your area or find out more information check out: www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org.

If you have danced the Dances of Universal Peace  or used dance as a healing technique I look forward to hearing about your experiences. Please write me in the comment box below or at the email listed above.

Weight Loss Breakthrough and Overcoming Sugar Addictions with Ganesha Mantra

"Chanting is a way of getting in touch with yourself. It's an opening of the heart and letting go of the mind and thoughts. It deepens the channel of grace, and it's a way of being present in the moment."  Krishna Das





Do you think your scale must be broken- because no matter what you eat the numbers don’t get smaller? Have you hit a weight loss plateau that you just can’t seem to break through? Does it feel impossible to stop eating sugar or junk food? Do you find that you just can’t start your new food plan?

All to often when we are stuck we circle in on the level of the problem... perhaps it’s time to change your life by changing you mind: with the Ganesha mantra. Ganesha mantra can help you break through your plateau and remove the obstacles that prevent you from eating in a more healthy fashion.

I believe this transformational chant opens the way for powerful results and activates whatever it is that needs to change. From these internal changes your weight loss and ability to make different food choices become more successful. It can be used for overcoming any type of obstacle not just for weight loss or eating habits. It is often used to inaugurate the beginning of any new endeavor-a new project, relationship, job, writing a manuscript, art work etc.

Who Is Ganesha and why does he have a mantra?

Ganesha is the Hindu elephant god. He is known for being the remover of obstacles, the god of beginnings, a patron of the arts & sciences and a spiritual force for intellect & wisdom. Ganesha has over 1000 different names. Many chants and mantras are associated with him- one of the most beautiful and simple chants is - the Ganesha mantra:

Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

Like all mantras this ancient one works on the level of sound and feeling. Each word in the chant has it’s own powerful meaning and sound effect.

Om = Om is a sacred sound of the vibrations of the universe. It is known as the primordial sound   universal Wholeness

Gam= Is one of Ganesha's power sounds or root mantras.

Ganapataye-Another name for Ganesha- as the breaker of obstacles.

Namaha-This is often is used at the end of a Sanskrit chant or prayer and it has many meanings. It is a sign of devotion meaning- I bow down, I offer devotion I recognize your power, I become one with you.1

If we put the power sounds, feeling and meaning together it could be described as "In Universal Wholeness I recognize your power Ganesha, I offer my devotion, I bow down to you. I am transformed by your power in removing all obstacles."

What is Chanting?

Chanting is a practice of repeating words with a specific spiritual vibration that point your attention inwards beyond the level of thought into the realm of pure consciousness. Meditation and chanting are often practiced together-however you can chant without meditating and exeprience many of the same benefits as if you were meditating. With chanting  you will gain a sense of deep peace, better focus and feeling more relaxed.

Research on chanting in various languages and using different chants has established many benefits from regular practice:calming the breath, stabilizing the blood pressure and synchronizing the heart beat.2 It also improves the mood and produces feeling of peace and mental steadiness. 3

What are Mantras?

The words or sounds you repeat in chanting are mantras. Not all mantras have a specific meaning. It is the sound and vibration of the mantra that frees the mind from its own thinking nature. However mantras with specific meanings work equally well to change our awareness.

Since ancient times mantra have been used in all religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism. Jainism, Sikhism etc. Christian chanting began in Latin and Greek. Saying the Rosary is a form of chanting with words that have actual meaning.

The mantras are chanted 108 times- once or twice a day for 40 days. You can keep track of your repetitions by moving your fingers along a strand of beads called malas. Or you can use unstrung beads and two small containers. Put all your beads in one cup and move one bead to the second cup as you complete each repetition. An easy way is to time yourself on how long it takes to complete 108 repetitions and then chant for that amount of time each day. Ganesha mantra is short and most people will be able to do it 108 times in about 8 minutes.

How to use the Ganesha mantra:

You may want to write out and sign your intention to practice Ganesha mantra. Some people like to write out what it is they hope to resolve.

Find a quiet place and time for your daily chanting. Be alert to how you feel and watch for changes in your thinking and your perceptions about yourself and your life. Have a pen and paper nearby-some people like to keep a diary to record their experiences and insights.

Ganesha mantra works for any type of obstacle removal, to inaugurate any new beginning or enhance new endeavor. I believe that the Ganesha mantra raises your vibration & level of awareness so the obstacles or fragmented parts inside you become smoothly integrated. As these blocks are dissolved a clear sense of direction and what steps you can take for your success are revealed to your deeper consciousness.

Many people are born in countries where chanting is as natural as breathing. It is not so common in the western world. You do not need to change your religion, read Sanskrit or become a speaker of the language you are chanting in. Singing talent is not required either because its the sound vibration of the mantra inside you that effects the change. Just practice with an open heart and let the power of the chant reveals its message to you.

I'd love to hear about your results with chanting. Please write to me on my comment page here or you can email me at the address listed above.



 

References:

1.Thomas Ashley-Ferrand, Mantra Meditation, (Boulder, Colorado:Sounds True Inc., 2010).56.

2.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61046/

3.http://paper.ijcsns.org/07_book/200808/20080825.pdfw

Listen to a beautiful 108 recitations by Deva Premal at: https://soundcloud.com/dvadcatoelicoknigi/deva-premal-om-gam-ganapataye