^otter^ Well my very special friends, welcome to )Gaia*Friends( Sundayevening discussion! Arianna has asked me to discuss enchantment in our lives and ways that we might reconnect to that vital energy to live fuller lives! Enchantment is what we had as children. And what many of us lose along the path to adulthood. The pressures of our modern left brained lives begins early to force out the magic, the connection to an enchanted view of life. In order to reconnect to the great spirit/god/goddess it is essential that we regain the magic we were inherently born with.
As we approach a new millennium there is a hunger/thirst in humanity to re-find what we have lost in out modern world, and living an enchanted life is one way we begin to alter ourselves and others. When we live in magic (something pagan faiths know well), we don't try to understand everything that is happening and everything we are doing.... We allow nature to remain mysterious, but we find ways to tap into it and share in it's depths of meaning... We find that we use inconspicuous means to achieve powerful effects, and we acknowledge the potency of materials and images to render our perspective ir vision as an enchanted world. Can everyone remember a moment, or place where there was real enchantment where you became lost from time and space and just felt the magic?
citrine> yes, when i met my significant other and fell in love
^otter^Yes Citrine! Love is among the most enchanting of enchantments!
pheonx> first time I physically became aware of my Teachers and Guides
Shanaza> today..painting undines, essence of water spirits..
<ibis> During 'spiritual practice' otter.
Hermes_> the circle of trees
BabaGlee> Well , the sunset enchants me all the time..
MiaLove> looking upside -down at clouds in a sunset yesterday :)
^otter^> I remember many, but one that comes to mind is looking at a
lily. When I looked at the lily I saw more than the flower,
more than just it's visual image...
Jackie> I once found a huge red polkadotted mushroom in the mountains on a sunny day... took pictures of it and then sat with it and felt totally enchanted.
sparkles> watching the sun set and the moon rise over the ocean, continuing with the energy of the glory of the beauty and it became a meditation
^otter^> Yes wonderful examples! What we are looking for here are moments where a simple experience becomes transcendent..where, usually "as if by magic" we are caught up in the beauty and connectedness of the most simple joyous elements in life!
pheonx> :-)... what I sometimes consider to be profound is later realized
to be magically simple...
^otter^indeed pheonx! So how can we, in a mechanized, technologized, left-brain dominant world begin to nurture and cultivate this type of experience?
theFool> one of my great experiences where here in the irc when we did a
juice up and i could feel each and every person who participated and
the energy ball we've created
pheonx> the flame of our attention and intention.
Jackie> last weekend i sat on the same trial in the mountains to rest and
have a snack and two grey and white birds came and begged for food...
they eventually sat on the toes my shoes as I fed them cheese crackers.
citrine> by opening our heart and seeing with our soul?
^otter^ EXACTLY Citrine! It requires a conscious choice to re-enchant
ones world...
BabaGlee> Video or technological recordings just don't cut it..
sparkles> by appreciating ....our hearts and perceptions open to the
wonder-ment of life
^otter^> it begins with choice..
MiaLove> truly
^otter^> with altering our perceptions...
citrine> cut, choose & cherish
^otter^> and putting some simple tools to help us into action...
probably the most important thing in re-enchanting is something
you already know, in fact this whole topic is one you already know but
it never hurts to reexamine! The most important thing is taking nothing for granted.
citrine> the wonder of now
Dreamie> not a thing
Ganesha> The Attitude of Gratitude, Otter
^otter^> Yes Citrine, it is REALLY about being in the now!
pheonx> not even the space inbetween...
^otter^> hahaha Ganesha knows me well :)
Ganesha> ...you sweet thang otter :):)
theFool> for every leaf of grass have a guardian angel who keeps it growing in the right way
sparkles> :)
^otter^> also about altering, even in the midst of our daily hustle and
bustle, our view of everything
slowing down even when we hurry..
Hermes_> otter: everything is precious :)
^otter^> really looking, really listening, really, tasting, feeling..
Jackie> The forest is a sanctuary of green, like a beacon of light that
guides me home when my weary mind drifts too far from the shores of my Self.
Ganesha> the elements in nature have great rejuvenating effects on the 4
bodies...mental, emotional, spiritual, physical levels
^otter^> I have used several tools to help myself stay in a state of
connection which for me work.. meditation and prayer, asking to be open and transcendent for me is the first step.. as a painter, I really examine color, shade, hue and texture.. Whenever I find myself in that robotized disconnected state, I remind myself to REALLY look.. Usually if we can get just ONE of our senses truly open, the others will gladly join in.
So, the re-enchantment begins with a single, small inconspicuous
step and goes on to the next one. Above all, it is about freeing ones imagination as well! Can anyone find a one word description of what enchantment is? ... there is no right answer here! :)
citrine> perception?
theFool> foolishness heheh
^otter^> hehe foolishness!
pheonx> an irresistible charm
sparkles> wonderment
^otter^> that's a good one
Arianna/Susanrose> be-ing
^otter^> how about magic?
Ganesha> to be in the "Chant" the Vibration! This is the "kali yuga"...it
is said that in this time that there is one boon in this dark age...it is the grace of the "Chant"...chanting the vibrational focus of God...sacred mantras, nature sounds, music...is to be en-chant-ed
^otter^> wonderment is perfect!
Shanaza> absorption in something
^otter^> how about joy?
sparkles> bliss
Dreamie> laughter
^otter^> bliss!
citrine> love
sparkles> life loving you back
^otter^> love!
Dreamie> magic
Arianna/Susanrose> magic is the art of changing consciousness at will
^otter^> YES Arianna!!! that is the key!
theFool> magic is the art of enjoying what is with out changing
Ganesha> being in the "flow" of the vibrational "glow on" of a moment in
time...or experience of sacred divine energetic
^otter^> So what are some conscious ways we can cultivate a return to
filling our lives with enchantment?
citrine> by taking the time to see the wonder we are involved with
sparkles> synchronous love...we to life ...life to us....even tho life
already is loving as it's life...we paying attention / smile ..gratitude...
aligns the attunement
^otter^ says it's important to take conscious steps to connect to the
unconscious bliss! little things tiny things,
like how you place food on a plate even
Shanaza> what do u do otter to connect?
citrine> random acts of kindness
Dreamie> :)
Ganesha> to be in this vibrational flow, is to be "remembering" the "flow"
and the juice and sweetness of this ecstatic cellular awareness of the Universal Consciousness
^otter^> like creating joy energies in your home, smells sounds, visuals
that connect you to joy..
citrine> what ever we do we should do it with love
One of the errors that modern left brained humanity gets tangles
up in is stuff, owning stuff, filling up our spaces and minds with stuff..
we are literally an "overstuffed" society..
sparkles> indeed beauty yes!
Ganesha> to be "enthusiastic" means to be in the flow of gods
"enthus...lovingness...joy...
^otter^> one of the things I have found is to simplify
the stuff! get rid of clutter.
become an artist in your environment..
citrine> if you want a clean world you have to sweep your own doorstep
Dreamie> out with the old in with the new
sparkles> heheh recycle beautiful things from the clutter!!
^otter^> a co-creator with god....
as I began growing on my path I found that all the stuff, the
memories, the do dahs, etc were types of attachments..
that in many ways kept me from being actively in the process of
joy and creation... so much of reconnecting to enchantment is about letting go of emotional and material baggage..
Ganesha> co-creating the evolution of the Creative Consciousness by the
understanding of the mirror of the Universe projected in your own heart
this is the experience of the divine...that spark of recognition
in the simple enchanted moments of being
^otter^> my home is very very simple now...
there is no clutter now (cept for one closet which is known as the
dump pile) :)
Dreamie> hahah
citrine> home to me is a temple
I consciously decorated it to be a meditative space...
Ganesha> your closet must be ruled by pluto :) heheheh
^otter^> hahaha Ganesha..
but it's important that your home be your temple and
representative of that..
<BabaGlee> increase perception by reducing un-needed distractions? or how?
pheonx> cleanliness is next to Godliness.... (remembering)
^otter^> Yes baba! get rid of da clutter babe!
Ganesha> citrine, Eric, the home needs to be a place ..like a reflection of
your own inner temple...where you "con Tem" Plate
or con temple ate.....are in the inner space of the temple
^otter^> I am not suggesting be a Spartan monk..
nor am I suggesting that your space be as mine is..
all I am saying is be fully conscious about your environment and
how you create it!
BabaGlee> meet your needs and defeat your greeds and get yourself ahead..
pheonx> good point
sparkles> The absolutely most spiritually evolved being I've ever known had
physical clutter
Ganesha> yes, sparkles, some Great beings" have the clutter to remind
themselves and discipline themselves that they are beyond the dualistic
opposites of the physical world, but they are unique siddhas
sparkles> yes Ganesha...exceptions to the rules...after mastery...rules
don't apply in same way
^otter^> also, something many many adults forget is that enchantment is about play... play is essential in all of this... children do it naturally it is how they grow with the world and learn. It is a shame that somewhere we let go of that.. so re-opening to play consciously is another way to recreate an enchanted view and practice in your life.
citrine> and we can appreciate the uniqueness of each others temples
and find enchantment and joy in that MiaLove happily remembering playing on swings this morning
pheonx> play went out the door with sophistication and judgementalness
^otter^ suggests buying yourself some toys!!! I am serious!
theFool> children r innocent... it is ez for them
^otter^> go to a toy store, let your imagination go wild and buy yourself
toys.. then come home and play with them..
^otter^> it re-opens your senses to that play/joy experience!
citrine> suredoes...
> theFool have the ultimate toy ! the irc and his friends
^otter^> I find that sometimes the simplest toys which regenerate
imagination are the best.. a jar of bubbles! watch how the sunlight creates
prisms off the bubbles floating through the air!
MiaLove> fingerpaints
citrine> a pin wheel
MiaLove> mud-sand-clay
^otter^> yes paints! crayons! Clay!
Ganesha loves to play cards
citrine> prisms...yes rainbows
theFool> matchbox cars...
Hermes_> crystals :)
Arianna/Susanrose> troll dolls
theFool> hehe
^otter^> paint or draw for yourself!
Dreamie> mmmm...rainbows hold special enchantment w/me
theFool> or play the guitar
^otter^> give no thought to what anyone thinks! this is your joy!
make music, sounds has drums, bells and chimes!
heFool> tell jokes!!!!
citrine> sweet smelling flowers and plants
^otter^ has many many dolls too!
pheonx> Mr. Microphone... (karoke kataclisims)
citrine> kittys!
theFool> tell jokes that makes u lough...especialy u.. hehehe
^otter^> play games with your spouse or a friend!
citrine> laughter....
^otter^> body and face paint!
Ganesha> cooking and talking
sparkles> took a friend's daughter to store to get popcorn...on way
home..she was looking at the bag of popcorn...said.."sparkles? we didn't get popcorn...this is seeds"! ehhehhe she' never seen how corn is popped... so we came home and popped a huge bag of corn in hot-air popper, went to duck pond and fed it to ducks and other birdies... heheh her wonderment opened mine...just absolutely exquisite!
^otter^> any and all means that connect you back into the joyous abandon of the innerchild will help re-enchant your life!
citrine> kewl sparkles..
Ganesha> chanting the name of god on my harmonium,,,,having my chanting group come over and singing sacred mantras for hours
^otter^> dance is a wonderful method of connecting to joy!
citrine> we dance in the supermarket..isn't that why they play that music?
> BabaGlee harmonically intones in a group
Ganesha> roller skating with my daughter
MiaLove> citrine! me too!! I sing to my husband, too :)
^otter^> drawing others into your enchantments begins to spread that energy around! and when we each change our own energy to joyous and share it impacts mother earth and all her inhabitants
pheonx> (sing in the shower)
citrine> and it multiplies and returns to us
LadyFiona> playing my Harp out on the deck :)
Ganesha >like to meditate and do reiki...also hatha yoga and cook
dinner...love to get in the "flow" on IRC TOO!!!
citrine >sprinkles enchantment in to the cup
Ganesha> smudges her house and rings bells and does puja to saints and
statues twice a day to remember Universal God Consciousness and all its aspects
pheonx> wow Ganesha.... great.
^otter^> another thing that I have found is important is some manner of
ritual incorporated into everyday life
be it a prayer time, or some other semi formal ritual, wherever we
add ritual we begin to create magic..
look at the Japanese tea ceremony..
something extremely simple, making tea becomes a ritual of
crunching the leaves, heating water, mixing tea with water in an organized manner, placing it in a "teabowl" turning the bowl 3 times, bowing and offering it to a friend!
BabaGlee> indeed agnihotra is repeated ritualistically every sunset and
sunrise and it really builds up a magical like energy.
Ganesha> does the "arati" alot and chants the Guru Gita and Rudram...ancient
sanscrit chants that bring the divine into ones space and life in a
powerful way
pheonx> likes to look inwardly to the top of his head and feel the dance of
energies on top.
citrine> sometimes something as simple as a new way of doing something we do every day will bring new awareness... like going to work a different route or using another means of transportation
^otter^> So to begin to bring my general dialogue on this to a close...
If we practice this new method of conscious connection which
incorporates really tuning in to our senses, play, ritual and joy,
over time a new way of life begins to emerge...
it comes from small acts of magic strung together like beads,
and the person becomes dedicated to living in enchantment as in the words
of Wallace Stevens: The impossible possible philosophers dream...
the man who has the time to think enough..
the central human globe, responsive..
as a mirror with a voice, the man of glass,
who as one in a million diamonds sums up the universe..
The enchanted person is indeed "a mirror with a voice", giving
expression to the inner voice heard in nature and deep within the heart.
When the innermost realm meets the outermost
realm in articulation and embraces them both...
then we are part of enchantment and living enchanted lives!
Ganesha> mirror mirror on the wall........
theFool> who's the enchanted of them all?
^otter^> Thanks for being here!!! it's always a delight to be asked
to come and yak about my favorite things! :)
Hermes_> otter :) thank you :)
Ganesha> Ohhh OTTER Thank-you for the wonderful Talk!!! it is GREAT!!!
CJoseph> Well I'm blown away... hehehe
theFool> Thanks to otter for sharing with us and enchanting our day/night
citrine hugs otter and thanks her for the enchantment of now
MiaLove delights in the joy shared by Otter and ALL
^otter^> why thank you sweet Ganesha!
^otter^ thinks everyone should grab a friend and go play!!
bubbles anyone!?
sparkles Giggles as ^otter^ Levitates in a swirling twirling glowing bliss
bubble...What an excellent presentation otter.... Thank you!
CJoseph thanks otter... :)
Shanaza> thank u otter:) and thanks to the group too (have to go!!!)
LadyFiona> thank you, ^otter^ :)
sparkles> splashes ^otter^ with gleefilled sparkling luv*light Bliss-Bubbles,
GrayMind> ^otter^ It sounds like I've missed something great. I look
forward to another )Gaia*Friends( opportunity, when my timing might be better
pheonx> {{{{{ Applause }}}}}
Arianna/Susanrose> Thank you ^Otter^ as always, you are wonderful!
^otter^> aww thanks Arianna you know I love doing it!
Jackie> Enchantment is when you experience the song that is in your heart.
Jackie scatters glittery fairy dust upon the Gaia Friends as she flies among
the rainbows of flowers...